Students Showcase Ageing Research, Australian National University

Main Category: Seniors / Aging
Also Included In: Medical Students / Training
Article Date: 29 Oct 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Could insect vision help older drivers to stay on the road longer and safer? That will be one of the questions addressed at the 2008 Intergenerational Forum on Ageing Research to be held tomorrow at The Australian National University.

The forum has been organised by PhD students working on issues relevant to ageing, with the aim of bringing together and involving community and government organisations and local older people in their research. Presentations will cover a range of topics, including physical activity and mental health in ageing, the relationship between mental activity and longevity and the use of brain imaging and MRI techniques in ageing research.

One of the presenters will be ANU PhD student Chris McCarthy. Mr McCarthy, from the ANU Department of Information Engineering and NICTA's Vision for the Bionic Eye project, is using the principals of insect vision to build computer-based vision systems to assist with navigation.

"A driver's ability to perceive hazards declines with age," said Mr McCarthy. "Studies have found that increased response time to hazards is closely linked to a loss of contrast sensitivity and reduced field of view. This has a significant impact on how effectively a driver can detect hazards entering their view in the periphery."

The project he's working on is a collaboration between the ANU Centre for Mental Health Research, NICTA, Queensland University of Technology and The University of Queensland's School of Psychology. It aims to look at how computer vision can be used to compensate for such visual deficits. "Insects like honey bees navigate almost entirely using 'visual motion' - how an object appears to be moving in our eye. My research focuses on insect-inspired techniques for the detection of hazards, such as incoming vehicles. The aim is to provide a basis upon which to build a full hazard perception assistance system, capable of alerting a driver to potential hazards they may have missed. We want to allow capable drivers to keep driving safely on the road for longer," he said.

The forum is run by ANU Postgraduate student members of the Australian Association of Gerentology and is sponsored by ACT Department of Health and Ageing, the ARC / NHMRC Research Network on Ageing Well and the Illawarra Retirement Trust.

"The forum provides a unique opportunity for dialogue between research students, academics in ageing and older members of the public," said forum organiser Chris Hatherly.

WHAT: 2008 ACT Intergenerational Forum on Ageing Research

WHEN: Thursday 30 October, 10am - 2pm

WHERE: Old Canberra House, Lennox Crossing

Source
Martyn Pearce
Media Officer
Communications and External Liaison Office
Office of the Vice-Chancellor
The Australian National University

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