Category: Researchers

Dr Sean Gallagher is the director of Swinburne University of Technology’s Centre for the New Workforce, Chief Investigator at the Australian Cobotics Centre, has a PhD in Chemistry, and is a member of the Future of Work advisory panel.

In the latest episode of Best Behaviour, Interchange’s Gabrielle Harris and Nick Brandon-Jones sat down with Sean to talk about the possible impact of AI on the workforce, Hybrid working, and the need to be nimble and experimental as we forge a new way of working into the future.

Listen to it wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gwpJ2rmM

Fantastic event at Swinburne University of Technology last night!

There were over 35 people in attendance at Swinburne’s Intelligent Robotics Lab for our ‘Cobotic Encounters’ event. This event was a great opportunity for businesses based in Melbourne to find out more about the Centre and how cobots could be used to augment existing capability.

Swinburne lead, Associate Professor Mats Isaksson and Postdoc Dr Anushani Bibile organised the event which included demonstrations from student research projects, excellent networking opportunities as well as talks from Centre Director, Jonathan Roberts and Lead Engineer, Dasun Gunasinghe.

Thanks to everyone who came along and the wonderful team at Swinburne for hosting the event. Special thanks to the Swinburne student researchers who presented their projects:

* Australian Cobotics Centre PhD student: Jagannatha Charjee Pyaraka – Cobot Deep Learning using Biomimicry and Digital Twins
* PhD student: Edgar Mauricio Hidalgo Florez – Evaluation of Haptically Enabled Remote Robot-Assisted Echocardiographic Examinations
* PhD student: Mariadas Capsran Roshan – Automated Ultrasound Imaging of the Back Muscle Through Sensor Fusion
* PhD student: Kartik Choudhary – Non-Invasive Diagnosis of Cutaneous Melanoma using a Collaborative Robot with Multiple Modalities for Enhanced Data Collection
* MSc student: Rene Santander – Development, Optimization, and Quantitative Evaluation of a Robotic Platform for 3D Printing of Biofouling Resistant Polymers

    

    

The Australian Cobotics Centre‘s researchers from the UTS Robotics Institute, in collaboration with a talented group of undergraduates, has made significant progress by developing an inverted robot mount for their ongoing project with InfraBuild. This development brings their proof of concept one step closer to real-world implementation.

The project was proudly presented at the UTS Tech Festival Robotics Showcase, where the custom inverted robot mount, designed by the undergraduate students, was among the highlights. The mount was developed for a collaborative research project between the Australian Cobotics Centre and InfraBuild.

The student team, consisting of Alfred Lewis, Jack Bigland, Khoder Ali Ahmad, Jawad Rashid Rakin and Shubesh Iyer, received recognition for their industry-ready design. They worked on optimising the reach of the collaborative robot (cobot) arm to remove short, off-spec steel bars from a conveyor belt on the production line.

Fouad (Fred) Sukkar, a UTS-ACC postdoctoral fellow, provided valuable advice on the safe implementation of the cobot in the industrial environment, contributing to the project’s success.

The inverted robot mount represents a significant advancement in industrial automation, streamlining the production process and improving efficiency in handling materials.

The collaboration between academia, represented by the Australian Cobotics Centre and UTS Robotics Institute, and industry partner InfraBuild, has proved fruitful in driving technological innovation and practical solutions for real-world challenges.

The team’s dedication and innovative approach in developing the inverted robot mount demonstrate the potential of collaborative efforts in pushing the boundaries of automation and robotics.

Read more about the Shorts’ Project HERE

Welcome to Jasper Vermeulen, our newest PhD Researcher working on the Human Factors in Collaborative Robotics project, as part of the Designing Socio-technical Robotic Systems program supervised by Glenda Caldwell.

Jasper’s primary role is to examine critical human factors related to collaborative-robotic approaches. By leveraging his expertise, we aim to create socio-technical designs that revolutionize work conditions and deliver positive outcomes for all.

Welcome Jasper!

The Australian Cobotics Centre has some incredibly E.P.I.C. researchers. Each month we will be profiling a different researcher.

Nisar Ahmed Channa is a PhD Researcher in the Human-Robot Workforce research program at the Australian Cobotics Centre. His research interests lie primarily in the areas of technology and human resource management, industry 4.0, and organisational behaviour.

We interviewed Nisar recently to find out more about why he does what he does.

• Tell us a bit about yourself and your research with the Centre?

I am a PhD researcher working on program 5.2: Manufacturing jobs of the future. This program aims to explore current state of literature on Cobots-workforce nexus, challenges associated with adoption of Cobots for both human workers and manufacturing companies, and implications of Cobots for manufacturing companies. My research helps to address challenges associated with the adoption of Cobots in manufacturing and is of vital importance for both academics and policy makers for workforce policies and practices needed to manage human and non-human resources. Recently, we have completed two studies on the current state of industry, speculative, and commentary sources in addressing the impact of Cobots on future jobs and employment. As a result of this, we developed a framework which helps manufacturing companies to enhance their organizational capabilities to adopt Cobots. The outcomes of this program will pave the way for Cobots to supplement human workers in assembly lines.

• Why did you decide to be a part of the Australian Cobotics Centre?

The main reason behind this was the fact that Australian Cobotics Centre provide me with an opportunity to work with prominent scholars in this area and to pursue my research interests in this field. Working with centre will also allow me to interact with the industry and to get firsthand knowledge about the workforce issues in manufacturing sector and to work on solutions to those issues. It will be an opportunity to contribute into an effort to enhance manufacturing capacity and increase Australia’s manufacturing potential.

• What project are you most proud of throughout your career and why?

