Skip to main content

Company Profile

Find out what Redback is about.

Redback Operations company profile​

Company Mission​

Redback Operations is dedicated to revolutionizing the fitness experience by developing state-of-the-art connected fitness devices that not only enhance the enjoyment of physical activity but also its effectiveness. At the heart of our mission is a relentless drive for innovation and continuous improvement. This commitment is reflected in our diverse portfolio of projects, each designed to elevate the quality and effectiveness of training while also focusing on injury prevention. Through these initiatives, Redback Operations aims to empower individuals in their pursuit of fitness, making every workout smarter, safer, and more enjoyable.

2024 Company Directors​

  • Trimester 1 - A/Prof. Daniel Lai (Associate Professor)
  • Trimester 2 - Prof Seng Loke (Professor In Computer Science)
  • Trimester 3 - Dr Imali Dias (Senior Lecturer)

Company Structure​

Redback Operations is committed to elevating its professional standards by establishing a comprehensive baseline for documenting information, procedures, findings, and more, in a unified and systematic manner. Redback Operations is currently spearheading five major initiatives, with four company-wide supporting teams:

Through these diverse yet interconnected projects, Redback Operations demonstrates its commitment to innovation, security, and excellence. By standardizing processes and emphasizing quality management, the company not only streamlines its operations but also sets a solid foundation for future growth and success.

2024 Trimester Company Lead: Kaleb Bowen

Projects​

Project 1: VR Sun Cycle + Smart Bike Project​

Product Owner: Acting Company Director of Redback

This project aims to revolutionize indoor exercise by merging Virtual Reality (VR) and Smart Bike technologies, creating an immersive workout experience that transcends traditional fitness routines. Initially conceived as two separate endeavours—SuncycleVR and the Smart Bike—these projects have now been unified. The Smart Bike serves as an intuitive controller within the VR environment, with IoT technology enabling real-time turning and movement based on the user's pedalling speed.

The integration of pedal rotations to control the virtual bike's speed marks a significant milestone in achieving a seamless, realistic exercise experience. Meanwhile, the VR component is under active development, with plans to expand beyond the existing starting zone and cityscape. Future updates aim to introduce challenging terrains, such as hills, to leverage the Smart Bike's incline feature, adding an extra layer of difficulty and resistance to workouts. In T1 the team Developed VR missions, integrated the smart bike with VR, and connected a mobile app to collect/show workout data from the Smart bike.

Leadership for this ambitious project is divided among 5 senior members in Trimester 2 2024, each responsible for a distinct aspect of development:

Jonathan David Lowden oversees VR interactions, task planning, and team coordination (Online).

Pratik Milind Pawar and Delia Chia Hui Kok co-lead the project, both living on campus and inducted to the makers space where the smart bikes are located.

Ethan Byrne-Staunton leads IoT integration, ensuring seamless communication between the Smart Bike, VR environment, and associated mobile app.

Dennis Yu coordinates the design of VR environments and assets, crafting engaging and visually captivating design elements and updating asset guidelines and references images for the team.

As the project progresses, the team is focused on enriching the VR experience with interactive missions and environments, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in virtual fitness.

Redback Project 1 VR Sun Cycle + Smart Bike Project Demo

Tech Stack:

  • Software:
    • UNITY (C#)
    • Blender 4.0
    • Adobe Photoshop
    • Adobe Illustrator
    • Raspberry Pi Editor
    • MQTT
  • Hardware:
    • Raspberry Pi
    • DFR Buttons
    • Wahoo Sensors
    • Meta Quest 2

Project 2: Elderly Wearble Technology​

Product Owner: Acting Company Director of Redback

This project is dedicated to harnessing the potential of wearable technology to significantly enhance the quality of life for the elderly. It skilfully employs advanced data analytics, innovative web platforms, and sophisticated mobile app development tools to meet its goals.

At the heart of the project is the development of intuitive and user-friendly wearable devices, meticulously crafted for the elderly. These devices are tailored to meet several crucial needs, including comprehensive health monitoring, efficient fall detection, and the prevention of bedsores by providing timely alerts for positional changes. A pivotal aspect of the project is its commitment to bolstering social connectivity among the elderly, thereby enriching their overall well-being and safety. Features like fall notifications, emergency alerts, heart rate monitoring, and activity tracking are seamlessly integrated into these devices. This integration is done with the aim of not only improving the daily lives of the elderly but also empowering them with the necessary tools to maintain their health and independence proactively.

In Trimester 1 the team Developed predictive models for diseases, emergency alert systems, activity tracking, and real-time blood glucose monitoring. Also built a Proof of Concept (POC) device ready for testing and further improvement.

In Trimester 2 the team aims to Refine predictive models, implement real-time monitoring features, and enhance data analysis.

Senior member Manan Purvish Gangar will step into the role of project lead guiding the project towards its ambitious goals and Alex Cojocariu will become IoT lead as he built the POC in T1.

