Curtinnovation Awards 2023

ANI Research is a self-serve, market research platform that helps businesses understand their customers’ needs, identify new opportunities, test new products and make data-driven decisions. Created by Curtin Professor Billy Sung and Dr Sean Lee, the fully automated platform draws from a bank of proven questions to create a customised survey with associated analysis and data presentation templates.

Data is collected via shareable survey links or consumer panel services, and the statistically validated analytics are applied to the results. Rather than only providing data to the business, the automated analysis and interpretation assists in creating true insight.  Disrupting the domain of full-service market research agencies, ANI Research’s affordable subscription model makes rigorous market research accessible to even the most modestly funded organisations and start-ups, and empowers and educates clients to make informed data-driven decisions.

Team: Dr Sean Lee, Professor Billy Sung.

In surface mining, drill and blast (D&B) is the first and, arguably, most important step in the process. By optimising the blasting process, mining companies can reduce risk and increase value to their project. A Curtin team has created a new decision support tool that enhances D&B designs for complex geological conditions, helping drill and blast engineers protect heritage sites and the environment during mining blasts.

The tool’s innovative approach employs mathematical modelling to optimise drill hole locations, using high-resolution ground hardness predictions from autonomous drilling activities. The resulting data-driven model takes into account critical factors such as safety, environmental concerns, heritage preservation, operational intricacies, production efficiency, ore dilution and plant feed. It streamlines data processing and provides engineers with options, whether optimising for dig efficiency or target particle size, while adhering to necessary constraints such as ground vibration and flyrock. The model’s outputs indicate potential improvements of 2% in dig efficiency and approximately 10% in target particle size adherence, all achieved with around 11% fewer drill holes.

Team: Dr Sarang Kulkarni, Professor Ryan Loxton, Mr Ozan Perincek.

Mining-influenced water (MIW), from mining and mineral processing operations, has the potential to severely contaminate water sources due to its low pH and the presence of toxic elements. A Curtin team has created an innovative new process to address this issue, using iron-aluminium (Fe-Al) bimetallic particles. The combination of the two metals enhances reactivity and catalytic activity, efficiently working to remove toxic elements like mercury, arsenic, copper and lead from MIW, as well as acid mine drainage (AMD). The particles also help neutralise AMD, facilitating the precipitation of dissolved metals.

Supported by Northern Star Resources and the Curtin Strategic Scholarship grant, this innovation has broad applications and could benefit mining companies, chemical manufacturers, environmental agencies, and local councils dealing with water treatment challenges. It could play a particularly important role in eliminating mercury from contaminated mine sites.

Team: Dr Elham Aghaei, Dr Richard Alorro, Dr Bogale Tadesse.

The Democratic Climate Bonds model is a new approach that combines climate bonds and deliberative democracy to address the climate change challenges faced by local governments. Crucial in addressing climate issues, local governments often face obstacles like a lack of mandate, a disconnect from resident priorities, and limited funding access. A Curtin team has designed a new model that involves residents in decision-making through a ‘Residents’ Assembly’. Residents consider projects based on local, contextual factors and, importantly, the potential of the project to reduce emissions and meet science-based targets.

The deliberative process ensures transparency, accountability and trust, leading to better policy outcomes and improved climate action quality. The model could benefit local governments, residents, and climate-focused investors, offering capital access and community engagement. It’s currently being tested in Western Australia and holds potential for broader adoption, including in the UK, and other jurisdictions allowing local-level bond issuance.

Team: Mr Antoine Girardeau, Mr Keegan Robertson.

Elucidate Education is Australia’s largest not-for-profit education platform, making upper secondary school learning resources accessible to all students, regardless of their circumstances.  Curtin students have joined forces with a large team of university volunteers to create curriculum-based textbooks written from the students’ perspective, online content, and videos that are already proving to be effective.

To date, 82,000 students globally have accessed the material, with many expressing a preference for these learning resources.  While the textbooks are available for purchase by all students and high schools, Elucidate Education also uses a two-for-one donation model aimed at supplying every third textbook for free to students who are financially disadvantaged, or who are under-resourced due to regional isolation. Following its initial roll-out in Western Australia and Victoria, Elucidate Education has an Australia-wide expansion plan to increase the number of volunteers writing textbooks for middle and upper school learning. The team are also developing a production studio for the creation of educational content.

Team: Mr Jack Anderson, Mr Christian Bien, Mr Patrick Catambay, Ms Kyi Chan, Ms Hannah Knight, Mr Ben Whitten.

