NEW EXTREMELY SENSITIVE ‘ULTRA-ULTRASOUND’ ARC-supported researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ) have combined modern nanofabrication and nanophotonics techniques to build an ultraprecise ultrasound sensor on a silicon chip. The new and extremely sensitive method of measuring ultrasound could revolutionise everything from medical devices to unmanned vehicles. ARC Future Fellowship recipient, Professor Warwick Bowen, from UQ’s Precision Sensing Initiative and the team at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS) have developed a near perfect ultrasound detector which could usher in a host of exciting new technologies. With sensors smaller than a millimetre across, the device can detect the tiny noises from individual air molecules, and measure ultrasound waves that apply tiny forces—comparable to the gravitational force on a virus. As well as common uses in biomedical imaging, such as during pregnancy, and to detect tumours, ultrasound technology can accurately image underwater objects and aid in the navigation of unmanned vehicles. Improving these applications requires these smaller, higher-precision sensors. With a sensitivity that allows the measurement of tiny forces, such as the sound emitted by living bacteria and cells, the new ‘ultra-ultrasound’ could change how scientists understand biology.
NEW CITIZEN SCIENCE APP FOR STORM HUNTERS Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes and Monash University School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment have developed a new app, WeatheX . Available on IOS and Android, WeatheX aims to engage citizen scientists to report and photograph observations of hail, strong winds, tornadoes and flooding. The very nature of storm events often makes them difficult to precisely forecast, and sparse observation networks seldom capture the full picture as they unfold. Climate and weather models struggle to reproduce regional rainfall because of the lack of detailed observations to help inform our understanding of cloud physics. The app records information including the location and type of weather event, and photos with identifying features such as number plates removed. Researchers say that simply getting these observations from a network of citizen scientists will help climate researchers tackle some of the biggest challenges in the field.
Information collected by the app is collated into a database where researchers can analyse the movement, development, changes and impact of an observed storm system as it happens.
(Top): Professor Warwick Bowen. (Bottom): A scanning electron micrograph of a microdisk similar to the one researchers used to create their new ultrasound sensor. Credit: The University of Queensland.
Measuring hail diameter following a severe thunderstorms for the WeatheX app. Credit: Joshua Soderholm.
DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES 30
DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES 31
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