With more than 200,000 older Australians waiting for home care, the 4th NSSN Ageing Forum will explore how smart technology can help meet care targets, ease workforce pressures and be embedded in aged care packages.

The infrastructure of tomorrow includes self-sensing concrete that can warn of cracks before they appear and digital twins which predict floods, the NSSN’s Women in Sensing Forum heard last week. The forum highlighted sensing technologies, next-generation materials, and equitable innovation which are shaping the future of infrastructure.

Researchers from Macquarie University and the University of Wollongong have developed a locally built sonar sensor for shallow and coastal waters. It reduces reliance on overseas suppliers while enabling riverbed mapping, seagrass monitoring, and flood damage surveys.

This edition of The Sensor highlights the NSSN’s Diversity Merit Award at the 2025 iAwards; a thought piece by Dr Sue Keay, Director of the UNSW AI Institute, on sovereign AI; and a profile of digital twin researcher Dr Neda Mohammadi.

In this month’s thought piece, the Director of the UNSW AI Institute, Dr Sue Keay, calls for urgent national investment in sovereign AI infrastructure, datasets, and public-private collaboration to ensure Australia shapes its own future.

Dr Neda Mohammadi is a Sydney Horizon Fellow and Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering at The University of Sydney. She is a leading scholar of AI-enabled digital twins for smart cities and communities.

At the latest Sensing Industry Connect event hosted by the Australian National University, Canberra spin-out Quantum Brilliance outlined how it is taking diamond-based quantum sensing and computing from the laboratory and putting it into practical, real-world use.

Leading scientists, engineers and a startup founder will headline the next NSW Smart Sensing Network Women in Sensing panel on 16 September at the University of Sydney, exploring how we can design infrastructure that is smarter, more sustainable, and more equitable. 

With the support of the NSSN, the IoT Alliance Australia has won a $1.7 million federal government contract to deliver a security labelling scheme which will make it easier for Australians to choose safer, more secure smart devices. The NSSN is a key supporter of this program.

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.