Smart 100 2010

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    BodyGuard Proximity Detection and Warning System (SMART 100)

    The initial system was developed for a third party in order to replace reversing sirens on large mining trucks. It was soon realised that there was a huge requirement for a system such as this across many industrial sectors (mining, logistics and warehousing, freight terminals, gantry cranes and more) as a system to help reduce risk of collision between any moving machinery and personnel. The current system has been developed over several years of research, development and testing to the point that it is now ready for full commercial release with the aim of saving lives in the workplace.

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    BooYarr (SMART 100)

    I moved to Sydney and noticed there are a lot of great time-based deals being offered by businesses all around the place, e.g. ‘Two-for-One cocktails between 6 – 8pm’. At the same time I had just bought an iPhone and quickly realised that the iPhone provided a great way to effectively create a really efficient and effective marketplace for this type of deal information due to its web connection and GPS technology. Having also worked for Wotif.com and seeing the power of their marketplace I was made even more aware of the opportunity.

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    Works Central (SMART 100)

    Someone mentioned to one of our team members that it would be great to have a central location for all planned works being conducted by councils, utilities and others to avoid them duplicating effort (after a roadway was dug up and resealed in his street for the second time in 3 months — once by the Council and once by the water authority). A team was assembled and the business problem was identified before we started to think about what the business solution needed to look like.

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    Watrwing (SMART 100)

    I thought of the device while I was living in Broome, WA in 2006. Being a water lover I decided to make a prototype out of some poly pipe and an old real estate sign. While snorkelling with my Watrwing, people would ask me where could they get one. That’s where my journey started. It is Australian Trade Marked, USA Patent and Australian Design Patent. The Watrwing is now being used by NSW Institute of Sport and swimming schools around Australia. It is also being bought and used by swimmers in the UK and the USA.

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    CARPARKING.INFO (SMART 100)

    Our idea came about while we were waiting outside a women’s clothing store for our girlfriends and we saw the same cars circling the block looking for parking. Having been frustrated at the inability to make informed decisions when finding a parking space — and more than often walking past a better alternative on our way to our destination, we decided that it was about time someone found a better way! Digging into the parking space we realised that the rates vary dramatically and are not geographically dependent so we developed a rate comparison tool to allow for custom results.

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    Utilibill Lite (SMART 100)

    This innovation came to life when we realised a gap in a developing segment in the telecommunications market. With telecommunications becoming commoditised, many entrepreneurs have joined the groundswell of companies offering innovative product mixes in voice, Internet, data, PBX, and hosting segment. While there are plenty of wholesale providers of these services, No one in the market has delivered an end-to-end BSS/OSS platform (front, middle, and back office solution) for these innovators. Utilibill Lite empowers such players to be competitive and offer first-class service while minimising overheads that were previously required to set up a telco.

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    Carportable (SMART 100)

    Following the 1998 major hail storm in Sydney (during which our car was extensively damaged), my wife and I were in Narooma one weekend. We heard that a severe storm was approaching the South Coast, and that it may contain hail. Having found that there was no undercover parking available in Narooma on a Saturday afternoon, I tried to find cardboard boxes to protect our car. Luckily it only rained, but it then became obvious to me that a portable shelter would have been ideal. Thus in 2003, Steve Anderson and I started on our project.

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    Clean Rain (SMART 100)

    Our NPD team started to dream about a way to take Australia’s rainwater collection experience to the world. As people globally begin to see how they can contribute to the water cycle through the collection of rainwater we asked, “How can we get Australia’s learnings over the last decade, put it all in one product and make rainwater simple? Let’s make a product that people won’t need to worry about, will find easy to use and will let them contribute to our water system.”

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    CommunityCarbon (SMART 100)

    The founders were searching for the points of greatest inflexion to help move us to a sustainable economy. We realised that to be successful in this goal, we needed to engage consumers, and work to create a new market from the bottom up. Realising that government and corporate action on climate change was in regulation and artificial institutional markets we saw the need for a retail carbon market that everyday consumers could participate in on a daily basis, and trust enough to want to.

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    Continuous Mobile Mapping 3D (CMM-3D) (SMART 100)

    A research team custom-built a 3D laser range sensor for mapping the environment from a moving vehicle. The research group had previous experience with 2D laser mapping and positioning, and when extending their work to three dimensions was required to overcome a number of challenges. Most significantly, acquiring a full 3D scan takes much longer than a 2D scan, and therefore the data is susceptible to distortions due to the vehicle’s motion. A software solution was developed and tested with the sensor mounted on a Bobcat driven around our research facility.

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    Corporate Family Program – Aged Care (SMART 100)

    We received feedback from a number of our clients who are currently using Expect A Star’s Child Care component of the Corporate Family Program. The clients relayed that the current offering is great for their staff caring for young children, but what about the older demographic who may be caring for an elderly loved one? In response to this feedback we developed a comprehensive Aged Care offering leveraging off the existing infrastructure of the Child care offering, but extending the reach of the innovation to an entirely new audience. So far the response to the program has been overwhelming.

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    Cursions – the online resource database for Australian teachers (SMART 100)

    We have spent almost fifteen years working in the Victorian education sector, teaching everything from Outdoor Education to Science to History to Geography. After seeing firsthand the increasing frustration felt by many teachers trying to find the best educational opportunities for their students, and how this was matched by an inability by many providers to successfully advertise their products to schools. Having identified a big gap in the market, we looked around at the technology available, decided upon ones and zeros as our medium, and after many sleepless nights and cups of coffee — Cursions was born!

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    Design your own women’s shoes online (SMART 100)

    This innovation initially came to life when two of the founders, Mike and Michael, were looking for a new, innovative online retail product to launch in Australia. The third founder, Jodie, had been designing her own shoes and having them made in Asia for a while. The three co-founders figured this could be done online and the idea for Shoes of Prey was born.

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    Design your own women's shoes online (SMART 100)

    This innovation initially came to life when two of the founders, Mike and Michael, were looking for a new, innovative online retail product to launch in Australia. The third founder, Jodie, had been designing her own shoes and having them made in Asia for a while. The three co-founders figured this could be done online and the idea for Shoes of Prey was born.

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    DSS (SMART 100)

    Researchers at the ANU collaborated with Volvo in Sweden to explore advanced driver safety systems based on monitoring the driver (instead of monitoring the vehicle or environment). Using a video camera and video image analysis the team learnt to accurately track and monitor the driver’s face and facial features. That technology allows the driver’s eyes to be monitored (open or closed?) and to track the direction the driver is facing (looking at the road or not?). Crucial innovations along the way include coping with eyeglasses, sunglasses, working night and day, and being fully automatic and remaining off-body/non-contact.

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    TransitVision (SMART 100)

    After 25 years in hospitality businesses and at the age of 45 I knew I had one last chance of making it big. Sat down with 18-year-old son (doing business at Uni) and said, this is the big picture of a successful business and lifestyle. It can take you all your life following everyone’s path or let’s start at the top first. Lifestyle, money, minimal staff, outsource worries, outsource expertise, go national (more money), biggest ROI with least investment. The business dream. 6 months R&D globally distinguishing up-and-coming industries. A fully accountable national advertising platform on digital network.

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    Tipsy Toes fold up shoes (SMART 100)

    Emily found herself limping home barefoot after a rather fancy wedding and had found herself in this rather unladylike position a few times in the past, and decided to take action giving ladies the opportunity to get home with (most) of their dignity intact for under $20. The Tipsy Toes concept was researched and product developed between January and June 2009; it was then the business name was registered after some serious “sole searching” for the right name…

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