ARCAA conducts leading edge research into all aspects of aviation technologies, their development and integration into the airspace system. ARCAA research can be divided into the following four focus areas:
- Advanced Automated Flight Systems – This theme encompasses research programs in the areas of autonomous guidance, navigation, and control, aircraft path planning, aircraft separation management systems, global navigation satellite systems, flight termination/forced-landing and propulsion systems, for both manned and unmanned systems.
- Sensors for Applications -This theme encompasses the development of processing algorithms and sensor systems for specific aviation applications including: infrastructure inspection, search and rescue, and agriculture management (phenotyping).
- Multidisciplinary Design and Optimisation – This broad research theme covers aspects of human-machine interaction, autonomy, and the development and application of modern numerical and evolutionary optimisation techniques to a number of problems in the field of Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation (aerodynamics, energy and propulsion optimisation, etc).
- Aviation Risk Management and Regulation – This research theme addresses the broader social issues in aviation research, with dedicated projects in aviation risk management, airspace integration and management, and the development of policy, regulations and standards. Since 2004, ARCAA has worked closely with the aviation safety regulator, industry, Government, and Defence to address the regulatory issues facing the integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into Australian Airspace.
Active Projects
Flight Assist System
The Flight Assist System (FAS) is a demonstrator project assisting Ergon Energy in development of the research outcome of a three year CRC-SI project which focussed on business improvement applications for Ergon Energy. The outcome of the CRC-SI project was a proposal for an advanced airborne vegetation management system that would save 44 million over a 5 year timeframe. To commercialise the research outcomes, Ergon decided to launch the Remote Observation, Automated Modelling & Economic Simulation (ROAMES) project of which FAS is an essential component. Continue reading
Vision-Based Collision Avoidance
The ARCAA automated vision-based aircraft collision warning technologies project is a two-year ARC Linkage funded project between Boeing Research & Technology and ARCAA. The objective of the project is to investigate how computer vision technology can be used to meet and exceed the performance of human pilots in detecting potential aircraft collisions, thereby improving the safety of the world’s aviation fleets. Continue reading
Interactive systems
The Interactive Systems Group (ISG) is a research group embedded within ARCAA. The ISG conducts research into all aspects of complex human-machine systems and in particular those systems involving the command and control of heterogeneous autonomous agents. The aim of the group is to develop the concepts necessary for the safe and efficient operation of complex interacting human-machine systems in a broad range of applications. Continue reading
Dynamic Sense and Act
This project aims to reduce collision risk through the development of novel vision-based collision warning technologies that can assist human pilots in maintaining safe separation with other aircraft.
Enhanced Flight Assist System
This project aims to extend research in aircraft flight planning, data capture and flight assist concepts developed under the Information business Improvement Applications project from 2D to a 3D capability.
Completed Projects
Airborne Powerline Inspection Technology Improvements
The three year CRC-SI project 6.07 for Spatial information Business improvement applications at Ergon Energy focussed on precision guidance of aircraft over powerlines, asset and vegetation detection using LiDAR imagery, and detection and classification of tree species. The project was successfully completed in 2010 and provided the fundamental basis for the FAS project. The eFAS project will provide further development. Continue reading
Whole of Network Planning
The Whole of Network planning project involved research and development of new software to automatically process up to one million waypoints to create flight plans for inspecting Ergon Energy’s entire powerline network which is approximately 150,00km.
Flying Spore Trap
This project and research in this area is to determine the potential of using an unmanned aerial vehicle, fitted with a spore trap, to detect and monitor spores of plant pathogens for a biosecure Australia. The aim was to develop a sampling system that would have the ability to spatially monitor fungal spores, and protocols to interpret their spatial distribution. This tool will greatly enhance the ability to detect new incursions of fungal pathogens and to enable more accurate delimiting of distribution. The technology will allow for earlier detection of harmful plant pest or disease incursions in difficult areas and provide efficient and effective airborne surveillance.
Aerial Phenotyping
The aerial phenotyping project is a pilot study to examine the feasibility of utilising the ARCAA helicopter UAS, to capture low altitude images of experimental plots of different varieties of wheat and sorghum.
Research Publications
