1. nA
major donation to the
Melbourne School of
Engineering (MSE) and the
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health
Sciences (MDHS) will revolutionise
prosthetics, providing new hope to
patients who have lost a limb.
The positive trend in the numbers
of patients surviving cancer has seen
a growing need to provide care and
rehabilitation to those who have lost a
limb due to the disease.
Ms Valma Angliss AM has generously
funded a three-year post-doctoral
research engineer position at the
Department of Surgery, St Vincent’s
Hospital. In collaboration with a robotics
research team, this position will explore
innovative ways to assist patients with
partial or total limb loss to regain
mechanical and tactile function.
Initially focusing on patients who
have lost a hand, research enabled by Ms
Angliss’ gift and led by Professor Peter
Choong (MDHS) and Associate Professor
Denny Oetomo (MSE) will consider
advances in orthopaedic surgery to enable
the most instinctive interaction between
the human user and robotic hand.
Key to Professor Choong’s research
is his dedication to saving as much of the
patient’s affected limb as possible.
The
future
of prosthetics
C O N T I N U E D P A G E 4
M E L B O U R N E S C H O O L O F E N G I N E E R I N G
B R O A D C A S T
FACULTYUPDATEFornewsfromallourfacultiesvisitunimelb.edu.au/3010
W E L C O M E
P R O F E S S O R
I V E N M A R E E L S
D E A N ,
M E L B O U R N E
S C H O O L O F
E N G I N E E R I N G
The University of
Melbourne is a place
where great minds
collide, to create
new knowledge and
innovative solutions
to real world problems
through collaborative
research.
In this edition of
Broadcast, we showcase
collaboration across
the different disciplines
within the Melbourne
School of Engineering
as well as our work
with other faculties and
industry. These articles
highlight the exceptional
value that is created when
ideas, disciplines and
individuals come together
to solve local and global
challenges.
I’d like to take this
opportunity to thank
you for remaining
connected. Our alumni
and friends enhance
the experience of
our students and the
community in which
we live.
Ms Valma
Angliss
AM with
Professor
Peter
Choong
and
Associate
Professor
Denny
Oetomo.
A groundbreaking collaboration
between medicine and engineering

2. Fornewsfromallourfacultiesvisitunimelb.edu.au/3010
32 M E L B O U R N E S C H O O L O F E N G I N E E R I N G M E L B O U R N E S C H O O L O F E N G I N E E R I N G
Q&A with Professor Thas Nirmalathas
Director of Melbourne Networked Society Institute (MNSI),
Co- Founder and Academic Lead of Melbourne Accelerator
Program (MAP) and Melbourne School of Engineering alumnus
When did you decide you
wanted to be an engineer?
I was born into a family of
engineers! As a kid I always
liked tinkering with things
but it was the problem solving
and the ability to create
something out of nothing that
really inspired me to make
engineering a career.
You’ve been working
at the University for
18 years now. What does
your current role entail?
I started as a Research Fellow with the
Australian Photonic CRC after completing
my PhD back in 1997. Since mid-2014,
I’ve been Director of the MNSI, one of five
interdisciplinary research institutes at the
University. For the last five years, these
institutes have been linking academics
from broad areas of research across
different faculties to inspire collaborative,
interdisciplinary projects with internal and
external partners.
I love that this role gives me access to a
diverse and rich array of research allowing
me to work with performing artists,
mathematicians, leading neurosurgeons and
global population health professionals.
What exactly is your area of research??
At the MNSI we explore the challenges and
opportunities arising from our transition to
a networked society.
Specifically, I’m looking at how we can
provide high bandwidth connectivity using
light to achieve a wireless connection. With
the introduction of the National Broadband
Network, it’s a pretty exciting time in the
area of optical fibre.
People want to consume the internet
untethered and at very high speeds so
we’re working toward providing ultra-fast
connectivity that is energy efficient and
scalable.
What are some of the exciting
developments in this area?
An increasingly networked society improves
efficiencies and infrastructure as well
as access to services regardless of your
location. We are just starting
to see how our research is
influencing the way industry
approaches things.
Australia may be quite
far away from the rest of
the world, but we are now
considered one of the major
players shaping this space.
The flow on effect is that
we’re seeing high quality
students drawn to the
University of Melbourne to
work in this area. It’s really exciting to guide
young researchers toward contributing on
an international setting.
What a dynamic field of research!
Surely this comes with some challenges?
Yes, the networked society poses some
interesting challenges. Things we once
considered private are becoming available
publicly so there is a constant battle between
privacy and transparency.
As well as this innovative research
you are co-founder and academic
lead of MAP. Can you tell us a bit
about your involvement?
Yes, I partnered with Charlie Day to co-
found MAP and we ran a pilot program
through the School of Engineering back
in 2012. Four years later, most faculties
are involved and we’ve seen 24 start-up
businesses raise over $10 million in funding.
MAP was born because we really
wanted to invest in people who are creating
enterprise with the aim of triggering a
culture of entrepreneurship. We’re now
finding that alumni who have succeeded
through the program are returning as
mentors and coaches, which is giving us
fantastic access to industry.
