Australia’s Defence Materials Technology Centre is seeking human integrated sensor systems to support advanced biotechnology and data analytics to join a workshop.
In partnership with DSTG, DMTC is looking for developers and providers of sensing systems, advanced biotechnology and data analytics, to share knowledge, experience, and ideas at an upcoming Human Integrated Sensor System (HISS) collaborative workshop.
This workshop will be run as part of the Department of Defence’s Operating in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Environments (OCE) STaR Shot. It is one of the core future focused problems Defence and DSTG are prioritising as part of the ‘More, Together Defence Science and Technology’ strategy – the sort of problem that can’t be solved alone or without significant advances in science, technology and research. DMTC and DSTG want to collaborate with industry and academia to solve this challenge.
OCE is arguably one of the hardest assignments that our warfighters have. Not only do they have to perform strenuous tasks such as fighting an adversary or supporting civilians in the aftermath of a disaster, they have to do these tasks in the presence of extremely dangerous and most times invisible threats that can spread rapidly and widely if uncontained.
CBRN attacks can be harmful not only to our warfighters, but to civilian communities, individuals, flora and fauna including livestock intended for consumption. It is a unique challenge to have to defend against something you may not be able to see, hear, touch or smell. Currently, more than 50 per cent of the Australian population is locked down due to COVID-19. We can all relate to the challenges associated with controlling the spread of infectious disease and the debilitating effects of outbreaks.
Imagine if we had the capacity to detect infection within hours of exposure, rather than days, by simply probing for cues from our own bodies. It would be a game changer that would allow us to get ahead of the spread.
This is the type of challenge that this Human Integrated Sensor System (HISS) initiative, a collaboration of the Department of Defence’s Operating in CBRN Environments STaR Shot and DMTC, seeks to tackle – in the context of defence and national security but also with a view to extend to civilian application, such as public health and national security).
The HISS initiative will draw together leading edge and commercially available wearable sensors and pair them with advanced data analytics approaches to assimilate subtle cues of exposure/infection and give warning before obvious symptoms manifest. This will allow countermeasures to be enacted with greatest effect. Systems are likely to involve heterogeneous networks of sensors and may involve on-skin and/or sub-cutaneous/bio fluid measurement.
If you have the capacity, skills and experience to conduct funded project work in this area in these areas and are interested in taking part in the HISS collaborative workshop, please respond to our Request for Information (RFI).
We can’t solve these challenges alone. We want to partner, and we want to partner early, so that together we can explore what’s possible and co-design our way forward. Contact DMTC by August 25 here.
* Now’s your chance, analytics-empowered thermal camera people…Ed.
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