Let's Talk Robotics

Joining me today is Deanna Hood. Ever wondered how ROS developers get there, or the innovation behind a medical robot in a startup, and how it compares to designing an educational robot in academia? When Deanna Hood started uni aged 15 years old, she admits not knowing much about her career goals except that she was good at maths. This led her to “add on” electrical engineering to her maths degree, receiving academic and leadership medals for topping the class despite her age. After a stint developing a low-cost USB stethoscope for diagnosing pneumonia in developing countries (check out the TED Talk), she went on to get her M.Sc. in Robotics and Computer Vision — living in four European countries over the two years as the first Australian to receive a full scholarship to the VIBOT Erasmus Mundus programme. For her Masters thesis she developed, in collaboration with teachers, the first robotic partner for children with handwriting difficulties, which in an innovative twist on educational robotics is designed to intentionally write badly so that through the act of correcting it children can benefit from “learning by teaching”. 

In her most recent position as the Senior Robotics Engineer on the Ligō skin-printing robot, Deanna's engineering team worked with Prof. Fiona Wood (2005 Australian of the Year) and biomaterials experts to deliver regenerative cell therapy using a patient’s own skin cells bioprinted directly onto their wound. This work is based in Inventia’s precision bioprinting technology that has been developed for RASTRUM, a 3D bioprinter used by medical researchers to create replica micro-tumours for cancer research and personalised medicine. Deanna previously worked in Silicon Valley as a core developer of the Robot Operating System (ROS 2), used by roboticists around the world, including penguin conservation robots in Antarctica, search and rescue robots after nuclear disasters, and now used by NASA in the VIPER mission!

Joining me today is Dr Mark Micire. Mark is a research scientist, business leader, program manager, and firefighter with a distinctive career record of innovation and pushing the leading edge of advanced robotic systems and technologies. He is experienced and confident in navigating diverse organisational relationships, from small-business startups to federal government agencies. Mark is a risk taker who pursues cutting-edge concepts, creative problem-solving, new product development, and technological innovation.

He has worked in technical and program management roles in large commercial, small business, academic, and government for over 20 years. Mark has acted as a senior US government official and advisor to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on strategic, technological, and partnership development. During his time in Australia, he has acted as an advisor for the Australian Space Agency and Western Australian law enforcement.

Mark combines his passion for real-world experiences with a deep and highly active technical background. Mark’s capabilities at an executive level, paired with his willingness to "get dirty" to understand problems, have catalysed significant technological advancements in the breadth of domains he has explored. He has been active in the cyber-security community for over 30 years. For 20 years, he demonstrated his commitment to developing solutions to mitigate social challenges through his involvement as a search and rescue specialist.

Joining me today is Professor Virginia Kilborn. Virginia is Swinburne's inaugural Chief Scientist, working to further education, research, policy and equity at Swinburne and beyond.
Virginia is a radio astronomer and her research interests include tracing galaxy evolution by studying the neutral hydrogen gas in galaxies. She is surveying the sky with the next generation radio telescopes, such as the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) and the SKA in the future.  Virginia undertook her PhD studies at the University of Melbourne, and following a post-doc at Jodrell Bank observatory in the UK, she returned to Melbourne to take up an ARC-CSIRO linkage fellowship at Swinburne in 2003. Virginia has taken on various leadership roles at Swinburne, including acting director of the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing  in 2013, Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy from 2015-2018 and from 2019-2021 Virginia was the Dean of the School of Science at Swinburne.

Virginia is an enthusiastic educator and has taught into the Swinburne Astronomy online program since 2006, and helped to instigate Swinburne's new and innovative space education programs. She undertakes numerous public outreach opportunities including STEM talks and programs for schools, and space and astronomy outreach with the general public. Virginia is active in the Australian Astronomical community, is a past President of the Astronomical Society of Australia and current Chair of the National Committee for Astronomy for the Academy of Science.

Joining me today is Daniel Milford. Daniel is the Founding CEO of Chironix, a Software and Robotics Engineering company which develops technology to support deployed workforces around the world, with specific interests in the Defence, Manufacturing, Resources and Utilities sectors.

Daniel has extensive experience in complex capability development, disruptive technologies, robotics, virtual and augmented reality, policy, strategy and cyber operations. His professional experience includes work for the Department of Defence and the Australian Army, as well as specialising in machine learning, robotics, emerging technology and augmented/virtual reality in the private sector.

Commencing employment with the Federal Government in 2010, Daniel served as the Project Manager for JP2008 Phase 3H (Wideband Global Satellite), completing Defence trials and developing the acquisition case for a range of terminals to utilise the constellation. Additionally, Daniel served for two years in the Navy Strategy Executive where he was Awarded a Finalist position in the Young ICT Professional of the Year 2015. In addition to his Public Service career, Daniel has served with the Army in a Reserve capacity since 2001 in a variety of roles, including coalition environments.