Finally as an alumnus yourself, do
you have any advice for current
engineering students?
Whenever the opportunity strikes to gain
work experience, grab it wholeheartedly!
It’s so important to be immersed in an
environment of collaboration and get a
sense for how ideas are created and shared
across teams and across disciplines.
The future of innovation
An intersection of academia, business and government
The future of
connectivity
nA
more vibrant, knowledge driven
future for Australia is developing
in the heart of Carlton. In 2015, as
innovation emerged as a prominent theme
in the national conversation, the Carlton
Connect Initiative (CCI) marked its first
year at LAB-14, its new home and the first
phase of the Carlton Connect Innovation
Precinct, located at the site of the former
Royal Women’s Hospital in Carlton.
The Carlton Connect Innovation Precinct,
anchored by the University of Melbourne, is
bringing together talented people from diverse
disciplines to tackle the “grand challenges” of
the future – problems that cannot be solved
without cross-sector collaboration. Together
with partners from academia, business and
government, CCI tackles pressing issues in
impact areas such as water management, food
security, clean energy and urban futures.
CCI also invites communities to discover
and connect with the Precinct through public
events and activities like hackathons, talks,
exhibitions, workshops and conferences.
In its first year of operation, LAB-14 has
played host to big businesses like IBM, Ford
and Australia Post, alongside start-ups from
the Melbourne Accelerator Program. It also
welcomed resident partners — the Victorian
Life Sciences Computation Initiative, the
Australian-German Climate and Energy
College and the City of Melbourne’s Creative
Spaces studio.
“A more vibrant,
knowledge-driven future
for Australia is developing
in the heart of Carlton.”
As work progresses on the development
of the Precinct, this thriving ecosystem will
continue to grow, providing a breeding
ground where ideas are born and can be
tested, realised and celebrated. Fresh thinking
and new technologies will impact on how
people live, learn and work.
According to Melbourne School of
Engineering Dean, Professor Iven Mareels,
“CCI provides the School with an unparalleled
industry and government engagement agenda
through co-location and collaboration.
This will enhance the quality of the
student experience and present new career
opportunities for our graduates.”
Not only will CCI be a major ingredient
in the Melbourne School of Engineering’s
ten-year strategy, it will challenge and
empower staff and students to perform and
contribute at a much higher level than they
could in a more traditional academic setting.
CCI will provide the physical space for staff
and students to build prototypes and take ideas
through feasibility testing in collaboration with
industry, advisors and investors.
Collaborative work spaces at LAB-14.
nE
ngineering alumnus and Nuraloop
CEO and Co-Founder Kyle Slater’s
passion for electronics and love of
music have collided to create headphones that
revolutionise the sound we hear.
“It all started with a conversation,” Kyle
recalls. “While I was a visiting researcher at
UC Berkeley, my colleague walked into the
lab with some really expensive headphones,
sparking a debate about how to make the
perfect set. My experience in hearing science
at the Bionics Institute taught me that there is
no such thing. Everyone hears differently so
the perfect headphones will differ depending
on the person.”
While hearing shapes the way music
sounds, headphones are not tuned to the way
we hear. Current products offer a one size fits
all approach.
This is where Nuraloop comes in. “We’re
making headphones that automatically tune to
your hearing profile,” says Kyle.
“Because everyone hears differently, the
electrical signals our ears send to the brain
are different, even though the sound is the
same,” Kyle explains. “Nuraloop headphones
compare the music sent to the ear with the
electrical signals made by the ear and alter the
music to match your hearing.”
According to Kyle, the idea of personalising
sound isn’t new. The real innovation Nuraloop
offers is that it’s done objectively and
automatically to match your ears perfectly.
“Everyone hears differently
so the perfect headphones
will differ depending on
the person.”
As a music enthusiast, Kyle understands
the time and energy artists and sound
engineers pour into the music production
process so he is passionate about perfecting
sound. “Nuraloop headphones ensure
consumers hear music the way the artist
intended.”
Kyle’s mother is a music teacher, his
father an ex-opera singer and the Founder of
Sing Australia, and his brother and sister are
well-known Melbourne musicians, so it’s no
surprise Kyle is in the music business.
“I was musical as a kid – we were like the
Von Trapp family! I knew I wanted to return
to music in some way,” Kyle explains. “To me,
music is just as important as speech. It can
communicate ideas that can’t be captured in
words and is an absolutely essential part of
human experience.”
But Kyle attributes the launch of Nuraloop
to more than his musical upbringing.
“Nuraloop is possible thanks to the innovative
technology that is the culmination of years of
research and the serendipitous collaboration
with my co-founder – trainee ENT surgeon Dr
Luke Campbell. Luke is both a doctor and a
brilliant programmer.”
Nuraloop’s big break came when Kyle
and Luke were accepted into the Melbourne
Accelerator Program (MAP).
“Nuraloop would not exist without MAP,”
Kyle explains. “The program taught us how
to create a business from an idea and how
to navigate the inevitable challenges that
confront young start-ups.”
