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Crash-Prone Fault Combination Identification for Over-Actuated Vehicles During Evasive Maneuvers
No full textThroughout a vehicle’s lifecycle, systems may fail during operation, requiring effective fault management by the vehicle controller. Various system faults affect vehicle handling differently. Additionally, vehicle velocity and road friction directly impact handling and stability. Thus, it is essential to investigate relevant factors, such as actuator faults, vehicle velocity, road friction, and their combinations, before developing a fault-tolerant controller to mitigate potential critical situations. Our work thus focuses on identifying faults and fault combinations that might lead to crashes for over-actuated vehicles during evasive maneuvers and those impacting comfort parameters. We employ a state-of-the-art vehicle controller optimized for evasive lane changes for over-actuated vehicles. The driving scenario encompasses critical conditions defined in ISO 26262 with ASIL-D, including velocities up to 130 km/h and requiring steering away from obstacles. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, Design of Experiments, and statistical tools are used to determine fault combinations most likely to lead to crashes during evasive maneuvers. Our results indicate that the vehicle controller successfully handled the maneuver in over 53% of investigated cases, reaching up to 75.1% on dry surfaces. Road friction emerges as the most critical parameter for collision avoidance and comfort. Brake faults exhibit a higher influence on vehicle handling than other actuator faults, while single motor faults do not significantly impact vehicle parameters. Regarding two-factor interactions, brake actuators dominate, followed by steering and motor. These findings provide valuable insights for developing fault-tolerant controllers for over-actuated vehicles, guiding decisions on addressing specific faults to enhance safety and comfort parameters.</p
Characterisation and Calibration of Smartphone GNSS Antenna for Enhanced Positioning
No full textGlobal Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are integral to modern positioning technologies with applications spanning multiple industries that require precise positioning. While geodetic-grade systems achieve high precision through advanced hardware, smartphones with their compact and cost effective GNSS antennas face significant limitations. These limitations arise primarily from the embedded nature of their components, the absence of calibration standards, and susceptibility to environmental and electronic interference. This research investigates the characterisation and calibration of embedded smartphone GNSS antennas with a specific focus on the Xiaomi Mi8, to enhance positioning accuracy through systematic calibration techniques.
The study is structured into three progressive stages. Stage 1 establishes experimental controls and investigates smartphone GNSS parameters. Key considerations include hardware and software configurations, signal isolation, reproducibility of test conditions, and the influence of the parameters such as tilt, heading, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth were systematically tested. A Xiaomi Mi8 smartphone equipped with the Broadcom BCM47755 dual-frequency GNSS chipset was selected as the test device due to its advanced capabilities. Raw data collection and subsequent parameter tests were conducted in controlled environments, including anechoic chambers and open sky field setups. To ensure the reliability and repeatability of results, a Record and Playback System (RPS) was utilised for signal replication.
Stage 2 focuses on developing calibration models tailored to the Xiaomi Mi8 GNSS antenna. The Phase Centre Offset (PCO) and Phase Centre Variation (PCV) were quantified using absolute calibration techniques in collaboration with the Robotic Calibration Facility at Geoscience Australia. This involved extensive testing to isolate the antennas characteristics from other hardware components and environmental factors. Challenges addressed included smartphone battery longevity, session logging time limitations and smartphone to calibration software communication. The calibration outcomes provide precise metrics for the Xiaomi Mi8 GNSS antenna, setting a foundation for the subsequent evaluation phase.
Stage 3 evaluates the impact of the calibration model on positioning performance across various scenarios including application usage and device orientation. The calibration models were integrated into a bespoke MATLAB data positioning program, and their effectiveness were analysed for positioning accuracy with the application of the Phase Centre Correction. Comparative tests demonstrated that the calibrated Xiaomi Mi8 GNSS antenna achieved measurable improvements in accuracy, particularly for scenarios involving complex device orientations.
The research revealed several critical findings. First, it confirmed that uncalibrated smartphone GNSS antennas contributed significantly to positioning errors, with deviations largely attributed to unknown PCO and PCV values. Second, the study highlighted the impact of smartphone specific factors such as internal electronic interference and device orientation on GNSS positioning performance. Third, the calibration model demonstrated its ability to enhance accuracy by accounting for these factors, particularly with the application of a dual file antenna calibration technique for the tilted smartphone.
