{"id":28413,"date":"2025-07-07T09:48:33","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T01:48:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&#038;p=28413"},"modified":"2025-09-09T09:34:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T01:34:33","slug":"bright-ideas-for-smarter-futures-curtinnovation-finalists-announced","status":"publish","type":"media-release","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/media-release\/bright-ideas-for-smarter-futures-curtinnovation-finalists-announced\/","title":{"rendered":"Bright ideas for smarter futures: 911±¬ÁÏÍønovation finalists announced"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>High-tech 911±¬ÁÏÍø inventions that could transform surgeries, map bushfire risk and aid blind athletes are among the 19 standout finalists in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/entrepreneurs\/curtinnovation-awards\/\">2025 911±¬ÁÏÍønovation Awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Selected from a record-breaking 109 entries, this year\u2019s finalists span a diverse range of sectors including health, artificial intelligence, sustainability, mining and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>911±¬ÁÏÍø Executive Director of Commercialisation <a href=\"https:\/\/staffportal.curtin.edu.au\/staff\/profile\/view\/rohan-mcdougall-0114b42e\/\">Rohan McDougall<\/a> said the record submissions reflected a growing culture of entrepreneurship and commercial thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis year\u2019s 911±¬ÁÏÍønovation Awards experienced a surge in submissions, attracting a broad scope of projects highlighting 911±¬ÁÏÍø\u2019s strength in translating research into real-world solutions,\u201d Mr McDougall said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese awards are more than recognition \u2013 they play a critical role in connecting 911±¬ÁÏÍø\u2019s innovators with industry, government and investors in WA and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>911±¬ÁÏÍø Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research <a href=\"https:\/\/staffportal.curtin.edu.au\/staff\/profile\/view\/melinda-fitzgerald-e380f4d6\/\">Professor Melinda Fitzgerald<\/a> congratulated the finalists for their outstanding work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFrom smarter logistics to safer surgeries, our University is at the forefront of discovering new and innovative ways to improve lives, protect our environment and support industry,\u201d Professor Fitzgerald said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe 911±¬ÁÏÍønovation Awards celebrate the incredible talent across our campuses and I look forward to seeing the impact these innovations have as they continue their journey from lab to launch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the finalists this year is <strong>Pyromantis<\/strong>, a five-camera system carried by balloon that maps bushfire risk. Built by students from 911±¬ÁÏÍø\u2019s Binar Space Program, it measures fuel loads and vegetation moisture loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also shortlisted is <strong>Beeper Ball, <\/strong>which is changing the game for blind soccer players. The ball emits a sound that helps players locate it, and forms part of a broader assistive sports kit co-developed with Blind Sports WA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The full list of 911±¬ÁÏÍønovation Awards finalists includes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AR Construction Safety Tool \u2013 <\/strong>Uses augmented reality to simulate and train workers on real-world construction hazards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aura CXR \u2013 <\/strong>AI software that analyses chest X-rays and generates reports within seconds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Beeper Ball \u2013 <\/strong>A sound-emitting soccer ball enabling blind players to enjoy the game with greater independence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bio-Refining of Abattoir Waste \u2013<\/strong> A modular, zero-waste process promoting the conversion of abattoir blood waste into bio-fertiliser, biochar and biomass-based carbon capture materials.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cellulose Wound Patches \u2013 <\/strong>Medical-grade bacterial cellulose wound patches grown from coconut water, vinegar and hibiscus.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CuddleCup \u2013 <\/strong>A self-heating, portable baby bottle pouch designed to warm milk on demand without equipment or power.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Waste to Bioplastic \u2013 <\/strong>A zero-waste, energy-efficient method for turning algae and agricultural waste into eco-friendly bioplastics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gel-based water sensor \u2013 <\/strong>A portable, affordable and user friendly point-of-use water sensor which can detect water contaminants like BPA using electrochemical signals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indrus \u2013 <\/strong>Transforms standard CCTV into a GPS-like tracking system for vehicles and equipment in ports and yards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mechanochemical Lithium Extraction \u2013 <\/strong>A greener, cost-effective method to extract lithium from rock using ball milling and water-based leaching.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Minerva \u2013 <\/strong>A virtual reality tool helping surgeons and radiologists explore 3D medical images for better surgical planning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NeuroPose \u2013 <\/strong>Uses radar and AI to track a patient\u2019s head position during surgery to improve safety during brain surgeries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Organic Ocean \u2013 <\/strong>A seaweed-based gut health supplement called SeaSoothe, cultivated in land-based farms, to help manage inflammation and support the microbiome balance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pyromantis <\/strong>\u2013 A student-built camera system flown via balloon to map vegetation fuel loads and detect bushfire risk.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>RapidGraphite \u2013 <\/strong>A new method that uses renewable energy to create synthetic graphite for batteries, cutting emissions and cost.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>RetiDrop \u2013 <\/strong>A nanotech eye drop offering non-invasive treatment for retinal diseases like macular degeneration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rockfall AI \u2013 <\/strong>Real-time rockfall detection using thermal imaging with AI for safer mining operations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SmartBuddy \u2013 <\/strong>An AI-powered, offline learning toy that helps children learn through speech-based interaction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Upcycling Offshore Assets \u2013 <\/strong>Embeds decommissioned oil and gas infrastructure into concrete for sustainable coastal protection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The winners of the 911±¬ÁÏÍønovation Awards will be announced on August 29. The awards are proudly sponsored by Griffith Hack, the Malka Foundation and the Department of Education. For more information, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/entrepreneurs\/curtinnovation-awards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>High-tech 911±¬ÁÏÍø inventions that could transform surgeries, map bushfire risk and aid blind athletes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4454,"featured_media":28416,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_category":116,"wds_primary_research-areas":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[383,379,306],"research-areas":[],"class_list":["post-28413","media-release","type-media-release","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-and-innovation","tag-business","tag-curtinnovation","tag-innovation"],"acf":{"experts":false,"post_options":{"":null,"additional_content":{"title":"","content":"","image":false},"related_courses":[{"title":"","qualification":"","link":"","description":"","faculty":""}],"credits":{"author":"","photographer":"","media":[24387,24383]},"display_author":true,"banner":{"image":false}}},"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FOR-WEB-911±¬ÁÏÍønovation-Awards-1920x500.jpg","author_meta":{"display_name":"294101E"},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release\/28413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/media-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release\/28413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28413"},{"taxonomy":"research-areas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-areas?post=28413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}