Research

  • Research interests

    • Road safety, particularly motorcycle safety, heavy vehicles, ecodriving, fleets, and general rider and driver behaviour
    • Touch (haptics) and virtual reality, including psychophysics, presence, telerobotics, remote control, and the use of virtual reality for training and rehabilitation
    • Teaching, with a focus on new technologies such as wikis

    Current research project

    Several current projects involving motorcycle safety, ecodriving in corporate fleets, the use of a touch-based interface to remotely control mining machinery, and a number of psychophysics touch projects.

    Grants

    Total since 2007 exceeds $1.2M

    2009

    • Victorian Department of Transport competitive tender: Rose, Symmons & Van Doorn. Design and evaluation of a fleet-based ecodriving trial
    • VicRoads competitive tender: Mulvihill, Symmons, Wallace & Collins. Development of an on-road assisted ride program for motorcycle riders
    • VicRoads competitive tender: Mulvihill, Symmons, Wallace & Collins. Pilot training course for returning motorcycle riders
    • Competitive tender for Victoria and South Australia Department of Transport. Rose & Symmons. Design, implementation and evaluation of ecodriving programs.

    2008

    • VicRoads: Analysis of Great Ocean Road (GOR) DVD.

    2007

    • Australian Transport Safety Bureau (cat 1): EcoDrive as a road safety tool for Australian conditions
    • Sustainability Victoria (Vic Govt): Development and trial of an ecodrive training program for heavy vehicle operators
    • RioTinto: Improving sensory feedback during remote control of mining machinery
    • VicRoads: Review and identify issues and countermeasures relevant to motorcycle crashes in Victoria
    • VicRoads: Prioritising motorcycle fatigue recommendations
    • VicRoads: The potential of an associative learning method for training car drivers to give way to motorcyclists at intersections.