Hi Fred,
The 2df (two degree field) fiber positioner first began operations
in 1997.
What has just recently come online is the new High Efficiency
and Resolution Multi-Element Spectrograph (HERMES) which works
in conjunction with 2df.
Both the 2df and HERMES were engineered and built at the AAO offices
here in Sydney.
HERMES can provide simultaneous observations in the following bands -
Blue: 471.8 - 490.3 nm
Green: 564.9 - 587.3 nm
Red: 648.1 - 673.9 nm
IR: 759.0 - 789.0 nm
The CCD detectors are 4096 x 4112 and operate at 170K.
It is arguably the most sophisticated spectrograph ever built for a telescope.
The primary science project HERMES is being employed on is the GALactic
Archeology with HERMES (GALAH) survey. When used in conjunction with the
existing AAT two-degree field (2dF) optical fibre positioner, HERMES
provides simultaneous spectra for 400 objects in four bands.
GALAH will obtain precise radial velocities and abundances of over 15 different
chemical elements per star for over a million stars.
The resulting data sets will hopefully yield a detailed view of the formation and
evolution of the Galaxy.
You can read more about GALAH here :-
https://twitter.com/galahsurvey