QuantumTX unveils first cohort to drive cross-sector technology exchange across $314 billion space sector
QuantumTX 2020 Program Participants and Supporters
The future of Western Australia’s cross-sector technology exchange capabilities has taken a major leap forward with the announcement of the first cohort of small & medium sized business innovators to take part in the Quantum Technology Exchange initiative - known as QuantumTX.
QuantumTX was created to strengthen capability and collaboration across Australia’s leading industries in technologies that bridge the mining, energy, agricultural and defence sectors and leverage competitive industry advantages into the $314 billion global space sector.
In particular Australia’s world-leading capabilities in remote operations, AI, Digital Twinning and Simulation, Digital Communications and Data Sciences present a huge opportunity to expand, create new markets and build scale, particularly between our energy resources sector and the emerging global space industry.
To seize this opportunity, QuantumTX’s five-month program provides some of Australia’s leading technology innovators with industry mentoring, facilitated market engagement, profile raising, staff development and introductions to new sector networks.
The participating companies will visit facilities such as the European Space Agency deep space tracking station in New Norcia, Roy Hill mining remote systems automation centre, Fugro automation command & control, Woodside Energy’s robotics labs and Muresk Institute’s Smart Farm. They will also engage with a range of expert speakers from leading organisations; including The European Space Agency, NOVA Systems, ICRAR, BHP, Fleet Space Technologies, CISCO, METS Ignited and NERA (National Energy Resources Australia).
NERA CEO Miranda Taylor said, “Australia’s ambitions to lead the next decade and beyond of technology innovation to support the global space industry should be limitless. Our journey towards this future starts by leveraging our world-leader capabilities in remote operations, robotics, automation and artificial intelligence - all of which have been developed through our energy resources sector. By supporting programs like QuantumTX, we can position Australia as a future hub and exporter of the world-leading technology solutions for space, while reinvesting the cross-sector exchange of ideas and innovative into future prosperity for our industries here at home.”
10 Program Participants were selected via a competitive process by industry experts. Each SME business has potential global competitive advantage with existing innovative products that can solve common supply chain challenges across multiple industries including the international space sector.
Filling new jobs created in these diversified areas will require additional workforce skills so Atomic Sky also included South Metro TAFE and Offshore Simulation in the program as Affiliate Participants.
The SME companies selected to participate in QuantumTX are:
Binar Small Satellite (Curtin University Space Science & Technology Center)Cube satellite communications solutions in partnership with the European Space Agency.
ChironixRobotic autonomy and artificial intelligence systems integrating human-centred robotics, wearable technology and machine learning.
Sapien CyberLeading cyber security platform security challenges in operational environments across multiple industrial sectors.
Exodus Space SystemsKinetic solutions for tackling the challenge of reducing space debris through innovation and collaboration.
Nexxis TechnologiesAdvanced multi-limb robotic crawler and systems solving for any remote inspection and monitoring environment.
Space Industries Automation & Lunar Resource Extraction Vehicle (LREV) for extracting water on the Moon. W.A. space & technology museum.
Sentient ComputingImmersive 3D visualisation and digital twin solutions for automation and remote operations facilities in all industries.
Curtin University Space Science & Technology CenterApplying advance machine learning to solve complex challenges with space applications.
Subsea Engineering AssociatesIntelligent data & computation platform for distributed computing, machine learning & non-linear optimisation.
Terra15 TechnologiesReal-time fibre optic vibration, seismic and acoustic sensing and monitoring for large scale industrial IoT and data acquisition.
Western Australian Innovation and ICT; Science Minister Dave Kelly stated, “Western Australia is home to world-leading technologies and innovators in remote operations, robotics and artificial intelligence. The technology that is already utilised in Western Australia in mining, the offshore oil and gas industry, agriculture, environment and medicine now also has the potential to be utilised for remote mining operations on the moon. With support provided by the McGowan Government through the $16.7 million New Industries Fund’s X-TEND WA program, I’m excited to see Quantum Technology Exchange work with small-medium businesses to enhance opportunities in this area to create jobs and diversify the State’s economy."
QuantumTX was founded by Atomic Sky and operates a collaborative model. Curtin University Space Science & Technology Center, Triangle Equity Partners, Fugro Remote Systems Technology and AgriStart provided industry funding. The initiative also received grant funding from the Western Australian Government and the Australian Government, including Australia’s Industry Growth Centres for energy resources and for mining engineering, technology and services; NERA (National Energy Resources Australia) and METS Ignited.