Two leading scientists have joined Curtin\u2019s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, bringing with them significant expertise in the development of large-scale surveillance technologies that could benefit both defence and civilian purposes.<\/p>\n
The two researchers \u2013 Professor Ba-Ngu Vo and Professor Ba-Tuong Vo \u2013 were co-recipients of the 2010 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in support of defence or national security. They won the award for their pioneering work in enhanced surveillance technologies, along with Professor Antonio Cantoni from The University of Western Australia (UWA).<\/p>\n
Professor Ba-Ngu Vo said their award-winning research was developed by using signal processing and systems theories in innovative ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough the application of stochastic geometry methods, we developed innovative algorithms that significantly increase a system\u2019s capacity to monitor multiple objects or targets of interest,\u201d Professor Vo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has the potential to make a major contribution to Australia\u2019s defence and national security by enabling better detection of a much larger number of objects and at longer ranges \u2013 including in hazardous urban environments and for the protection of ships, aircraft and vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their research improves on existing approaches that suffer from the problem of \u2018exponential complexity\u2019, which can rapidly exhaust the capacity of even powerful computers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe big breakthrough is that we did this through a radically novel formulation, which uses less demanding computer power than traditional tracking methods, and can be done, essentially, with an off-the-shelf computer,\u201d Professor Vo said.<\/p>\n
Prototypes of their model are already in use in the US space program and German defence forces, with a number of successful trials completed.<\/p>\n
Their work also has the potential for wide-scale use in the civilian domain. It could benefit traffic management, the monitoring of crowd behaviour, sports analysis, remote sensing and biomedical research.<\/p>\n
Professor Ba-Ngu Vo has been appointed Professor and Chair of Signals and Systems in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Curtin, while his brother Professor Ba-Tuong Vo, will work as Associate Professor in the same department.<\/p>\n
Professor Ba-Ngu Vo is working with colleagues to establish a research centre on sensors signals and systems.<\/p>\n
Contact:<\/strong>
\nProfessor Ba-Ngu Vo, Department of Electrical and Computing Engineering, Â鶹ֱ²¥
\nTel: 9266 3475, Email: Ba-Ngu.Vo@curtin.edu.au<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n