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About CSIRO

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is Australia's national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world.

CSIRO's core areas of impact

Contact Enquiries: Phone - 1300 363 400 | Email - Enquiries@csiro.au | Contact Us

Capability

 
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The centre of the image is red, radiating out to orange and blue at the edges.
Simulation of the signal strength of a wireless local area network operating at 5 GHz (red is a stronger signal, blue is weaker).

Creating a wireless world

CSIRO is working on enabling technologies for future mobile and wireless communications networks and developing next generation imaging and sensing systems.

We are entering the era of ubiquitous and pervasive communications networks – and this means increased demand for reliable, wide bandwidth wireless connections.

Current wireless networks have problems such as:

  • unreliability
  • incompatibility
  • low data rates.

CSIRO's wireless technologies researchers (some 70 scientists and engineers) are working on innovative solutions to these problems.

Our capabilities

Our research focuses on:

  • antennas and propagation
  • microwave and millimetre wave technologies
  • signal processing and communications.

Our Research

Our research is applied in areas such as:

Communications

We are investigating:

  • increasing wireless network capacity, throughput and the robustness of signals by, for example, developing antennas that reconfigure themselves to make the most efficient and flexible use of the radio spectrum

     

    Our communications research aims to increase wireless network capacity, throughput and the robustness of signals.

     

  • better utilising the microwave and millimetre-wave spectrum (the wider bandwidth at millimetre frequencies allowing data-rich information like video to be transmitted wirelessly at up to 20 gigabits per second)
  • new communication protocols for wireless sensor networks so they use less power but have improved coverage and higher data rates
  • new generation wireless backhauls for connecting a fibre backbone to a radio access node.

We are particularly interested in cognitive networks. 

In cognitive networks, intelligent nodes, equipped with technologies like those detailed above, cooperate among themselves to deliver information with improved link reliability, capacity and coverage – even in rural and remote areas.

Imaging

Our research focuses on terahertz waves, those above millimetre-wave and below the far infra-red (300 gigahertz to 10 terahertz).

Terahertz waves can reveal details of many kinds of concealed objects and are safe for biological material, including humans.

Potential applications include:

  • security screening of people, luggage and parcels
  • quality control
  • non-destructive investigation
  • corrosion monitoring
  • monitoring wounds
  • detecting skin cancers.

Positioning and sensing

We are developing radio technology to locate and track people and assets in technically challenging environments, such as underground and in built-up areas.

Applications include monitoring:

  • patients in hospitals
  • emergency services personnel
  • elite athletes
  • people and equipment in underground mines.

Supporting radio astronomy

Together with CSIRO’s Australia National Telescope Facility, we’re developing antennas and associated technology for the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder.

Track record

Our major achievements include:

  • world's first six Gigabits per second wireless link, for which we won the 2007 CSIRO Chairman’s medal and the Australian Engineering Excellence Award
  • the most spectrally efficient and multi-user multiple input, multiple output system in the world, 2006
  • smart feed for Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope, 2008
  • two-way surface-to-underground mine safety communications, 2006, and technology transfer to MineSite Technologies
  • invention and of non-contact radio frequency vital signs sensors licensed to HD Medical, 2005-2007
  • high precision ad hoc positioning and tracking system for the Australian Institute of Sport, 2009.

Learn more about CSIRO's work in Broadband for Australia.

 
 

Fast facts

  • CSIRO's wireless technologies group comprise some 70 scientists and engineers
  • Our research focuses on:
    • antennas and propagation
    • microwave and millimetre wave technologies
    • signal processing and communications

Contact Information

Primary Contact

Dr Iain Collings
Research Director, Wireless Technologies Laboratory
ICT Centre
Phone: 61 2 9372 4120 

Contact

Mr Iain Walker (BE (Elect))
Business Development & Commercialisation Manager, Wireless Technologies
ICT Centre
Phone: 61 2 9372 4410 
Alt Phone: 61 2 9372 4115 
Fax: 61 2 9372 4111 

Location

CSIRO ICT Centre - Marsfield
Corner of Vimiera and Pembroke Roads
Marsfield NSW 2122
Australia

PO Box 76
Epping NSW 1710
Australia