Spanning 72 years, these ingenious creations take on everything from sharks to bomb blasts to cancer.
1. SHARK SEARCH AND RESCUE DRONES
The invention: SharkSpotter is a world-first shark detection system that uses artificial intelligence to protect swimmers and surfers in the ocean without harming marine ecosystems. Deep learning algorithms and image processing techniques are used to examine live video feeds from drones patrolling the ocean, detecting sharks with more than 90% accuracy. Information is then sent to a control station where a human responder determines the required action. If needed, drones can drop a flotation pod and electronic shark repellent into the water.
The Inventor: Ripper Corporation developed this with University of Technology, Sydney experts Professor Michael Blumenstein, Dr Nabin Sharma
Commercialisation: Since carrying out the world’s first recorded drone surf rescue in 2018, SharkSpotter drones have been rolled out around Australia. The AI system has been developed into further products including CrocSpotter. Ripper Corporation has fielded queries from Hawaii, mainland USA, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and China.
2. ON-THE-SPOT COVID-19 TESTING
The invention: In an Australian first, UTS scientists in collaboration with industry partner Alcolizer have used novel optical technology to design a highly sensitive saliva test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus antigens, or viral protein fragments. The customised iStrip technology measures the viral load in a saliva sample and the testing unit (the Virulizer) has GPS location technology and cloud reporting tools to assist with contact tracing. The ease and efficiency of iStrip testing, along with its ability to detect infection in people who are asymptomatic, will be a game-changer in our ability to identify COVID-19 on the front line.
The Inventor: Professor Dayong Jin and his team at the UTS Institute for Biomedical Materials and Devices.
Commercialisation: Alcolizer has received a federal government grant of $742,000 and forecast A$88.2 million in revenue over three years. The project has also received financial support from Innovative Manufacturing CRC.
3. GLASS THAT’S STRONGER THAN BULLETS AND BOMB BLASTS
The invention: Stop Shot security glass, invented in 2004, is capable of withstanding bullets and even survived a test in Woomera, South Australia, where a five-tonne bomb was dropped just 35 metres away without falling out of the frame. Unlike other types of bullet-proof glass, which consist of a single very thick sheet, Stop Shot incorporates two sheets of polymer-treated glass with an air pocket between the layers to absorb the energy of the shockwave from the bullet or blast.
The inventor: Peter Stephinson, who left school at 15, was working in a window-tinting business in Sydney when he noticed that thieves had more trouble breaking in though tinted windows compared to regular glass windows. Recognising the potential applications of this observation, he developed and patented a system to turn standard glass into security glass.
Commercialisation: Stop Shot has been purchased by the Australian Defence Force, Qantas, the NSW police and most large Australian banks.
4. A VACCINE TO PREVENT DEADLY PARASITE TRANSMISSION
The invention: The Cysvax vaccine prevents the spread of the pork tapeworm larva responsible for causing epilepsy and death in millions of people across the developing world. When given to pigs, the vaccine stops the tapeworm larvae they carry from being transmitted to humans, some 50 million of whom are thought to be infected worldwide due to poor hygiene. As an added bonus to farmers, the vaccine also protects the condition and value of pork meat.
The inventors: A research team led by Professor Marshall Lightowlers at the University of Melbourne.
Commercialisation: Cysvax was successfully trialled in Mexico, Cameroon, Honduras and Peru, and the University of Melbourne collaborated with the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines to commercialise the vaccine. No patent was taken out to reduce its cost and enable widespread uptake. Cysvax was first registered for sale in India in 2016.
5. EARLIER DETECTION OF LUNG CANCER WITH NEW IMAGING TECHNOLOGY
The invention: Unlike older imaging techniques for the lungs, four-dimensional X-ray velocity (XV) imaging produces videos that show the movement of air through the lungs, blood flow and tissue movement in unprecedented detail. This allows for earlier detection of diseases such as lung cancer and better management of respiratory conditions including cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.
The inventors: The XV imaging technique was developed by a team of researchers in the Laboratory for Dynamic Imaging at Monash University under the leadership of Dr Andreas Fouras, and continues to be refined for clinical application on a commercial basis by a multidisciplinary team of engineers at 4DMedical.
Commercialisation: 4DMedical listed on the ASX in August 2020 and is capitalised at over A$400 million. It received a A$28.9 million Medical Research Future Fund Frontier grant through the Australian Lung Health Initiative to develop the world’s first dedicated lung function scanner. The company’s XV Technology has FDA and TGA approval, with application including detecting and monitoring the effect of COVID-19.
