Melbourne tech company advances portable chemical threat detection for global markets

Swinburne University of Technology and Innovation Victoria have joined forces to co-invest in Forward Deployed, a Melbourne-based technology company combining highly sensitive detection hardware with real-time software to identify chemical threats.

The $1 million co-investment will support independent validation and further development of the advanced sensing system, as well as the transition to production-level systems for Forward Deployed’s existing contracts in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The co-investment will support the company’s transition to production and commercial scale, with the potential to transform chemical threat detection across the world, in a range of different environments and industries.

Known as the DINGO, the advanced system technology uses cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS), a highly sensitive technique that sends light through an air sample and measures how quickly the light fades. 

This enables the system to detect tiny traces of chemicals quickly and precisely, alerting users to danger within seconds so they can act sooner to protect themselves and others.

The platform can be used in biosecurity, border security, laboratories and mining, reducing the need for people to enter environments where dangerous chemicals may be present.

The investment builds on Swinburne’s longstanding relationship with Forward Deployed. Two of the company’s three co-founders - CEO Richard Hebden and Chief Technology Officer Alex Barry - are Swinburne alumni.

Swinburne is also working with Forward Deployed to integrate DINGO’s existing sensing hardware and software with autonomous robotic platforms, including robotic dogs.  

The research aims to enable real-time chemical threat detection and identification in hazardous environments, reducing the need to expose personnel to danger.

Swinburne Vice-President, Innovation and Enterprise Werner van der Merwe, said the collaboration demonstrated the role universities can play in helping innovative technologies move towards real-world impact. 

“Turning breakthrough knowledge into impact at scale requires sustained investment, strong partnerships and a clear pathway to market,” Werner van der Merwe said. 

“Through our investment and research collaboration with Forward Deployed, Swinburne is helping advance a sophisticated technology with the potential to protect people by reducing their exposure to hazardous environments.  

“This is the role universities can play in strengthening the innovation ecosystem and accelerating promising technologies towards impact.”  

DINGO is available in portable units designed for different uses across laboratories, mining, biosecurity and border security.

Richard Hebden, Forward Deployed CEO and co-founder, explained the technology used to detect chemical threats hasn’t significantly evolved, and this development had potential to significantly change safety processes. 

“Chemical threats have evolved significantly, but the technology used to detect and understand them hasn’t kept pace. We’re combining advanced sensing and software to change that, delivering laboratory-grade sensitivity and actionable information in seconds, wherever it’s needed.

"Our work with Swinburne is helping us explore what’s possible when that capability is integrated with autonomous platforms, allowing us to extend detection into environments where we shouldn’t have to send people.”  

Innovation Victoria provided funding through the University Innovation Platform, which helps Victorian universities turn research into commercially viable products and companies.

Rod Bristow, CEO of Innovation Victoria, said Forward Deployed is a great example of Victorian innovators building breakthrough technology, designed to detect threats and respond to threats against people.  

“We’re proud to back Richard and the team as they translate university-connected research into commercial products and a growing Victorian company,” he said.