For Kyle, the decision to be an engineer
was an easy one. “I always wanted to make
things,” he laughs. “I didn’t know it was called
engineering, but I knew I wanted to be an
engineer when I was four or five. I was always
pulling things apart.”
A couple of decades later, Kyle’s love
of making things is defining the future of
listening.
The future of listening
A collision of music, science and engineering
LEFT: Nuraloop Co-Founder and
CEO and Melbourne Accelerator
Program alumnus, Kyle Slater
(ME(Electrical), BSc(Physics)).

3. 4 M E L B O U R N E S C H O O L O F E N G I N E E R I N G
nW
hat has 2000 valves, weighs two
tonnes, fills a large room and
has a capacity of one millionth
of that of today’s smartphones?
Australia’s first computer!
Designed and built by the Council
for Scientific and Industrial Research
(now CSIRO) in 1947-49, Australia’s
first computer (one of the first five to be
completed anywhere in the world) is the
oldest still intact worldwide.
Relaunched as CSIRAC at the
University of Melbourne in June 1956, it
executed its last program in 1964 and was
donated to Museum Victoria, where it
remains as a permanent exhibit today.
CSIRAC spent its 14-year life-span
undertaking pioneering work in a wide
range of fields, many of them world firsts,
and helped to establish computation as a
critical tool.
These achievements occurred even
though the computer’s entire output would
have been equivalent to what a smartphone
can do in one minute. For CSIRAC to have
had the capacity of a smartphone it would
have needed to be as big as the MCG and
running it would have consumed all of
the power generated in Australia – and at
only one-millionth of the speed of current
devices.
Despite their humble capacity,
CSIRAC and its peers were a revolutionary
technological advance, as they embodied
for the first time the principles of
computing that now underpin so many
aspects of our society.
Unlike the hard-wired calculating
devices that preceded it, CSIRAC stored
instruction sequences to memory; its
function could be changed simply by
storing different instructions. These
(initially very simple) instruction sequences
were the first step toward the sophisticated
capabilities of the devices so entrenched in
our lives today.
According to Professor Justin Zobel,
Head of the University’s Department of
Computing and Information Systems,
“although early machines such as CSIRAC
may seem primitive, many of the inventions
trialled on those machines are just as
relevant today, such as the concepts of
programming, simulation, and stored data.
CSIRAC even played the first digital music.”
June 2016 marks 60 years of computing
in Victoria and computing in Australian
universities. In collaboration with Museum
Victoria, the Department of Computing
and Information Systems is organising
a week of celebration with lectures and
symposia to discuss computing past,
present, and future from June 14 to
June 17. Details to be announced on the
CSIRAC website:
cis.unimelb.edu.au/about/csirac
The future of computing
A celebration of the past 60 years
S TAY I N T O U C H ! The Melbourne School of Engineering encourages its alumni
and friends to stay connected. To remain up to date or to get involved please contact
the School’s Advancement Office:
TELEPHONE: +61 3 8344 9864
EMAIL: eng-advancement@unimelb.edu.au
WEBSITE: eng.unimelb.edu.au/alumni
BLOG: themelbourneengineer.eng.unimelb.edu.au
Trevor Pearcey in front of CSIR Mk1 in Sydney, 1952.
“Advances in limb saving surgery
together with the breakthroughs in the
science of materials and engineering have
allowed bold dreams to become realities,”
Professor Choong explains. “Our patients
who are at the centre of our medical
universe continue to be an inspiration and
driving force in all of our endeavours.”
Bringing together experts in guided
nerve regeneration, intelligent electro-
materials and robotics, the project
highlights the value that can be created by
integrating disciplines.
“The financial commitment from Ms
Angliss helps to highlight the importance
of this work,” Associate Professor Oetomo
explains. “Her support will ensure this
collaborative research effort between
MDHS and MSE will convert research
outcomes into practical prosthetic
devices.”
Ms Angliss’ contribution to prosthetics
and orthotics dates back to 1958. Working
with children with lost limbs at the Royal
Children’s Hospital, she was promoted to
Chief Occupational Therapist at just 26
years old. After 16 years at the hospital
she worked in the Commonwealth
Department’s Central Development Unit
for research with Prosthetics and Orthotics,
and then with Rehabilitation Technology at
Monash University.
Ms Angliss’ passion for the field
remains today. “It is exciting to see the
work being undertaken in the robotic field
for amputees, an advanced step from my
work,” Ms Angliss says. “I’m thrilled to
see the realisation of research into tangible
outcomes and I look forward to seeing its
future.”
The MSE and the MDHS would like to
thank Ms Angliss for her generous gift that
will not only enhance the bioengineering
capacity and capability of both the
University of Melbourne and St Vincent’s
Hospital, but will also change the lives of
patients.
The future of
prosthetics
“Advances in limb saving
surgery together with the
breakthroughs in the
science of materials and
engineering have allowed
bold dreams to become
realities.”
F R O M P A G E 1