This study makes a substantial contribution to the field by presenting alternative ways to calibrate low-cost embedded GNSS antennas resulting in increased positioning accuracy. This methodology has the potential to make it feasible for use in consumer-grade devices. Moreover, the findings provide insight into optimising GNSS performance in smartphones, with potential applications extent extending to other compact devices such as wearable technology and IoT systems.
Future research could explore the integration of multi-frequency and multi-constellation capabilities to further enhance the accuracy a smartphone GNSS antennas. The study also underscores the need for industry standards in smartphone GNSS calibration to ensure consistency and reliability across devices and manufacturers.
In conclusion, this research provides a robust framework for improving the positioning accuracy of embedded GNSS antennas in smartphones by addressing key challenges through systematic testing and calibration modelling. By advancing the understanding and quantification of antenna specific parameters, it paves the way for significant improvements in positioning technologies benefiting a wide array of industries reliant on GNSS applications.</p
With/nessing Cultural Exchange via 'Verbatim Theatre'
No full textHow do communities of writers in the Asia-Pacific, in Alvin Pang’s words, find ‘our own sustainable ways of speaking among ourselves’ (2016: 257)? Or, in Melissa Lucashenko’s terms, ‘really dig down with writers from other nearby cultures (what we in Aboriginal English call “Proper Neighbour Country”)’ (2016: 258)? The idea of ‘speaking among’ collectively or communitastically as method (Rendle-Short 2023) is central to the Australia Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project ‘Connecting Asia Pacific Literary Cultures: Grounds for Encounter and Exchange’. This paper builds on a performance drawn from the ARC interview data delivered at the 28th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP) conference for the theme ‘We Need to Talk’. It reports on enacting a ritual of exchange and conversation by bringing together voices from the Asia- Pacific in a version of ‘verbatim theatre’. The aim of the verbatim theatre script was to capture the experience, knowledge and insights gained by a group of writers during a collaborative residency program held at the Singapore Writers Festival in 2022. The ‘verbatim script’ was fashioned out of interview data collected post-residency. It offers views and testimony of writers interviewed for the field research activity from across the region (Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam). This kind of documentary or witness theatre or verbatim theatre-as-cultural exchange performs ‘what is known’ as a kind of ‘ethical eavesdropping’ (Webb 2009; Schechner 1997; Valentine 2009; Peters 2017; Nocera 2022; Peters & Burton 2023). This paper considers the delivery of the verbatim script and creative critical responses in relation to thinking with others, the risks of ‘giving voice’, and granting audience (Wake 2013).</p
BREATHING STONE
No full textArtist Sarah Tomasetti takes us into the deep time of the lime cycle used in fresco painting, proposing a practice of corresponding with material processes rather than controlling them tightly. Her proposals for small acts of repair in our interactions with the land include a recipe for a fresco wall that requires some months or years to make.</p
Designing with Bacterial Cellulose: A Pilot Study Using Localized Food Sources to Grow Innovative Materials in Vietnam
No full textThe need for sustainable and environmentally friendly processes in material and textile manufacturing has heightened interest in utilizing renewable and non-damaging sources that can be either biodegradable or recyclable. One promising alternative is bacterial cellulose (BC), which can be created through the brewing process of kombucha. In addition, the BC can be grown from food byproducts or food waste using cost-effective methods, and offers a multitude of applications in the fashion, textile, and food packaging industries. This paper focuses on the BC candidate ingredients found in Vietnam, a developing nation that currently contributes to some of the highest volume of plastic waste in the world. The paper explores BC growing methods, factors that affect the aesthetic material outcomes, and highlights results from experiments conducted at RMIT Vietnam. With locally available ingredients such as black tea, oolong tea, dragon fruit, mango and banana, a range of BC samples have been successfully grown to develop BC-based textiles. Through the study, it was observed that factors such as the concentration of growing mediums, pH levels, ambient conditions, and time influence the growth of BC. Additionally, through stakeholder feedback, the study examines the properties of these prototype textiles to identify potential applications. These newly developed materials could be utilized for clothing, accessories, and food packaging to address the harmful production and waste issues created by current textile technologies.</p
Discourses of historical and democratic consciousness in Ghanaian curriculum documents
