:
R E S E A R C H , I NNOVAT I ON AND E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P AT T H E UN I V E R S I T Y O F WA I K ATO
Telling our stories
in new ways.
Telling our stories
in new ways The
potential of sea
sponges in medicine
The potential of sea
Digital histories
Page 5
Uncovering the
secrets of delta
dynamics.
Managing the mangroves
Page 3
Unlocking marine secrets
Following Antarctic toothfish
Using earbones
for greater
understanding.
he potential of ea
sponges in medicine.
Page 11
Page 9
W I N T E R 2 0 1 4
SOME OF the biggest tech companies and research
organisations in the world are heading to Hamilton to
carry out vital research and testing on their products.
And a meeting at a conference in Germany has
developed into a collaborative relationship between
the University of Waikato and the hugely influential
private research university, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT).
That relationship has now led to the development
of a $500 prototype camera that’s so fast it can
track movement though a scene. It can also use this
information to build up accurate three-dimension
images, allowing computers to see the world the way
humans take for granted – in three dimensions.
The three-dimensional camera could be used in
situations where it is important to know the shape and
size of an object, such as medical imaging and collision-
avoidance detectors for cars, and to improve the
accuracy of motion tracking and gesture-recognition
devices used in interactive gaming.
The camera is based on “time of flight” technology,
in which the location of objects is calculated by how
long it takes a light signal to reflect off a surface and
return to the sensor.
However, unlike other products based on the
technology, the new camera is not fooled by rain, fog,
or even translucent objects.
Technology giants head to Waikato for answers
The device uses an encoding technique commonly
used in the telecommunications industry to calculate
the distance a signal has travelled, says Ramesh Raskar,
an associate Professor of media arts and sciences and
leader of the Camera Culture group within the MIT
Media Lab.
Dr Raskar developed the method alongside MIT
colleagues and Drs Adrian Dorrington, Lee Streeter and
Refael Whyte from the Chronoptics Research Group
at the University of Waikato.
Senior Lecturer Dr Adrian Dorrington from
the University of Waikato’s Faculty of Science &
Engineering says he met Dr Raskar at an invitation-only
conference in Germany and Dr Raskar had been
so impressed with the work Waikato researchers
were doing in the field he asked to find out more.
The Chronoptics group has also been approached
by a number of other companies and research
groups, ranging from multi-national corporates to New
Zealand based researchers.
“Our reputation is so good they are now coming to
us,” says Dr Dorrington.
The key to their current success had been
working on the best method to solve the
multi-path problem, where translucent objects can
create multiple reflections, making it difficult to
determine the correct measurement.
While there were four or five ways to solve
the problem, different techniques worked better in
different situations. Dr Dorrington has been invited to
present their work at a special session of the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Sensors
conference, in Valencia, Spain, in November which will
compare the results of tests on the different methods
of solving the multi-path problem.
“They only have six sessions and we have one. The
paper we want to present will outline which method is
best suited to different applications,” he says.
SMART CAMERA:
Waikato and MIT
working together
on a new, faster
3D camera.
CLIMATE change coupled with a growing and increasingly urban population means the way
New Zealand manages water needs to change.
Professor Iain White from the Environmental Planning team at the University of Waikato’s
Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences says one of New Zealand’s most important assets is managed
using what is essentially a 19th century ideology.
“We might have better technology, better pipes, more sophisticated infrastructure but the
underlying paradigm is exactly the same; water is not treated as a resource until the moment you
turn the tap.”
Professor White was speaking at the University of Waikato’s Fresh Water Fresh Thinking
Forum, a unique initiative to take a range of leading researchers to Wellington to discuss new
ideas around fresh water proved a popular move with stakeholders and policymakers.
Professor White was joined by Professor of Agribusiness Jacqueline Rowarth who chaired
the session, Senior Law Lecturer Linda Te Aho and Professors David Hamilton (Bay of Plenty
Regional Council Chair in Lakes Management and Restoration), Les Oxley (economics) and
Al Gillespie (law).
The forum was well attended. Among the organisations present were Fish and Game
New Zealand, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, the Ecologic Foundation, GrowRotorua,
Livestock Improvement Corporation, Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development,
Victoria University of Wellington, the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society and a number
of government departments.
Professor White outlined a number of water challenges New Zealand will face in the future.
“For example, climate change means there will be changes to precipitation patterns and more
extreme weather events. But the areas of increased rainfall will be far away from the main
population centres. Population predictions show New Zealand’s population will be about 5.4
million by 2036 and that’s going to equate to about 25% more houses. All those need roads,
infrastructure, new drainage networks, new supply networks.”
WATER CHALLENGES: Professor IainWhite says to expect more extreme weather events.
Fresh thinking needed
on water management
Continued on page 6
