Swarm construction: ant-inspired processes for teams of building robots. Construction and manufacturing can be dangerous, wasteful industries—prime candidates for automation by teams of mobile robot builders. However, our understanding of how to program robots for teamwork is limited. This project aims to understand how colonies of weaver ants build complex nest structures, using novel 3D-imaging and ant tracking techniques. The anticipated outcomes of the project are i) a framework for how indi ....Swarm construction: ant-inspired processes for teams of building robots. Construction and manufacturing can be dangerous, wasteful industries—prime candidates for automation by teams of mobile robot builders. However, our understanding of how to program robots for teamwork is limited. This project aims to understand how colonies of weaver ants build complex nest structures, using novel 3D-imaging and ant tracking techniques. The anticipated outcomes of the project are i) a framework for how individual-level behaviour drives structure-level outcomes, applicable to many complex systems, and ii) novel software and hardware for robot swarms that can 3D-print structures using ant inspired teamwork strategies. Benefits of the project include new construction technologies that are safer, greener, cheaper and faster.Read moreRead less
Muscle-based Signals for Responsive Physically-Assistive Robotics. This project aims to develop a physically assistive robot for industrial use that interprets signals from the human user’s muscles during a physical activity and responds with appropriate assistance. This is significant because the robot must accommodate the complexity of movement required in industrial settings and adapt to variabilities in muscle activation signals among users that also change in time. The expected research out ....Muscle-based Signals for Responsive Physically-Assistive Robotics. This project aims to develop a physically assistive robot for industrial use that interprets signals from the human user’s muscles during a physical activity and responds with appropriate assistance. This is significant because the robot must accommodate the complexity of movement required in industrial settings and adapt to variabilities in muscle activation signals among users that also change in time. The expected research outcome is an intuitive, assistive robot worn by the human workforce that enhances their productivity and longevity, improves working conditions, lowers production costs, and increases workforce resilience. The robot’s capabilities will be demonstrated in this project through the challenging activity of sheep shearing.Read moreRead less