• New therapies to activate muscles with high temporal and spatial control offer a novel therapeutic approach to a wide range of clinical conditions that include poor muscle activation as a key problem. One such approach is optogenetic muscle activation techniques, which use a light stimulus to activate muscle cells that have had light-sensitive ion channels expressed in them.

  • Restoring missing sensory function following hand amputation is a challenge for prosthetic designers/engineers. This patented technology replicates the human sense of touch and could provide upper limb prosthetics of the future with a sense of friction and grip security, which is essential for dexterity.

  • Research activities, primarily focused on Bionics, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, that involve a wide range of biomedical engineering activities including biomechanics, orthopaedics, laser micro-manufacturing, bioinstrumentation, electronic chip design, wireless sensor networks, advanced microscopy, neurophysiology, electrophysiology, and in vitro and in vivo experimentation.

  • Through rational material design and structural engineering, a range of wearable sensor systems—with high sensitivity, stretchability and durability to enable detection of subtle pressure/force changes associated with movement and health conditions—has been developed. These new sensors open the door to applications for monitoring the health of those with chronic diseases.

  • Creating technologies to build a human interface to artificial touch sensors that is non-invasive, robust, cost-effective, and safe. The technology could be applied to restore touch to amputees with a prosthetic hand or make early diagnosis of nerve damage resulting from chemotherapy or diabetes.

  • Pioneered the development of visual neuroprostheses (Bionic Eyes) in Australia. With half a dozen patents and several new disruptive neural interface technologies that make the device significantly more functional and novel than competitive technologies. A pre-clinical prototype has been developed.

  • A cross-disciplinary research environment dedicated to understanding how humans can interact with three-dimensional robotic agents and responsive structures within the context of creative and social robotics.