Meet our ResLead in CAD and 3D printing!

by Emilie Walsh

The best part of working for Research Platform services as a CAD and 3D printing ResCom*, is that I get to meet researchers working with 3D in all disciplines. Reagan has been helping with my trainings for a few months now.


If you are interested in learning 3D modelling yourself, come to my next training:

https://fusion-360-july-2018.eventbrite.com.au

Reagan graduated from his Master in Engineering last year and is now working on an exciting project using his skills in 3D modelling and 3D printing!

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Reagan Kurniadwiputra Susanto

Tell us about your background and experience at the University of Melbourne ?

I did Bachelor of Science majoring in Bioengineering Systems and Master of Engineering majoring in Biomedical Engineering. During my undergraduate studies, I was quite active in Indonesian Student Association both in the University of Melbourne and in the state of Victoria. However, during my master’s degree, I was more focused on my academic skills and tried to do something more relevant to my field. I joined the Melbourne University Racing team as a Junior Engineer on the Low Voltage team and also participated in Student Ambassador Leadership Program from the School of Engineering.

Tell us about your interest in 3D printing?

It was all started from a subject called Biomaterials, where I have to design a spinal implant for people with specific lower back problem. I had to 3D print the implant and vertebrae with 1:1 scale to visualise the results. This has caught my interest on 3D printing since I can hold something that I designed myself and it was very quick and cheap. Straight after that subject concluded, I bought myself a 3D printer to kick-off my journey in learning and playing around a printer.

I have find that 3D printing is very well supported by the online community. I have teach myself with some very useful skills though some online resources:

- Make Anything - it’s a creative works channel, he posted a lot of fun and functional things, very very inspiring

- Makers Muse - 3d printing reviews, tutorials, etc., he’s Australian and quite popular amongst 3D printing community

- RCLifeOn - mixed of 3D printing, Remote Controls, drones etc. but his 3D printing works are very creative and functional

I am quite interested in utilising 3D printing for rapid prototyping. For example, creating a box for electronics, a rig to simulate breathing, a bracket to join mechanical structures, and a custom-made holder for a very specific purpose.

via GIPHY

Reagan breathing box! Gif of the first prototype

3D printing is definitely not the best tool, but knowing how to utilise the technology in combination with other techniques will definitely create something unique and interesting.

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Reagan’s Second prototype of the breathing machine.

What skills did you learn during your Master?

Basically general engineering skills like programming and project management as well as something more specialised like electronics, signal processing, 3D modelling/printing, and medical device commercialisation. Throughout the degree, I also learn organisational and leadership skills through student clubs.

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Reagan helping out during one of my Fusion 360 training.

So you graduated! Tell us about your current project?

I am working on a MedTech Startup developing a respiratory rate monitoring system for hospital patients. Currently, we are at a very initial stage where we still developing the product and the commercialisation plan. We hope to get the device to the market and helping clinicians to save their valuable time. This device could also potentially reduces hospitals costs related to adverse events.

How the skills learnt in research can be apply to industry?

The technical skills are definitely useful during device development. The skills will help to make a proof of concept and reduce significant cost in development. The most important skill is the problem solving skills that any researcher gained from its training, at least it helps me to be able to prioritise and make important decisions!

If like Reagan you are interested in 3D modelling and 3D printing come to one of my workshop and learn CAD with researchers from all disciplines. Check our calendar of training here:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/research-platforms-services-10600096884

*ResCom : Research Community Coordinator

MEDevice: DeltaCore

by Vincent Khau

Taking away second place, we had Clarence, Kim, Tajanka, and Sarah improving the design of colostomy bags to provide an increased quality of life to patients. The judges loved the idea, congratulations!

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MEDevice: BackUp

by Vincent Khau

Tackling back pain caused by bad posture, Stefan, Vlad, Chris, Brandon, and Sumudu delivered a prototype product of wearable sensors that could provide the user with a real-time representation of their posture - it even gives you tips to correct it for better posture! Awesome to see a functional prototype from concept to product all within 4 weeks!

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MEDevice: SoleGuard

by Vincent Khau

Coming in third we have SoleGuard! Tim, John, Sophie, Jenny, and Jesus investigated foot ulcers in diabetic patients and devised an intelligent preventative measure to this highly relevant medical issue. Well done!

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MEDevice: AutoVein

by Vincent Khau

The AutoVein team at MEDevice was made up of Tom, Anna, Michael, Dilini, Aaren, and Chandra who collectively tackled the problem of cannulation inaccuracies. Their solution? Automate the process with a robotic device for 100% success rate!

