Defence trials new firefighting training system

The Royal Australian Navy has trialled a new firefighting training system that uses a combination of virtual and augmented reality, including a headset (pictured) that transforms the surrounding environment into a simulated firefighting exercise. The user wears an oxygen mask and heat vest while holding a 3D printed fire hose nozzle, which measures water usage.…

FYI achieves increased output of HPA in pilot trials

Perth materials technology group FYI Resources has successfully achieved a 15 percent increase in output from a sample production campaign at its high purity alumina (HPA) pilot plant in Western Australia. The company said the success demonstrated improvements in HPA’s process efficiencies and product recovery based on learnings from previous work and project development refinements.…

Advanced Navigation unveils subsea robotics centre

AI-based inertial navigation technology company Advanced Navigation has unveiled Australia’s largest subsea robotics centre in Balcatta, Western Australia, incorporating high tech manufacturing and R&D facilities on a 5.5 acre site. The new facility (pictured) will accelerate the production of the company’s revolutionary subsea technologies, including autonomous underwater robot Hydrus, and the growth of its underwater…

Plastic eating fungi get to work

Hard to recycle plastic has successfully been biodegraded by two strains of fungi in a new laboratory experiment led by researchers at the University of Sydney. The researchers reported their success in breaking down the common plastic polypropylene in a study just published in npj: Materials Degradation, using two common strains of fungi. Polypropylene accounts…