As the global call for decarbonisation intensifies, there has been increasing interest in the use of hydrogen as an energy source. The two existing methods for extracting hydrogen from water have their limitations: one process requires ultrapure water and an expensive catalyst, the other requires significantly higher energy inputs for the same level of hydrogen production.

Curtin researchers have created a new water electrolysis method that employs unpurified water sources, including sea water. Their approach uses an alternative catalyst that costs just one tenth of existing methods, calculated to offer up to a 38% cost saving in hydrogen production. This exciting development could be a cost effective, plentiful source of hydrogen that contributes to the achievement of global zero carbon goals.

Team: Professor Zongping Shao, Ms Jiayi Tang.

Finding ways to capture and recycle carbon discharged by heavy industries is critical to achieving net zero emissions targets. Western Australian company Hydrobe has developed a new, sustainable approach to decarbonisation that uses a biological process to convert carbon into algal biomass, without generating new carbon.

Hydrobe is using Curtin research to quantify and improve the effectiveness of recycling carbon into organic carbon while co-producing hydrogen. As Hydrobe’s core technology doesn’t require high heat or pressure, the cost, size and energy footprint of large-scale photosynthetic reactor systems is reduced. A recent independent study has confirmed the viability of Hydrobe’s process at scale, and an ability to produce hydrogen for less than USD$2 per kilogram.

Team: Mr Duncan Anderson, Associate Professor Tejas Bhatelia, Mr Brent Bonadeo, Dr Sufia Hena, Dr Nadia Leinecker, Dr Milinkumar Shah, Mr Jaco Zandberg.

A special type of immune cell could offer an alternative treatment pathway for patients with infections that have become immune to antibiotics, or patients with cancers that are not responding to chemotherapy. The cells, known as macrophages and microglia, consume and remove infected and damaged tissue in a process known as phagocytosis. A team of Curtin researchers have identified a novel protein, present in the macrophage cell, that when increased, dials up the rate and capacity of phagocytosis.

These ‘super active’ macrophages could potentially be applied or injected into specific infection sites or tumours to ‘consume’ the diseased tissue more quickly. While macrophage therapy is currently being explored, the use of this protein is new and presents a novel way to increase the utility of macrophage therapy. The next phase of research will look into the potential of other therapeutic uses, such as improving the skin condition of burns patients, enhancing pathogen recognition by macrophages in infections, and modifying the environment of solid tumours.

Team: Ms Melissa Eccles, Dr Benjamin Dwyer, Associate Professor Giuseppe Verdile.

With the global textile industry seeking out sustainable alternatives to toxic synthetic dyes, Curtin PhD candidate Helen Coleman has identified a new, energy-efficient method to produce a natural dye from the iconic Western Australian marri tree. Marri gum contains up to 70% soluble and insoluble tannins, giving it the potential to become an effective natural dye, but up until now, the insoluble elements, which cause colour inconsistences, have proven difficult to remove.

Now, Helen has discovered an efficient way to separate the soluble and insoluble fractions of the gum in cold water. By decanting, filtering and solar-drying the soluble tannin, Helen can create a water-soluble extract that produces yellow-brown colours on cloth, or with the addition of a food-grade reducing agent, pink to pinkish-red hues.

The next step is a collaboration with Aboriginal artists participating in the Noongar Arts Program who are exploring natural, locally made dyes for the creation of their work. Helen and the project team envisage a commercialisation model led by Noongar businesses for harvesting and producing the dye, with the support of state and federal government initiatives.

Team: Ms Helen Coleman.

For many people, availability and cost can be significant barriers to accessing mental health services. Manage Your Life Online, or MYLO, is an AI web-based chatbot that generates specific questions for individual users, prompting users to ask questions they may not have thought to ask themselves. Curtin Professor Warren Mansell designed the app to emulate ‘Method of Levels’ therapy, which encourages users to listen to themselves. The app also uses elements of Perceptual Control Theory, prompting users to find ways to change their perception of challenges they face to better manage their life and emotions.

Initial users have reported promising results, citing a reduction in their problem-related distress, and praising the app’s easy-to-use, visually appealing interface. Users are also able to rate the helpfulness of each question, informing and improving future questioning. The Curtin MYLO project team has forged strong ties around the globe with mental health service providers, commercial entities and development partners interested in researching, funding and distributing MYLO. In the future, the team anticipate translations of the app to other languages and platforms to support a wider international audience.

Team: Mx Georgie Anderson, Mr Joel Dunstan, Professor Tom Gedeon, Professor Melanie Johnston-Hollitt, Professor Warren Mansell, Ms Aimee-Rose Wrightson-Hester.

Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), more commonly known as sleeping sickness, is a tropical disease that affects communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. The disease is caused by a parasite transmitted by the tsetse fly and is fatal without treatment. Current HAT treatments have significant drawbacks, including unwanted side effects and drug resistance over time. In the acute form of the disease, which affects the central nervous system, the only treatment option is a highly toxic and ineffective arsenic-containing drug called melarsoprol which causes fatality in 5% of patients.

Now, Curtin researcher Ashlee Gallagher has developed promising new compounds that demonstrate efficacy against the HAT parasite, with low toxicity in mammalian cells. These compounds have the potential to be developed into a new and effective treatment option and may warrant further research, development and distribution by global organisations such as the World Health Organization and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Institute.

Team: Ms Ashlee Gallagher, Professor Mauro Mocerino.

Pelletisation is widely used in the iron and steel industry to convert fine iron ore concentrates into small, uniform pellets to improve handling, transportation, and smelting. However, existing processes are energy intensive and have significant environmental impacts.

Curtin researcher Dr Sheila Devasahayam has created a new pelletisation technology that eliminates the need for high-temperature treatment, using special binders to create robust iron ore pellets that meet industry standards. Notably, these pellets reduce the reliance on non-renewable resources such as coal. In addition to their strength, these binders also prevent pellet sticking during processing, vastly improving their overall efficiency. This breakthrough holds promise not only for the iron and steel industry, but also for mining and processing ores like copper, nickel, and gold. By minimising pollutants in the manufacturing process, this technology represents a pivotal stride towards cleaner and more sustainable industrial practices. Jindal Steel and Power Limited in India has expressed interest in funding further research.

Team: Professor Sambit Datta, Dr Sheila Devasahayam, Professor Michael Hitch, Professor Jeremy Kilburn, Mr Damodar Mittal.

The humble pineapple fruit is popular worldwide, with the global pineapple market forecast to reach US$23.1 billion by 2026. However, current methods to test the flavour profile and quality of a pineapple prior to sale are time consuming and invasive, destroying the fruit in the process. Researchers at Curtin Malaysia have developed Pine Sense, a non-destructive AI method that identifies a correlation between the colour of the fruit’s shell and its sweetness or acidity.

An image of each pineapple is separated from its background, and its colour data is assessed through quality prediction modelling. Pine Sense’s ability to quickly and accurately assess pineapples, without destroying the fruit, makes it possible to grade individual fruit for different sectors of the market during processing. With Malaysia producing on average 400,000 to 600,000 tons of pineapples yearly, this new innovation aims to benefit the local and wider pineapple market by helping producers identify higher quality varieties, while reducing product waste.

Team: Mr Eric Chua Yong Hong, Dr Christine Wan Sieng Yeo (Curtin Malaysia).

Curtin researchers have harnessed their expertise in imaging distant galaxies to create a highly portable and ‘invisible’ radar system, with exciting potential applications for the defence and aerospace industries. The Space Domain Awareness (or SDA) system was designed in-house at Curtin and looks for reflections of FM radio and TV station signals that have bounced off objects in the sky.

Using this method, the SDA system does not broadcast its position, unlike conventional radar systems, which transmit a dedicated signal and look for its reflections. By employing techniques from radio astronomy applications, such as low noise amplification of weak signals, the SDA system has the capability to track aircraft or even objects in orbit thousands of kilometres away. The highly portable system was manufactured in Western Australia and can be deployed by a small team in under two hours.

Team: Mr Jake Jones, Ms Aoife Stapleton, Mr Luke Verduyn, Ms Mia Walker, Associate Professor Randall Wayth, Ms Emmaline Yearsley.

The global professional sports industry generates trillions of dollars annually and invests heavily in athlete performance monitoring. While many technologies track what athletes do (e.g., distance, speed, gym performance), few assess how athletes run – their ground interaction, limb placement, and symmetry – crucial for speed and agility.

Dr Jason Weber, a graduate of Curtin’s Entrepreneurship Program, is the founder of Speed Signature, wearable technology that analyses the running mechanics of athletes on the field. The technology’s real-time data offers valuable insights for performance enhancement, injury prevention and team success. With a potential market worth $500 million and access to 60% of it through a partnership with Catapult Australia, Speed Signature aims to revolutionise athlete assessment, starting with American College Football.

Team: Dr Jason Weber.

The SWFI program is an innovative tool for education systems and schools to improve decision-making processes, in line with the Australian Education Act 2013. Led by Curtin Professor Jill Aldridge, the data-driven program offers school leaders and education systems a new approach to creating positive school cultures that support educational reform. Unlike other providers, SWFI offers tools tailored to each system’s unique educational framework.