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MEDevice: A Journey in Medical Device Innovation

by Vincent Khau

Recently Research Platforms Services, with sponsorship from Autodesk, ran a hackathon for medical device innovation at the University of Melbourne. Postgraduate students from the Engineering faculty, and the Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences (MDHS) came together in this cross-disciplinary collaboration to create and develop a medical device product over the course of 4 weeks. It aimed to encourage exciting conversations between faculties that normally do not interact with one another, to create and inspire new ideas. And we did exactly that!

In the first week over on the top floor of the Melbourne Brain Centre, we had the pleasure and honour of hearing from keynote speakers Mr Jason Chuen, Dr Andre Tan, and Ms Michelle Mannering present on a variety of topics ranging from successes and failures of medical devices, to medical device start-ups, and innovation with the Australian climate. These presentations helped contextualise the importance of collaboration between disciplines, as well as highlighting key considerations in product development and pointing out common pitfalls that many medical device products run into. They also provided a great source of entertainment and motivation for the attendees!

Following the presentations, we needed to do some quick speed-dating to get acquainted and form teams for the next few weeks. In total we had 5 teams with each team having at least one clinical student, and one engineering student. The diversity in knowledge was instrumental in identifying problems to solve in the current medical space, in addition to having the skill-set required in how to devise solutions to these problems. We fostered an excellent conversation, with participants staying well past the proposed finish time to keep discussing their ideas.

In the second week of MEDevice everyone got more technical with their ideas and concepts, befitting of the Engineering Workshop environment. We had an introductory Computer Aided Design (CAD) session by our Research Community Coordinator Emilie Walsh, followed by a crash course in rapid prototyping using additive manufacturing - a group even got creative and used 3D scanning technology to scan a foot! These are key approaches in almost any hackathon to figure out if your idea works, and if not, to fail fast and pivot onto the next iteration. Equipped with these skills, the teams worked on their product ideas and delivered a quick pitch at the end of the session, receiving feedback from each other along the way.

With the product development phase well on its way, the third week delved into the questions of ’How does one structure a pitch? How do I pitch perfect?’. To answer these, we invited Professor Michael Vitale from the Wade Institute to teach us the basics of pitching. Over the course of an hour, the teams learned different pitch formats and had the opportunity to practise their newly acquired skills in preparation for the fourth and final week - Pitch Night!

On Pitch Night, we were joined by the judges who had the not so envious task of picking a winning team - Dr. Kerry Hegarty, Prof. Geoff McColl, Prof. David Grayden, Prof. Peter Lee, and Dr. Eka Moseshvilli. Held in the Ian Potter Auditorium at the Melbourne Brain Centre, the teams presented the cumulation of their hard work; a brilliant range of solutions tackling medical issues from auto-cannulation devices, improved colostomy bags, preventative foot ulcer measures, to back-posture correcting wearables, and negative pressure wound therapy! Although I felt each team were equally deserving of a prize, there could only be one winner and the congratulations go to AirStitch for their technique to treat small wounds with negative pressure. Placing second and third were DeltaCore and Soleguard respectively. Check out the photos taken during the event here.

I would like to thank all the participants for dedicating their time to their MEDevice - the high calibre of ideas discussed were certainly inspiring and I hope you all enjoyed the experience and developed lasting connections. Thank you to Autodesk for generously sponsoring the prizes, we absolutely look forward to future collaborations. Thanks also go out to John Xue, for sharing his thoughts and experience of MEDevice.

If you’re interested in getting involved with our future hackathons, keep an eye on this blog and our Twitter - we’ll be sure to announce it here first! In the meanwhile, we’ll be organising ResBaz 2017 - check it out, hope to see you there! Any questions or comments, feel free to get in touch with me at vincent.khau@unimelb.edu.au!

MEDevice: A Hackathon for Medical Device Innovation

by Vincent Khau

Have you ever had an idea for a fantastic medical device but are unsure of how to physically realise it? Got the technical skills and want to take a look at what it’s like to hack together with like-minded people in medical innovation? Well here’s your chance to meet new people and come up with great ideas whilst learning new skills and having fun!

Research Platforms Services will be holding an exciting hackathon ‘MEDevice’ for people interested in medical device innovation. Over the course of four weeks, postgraduate students from the medical, and engineering disciplines at the University of Melbourne will have the opportunity to network and form teams, learn computer-aided design skills to 3D print and rapidly prototype their ideas, culminating in a business pitch to a panel of experts and judges for their chance to win awesome prizes! 

