In addition to assisting Industry, VCAMM is also engaged in activities to assist some of Australia's leading public sector technology providers with the capability they need to meet their requirements in supplying the nation with solutions. One example is our ongoing engagement with the Defence Science & Technology Organisation (DSTO) in support of their activities for the Australian Defence Force.
Over the course of 2 years DSTO worked closely withVCAMM researchers on the development of next generation armour technologies. At the outset the goal was to devise new manufacturing routes for traditional materials. By the time the project had concluded, not only were the primary objectives satisfied, but a new type of armour material had been developed.
Because of the close working relationship that had been established, DSTO was able to continue to use the both theVCAMM network andVCAMM's personnel to expand and build upon their own capabilities and expertise. Through understanding DSTO's research goalsVCAMM was able to identify, within its public sector consortium capabilities which were complementary to those DSTO possessed. This allowed DSTO to expand its research in some key streams of activity and to utilise the public sector to fulfil overflow within some of its core activities.
To dateVCAMM has successfully assisted DSTO in design of ballistic testing aids, performance of ballistic testing, production of components, development of materials and identification of capability. The arena in which theVCAMM research consortium can lend support to DSTO activities continues to expand, with opportunities being explored in the areas of novel materials architecture, human motion capture, repair technologies and impact mitigation, along with continued development of the capabilities and technologies already in place.
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