It measures the alignment between perceived and preferred environments, helping system leaders plan improvements. The program also explores the impact of school structures and the physical environment on school climate and stakeholder outcomes. SWFI’s current customer base includes several education systems in Australia and is in discussion with providers in the US and Canada.

Team: Professor Jill Aldridge, Ms Meghan Blackstock.

Tempo is a new web app designed by Curtin Ignition graduate Nicola Cuthbert to help address Australia’s growing healthcare needs. The innovative two-sided platform helps healthcare providers find available, qualified practitioners to fill shifts quickly in a variety of healthcare settings, while allowing freelance healthcare professionals the chance to nominate their availability, and to negotiate their pay rate for each shift they accept.

Previously, agencies have acted as the hub between professionals and providers, but the Tempo app now gives all parties greater flexibility. The web app offers self-employed healthcare professionals more control over their work-life balance, helping avoid burnout, while healthcare providers who have previously relied on a time-consuming booking process, now have instant access to a pool of practitioners with just one post.

Team: Ms Nicola Cuthbert.

A Curtin team has created the XIoT Tag, an advanced device that combines sensing, processing, and Bluetooth technology for real-time livestock monitoring. Placed between an animal’s ear and a standard ear tag, it collects data such as unique animal IDs, movement, speed, location, temperature and humidity. This data is processed using machine learning to provide immediate insights into the animal’s health and welfare.

Xsights holds an international patent for the XIoT Tag, which is currently used for pig farming by the Craig Mostyn Group. This innovation disrupts traditional livestock monitoring by offering extensive real-time data, rather than monitoring location information only. Unlike RFID tags, which provide limited data, and large BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons, XIoT Tags are offered as a scaleable subscription, with plans for expansion in the US, Canada, Asia, and Europe through strategic partnerships.

Team: Mr Michael Garrett, Associate Professor Liz Jackson, Professor Melanie Johnston-Hollitt, Mr Dean Phillips.

Curtin Dubai researcher Zeeshan Khalid has developed a new method to value a class of financial derivatives known as Asian options, or average value options. Asian options, in contrast to European or American options, are complex to value as their worth depends on the average price of an asset over a specified period, rather than a single point in time.

Khalid’s research introduces a modified version of the Black-Scholes mathematical model, a renowned tool for option pricing, tailored specifically for Asian options. This adaptation incorporates market jumps and variable volatility, both of which significantly impact the pricing of Asian options. Using a variety of numerical techniques, this study offers a new framework for determining the fair market value of Asian options, making it easier for people to make informed decisions in the market.

Team: Mr Zeeshan Khalid (Curtin Dubai).

Glycine Leaching Technology (GLT), developed at Curtin, is reshaping the global landscape of mining and electronic waste recovery.

The novel leaching technology, conceived more than a decade ago by Professor Jacques Eksteen and Associate Professor Elsayed Oraby, offers an accessible, eco-friendly alternative for the extraction of valuable metals.

Glycine is a readily available, bio-degradable non-toxic amino acid that is easily metabolised by living organisms and plants, and even used as a food additive. The use of glycine to leach resources is a game-changer for the mining industry, as it enables mines to extract gold, copper and critical minerals in a cost-effective and sustainable way.

In 2015, Curtin partnered with Perth-based mining company Mining and Process Solutions (MPS) to begin testing the technology with mining clients. The technology was developed into a suite of different products, including GlyCat and GlyAmm, each focused on solving a different industry problem. GlyCat uses a cheaper combined glycine/cyanide leaching agent to effectively extract gold when high levels of copper are present, while GlyAmm helps leach nickel and cobalt from tailings deposits. The feedback from industry was highly encouraging, affirming the practicality and potential of the technology in real-world mining operations.

The collaboration with MPS set the stage for a successful commercialisation journey, gaining momentum last year when MPS was acquired by global chemical supplier Draslovka. Curtin assigned its Glycine Leaching IP to MPS prior to the sale, in exchange for equity.

Since the sale, Draslovka has invested approximately AUD$5 million in the development and commercialisation of the technology. The Perth-based team has grown and end-user licences have been signed. In August 2023, Mongolian copper-gold mines Bayan Airag became the world’s first mine site to implement the GlyCat process, resulting in a 65% reduction in cyanide use and an improved 78% overall gold recovery. By early 2024, two overseas gold mines will be implementing the technology, with further sites in advanced stages of testing.

With major investments and a growing influence on top-tier global mining companies, glycine leaching is poised to reshape the mining industry, particularly in gold extraction, nickel and cobalt recovery, copper processing, and the eco-friendly transformation of lead smelting processes.

Glycine Leaching was a finalist in the 2013 Curtinnovation Awards.