One of the projects on which I worked during my masters was on how organizations going through adversities and uncertainties caused by changes in external environments can bounce back from such situations and remain competitive by developing capacity of resilience through strategic alignment of resources. At that time, the industry was going through a variety of challenges caused by global economic crises. This was one of the initial attempts endeavoured by the academia to provide policy guidelines to industry and government on how to tackle such crises and to remain competitive. I am further expanding this work in my PhD and research I am doing with ACC.

• What do you hope the long-term impact of your work will be?

The research I am doing with ACC will lead to address issues related with adoption of Cobots in manufacturing industry. To deal with issues related to unavailability of skilled workforce, manufacturing companies are automating their manufacturing processes and adopting Cobots to meet the unavailability of skilled workforce. However, the adoption of Cobots in manufacturing brings new challenges in form of resistance from employees and workforce policies and practices needed to manage human and non-human resources. I am optimistic that my work will help Australian manufacturing companies to address these challenges associated with adoption of Cobots.

• Aside from your research, what topic could you give an hour-long presentation on with little to no preparation?

Apart from my current research at ACC, history is a topic which always fascinate me. I can easily present on topics like political history of South Asia for hours.

Collaboration and information sharing across our research programs and disciplines is vital for our Centre’s success. To support this, we ask that all our PhD Researchers present a short project introduction within their first 6 months of starting their PhD.

Earlier in the month, we heard from Jacqueline Greentree, Nisar Ahmed Channa and Nadimul Haque. Each provided an overview of their project’s goals and objectives, proposed methodology, and expected outcomes. We will continue to share updates on their progress as their research continues. In the meantime, you can find out more about what they hope to achieve HERE

 

 

The Australian Cobotics Centre has some incredibly E.P.I.C. researchers. Each month we will be profiling a different researcher.

Alan is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Designing Socio-Technical Robotic Systems Program (Program 3). His research works to embed holistic design as a critical factor in creating a seamless integration of humans and machines working together. The aim of this is to improve human work conditions and environments, increase effectiveness and efficiencies in production, as well as workforce acceptance.

We interviewed Alan recently to find out more about why he does what he does.

• Tell us a bit about yourself and your research with the Centre?

My background is in three areas – science, architecture, and in human factors design. I worked in all three industries, and I try to bring the experiences to my research. In the ACC, I research socio-technical systems – which focus on the connections between people, the technologies they use, their activities and the use of space. This area of research is growing rapidly along with other areas linked to cobotics. The long-term impact of my research will add to the knowledge and help forge a future direction for interactions between humans and robots, particularly within workspaces.

• Why did you decide to be a part of the Australian Cobotics Centre?

The curiosity of new technology mainly. I wanted to work with a multidisciplinary team looking at areas I was also interested in exploring. I am interested in emerging technologies such as extended reality (XR) and the next generations of those technologies. Some of these technologies allow connections between our physical environments and the digital realm, with the digital realm becoming incredibly represented as a 3D world. These technologies aren’t just the domain of game design, computer science, or engineering – but increasingly a blend of all research disciplines. I think that’s why so many of us now collaborate with different researchers and industries from diverse fields – because the technology has the potential to impact all of us.

• What project are you most proud of throughout your career and why?

I don’t dwell on many past projects, but some are memorable for a few reasons. I’ve done a few projects that could be considered interactive or artistic installations, and it was interesting to see how people engage with something you’ve designed – especially when it’s not the way you thought anyone would try. It’s always surprising and teaches you to squash any assumptions.

• What do you hope the long-term impact of your work will be?

I hope my work will help the frameworks we need for cobotics. Particularly when bringing cobots into existing workplaces. That will be where most cobots will have the most impact in Australia. In the future, I also believe there is a capacity to research the effects that cobotics and energy technology will have on workplace architecture, human well-being, and user experience. Those are areas I’d like to be involved in going forward.

• Aside from your research, what topic could you give an hour-long presentation on with little to no preparation?

Haha, probably a short list of things considered trivial or geeky. Anything technological, English Premier League, The Simpsons (the ‘golden era’ of seasons 2 to 10), Lord of the Rings or 80s movies. Closer to research, like data visualisation, and graphic design, and could talk about that for a bit.

Welcome to Yuan Liu, our newest PhD Researcher working on the Augmented and Virtual Reality in Collaborative Robotics project, as part of the Designing Socio-technical Robotic Systems program supervised by Glenda Caldwell.

Yuan’s research will investigate co-design and development of immersive visualisation (i.e. augmented reality, virtual reality) approaches to simulate, prototype, and evaluate products and spaces for human-robot collaboration within real-world manufacturing processes and contexts. The benefits of using immersive visualisation approaches will include the ability to evaluate before, during, and after different collaborative robotic settings and necessary manufacturing process and spatial adaptations have been made.

Yuan’s current research interests will focus on multimedia technologies (Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality) and human computer interaction.

Welcome Yuan!

Read more about the program.

Welcome to Louis Fernandez! Louis is a PhD Researcher working on our Multi-modal Human Robot Collaboration project, which is part of the Human Robot Interaction program. He is based at UTS and supervised by Marc Carmichael.

Louis’s research will develop a vocabulary of multimodal HRC interaction techniques to accomplish tasks such as specifying the intended path for the robotic tool to follow by manually drawing onto the work surface, instructing the robot through naturalistic speech and gesture, and directly sensing feedback on the state of a robotic task through visual, auditory, and haptic feedback.

The project will also study the needs for human robot interaction in an authentic work context to make sure that the interaction techniques are appropriate for use in that setting.

Welcome Louis!

Read more about the program.