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, click here for more information and to submit an application to participate! Be quick, there’s only 30 spots available!

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From ResBaz to ResBaz: A Glorious Year for 3D Data!

By Paul Mignone

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Me and Cadventure!

The creation, manipulation and enrichment of 3D data are still fledging spaces in the data science field. However with only a small team, the Cadventure stream at ResBaz has made great strides in building research communities around 3D data tools. Looking back over the past 12 months, I’m truly in awe of what my team achieved in such a short time. Let’s look back on the Cadventure team’s achievements:

  • At ResBaz 2015, I successfully launched a pilot initiative in partnership with Nvidia for students to access graphically intensive CAD software in the cloud. The pilot was highly successful, and has given Research Platform Services valuable information for future ‘Cad in the Cloud’ rollouts in 2016 and beyond.
  • Our most recent hire, Vincent Khau, is now our resident 3D printing and lightweight CAD guru, offering courses in TinkerCAD and Autodesk Fusion 360. Vincent has been hugely successful in engaging Unimelb’s Victorian College of the Arts, offering regular lightweight CAD courses at VCA, as well as engaging them in various research projects.
  • Due to the huge demand and interest in 3D printing over the last few years, The University of Melbourne’s 3D printing showcase was held for the third time at Wilson’s Hall. The massive building was barely large enough for the huge turnout at the 3D printing showcase, which saw over 3000 attendees over a single weekend.  The showcase displayed the latest 3D printing technology, race car challenges, hackathons, community makerspaces, as well as lives lectures and interviews.
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So many achievements…so little time…

Bear in mind ladies and gentlemen, these achievements were all done before the 2016 Research Bazaar conference. By the time the Cadventurers reached ResBaz 2016 they were full steam ahead:

  • Aliza and her helpers successfully ran the Autodesk Inventor stream, which is now a community 400% bigger in size, and with far greater gender representation.
  • The ResBaz Partnership with Carlton Connect continues to grow in 2016. We now have a residence at their Lab-14 innovation precinct, and plan to run more joint events in the near future. Carlton Connect also made an appearance at ResBaz 2016, advising researchers on avenues to commercialise their research.

Looking back, I’m amazed by the number of wins my team has achieved over the last 12 months. I personally couldn’t be more proud! With Louise Van Der Werff taking the helm in April 2016, I have full confidence that the Cadventure team will continue to build the 3D data community, and bring it to the forefront of data science!

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We are part of something bigger…

The Melbourne Accelerator Program comes to ResBaz!

By Xue Qian and Paul Mignone

Hi everyone! My name is Xue, and I’m a development coordinator  for the Melbourne Accelerator Program (MAP). MAP is an entrepreneurship program at the University of Melbourne. In the four years since it was established, MAP has received international recognition for the quality and impact of its program. In November 2015, it was ranked the 8th best university accelerator in the world by UBI index, 2nd in the Asia-Pacific region, and Number 1 in Australia.

I’m passionate about future technology and entrepreneurship. As a development coordinator, I work closely with the entire MAP team to manage, promote and execute many entrepreneurship events. Prior to MAP, I worked in e-commerce, and ran a Student Entrepreneurs organisation. I’ve also recently completed a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne.

Last month, I was invited to attend the 2016 Research Bazaar conference to discuss with researchers the potential of commercialisation and start-ups as a career path. Given their large community base, expertise in data science tools and fantastic research translation workshops (i.e., #SharksDen), I believe that the Research Bazaar is perfectly placed to unveil some of Australia’s best talent and ideas for commercialisation.

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Me (second from the left) listening to some amazing researchers!

I wasn’t disappointed. After talking to many researchers at the event, not only did I hear some fantastic ideas, I quickly realised that few researchers were aware of their commercialisation potential. Fewer researchers were aware of platforms that could help them commercialise their research. I endeavour to change this, and I would like to use this opportunity to introduce our premier entrepreneurship program that can transform researcher ideas into reality.

So I call to you all researchers and aspiring entrepreneurs!

The MAP program beings again for 2016! Our information night will reveal the nuts and bolts of the application process and other opportunities for aspiring researchers and entrepreneurs.

Tickets are available here: http://bit.ly/1QRLRAF

Our first Start-up Velocity class is also coming up, if you have an idea but don’t know where to start, this program is for you!

