Queensland University of Technology

Engineers have recently focused on trying to emulate the structure of the brain with artificial synapses. Now, a team of researchers have made a new artificial synapse design that works using a light-based biotechnology technique called optogenetics.

With an ability to stiffen up under a certain type of light and go soft in the dark, a new dynamic material shows particular promise for the world of 3D printing, where it could be used as a temporary support for complex structures that melts away when the job is done.

​Although drones have already been used to count animals such as seals, doing so isn't that difficult, as the creatures typically lie right out in the open. Now, however, scientists have used the aircraft to count koalas that are hidden in amongst the leaves and branches of eucalyptus trees.

A Queensland University of Technology (QUT) team has developed the "LarvalBot" underwater robot that, for the first time, has succeeded in reseeding damaged areas of Australia's Great Barrier Reef with heat tolerant baby coral polyps to help combat the effects of predators and climate change.

​Whether you call them beanies, tuques or simply wool hats, a lot of downhill skiers wear the things instead of helmets, as they're so much more comfortable. Well, that's why the ANTI Ordinary A1 was created. It's usually soft and pliable, but hardens to protect the head upon impact.

​Currently, if someone has a damaged cornea (the surface of the eye), it's covered with a "bandage" made from the amniotic membrane of human placentas. While this helps repair the eye, an Australian scientist is developing what he believes may be a better alternative – a wound-healing contact lens.

​It's no secret that the world's coral reefs are in trouble, and unfortunately scuba divers can only do so much in the way of monitoring or protecting them. Scientists in Australia, however, have developed an autonomous underwater drone that could be of great help.

It may look like a discarded piece of plumbing or a message in a bottle bobbing about aimlessly in the river, but Queensland University of Technology's humble "Drifter" hides some serious kit with a lifesaving mission for flood-prone regions.

​Robots that pick up and move objects (such as on assembly lines) may be useful, but they're typically only programmed to grasp specific types of objects that are placed in a specific orientation. Now, however, scientists have devised a method of allowing them to be more versatile.

Scientists studying tough microbes called archaea may have uncovered the key to an anti-aging drug. By manipulating a “super hero” protein, the researchers found a way to “trick” cells into acting younger by keeping the DNA repairing process running much longer than usual.

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have used a new technique to produce detailed images of dragonfly wings, showing more than 10 billion tiny 'fingers' (nanostructures) lining the wing surface that make bacteria tear themselves apart.

Researchers have discovered a surprising secondary function for an existing drug. Tandospirone is used to treat anxiety and depression, but now Australian researchers have found that it can “reboot” the brain to reverse some of the negative effects of heavy alcohol consumption.