Redback Project 2 Wearable Technology + Wearable Sensor Project Showcase (T1 2024)

Tech Stack:

  • Programming Language:
    • Python
  • Machine Learning and Data Processing:
    • TensorFlow
    • Keras
    • Scikit-learn
  • Other Libraries and Tools:
    • Pandas and NumPy
    • Matplotlib

Project 3: Athlete Wearable Tech (Previously Sports Performance Analysis)​

Product Owner: Acting Company Director of Redback

The Athlete Wearables Tech initiative, previously known as the Sports Performance Analysis project, is dedicated to exploiting the vast potential of data derived from wearable technology in various sports. This pioneering project aims at augmenting athletic performance through detailed data analytics and advanced predictive modelling. By leveraging sophisticated tools such as Python and Power BI, the initiative delves deep into the essence of sports analytics, providing customised insights to enhance training and performance across diverse disciplines. The project recently focused on:

An in-depth analysis of metrics like heart rate, speed, and distance is conducted to formulate bespoke training plans. These plans are meticulously tailored to meet each athlete's unique needs, taking into account variables such as age and health in the following solo sports.

  • Cycling
  • Running
  • Swimming

Central to this project is a commitment to refining predictive models, particularly in cycling, and expanding into refining running analytics and progress swimming analytics. Additionally, significant efforts are being made to develop a prototype web application. This application is envisioned not only as a repository for analysis and insights but also as a dynamic tool for planning and monitoring training and competition programs. It will enable athletes to upload their data, marrying personal performance metrics with wider analytical findings.

As part of a comprehensive ecosystem dedicated to athlete data collection and analysis, this project presents a unique opportunity for collaboration with teams working on related initiatives, significantly extending the reach and impact of our efforts.

In the coming Trimester 2, senior member Manheer Singh Dhillion will step into the role of project lead, guiding the project towards its ambitious goals.

Redback Project 3 Sports Performance Analysis Showcase (T1 2024)

Tech Stack:

  • Data Storage:
    • Company VM
    • GitHub
  • Analysis tools:
    • Python
    • Jupyter Notebook
  • Visualisation Tools:
    • Power BI
    • Tableau

Project 4: Crowd Monitoring & Player Tracking (AKA Project Orion)​

Product Owner: Acting Company Director of Redback

Named after the astute hunter of Greek mythology and the constellation that illuminates our night sky, Project Orion represents a pioneering venture poised to redefine our engagement with sports. Project Orion is a cutting-edge initiative designed to revolutionise the way we perceive and interact with the sports field. Orion, renowned for his ability to never lose track of his target, perfectly embodies our mission.

Project Orion's primary objective is to forge an intelligent, real-time tracking system for athletes.
By harmonising sophisticated computer vision technology, Project Orion is set to profoundly enhance our comprehension of athletes' movements, interactions, and overall performance on the field.

At the heart of Project Orion lies its formidable data analysis prowess. Utilising the power of machine learning and predictive modelling, the project aims to transform complex streams of data into practical, actionable insights. Whether it's foreseeing potential injuries or monitoring athletes' fatigue levels,
Project Orion's predictive capabilities are designed to convert raw data into essential knowledge.
This knowledge will amplify performance standards in various sports.

In essence, Project Orion seeks to mirror the guiding brilliance of its celestial counterpart, aspiring to illuminate the sports technology landscape with innovative strategies focused on athlete safety and performance enhancement. This venture is poised to redefine the frontiers of technological applications in sports, positioning Project Orion as a pioneer and a source of inspiration in its field.

Previously the team focused on both crowd monitoring and player tracking, but decided to steer away from IoT and sensor use to focus work on computer vision technologies moving forward.

in Trimester 2 the aim is to Deploy predictive models for injury prevention and performance enhancement through use of these computer vision technologies.

Tech Stack:

  • Data Storage:
    • Company VM
    • GitHub
  • Analysis tools:
    • Python
    • Jupyter Notebook

Project 5: Bugbox​

Product Owner: Daniel Lai

The aim of this new project is to encourage/improve the interest and engagement from primary school students in the area of robotics through learning to program and by using different devices such as BugBox.

In Primary schools today it is common to see small programmable robotic devices. The aim of this project is to evolve the online learning platform, introduce gamification, and identify the best approach for the platform.

Formal research, planning and development are yet to begin, so if you would like to join this start-up, please be enthusiastic about robotics and willing to actively participate in the development and creation process!

Tech Stack:

  • JavaScript
  • HTML
  • CSS
  • NodeJS library (for flashing compiled sketch files to Arduino microcontroller boards)
  • Microsoft Planner to be used for task planning
  • GitHub
  • Hardware: Arduino Nano

Data Warehousing Team​

Product Owner: Acting Company Director of Redback

Part way though Trimester 1 Redback was provided a Virtual Machine for data storage for long term use as apposed to using tools like GCP that require subscription and application processes that have caused delay in the past. The set up of this Virtual machine to hold and process each of our project’s data has started to be implemented, with further work still needed.

