Themes

The Vision Centre’s Big Question research areas, 2010 – 2013

Following the 2008 Review of the Centre by the ARC, we reorganised our research programs to focus on two primary directions:-

• Research surrounding Visual Processing and Robotics, which aims to understand how visual systems process information with application in the design and development of robotic visual systems; and
• Research surrounding Blinding Diseases, which aims to understand how visual systems develop and the mechanisms that keep them stable and with application in diagnosing and overcoming blinding diseases.

Thus each of the themes has a basic science or understanding aspect and a translational application aspect. The themes and their sub-components are outlined below.

1. Visual Processing and Robotics

• Understanding: How do visual systems process information?
  • Neural processing in the retina – Projects 5, 7
  • Neural processing in the mammalian brain – Projects 1, 5
  • Visual algorithms in simple and compact biological visual systems – Projects 6, 8, 9
• Application: Design and development of robotic visual systems
  • Biologically‐inspired visual control of autonomous vehicles – Projects 8, 9
  • Computational systems for colour vision and object recognition – Project 7

2. Blinding Diseases

• Understanding: How does the visual system develop and what keeps it stable?
  • Retinal development and evolution – Project 3, 7
  • Retinal stability and degeneration – Projects 2, 4, 10
• Application: Overcoming blinding diseases
  • Novel diagnostic methods and instrumentation – Projects 4
  • Novel therapies for prevention of retinal degeneration – Projects 2, 10
  • Biological basis for "Bionic Eye" prostheses – Project 1

Currently Vision Centre research is conducted in 10 projects, each of which are collaborations by a median of 3.5 CIs (maximum 6). All but 2 of these projects occur across at least 2 of the 4 participating universities: Australian National University (ANU), University of Queensland (UQ), University of Sydney (USyd), and University of Western Australia (UWA). Within those universities Centre staff are also members of the ANU Centre for Visual Sciences, the Queensland Brain Institute, the Sydney Medical School and Psychology, and the Lions Eye Institute.