No full textThis study examines the intersections of historical and democratic consciousness in Ghana's pre-tertiary curriculum framework and primary school history curriculum. The study adopts a critical discourse analysis approach drawing on the work of Wodak to analyse the curriculum documents. Findings show that democratic and historical consciousness is strongly expressed through key concepts such as citizenship and community, and through democratic values such as honesty, respect and tolerance for diverse groups, cultures, and religions. Discourses reveal a social justice orientation and underscore history as a critical context for developing responsible national and global citizens who can contribute to democratic processes through connecting the past to the present and future. The study highlights opportunities to intensify democratic and historical consciousness in the conceptualisation of governance, curriculum content, and history teaching practices.</p
Social work graduates’ professional socialisation and identity: Perceptions and experiences of social workers and supervisors
No full textProfessional socialisation is a complex and interactive process through which professional roles and skills are learned and internalised. In social work, this complexity is due to a changing professional landscape, contested discourses and differing organisational contexts. This article reports on an Australian study exploring the perceptions and experiences of early career social workers and supervisors on professional socialisation. The study used qualitative methods to interview 18 participants. The findings highlighted the importance of recognition of subjective experiences, negotiating power and supervision. The findings can inform practice guides and policies for graduate programmes and practice settings.</p
Reimagining Labor Governance in Global Value Chains: Lessons from the Mathadi Model for Adapting Wage Boards to Transnational Labor Governance
No full textThere is growing evidence that private corporate and multi-stakeholder initiatives— often termed ‘Supply Chain Solutions’—are failing to address the social and environmental challenges arising from the governance of Global Value Chains (GVCs). GVCs themselves challenge traditional labor laws and employment regulations due to their multi-tiered supply structures, the dynamics of private power, and the cross-border reach of contracting frms. These factors render traditional labor law tools largely inaccessible or irrelevant to workers in the lower tiers of GVCs. Efforts to regulate labor in GVCs, such as corporate Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) legislation, have fallen short. These top-down approaches, typically originating in the Global North, lack input from affected communities in the Global South, exclude meaningful worker participation, and often lack enforcement mechanisms. This raises a critical question: can labor law address the harsh working conditions created by GVC dynamics under supply chain capitalism? This Article explores whether localized tripartite models of labor regulation— specifcally wage boards that institutionalize bargaining between unions, employer associations, and state representatives to set working conditions, social security, and wages—could be scaled up to address the low labor standards in GVCs. One particularly promising model is the Mathadi Boards in Maharashtra, India, which have successfully improved the working conditions of informal workers who carry loads on their heads in markets, construction sites, industrial sites, and ports.</p
Mixed Reality for Human–Robot Teaming to Enhance Work Health and Safety in Manufacturing Industries: A Systematic Literature Review
No full textMixed reality (MR) integrated with human–robot teaming (HRT) has emerged as a promising approach to address persistent challenges in work health and safety (WHS) within manufacturing. To evaluate its potential, we conducted a systematic review of 33 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2024, identified from databases indexed in Google Scholar (e.g., IEEE, Elsevier, Springer, MDPI). Studies were screened using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and quality was appraised with the Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). The synthesis highlights three major applications of MR in HRT for WHS: immersive training and ergonomic assessment, real-time hazard monitoring and visualization, and enhanced human–robot communication via intuitive interfaces and natural language processing. Reported benefits include faster skill acquisition, improved situational awareness, and reduced accident risks. However, key barriers remain—particularly cognitive overload, ergonomic discomfort, integration with legacy manufacturing systems, and limited longitudinal evidence. Despite these challenges, the review demonstrates that MR–HRT solutions can significantly strengthen WHS outcomes if designed with ergonomic validation, adaptive feedback mechanisms, and scalable deployment strategies. For manufacturing industries, the findings provide a practical roadmap: prioritize user-centered MR design, invest in real-world pilot implementations, and embed WHS outcomes into technology evaluation. Advancing MR–HRT beyond proof-of-concept will require interdisciplinary collaboration and rigorous validation, enabling safer, smarter, and more resilient manufacturing environments.</p
Simulation files for manuscript "Linking Dispersion and Stirring in Randomly Braiding Flows"
No full textMathematica scripts to generate results in manuscript "Linking Dispersion and Stirring in Randomly Braiding Flows"</p