Register here: http://bit.ly/21XKiYM

MAP’s vision is to launch great ventures which positively transform the world. The MAP Start-up Accelerator awards 8 start-ups with $20,000 funding, office space, mentoring, and opportunities to pitch in Melbourne, Sydney and Silicon Valley. 24 companies have graduated from the MAP Start-up Accelerator and between them have raised $10 million in funding, created over 200 jobs and generated over $10 million in revenue.

We hope to see you there!

First ResBaz RPRWG grants are a resounding success!

by Paul Mignone

Last year, the Research Bazaar’s Research Product Realisation Working Group (#RPRWG) invited University of Melbourne researchers to apply for the 3D printing mini research grants. A total of 8 grants of AUD 5,000 each were awarded to support impact factor-based research (e.g., publications, exhibitions etc.) in the use of 3D printing alongside its applications across various research disciplines.

As 2015 comes to a close, it is with great pleasure to announce that the majority of RPRWG grants have successfully concluded, producing high-quality research outcomes that can be accessed via figshare digital object identifiers (DOI). A big shout-out and congratulations to our first RPRWG grant recipients!

1)       Christopher Bolton - #PrintedOptics

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.1613539

2)      Varsha Pilbrow - #greatapedentalscoringsystem

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/49/565BD0B122FC4

3)      Darcy Zelenko and Ravi Bessabava - #optiskel

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/49/565BE1B42CB89

4)      Kerry Leonard - #totouchbeauty

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/49/5654E2D94C260

5)      Lachlan Whitehead - #PARASIGHT

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.2009034.v1

6)      Amanda Ng - #3DMRIPhantom

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/49/5653BB1E9FAF2

Shark’s Den Live Hack: Part 3 of 3

By Vincent Khau

Final day of Shark’s Den and that only means one thing; finish off your prototypes because it’s pitch time! So as soon as the doors opened for the 3D Printing Showcase, final product iterations were put on to print, whilst simultaneously rehearsing pitch presentations. All contestants were excitedly anticipating pitching their ideas in front of a panel of investors; and with a panel so prestigious who wouldn’t be nervous! The task of picking a winner for Shark’s Den was given to Prof. Iven Mareels (Dean of the Melbourne School of Engineering), Dr Charlie Day (Director of Carlton Connect), Dr Fiona Tweedie, David Guttmann (Director of Strategic Alliances) and A/Prof Colin McLeod; and after seeing the quality of all the teams, this was no easy task!

The MakeCreate team kicked things off with their solution to the endless mounds of drink bottles amassing in rubbish dumps; recycle them into a drone! With the ingenious idea of mounting the electronics inside a water bottle, consumers will be able to buy and create a waterproof drone for less than $500, beating the price point of many drones on the market. 

Following the BottleDrone, we had the Freelance team presenting their idea for a solar powered lamp, harnessing the power of sunlight and storing it later use; a product that I’m sure will be popular with the energy conscious generation!

SelfHealth was next to pitch, presenting an alternative to current cervical cancer testing methods. The kit is designed to be used at home and operated by the user, removing the uncomfortable and awkward appointments that may put women off the testing procedure. Next step? Consult with medical professionals and gynaecologists!

Kutting Edge developed new hygienic kitchen products that could be used in both commercial, and home kitchens. An easily removable sink design that allows for scrap disposal, and a knife rack that dries your knives once inserted? Yes please!

Last to pitch was Access Electronics. Their product was to create a device that behaves like a 3D printer, but produces custom PCBs for household use! Handy! This would facilitate easier and more widespread education on electronics, as well as potential business development opportunities.

As much as we’d like to award all teams for their inspiring and creative innovations, there can only be one winner. After careful consideration and much deliberation, the judges reached an unanimous decision so congratulations to SelfHealth for coming up with a fantastic innovation addressing an issue affecting women both locally and beyond.

Shortly after the end of Shark’s Den, Dr Charlie Day gave the closing keynote of the 3D Printing Showcase, highlighting the embodiment of both the Showcase and Shark’s Den; innovation is about fresh thinking and creating value. What a wonderful and fitting conclusion to what has been a fantastic, fun-filled, and enlightening event. A big shout out and thanks to Paul Mignone, whose efforts have made this Shark’s Den possible; it wouldn’t have happened without him, so cheers for organising it! Well, until the next Shark’s Den, that’s it folks! Keep an eye out for the next chance to be a part of this event, where we teach you the skills to rapidly design, prototype, and pitch your ideas to investors!

