robotics

The VEX robotics competition will come to Adelaide for the first time in December this year. In part due to $15,000 in funding from the state government, the competition will be the testing ground for the teams which will go on to take one of 12 spots at the international tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, in … Continue reading National robotics competition comes to Adelaide →

The Queensland government opened the Townsville Manufacturing Hub on Monday, September 9. The Hub aims to help boost manufacturing and productivity in the city and surrounding region and is located at the TAFE Queensland Bohle campus. Townsville manufacturing businesses contributed $840 million to Queensland’s economy in 2017-2018, according to Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure … Continue reading Townsville hub provides local connection to advanced manufacturing →

The Australian Space Agency has opened consultations for the design of its Robotics, Automation and AI Command and Control Centre. Input is being sought on the objectives of the centre, the mission types for potential users, and overall program design. The Centre will be located in Western Australia and is funded through $4.5 million from … Continue reading Industry invited to set objectives for space control centre →

While Industry 4.0 may seem to encourage the replacement of people with machines, when it comes to safety, having an understanding of the importance of people is paramount. In an exclusive interview, Susanne Kunschert of Pilz speaks with Manufacturers’ Monthly. The managing partner of automation technology firm Pilz, Susanne Kunschert, confesses, “I’m not so digital”. … Continue reading Understanding where people fit in Industry 4.0 →

Autonomous delivery business Starship Technologies has raised $40 million in funding to expand its business. The Estonian manufacturer, which is headquartered in the US, was established by Skype co-founders Janus Friis and Ahti Heinla and has garnered $85 million in support to date. The primary product of the company is a six-wheeled robot that are … Continue reading Autonomous delivery business expands with new funding →

The University of Queensland opened Australia’s largest university makerspace this week. Named “UQ Innovate”, the space will provide space for students, academics, and researchers to use machines such as 3D printers, vacuum formers, industrial robots, and waterjet cutters. To enable visitors to get the most out of the technology, technical and trade qualified staff will … Continue reading Largest makerspace opens at University of Queensland →

The spread of advanced automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence is transforming the way manufacturers work. Manufacturers’ Monthly explores how these development are impacting the workforce. In the manufacturing sector, technological change and transformations in production processes are pointing towards changes in business models. In particular, developments in advanced automation, robotics artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, … Continue reading Artificial intelligence, robotics, and the workforce of the future →

The Queensland government will fund and create the first robotics manufacturing hub in Australia. With funding of $7.71 million spread over the next four years, the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Hub will be built with support from the Queensland University of Technology and architectural design company Urban Art Projects (UAP). According to Minister for … Continue reading Queensland commits to robotics manufacturing hub →

A new digital fabrication facility, ProtoLAB, opened this week at Swinburne University of Technology. The lab will house industrial robots for large scale architectural design prototyping. The design of the space is intended to open up the fabrication process to passers-by and allows observation and interest to be garnered by the large windows that open … Continue reading Robotics lab to encourage hands-on Industry 4.0 knowledge →

Research into developing robots with a sense of touch has taken a further step, with the development of a new form of tactile sensors. The researchers, from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the University of Queensland, have used nanometre-thin films of organic LEDs (OLED) and organic photodiodes (OPD), which measure soft touch. While … Continue reading Durable touch sensors developed for cobot applications →

As robotics researchers, students and enthusiasts gathered at the International Convention Centre in Sydney, home-town teams from universities in Sydney were hoping for simulated and solid success. Two local universities came out with first place honours, University of Sydney (USYD) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), in the Soccer Simulation 2D League and the … Continue reading RoboCup results in wins for local universities →

On July 10, federal Science Minister Karen Andrews and her WA counterpart, Dave Kelly, signed an MoU outlining WA’s involvement in Australia’s space capabilities. The agreement involves $6 million in investment from the federal government to develop partnerships and engagement between WA industry and the global space ecosystem. The investment will be separated into two … Continue reading WA to join in Australia’s space efforts →

Robotics teams and experts have converged on Sydney to compete in the 2019 RoboCup, aiming to claim the World Champion title. Held for the first time in Sydney, 170 teams including 1,200 participants from research laboratories and universities around the world will compete not only in soccer, but robotic urban search and rescue missions, manufacturing, … Continue reading 2019 RoboCup kicks off →

Siemens has announced the speakers and experts who will present at its annual conference Digitalize. To be held in Brisbane on July 23, the conference focusses on the process of digitalisation across industry sectors. The two visiting speakers are Martin Powell, head of urban development, and Gerhard Kress, vice president of data services. Kress has … Continue reading Siemens announces Digitalize 2019 →

A new competition in robotic vision aims to address the problem of overly-confident robots misidentifying objects in the real world. The Robotic Vision Challenge, launched by the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision which is headquartered at QUT, invites challengers to detect objects in video data from high-fidelity simulation of three different types of domestic service robots. … Continue reading Robotic vision competition targets overconfident robots →

QUT researchers who are working on how robots can be taught to grasp objects in real-world situations, have received more than $98,000 in funds from Amazon. The Amazon grant coincides with the publication of a separate study involving QUT researchers on robot grasping. QUT robotics researcher Professor Peter Corke, founding director of the Australian Centre … Continue reading QUT researchers building robots that can grip →

Startup company Ikkiworks has developed a companion robot to help soothe and monitor the vital signs of sick children while they are at home and away from hospital. The robot, called ‘ikki’, has been developed with input from staff, patients and their families at Westmead Children’s Hospital. Ikkiworks has been supported with a $25,000 Minimum … Continue reading Companion robot helps monitor sick children →

A Queensland high school is building an automation and robotics centre that will see more students learning about the latest technologies. Alexandra Hills State High School has started constructing the new $4.77 million Centre for Excellence in Automation and Robotics. Member for Capalaba Don Brown said the school’s future-focussed programs were becoming increasingly popular. The … Continue reading Queensland school builds centre for automation and robotics →

A University of Sydney mechanical engineering student has programmed a robot that can produce a traditional Chinese ink painting, a style known as guóhuà. Armed with two paintbrushes, a pot of ink and art paper, the robot is programmed to paint small chickens – the traditional elementary subject that apprentice artists must master before moving … Continue reading University of Sydney robot has learned how to paint →

Researchers from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, have offered a glimpse into what the robots of the future could look like. In a paper published in Nature Machine Intelligence, CSIRO’s Active Integrated Matter Future Science Platform (AIM FSP) indicates robots could soon be taking their engineering cues from evolution. This concept, known as Multi-Level Evolution … Continue reading CSIRO researchers offer look at future of robots →