Assistive Robotic Systems for Augmenting Human Strength in Industrial Applications. A theoretical foundation needs to be developed in order for assistive robots to collaborate with human workers and optimise the capabilities of both the human and the robot. This project aims to develop methodologies that enable assistive robots to augment the strength of humans conducting physically demanding work, such as abrasive blasting, in complex industrial environments. It aims to address research challen ....Assistive Robotic Systems for Augmenting Human Strength in Industrial Applications. A theoretical foundation needs to be developed in order for assistive robots to collaborate with human workers and optimise the capabilities of both the human and the robot. This project aims to develop methodologies that enable assistive robots to augment the strength of humans conducting physically demanding work, such as abrasive blasting, in complex industrial environments. It aims to address research challenges associated with perception and control of robotic systems that provide assistance as- needed physical support to a worker intuitively and safely. The ultimate objectives are to improve productivity and reduce injuries. The outcomes intend to have significant and immediate impacts on assistive robotics research and industrial applications.Read moreRead less
An Intelligent Robotic System for Underwater Structure Maintenance. This project aims to build a theoretical and experimental foundation for developing robots for underwater structure maintenance in near surface and tidal environments where water current and wave action can be strong. A novel intelligent robotic system with multiple arms is planned to be developed. The project will address research challenges associated with perception, mapping, planning and control, and develop methodologies th ....An Intelligent Robotic System for Underwater Structure Maintenance. This project aims to build a theoretical and experimental foundation for developing robots for underwater structure maintenance in near surface and tidal environments where water current and wave action can be strong. A novel intelligent robotic system with multiple arms is planned to be developed. The project will address research challenges associated with perception, mapping, planning and control, and develop methodologies that enable the realisation of such robotic systems. The intended outcomes will contribute to marine robotics research and its industrial applications, and will improve productivity and occupational health and safety by replacing the humans needed to work in such hazardous environments.Read moreRead less
Robustness, resilience and security of networked dynamic systems. This project will develop advanced digital control techniques to address security, resilience and robustness in complex networks and deliver fundamental advances in the technology for secure and reliable networks. The project will advance the theory on consensus of networked multi-agent systems to facilitate the fast adoption of the internet of things and the continuous growth of cyber-physical systems These systems in many cases ....Robustness, resilience and security of networked dynamic systems. This project will develop advanced digital control techniques to address security, resilience and robustness in complex networks and deliver fundamental advances in the technology for secure and reliable networks. The project will advance the theory on consensus of networked multi-agent systems to facilitate the fast adoption of the internet of things and the continuous growth of cyber-physical systems These systems in many cases work with high efficiency, stability, and low communication overheads. However, there are cases where disturbance amplification and cascading failures can arise from relatively small unforeseen events. The theoretical work will be complemented by detailed nonlinear networked simulations, using intelligent vehicle systems as a case study.Read moreRead less
Biologically inspired robotic system for steel bridge condition assessment. Australia has many thousands of steel bridges which form a key infrastructure supporting urban and rural communities. Periodic inspection is a vital undertaking that minimises risk of bridge failures and associated community impact. This project will develop a robotic inspection system capable of crawling over the structure, inspecting all areas, acquiring essential information and appropriately presenting these to a hu ....Biologically inspired robotic system for steel bridge condition assessment. Australia has many thousands of steel bridges which form a key infrastructure supporting urban and rural communities. Periodic inspection is a vital undertaking that minimises risk of bridge failures and associated community impact. This project will develop a robotic inspection system capable of crawling over the structure, inspecting all areas, acquiring essential information and appropriately presenting these to a human operator to facilitate effective condition assessment. The project's outcomes will lay the foundation for the world-wide use of bio-inspired robots in civil infrastructure condition assessment, significantly increasing worker’ safety and greatly reducing the costs and improving the efficiency of the inspection process.Read moreRead less
Modelling and distributed control of large infrastructure networks. The main outcome of this project will be the capability to study systematically basic questions on the operation of large infrastructure systems. Methodologies for control of larger systems and security issues will be developed. Application of the techniques to several applications areas will include power grids and traffic networks.