This edition of The Sensor celebrates nine years of impact with renewed funding and highlights smart sensing breakthroughs in health, sport, sustainability, and leadership.

Dr Kate Dunn is a UNSW researcher exploring experimental 3D printing, digital fabrication, and robotics to develop sustainable materials for construction and marine ecology. Her goal is to build Australia’s first truly sustainable 3D printed house with materials sourced from the site.

Advances in sensing technologies and AI are transforming sport and exercise science, enabling rich, complex data collection across all levels of sport. As Professor Mark Watsford, Dr John Warmenhoven, and Distinguished Professor Aaron Coutts from UTS explain, this data revolution brings both challenges and opportunities.

An Australian-first study of adults with hearing devices is using advanced sensing technologies and wearable devices to establish if the wearing of hearing aids and cochlear implants can help prevent dementia. It’s being led by Macquarie University and supported by University of Sydney researchers.

NSSN Board Member Hebbat Manhy shared her unconventional career journey – which has spanned engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and deep tech commercialisation at – at the Women in Sensing Summit.

The NSSN has secured NSW Government funding until mid-2030, enabling continued collaboration across universities, industry, and government to deliver innovative sensing solutions for real-world challenges.

This month, read how a student’s remark sparked a PFAS breakthrough; learn how UTS researchers are using 5G and AI for real-time flood sensing, and read how researchers are driving innovations like a new TGA-approved bowel therapy device now in hospital trials.

Franklin Women founder and medical research scientist Dr Melina Georgousakis delivered a practical masterclass on the underestimated power of mentorship at the NSSN’s inaugural Women in Sensing Summit.

Western Sydney University gastrointestinal researcher Dr Jerry Zhou saw patients struggle to access treatment for common bowel disorders—so he spent five years developing Ins&Outs, a TGA-approved home therapy device now in hospital trials.

 A remark by a first-year student about a space researcher’s lack of real-world impact has led to an NSSN project which is developing a groundbreaking device capable of degrading a carcinogenic form of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in water in just six minutes. 

With flooding now an ever-present danger for communities in Australia and around the world, UTS researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of world-first real-time water level and rainfall sensing technology using existing mobile phone networks.

The guest speakers on three panels at the Women in Sensing Summit highlighted the people behind breakthrough technologies. The key message: the future of sensing lies in diverse teams, inclusive pathways, and the drive to solve real-world problems—together.