Engineers working in agricultural robotics and wearable electronics were rewarded at the Eureka Prizes in Sydney last night.
Professor Salah Sukkarieh, the Director of Research and Innovation at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics (ACFR) at the University of Sydney, took out the Eureka Prize for Leadership in Innovation and Science for his work on the research, development and commercialisation of robotic systems.
His key technological breakthroughs have included developing better navigation systems for aerial and ground robotics, better prediction of fuel consumption for flight systems, developing better environmental management tools and more.
Sukkarieh and his team are currently working with Australian farmers to help grow their crops in smarter and more efficient ways. By using robotic devices to assess, maintain and ultimately harvest crops, they are improving food sustainability while battling the effects of climate change.
He also leads the research and translational program for the Rio Tinto Centre for Mine Automation.
Associate Professor Madhu Bhaskaran from RMIT University received the Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher. The award recognised her development of affordable and biocompatible electronic devices that could be worn like an ‘electronic skin’ and become an integral part of life and health care.
“I have developed a transfer process that for the first time ever combines oxide materials with rubber-like membranes to enable transparent, stretchable and wearable electronic devices,” Bhaskaran said.
“Using this transfer technique, I have created wearable gas sensors and UV sensors. The sensors could be used to help fight against skin cancer, and detect dangerous gases in mines.”
In the future, they could also deliver new technologies like flat optical devices, and smart contact lenses.
“It is an honour and humbling to have my work and its potential benefits for people and societies across the globe recognised this way,” she said.
A documentary about biomedical engineer Dr Jordan Nguyen took out the Eureka Prize for Science Journalism.
Other winners of interest included Monash University's Professor Geoffrey Webb for his work on big data; the FREO2 team from the University of Melbourne for their device to produce medical-grade oxygen without needing a secure source of electricity; and Associate Professor Richard Mildren of Macquarie University for his diamond-based technology capable of radically increasing the power and spectral range of lasers.
[Salah Sukkarieh with his “Ladybird” intelligent farming robot. Photo: University of Sydney]