Aviation and airports

Overview

A hub for aviation research

Queensland has become a hub for aviation technological and policy research and development.

QUT research in airports and aviation aims to address a range of issues confronting environmental, spatial, infrastructural, political, and design challenges on the ground.

Robotics, systems automation, smart technologies

QUT conducts leading-edge and innovative research in the field of robotics, systems automation and the underlying smart technologies.

Our researchers are experts in the areas of smart sensing, electronics, embedded systems, real-time computational intelligence, control systems, manufacturing automation, decision support systems, communication systems, navigation, and uninhabited airborne systems (UAV).

Autonomous UAV flight in Australia

The Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation (ARCAA) - a joint venture between the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) ICT Centre and QUT - is the only research centre dedicated to autonomous UAV flight in Australia.

Through ARCAA, QUT researchers and students collaborate with industry to advance automation in aviation with a focus on developing civilian applications for robotic aircraft.

This research is looking at ways to integrate unmanned aircraft into Australian airspace for a wide range of beneficial applications such as bushfire monitoring, environmental management, search and rescue, disaster relief and much more. The outcomes of ARCAA's research could lead to significant improvements to the efficiency and safety of aviation which could one day assist pilots in averting a midair collision.

Partnerships

More than 40 private and public organisations from the aviation industry presently collaborate with QUT to determine integrated solutions to aviation issues spanning planning, design, business, public policy, passenger facilitation, information technology, engineering and science.

Projects

QUT leads two of the largest airport and aviation research projects in Australia:

These two projects are investigating best practice for the integration of smart technologies and processes into airport operations, and a study on master planning, governance, economic development and infrastructure management at airports.

Future projects

Through current and future projects, QUT is committed to ensuring the ongoing success of Australian aviation as an efficient, technologically advanced, safer, more secure and sustainable contributor to the nation's prosperity.

QUT aviation and airports research areas include:

  • Transforming and securing the future of Australia's airports

  • Airport security and risk and resilience

  • Airport design, planning, and process modelling and passenger facilitation

  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and application for infrastructure monitoring and security

Research degree enquiries

Science and Engineering research office

Commercial research enquiries

Science and Engineering Faculty - Commercial Research and Corporate Education

Partnership enquiries

Science and Engineering - Partnerships