Technology Without Borders
Portfolio
This portfolio showcases some of the more technically challenging and interesting projects the WesTech Alliance has created. See our contact information below and get in touch.
Autonomous Agricultural Robot With UV-C Fungus Control
It has been well known for several years now that ultraviolet light will kill fungus pathogens, but the problem has been the dosage also had the potential to damage the plant. Recent breakthrough research from the USDA and Cornell University has shown that if a plant is treated with ultraviolet light at the UV-C wavelength for very short periods, then left in total darkness for 2 to 4 hours, fungus dies, and no damage is caused to the plant.
At the WesTech Alliance and Outback Robotics we created an autonomous vehicle that could successfully negotiate strawberry plants in the dead of night appling just the correct dose of UV-C light to kill fungus without causing problems for the plant.
Find out more from our collaboration with the West Australian Government's DPIRD here and an ABC interview article on the topic with us here. Also check out our Outback Robotics page here.
MozTrack
Insect tracking technology demonstrator primarily for tracking mosquitoes and exotic pest insects. Designed for the West Australian Dept. Health and the Australian Federal Government Bio-security. It can also be used as a "geiger counter" for detection of mosquitoes, around say the home BBQ.
Key Technologies and Development
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High speed machine vision imaging
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3D spatial object location in real time
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IoT and Edge computing with devices connected to the Cloud for real-time spatial and temporal mapping
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Wing-beat frequency analysis for identification
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Size and morphology analysis for identification
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Simplified virus detection explored
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Experimental kill techniques explored
Portable Field Mineral Analyser
The ability to relatively inexpensively examine drill cores for mineral content in the field during exploration drilling would be a major time and money saver.
For example bauxite ore is the primary source of mined aluminium. Exploration for bauxite is costly, involving the sampling of ores usually via drilling over vast areas and sending samples to a laboratory for testing can take time. If a simple test on potential bauxite ores at site for aluminium bearing mineral content were available this could speed up the decision making on the viability of the site and alleviating the need to bring an expensive exploration crew back to the site.
Key Technologies and Development
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Development of a hand-held FTIR spectrometer to identify the key minerals in quantity and quality
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Software adaptable enough to pinpoint key minerals using the IR absorption spectra. e.g. Gibbsite and Kaolinite for Bauxite ore
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IoT and Edge computing with devices connected to the Cloud for real-time analysis and inspection by geologists or AI systems remotely
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Integration of MEMS technology "spectrometer on a chip" interferometer into a field usable portable device
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Prime cost target is a challenging US$ 4K
Optical Sensor Head
Blockchain
Artwork Provenance
Key Technologies and Development
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Development of a hand-held device incorporating a machine vision camera
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Sophisticated software able to calculate a unique fingerprint from the object being imaged
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Blockchain RESTful API Integration to multiple Cloud based Blockchain services
Universal Computer Controlled DSLR Shutter System for Photography
Key Technologies and Development
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USB controlled shutter relay
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Software with C# and Power Console examples to control the shutter
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Universal cable interface adaptor for Canon, Pentax, Samsung, Sony, Minolta, Nikon and Olympus DSLR cameras.
Want one fully boxed with software and documentation? Email us at: rwalker@westechalliance.com for a price.
Online Mosaic Photography
So What Is Mosaic Photography?
The basic concept is to have a prime photograph which is to be displayed as a poster or art work. The prime photograph is converted to a mosaic by replacing each pixel with a small photograph that is chosen from a pool of hundreds, even thousands of photographs for its best colour match.
The outcome is a mosaic photograph that looks like the original prime photo from a distance but as you move closer you begin to see the individual small photographs that make it up.
We developed special software unlike any commercially available package, ours is designed to work with every day peoples snaps. This can create beautiful mosaics no matter what the subject source photos are like.
In addition we developed an online presence so that customers could upload their photos directly for processing and reviewing the results.
Key Technologies and Development
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Sophisticated colour image analysis software
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Back-end multi threaded processing software
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Front-end web services and easy to use customer User Experience
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Capability to upload thousands of photos with on-the-fly image compression
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Secure access to photos from users social media accounts such as Facebook and Instagram
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Portal access to high quality printing companies such as Office Works
XScan, a Fully Automated Portable X-Ray Composition Scanner
XScan is our system for automating a portable handheld XRF Analyser to scan and sample materials such as rocks, circuit boards, archaeological artefacts providing concentrations and distributions of those elements at a macro scale (centimetres to metres).
Some examples:
We have a customer using our system in the mining industry to rapidly and automatically scan core samples to gain precise knowledge of the elemental concentrations down to parts per million, important in mineral exploration. Our system is field deployable on site at very low cost. Data is all Cloud distributed for easy access by geologist and AI systems.
A few years ago a Leonardo da Vinci artwork was scanned using the XRF technique and found hidden drawings and paintings beneath the viewable artwork. For more details check it out here. The XRF scan detected the distribution of zinc in the paint pigments under the current picture. At the time this analysis was prohibitively expensive to perform using university and industry collaboration. Today our device can perform the same task at a fraction of the cost and our intuitive software allows mapping and analysis to be performed without the need of expert technicians and scientists.
Partnering with our treasureCrypt system we can now add XRF element concentrations data to the block chain as even more proof against counterfeiting, proving almost unheard of levels of security.
Key Technologies and Development
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High speed but device independent portable XRF Analyser control using API software integration
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High speed machine vision imaging
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Real-time 3 axis motion control with 100 micron accuracy and scanning of meters
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IoT and Edge computing with real-time Cloud connections
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Integration into third party Artificial Intelligence analytical systems
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Reliable field deployment in harsh conditions
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Highly portable
Automated Water Leak Detection and Alert System
We have developed an IoT (Internet of Things) based water leak detection and alert system for Home Owners, Insurance Companies and Water Utility Companies.
Easy To Install
The water leak sensors come in a pack preregistered with your phone number and email. Each sensor is just a few cm in size, place them in locations at risk of water leaks such as under a fridge or water pipe. That's it, they are ready to go. No need for WIFI or Apps on your phone, the system uses the already available SMS text messaging and email systems to instantly alert you of a water leak.
Smart City
Once the water leak sensors are in place they happily communicate directly with a city wide radio network called the Smart City. For your piece of mind to see if they work just dunk one of the sensors into a glass of water from time to time!
