Stress imaging startup wins at Avalon awards

1Millikelvin, a company commercialising an imaging system for visualising loads under stress, was named winner of both the National Innovation Award and SME Innovation Award on Tuesday at the Avalon 2023 Australian International Airshow.

According to event organiser AMDA, winning both categories at the Avalon Innovation Awards — held on the first day of the airshow — was a first.

1Millikelvin’s technology, named MiTE – Microbolometer Thermoelastic Evaluation — was developed with Department of Defence scientists, and uses infrared cameras to detect tiny changes in temperature in a structure under load, processing this to create highly-accurate stress maps. 

It was originally developed to monitor aerostructures, and is believed to have wide applicability in domains from civil infrastructure to roller coasters. 

1Millikelvin was awarded an Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre grant in 2021.

The award winner (a list is reproduced below) was Callum Rohweder from BAE Systems Australia, who took out the Young Innovator award for his work on the Boeing MQ-28A Ghost Bat uncrewed aerial vehicle.

Award Winners:

• National Innovation Award: 1Millikelvin (VIC) – for developing the stress imaging camera system which provides a full-colour representation of the stress on a mechanical structure under loads, such as the airframes of manned and unmanned aircraft and helicopters.
• SME Innovation Award ($50,000): 1Millikelvin (VIC)
• Young Innovator Award ($50,000): Callum Rohweder, BAE Systems Australia (VIC), for his work at BAE Systems Australiadeveloping the core guidance, navigation and control algorithms at the heart of the Australian-developed Vehicle Management System (VMS) for the Boeing MQ-28A Ghost Bat, or Loyal Wingman.

High Commendation:

• National Innovation Award: DMTC (VIC) – for leading a team, that has developed Laser Additive Deposition (LAD) techniques to repair corroded or damaged airframe and power train components far more cheaply and quickly than using traditional methods.
• SME Innovation Award: MicroTau (NSW) – for the company’s persistent work developing an applique micro-rib film that reduces drag and therefore aircraft fuel burn and pollutant emissions significantly.
• Young Innovator Award: Michael J Scott, RMIT University – for his work on development of a novel Mixed-Reality Non-Destructive Evaluation (MR-NDE) framework approach to aircraft sustainment, using Mixed-Reality (MR) for aircraft maintenance inspections.

Further reading

STRESS-MONITORING INVENTION GETS COMMERCIALISATION BOOST THROUGH AMGC GRANT

Picture: supplied