The joint research project is being undertaken by the National ICT Australia (NICTA), the Defence Science and Technology Organization (DSTO) and the CSIRO.

Research director for the initiative, DSTO's Dr Rudi Vernik said it aims to augment the ability of humans to interact with information, with each other, and with their environments through the effective application of technology.

Dubbed Braccetto, an Italian word meaning 'arm in arm', this project will form the foundation for all future research efforts.

Braccetto is investigating how the effective application of ICT in mixed presence groupware can help geographically distributed teams collaborate more effectively.

This team has been working with a Perth-based company, Jumbo Vision, to develop collaborative workspaces. This has led to the design and creation of a modular collaboration system that uses high-definition liquid crystal display (LCD) screens to improve interaction.