The Advanced Queensland Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence CRC Fellowship program provides three year grants to the best researchers in Queensland, Australia, allowing them to pursue innovative and transformational research projects aimed at tackling open problems in AI and autonomy. The Centre grants, and the opportunity the Centre offers for its Fellows to engage directly with critical stakeholders in Defence and industry, maximises the chance of translation of the work into practice.

Trusted Autonomous Systems is pleased to announce the appointment of three new Research Fellows who, individually and collectively, personify the strength of Queensland’s publicly funded innovation sector.  We are thrilled to have them on board and look forward to watching their projects grow and bear fruit.

Dr Andrew Back (UQ) is developing new techniques for extracting models of meaning from limited data. His approach, Synthetic Language and Information Topology (SLAIT) AI, promises to dramatically accelerate the ability of a machine to understand and extract information from novel data and situations using algorithms that can build models of information contained in that data with very limited samples. He has already applied his work to building models of language in text using very small samples and detecting unauthorised alterations that don’t fit with those models.

Dr Jessica Korte (UQ) is applying her expertise in Auslan (Australian sign language) to create technologies that support rich, real-time visual-gestural communication between machines and humans. Jessica’s research will develop the underlying theory associated with visual sign  and implement this within a technology pipeline that promises to improve the lives of the deaf community in Australia, but that will also directly support the Centre’s desire to allow Australia’s soldiers to meaningfully interact with and control robots in the field.

Dr Pauline Pounds (UQ) believes in solving challenging problems using the simplest methods possible, and is a leading proponent in embodied intelligence, where difficult cognitive problems are resolved by exploiting a robot’s embodiment. Pauline’s research project involves developing and exploiting robotic whisker technology to allow autonomous systems to move and avoid obstacles in highly turbulent environments or in highly constricted indoor spaces without needing to use heavy cameras or complex, expensive lidar systems.

You can read more about their projects on our website at www.tasdcrc.com.au/fellows. This blog will continue to bring you updates on and announcements about the Fellows’ work. Blog announcements will be reposted on TASDCRC Twitter and LinkedIn so you don’t miss anything!