Check out what happened on Day 1 and Day 2 of Shark’s Den!

Shark’s Den Live Hack: Part 2 of 3

By Vincent Khau

Day 2 of Shark’s Den kicked off with a much hustle and bustle as the teams came in to collect their prints from the night before. After inspecting the first iteration of their product, teams quickly made changes and set the Makerbots to keep on printing further developments of their innovations. With the power of 3D printing, teams were able to rapidly prototype their product; look at how many design iterations one team were able to go through in just one day!

Catch up on the Day 1 events here and check out my Day 3 blog post to find out what innovations the teams came up with! Spoiler alert, we’ve got drones, medical equipment, homeware, and technical innovations!

#SharksDen Day 3: Maker’s Make Their Mark

by Paul Mignone

With the #SharksDen attendees now proficient in TinkerCAD, the penultimate SharksDen class focused on translating their ideas into tangible 3D products. In this class, students learned how to use the MakerBot Replicator, and how to convert their 3D model into a printed object.

Research Community Coordinator, businesswoman and medical image processing expert, Dr. Louise Van Der Werff spent and hour demonstrating the MakerBot replicator to the attendees. In that time she taught them how the printers work, printing materials, support structures and many other topics.

What amazed me about the MakerBot replicator was its ease of use. This allows users to focus more on their designs and less on ‘getting the print right’, which is very important in the early innovation stages. This will be very handy during the #SharksDen live hack, as the winning team will need to use second if they are to prevail. Make no mistake, the lead up to the #SharksDen live hack has been exciting, and it’s now caught the attention of MakerBot.

No pressure at all…right?

#SharksDen Day 2: A Day of Design

by Paul Mignone

With four teams set up and ready to go, day 2 of #SharksDen was held in the 3D printing lab of the University of Melbourne’s Engineering Workshop. Vincent Khau, ResBaz’s very own design maestro, kicked off day 2 by giving a crash course to attendees in computer-aided design (CAD) using the software known as Tinkercad. HTML browser-based and easy to use, it didn’t take long for the #SharksDen attendees to start designing their game-changing products.

During this CAD lesson, Vincent performed his ‘tried-but-true’ start-up charades workshop. The workshop brought together the CEO and CMO to look at a picture. The CEO/CMO then had to describe the picture to their CTO, who would then design it in TinkerCAD. The reasoning behind this exercise was to demonstrate the importance of good communication in a team, as well as to highlight the challenges of conveying complex ideas to other team members.

For the second half of day 2, teams continued to work on their product ideas and were challenged to give a three minute pitch by the end of the session. While not compulsory, it was exciting to see all the teams design products that address the millennium project challenges. With still two weeks to go until the 3D printing showcase, one team had already designed a 3D concept for a low cost water filtration system for developing nations!

The four teams pitched their ideas at the end of the day. Some teams used Google presentation, while other teams went for butcher’s paper to present their initial designs. All four teams had to be cut-short as they went over time. This experience gave them all an appreciation for being concise in start-up presentations. Day 2 was definitely a day of hard lessons for the #SharksDen attendees, but it will serve them well at the 3D printing showcase two weeks from now.

#SharksDen Day 1: The Road to (Product) Realisation Begins!

by Paul Mignone

After our hugely successful inaugural SharksDen Innovation Challenge in July, the adventure started again this week on September 16th. Four teams will once again work towards developing products to present to an investor panel on the last day of the 3D printing showcase on October 10th. Before that date, these teams will learn how to design using CAD, 3D printing techniques, as well as work on their project live at the Showcase!

The event started off as a networking session, where individuals enjoyed drinks and nibbles as they got to know each other. There was also a strong turn-out from Girl Geek Academy, Make-Create as well as a number of UX specialists from general assembly. Such a diverse and potent mix of talent can only result in some fantastic products being made by the end of #SharksDen!

In the team building exercise, individuals discussed their strengths and whether they saw themselves fitting into CEO, CTO, CFO, or CMO roles. The participants who gave the best ‘first impressions’ were then nominated as CEOs, and the teams were picked for the upcoming weeks. The teams were then confronted with the ‘infamous’ challenge of redesigning the door. Each team came up various door designs and had to pitch it to the rest of the groups.

The biggest change to the second iteration of #SharksDen will be that teams are encouraged to ‘dream big’, and to develop products that address one of the global challenges facing humanity outlined in the millennium project. With such a strong showing of talent on only day 1 of this event, I’m personally excited to see what these teams can come up with when they dream big!

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