Progress made: developed workflows for data summarization and predictive modelling, created dashboards for visualizing incidents and company security data, designed and implemented Docker-based solutions for the virtual machine.

Additionally, we plan to collaborate with Cyber Security team to implement SecOps,

Implement orchestration tools for data pipeline and enhance real-time data visualization with Power BI. We also wish to integrate with other project teams to bring all data warehousing efforts under one unified strategy, further enhancing Redback's data handling capabilities.

In Trimester 2, this team will be led by senior student Kaylin Lucas-Griffin.

Tech Stack: Data Storage: Previously used Google Cloud Platform, now transitioning to an on-prem virtual machine.

Data Processing and Management:

  • Dremio: Implemented using Docker for data lakehouse functionality.
  • Nessie and Minio: Used as foundational technologies on the virtual machine.

Visualization Tools:

  • Power BI for creating interactive dashboards.

Data Anonymization Techniques:

  • Python for data anonymization and generalization activities.

Documentation:

  • GitHub Docusaurus Website

Task Planning:

  • Microsoft Planner

Cybersecurity Team​

Product Owner: Acting Company Director of Redback

The Cybersecurity Team at Redback Operations has made commendable strides in enhancing the organization's cybersecurity landscape, but it's important to recognize that cybersecurity is an ongoing journey, with the team poised to address any areas identified as needing further enhancement in the upcoming trimester.

As we continue to navigate the complexities of cybersecurity, the team remains dedicated to safeguarding Redback Operations through continuous improvement, strategic planning, and the implementation of best practices in security.

In Trimester 2, senior member Daniel Mcaulay will lead the Cybersecurity team, and be in communication with other projects to ensure all of Redback follow the cybersecurity guidelines provided and as intended.

Redback Cyber Security Showcase (T1 2024)

Tools used: Security Information and Event Management (SIEM):

  • Wazuh: An open-source security monitoring tool used for threat detection, integrity monitoring, incident response, and compliance.

    • Purpose: Provides real-time event collection and analysis, offering comprehensive security visibility.
    • Implementation: Installed on the on-prem virtual machine and configured to ingest events and provide relevant security information.

  • OpenCTI: A tool for threat intelligence sharing and management.

    • Purpose: Enables the integration and sharing of threat intelligence data to improve security operations.
    • Implementation: Set up to work in conjunction with other security tools for enhanced threat detection and response.

Intrusion Detection System (IDS):

  • Suricata: An open-source network threat detection engine.
    • Purpose: Provides real-time intrusion detection, network monitoring, and security alerts.
    • Implementation: Deployed on the virtual machine to monitor network traffic and detect potential security threats.

Secure Coding and Code Review:

  • GitHub: Used for version control and managing the secure code review process.
    • Purpose: Ensures code integrity and security through rigorous review processes and version control.
    • Implementation: All code changes are reviewed for security vulnerabilities and compliance with secure coding standards.

Code Review Methodology:

  • Process: Code is reviewed for security vulnerabilities and adherence to best practices before merging into the main branch.
  • Documentation: Secure coding methodology documents are created and maintained in Docusaurus for reference.

Incident Response and Playbooks:

  • Playbooks: Developed to dictate procedures for dealing with security incidents.

    • Purpose: Provides a standardized response to various types of security incidents to ensure efficient and effective resolution.
    • Implementation: Nine playbooks and twelve use cases have been created to support the Cyber Incident Policy.

  • Docusaurus: Used for documenting playbooks and other security policies.

    • Purpose: Provides a centralized repository for security documentation and ensures easy access and updates.
    • Implementation: Security documentation is maintained and made accessible through the Docusaurus platform.

Web and Mobile Teams​

Product Owner: Acting Company Director of Redback

Web dev team created shared libraries of reusable code and facilitated collaboration among web developers within the company. The team aims to continue developing and maintaining user-friendly and informative web platforms to fit the needs of the various company projects.

In Trimester 2, the Web dev team will continue to be led by senior student Leesa Ward.

Mobile Dev focuses on developing mobile applications for various projects, enhancing user engagement and functionality. So far creating one application to work with project 1’s smart bike. The progress made in Trimester 1 was implementing Google and Facebook login features, developed signup and login functionalities, and enhanced UI/UX elements within the app.

This project does not yet have a leader for Trimester 2, so the position is open.

Redback UI Showcase (T1 2024) Redback Mobile Security Showcase (T1 2024)

Web Dev Tech Stack:

  • HTML
  • CSS
  • JavaScript
  • React
  • Node.js

Mobile Dev Tech Stack:

  • Android Studio
  • Flutter
  • Django
  • Python
  • Firebase