David Robinson AM DSc: Ultrasound and Research

Historical Article

Obituary: 

Engineer, Research Scientist and Innovator – Internationally Recognised Pioneer in Ultrasonic Imaging.

(Prepared by Laurie Wilson PhD Adjunct Professor, School of Computing Engineering and Mathematics, Western Sydney University)

 

In the late 1950s, concern was rising about the use of X­rays for prenatal assessment of foetal well­being. The Commonwealth Acoustics Laboratories had begun to investigate the recent discovery that high­frequency sound waves could be used to safely image the developing foetus. Although Robinson was already assured of a successful engineering career with the Postmaster ­General’s Department (PMG), he jumped at the chance to join a new field, largely because, to use his own words, he had ”never heard of it”.

David Errol Robinson, generally known as ”Robbo”, was born on March 6, 1939, in Brisbane. In 1946, the family moved to Sydney and settled in Church Point. Here, through involvement with Sea Scouts, he developed his passion for sailing and was soon winning races in a series of VJ sailing boats.

After completing high school at North Sydney Boys High School, Robinson received a cadetship from PMG to study electrical engineering at the University of NSW. He graduated with first­class honours in 1959 and later completed a master’s degree in 1966.

However, in 1961 he was recruited to join George Kossoff at the newly formed Ultrasonic Research Group of the (then) Commonwealth Acoustic Laboratories. In 1962, he married Helen Gordon, who had taken a science degree and was working as a teacher.

Working with Kossof, Robinson built Australia’s first ultrasound scanner and, in May 1962, recorded Australia’s first ultrasound image of a foetus. The images from this device and its successors were quickly acknowledged as equal to or better than those obtained from any other machines in the world and helped establish the reputation of the Sydney group at the forefront of research in ultrasound.

Working with Dr William Garrett of the Royal Hospital for Women, Robinson set up criteria for the use of ultrasound in obstetrics and they published one of the first books on the subject. During the late 1960s, Robinson played a key role in the development of grey scale, the Sydney group’s most significant contribution to medical ultrasound, and in the expansion of ultrasound into new clinical applications.

In the early 1970s, Robinson realised that digital processing of ultrasound signals and images was to replace the analog systems then in use, so he spent 16 months at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology studying the new science of digital signal processing (he also found time to navigate a yacht in the Boston to Halifax race). On his return to Australia, he set up a group that investigated the possibilities created by digital processing. This group rapidly established a leading reputation in ultrasonic tissue characterisation, publishing the first papers on such topics as sound speed and tissue elasticity measurements. With typical thoroughness, Robinson created a platform for internationally recognised research into digital processing of ultrasound signals that was used well into the 1990s.

Robinson was one of the founders of the Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine and was President from 1974­ to 1976. He was President of the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers from 1985 to 19­87. He was also elected to the board of the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB), in which he served as secretary and Vice-­President, and was on the editorial board of several professional journals.