Visual methods for advanced automation of underwater manipulation. This project will increase the autonomy of underwater robotic systems engaged in intervention and inspection tasks. Such activities are essential for the operation of subsea robotic systems used in offshore industries, scientific exploration and defence. Our approach will improve perception and situational awareness through the principled fusion of multiple navigation and camera sensors. We will use this improved scene understand ....Visual methods for advanced automation of underwater manipulation. This project will increase the autonomy of underwater robotic systems engaged in intervention and inspection tasks. Such activities are essential for the operation of subsea robotic systems used in offshore industries, scientific exploration and defence. Our approach will improve perception and situational awareness through the principled fusion of multiple navigation and camera sensors. We will use this improved scene understanding to effectively plan the motion of vehicles and manipulators through larger and more complex workspaces, enabling semi-supervised and autonomous task execution. Our project will demonstrate these capabilities in real-world deployments relevant to industry and marine science.Read moreRead less
Self-supervised feature learning for rapid processing of marine imagery. Fast and reliable quantitative estimates of marine environmental health are needed for scientific studies, design and management of protected areas, and regulatory compliance of industrial activity in the ocean. Australia is collecting seafloor images at increasing rates but expert annotations are not keeping up, meaning that typical machine learning approaches struggle. This project will develop self-supervised techniques ....Self-supervised feature learning for rapid processing of marine imagery. Fast and reliable quantitative estimates of marine environmental health are needed for scientific studies, design and management of protected areas, and regulatory compliance of industrial activity in the ocean. Australia is collecting seafloor images at increasing rates but expert annotations are not keeping up, meaning that typical machine learning approaches struggle. This project will develop self-supervised techniques that use large amounts of unlabeled data to enhance performance. Our design takes advantage of additional information available for marine imagery such as geolocation and remote sensing context. We will explore how these representations can guide additional sampling and improve performance in classification tasks.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
Next-Generation Intelligent Robotic Mobility Aid for Vision Impaired People. More than 253 million people worldwide are blind or have low vision, with over 575,000 in Australia. This research aims to develop the world's first functional robotic guide with advanced robotic sensing, navigation, control, machine learning-based decision making and user interfaces. The project will generate novel theoretical breakthroughs, produce feasible prototypes, train young researchers, innovate industry capabi ....Next-Generation Intelligent Robotic Mobility Aid for Vision Impaired People. More than 253 million people worldwide are blind or have low vision, with over 575,000 in Australia. This research aims to develop the world's first functional robotic guide with advanced robotic sensing, navigation, control, machine learning-based decision making and user interfaces. The project will generate novel theoretical breakthroughs, produce feasible prototypes, train young researchers, innovate industry capabilities and provide new research that will transform the lives of visually impaired people. The project is expected to further benefit the service and mobility aid industry, researchers and wider community in substantial social, economic and diverse terms. The mobility aid has potential for commercialisationRead moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC200100001
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,879,415.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Collaborative Robotics in Advanced Manufacturing. The Centre aims to build the human and technical capability Australia needs to underpin our global competitiveness in advanced manufacturing. The Centre will unite manufacturing businesses, including SMEs, and universities to develop collaborative robotics applications which combine the strengths of humans and robots in shared work environments. The Centre will train researchers, engineers, technologists and manufacturing ....ARC Training Centre for Collaborative Robotics in Advanced Manufacturing. The Centre aims to build the human and technical capability Australia needs to underpin our global competitiveness in advanced manufacturing. The Centre will unite manufacturing businesses, including SMEs, and universities to develop collaborative robotics applications which combine the strengths of humans and robots in shared work environments. The Centre will train researchers, engineers, technologists and manufacturing leaders with the expertise industry needs to boost safety, quality assurance, production efficiency, and workforce readiness. The intended outcome is to support Australian manufacturers to shift toward higher-potential markets, compete globally and attract and retain a digitally-capable workforce for the future.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH210100030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$5,000,000.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub in Intelligent Robotic Systems for Real-Time Asset Management. This hub aims to transform the way assets and infrastructure are managed by developing new capabilities for intelligent robotic systems for inspection, monitoring, and maintenance. The hub expects to generate new knowledge in robotics and associated fields including sensing, planning, data processing, and machine learning using interdisciplinary approaches and tight collaboration between academia and industry. The ex ....ARC Research Hub in Intelligent Robotic Systems for Real-Time Asset Management. This hub aims to transform the way assets and infrastructure are managed by developing new capabilities for intelligent robotic systems for inspection, monitoring, and maintenance. The hub expects to generate new knowledge in robotics and associated fields including sensing, planning, data processing, and machine learning using interdisciplinary approaches and tight collaboration between academia and industry. The expected outcomes are robots with the ability to autonomously collect data for integration into a digital twin that provides a real-time representation of the true state of a physical asset. The benefits include both improved asset management and establishing Australia as a leading manufacturer of advanced robotic systems.Read moreRead less
Optimisation methods for coherent quantum signal estimation and filtering. The project aims to develop an innovative systems theory and optimisation methods to enhance the design of components for next-generation quantum communication networks. It will advance new theoretical knowledge and efficient algorithms that can be applied to make networks more efficient and less costly. New technologies set to emerge within the next decade including specialised quantum processors and transformative cyber ....Optimisation methods for coherent quantum signal estimation and filtering. The project aims to develop an innovative systems theory and optimisation methods to enhance the design of components for next-generation quantum communication networks. It will advance new theoretical knowledge and efficient algorithms that can be applied to make networks more efficient and less costly. New technologies set to emerge within the next decade including specialised quantum processors and transformative cyber security systems will require ultra-fast networks, and the project will contribute significantly to advancing these technologies. This will benefit the Australia's economy and reinforce Australia's leadership in the quantum technological revolution through innovative engineering approaches.Read moreRead less
Visual Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping in Deformable Environments. This project aims to investigate the problem of building a three-dimensional map of a deformable environment in real-time using images and at the same time localising the camera within the map. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of simultaneous localisation and mapping in deformable environments using visual sensors. Expected outcomes include in-depth understanding of the fundamental sensing requirem ....Visual Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping in Deformable Environments. This project aims to investigate the problem of building a three-dimensional map of a deformable environment in real-time using images and at the same time localising the camera within the map. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of simultaneous localisation and mapping in deformable environments using visual sensors. Expected outcomes include in-depth understanding of the fundamental sensing requirements for the problem to be solvable, the achievable accuracy, and efficient algorithms for achieving accurate three-dimensional reconstruction of deformable environments. The research outcomes from this project offer significant benefits to diverse areas such as minimally invasive robotic surgery.Read moreRead less
Robots as a Social Group: Implications for Human-Robot Interaction. This Project aims to identify psychological factors that can limit the acceptance of robots in the home and workplace. As robots become more pervasive in everyday life, they are also likely to elicit fear, rejection, and even damage. The significance of the Project lies in its social neuroscientific approach to promoting better human-robot interaction by considering robots as a social group. Expect outcomes include theory develo ....Robots as a Social Group: Implications for Human-Robot Interaction. This Project aims to identify psychological factors that can limit the acceptance of robots in the home and workplace. As robots become more pervasive in everyday life, they are also likely to elicit fear, rejection, and even damage. The significance of the Project lies in its social neuroscientific approach to promoting better human-robot interaction by considering robots as a social group. Expect outcomes include theory development about human and robot intergroup acceptance, enhanced institutional and international collaborations, and much needed psychological knowledge for robot designers. Benefits include a detailed understanding of how to increase the acceptance of robots in a wide variety of fields.Read moreRead less