6. A PILL TO REDUCE SUICIDE RISK
The invention: Today, lithium carbonate is the gold standard treatment for bipolar disorder, known to reduce both the risk of suicide and the frequency of depressive and manic episodes. It was first used to successfully treat patients with bipolar disorder in 1949 by an Australian psychiatrist who was working with war veterans. Bipolar disorder affects approximately 1 in 100 people and suicide rates for those with the condition are 10 to 20 times that of the general population.
The inventor: Dr John Cade at Bundoora Repatriation Hospital in Melbourne.
Commercialisation: Dr Cade’s work went largely unnoticed by the global medical community at the time, but the few that recognised the potential of his discovery fought long and hard to see lithium accepted as a treatment for bipolar disorder in the 1970s. It’s estimated that the global lithium therapy market will reach US$128.6 million by 2027.
7. A DEVICE TO IMPROVE CLINICAL TRAINING IN NEWBORN RESUSCITATION
The invention: Each year an estimated 10 million babies around the world need help to start breathing after birth. Of those, one million will die of asphyxia. A further million are left with a life-long disability, such as cerebral palsy, because of ineffective resuscitation. The ResusRight training monitor is a device to improve the training clinicians receive in the resuscitation of newborns, thereby reducing the associated number of deaths and preventable disabilities.
The inventors: Matt Crott and Matt Boustred are both PhD candidates in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Sydney. Dr Mark Tracy contributed his clinical expertise.
Commercialisation: Matt Crott (now CTO) and Matt Boustred (now CEO) founded ResusRight to develop the IP further along with Dr Mark Tracy, who is the Chief Medical Advisor. ResusRight raised a seed round from a group of mission-aligned investors, including the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, to get their initial product to market. The company is aiming to have the device in educational settings in key leading hospitals later this year.
8. A CRASH-PROOF DEVICE TO GATHER DATA FROM AVIATION DISASTERS
The invention: The black box flight recorder was designed to capture instrumental readings and an audio recording from the cockpit of an aircraft and to withstand extreme conditions so that the data could be retrieved following aviation disasters and used to improve aircraft safety.
The inventor: Dr David Warren at Aeronautical Research Laboratories (ARL) in Melbourne came up with the idea in 1953 after seeing a newly invented miniature tape recorder at a trade fair. Warren’s father had died in one of Australia’s earliest aviation disasters, in 1934.
Commercialisation: This new technology was met with limited interest locally as there had been relatively few airplane crashes in Australia as opposed to North America and Europe. The slow uptake meant that most technical components of the device had entered the public domain before the ARL applied for patents. This allowed for companies elsewhere in the world to capitalise on the idea, with the Australian government eventually receiving a meagre £1000 for the intellectual property. The modern-day equivalent of Warren’s device can be found in commercial aircraft around the world.
9. USING ELECTRICITY TO KEEP A HEART BEATING
The invention: The electronic pacemaker was developed through a series of trials and prototypes at the University of Sydney as Dr Mark Lidwill created electrical devices in order to resuscitate patients at risk of death from cardiac problems. One of these devices was made to be portable and eventually became the world’s first user-friendly pacemaker. Dr Lidwill carried out the first successful pacing of a heart in 1926, using a transcutaneous needle and mains electricity to stimulate the heart and save the life of a baby about to die from heart failure. Pacemaker design has steadily improved to become the small implantable device we know today, saving countless lives around the world in the process.
The inventor: Dr Mark Lidwill of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, supported by physicist Edgar Booth at the University of Sydney.
Commercialisation: Dr Lidwill shunned recognition for this invention and never patented it as he struggled with ethical concerns about “unnatural” prolonging of life. Later pacemaker designs from other doctors and medical companies have since been patented and used worldwide. The global pacemaker market was estimated to be worth US$4.5 billion in 2019.
10. EFFECTIVE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES AND TECH
The invention: Reliable methods of exchanging information between communities, NGOs and governments can be a lifeline in times of natural disasters and other crises. The Communication for Humanitarian Action Toolkit (CHAT) is a comprehensive resource available in English, Spanish and French for emergency workers and others faced with rapidly developing communication responses to a wide range of emergencies. User-generated social media content is recognised as an invaluable resource for agencies to monitor developments, and new software tools that mine social media to detect early warning signs are also discussed.
The inventors: Professor Andrew Skuse at the University of Adelaide’s Applied Communication Collaborative Research Unit (ACCRU) wrote and developed the resource in 2015 as part of a project led by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC).
Commercialisation/uptake: CHAT is freely available online and has been used during emergencies in many developing countries including the West African Ebola outbreak.
Written by Kate Arneman, Amanda Burdon, Rory Crofts, Ken Eastwood and Tania Simanowsky.
Featured photo credit: Little Ripper
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