Since 2018, Daniel has grown Chironix from a small startup to a leading technology developer in applied Robotics and wearable systems, and continues to develop solutions that enhance human robot teaming capabilities. Daniel has also been instrumental in developing a range of applications for numerous robot types, enabling clients of Chironix to become more productive, effective and safer. Daniel draws upon his background in Defence to create innovative new solutions working with emerging technologies and industry leaders.

His academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts (History/Psychology Hons); a Postgraduate Diploma of Psychology, two Masters from The University of New South Wales in Capability and Technology Management and Systems Engineering, and a third Masters from the Australian National University in Defence and Strategic Studies. He is a graduate of the Royal Military College Duntroon; Capability and Technology Management College (Joint); and the Australian Command and Staff College (Joint). Daniel was also a research fellow with the Perth U.S. Asia centre, with a key focus on strategy and disruptive technology. He was also a Finalist in the Young ICT Professional of the Year Awards in 2015.

Joining me today is Associate Professor Damith Herath. Damith wrote his first code for a hardware interface in Basic when he was 11, built his first wheeled robot when he was 12 and sold its services for 50c per interaction. He would've been an artist of some sort if it wasn't for his less than impressive vocal and drawing prowess. However, art still influences his work as a roboticist.

"... the collaborative creativity that marked the digital age included the collaboration between humans and machines. ... the truest creativity of the digital age came from those who were able to connect the arts and sciences"

(the Innovators, Walter Isaacson)

Joining me today is Senior Professor Gursel Alici. Gursel (Senior Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree in robotics from the Department of Engineering Science, Oxford University, Oxford, U.K., in 1994.

He is currently a Senior Professor with the University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia, where he holds the position of Executive Dean for the Faculty of Engineering Information Sciences and prior to this, he was the Head of the School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering during 2011-2021. His research interests are soft robotics, system dynamics and control, robotic drug delivery systems, novel actuation concepts for biomechatronic applications, robotic mechanisms and manipulation systems, soft and smart actuators and sensors, and medical robotics. He has generated more than 400-refereed publications and delivered numerous invited seminars and keynote talks on his areas of research.

Since January 1, 2020, Dr. Alici has been a Senior Editor for the IEEE/ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS. He was a Technical Editor of the IEEE/ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS during 2008–2012. He was a Technical Editor for the IEEE ACCESS, the first IEEE open access journal with interdisciplinary scope. From 2007 to 2017, he was a Member of the Mechatronics National Panel formed by the Institution of Engineers, Australia. He has served on the international program committee of numerous IEEE/ASME International Conferences on Robotics and Mechatronics. He was the General Chair of the 2013 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics held in Wollongong, Australia. He is the Leader of soft robotics for Prosthetic Devices theme of the ARC Center of Excellence for Electromaterials Science. He was the recipient of the Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning Award in 2010, the Vice-Chancellor’s Interdisciplinary Research Excellence Award in 2013, and Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Supervision in 2018 from the University of Wollongong. He was a Visiting Professor with Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (2007, 2010), City University of Hong Kong (2014), University of Science and Technology of China (2015), and University of British Columbia, Canada (2019).

Joining me today is Deirdre Diamante. Deirdre is the founder and principal of Mia Consulting Services, a government advisory firm specialising in enhancing government and industry commercial interactions. Deirdre’s intimate knowledge of public sector policy and procurement environments makes her a sought-after advisor by commercial and public sector organisations alike. Deirdre is the Director and Co-Founder of the #TechDiversity Foundation and serves on its Board. She is also a Board Advisory member to a Digital Services Firm and Board Member of Manningham Community Enterprises Ltd a Bendigo Bank Community Bank.

In 2020 Deirdre was elected to the Manningham City Council as Councillor for Tullamore Ward and currently serves as Deputy Mayor.

Joining me today is Ashley Jensen, Managing Director/CEO of Smarta Industrial.

Entrepreneurial and industrious, Ashley has a passion for developing and commercialising specific technologies in support of more efficient, intelligent agriculture and logistics operations; particularly where users, machines, technology, and AI converge. He has been actively involved in supporting research to facilitate the creation of innovative technologies, and specifically focused on getting innovations out of the lab and into the marketplace.

Ashley has over 25 years’ experience in agriculture, logistics, mining, and technology. He has a proven track record of successful company management applied across a broad range of industries including agriculture, mining, construction, logistics, heavy equipment retail, and B2B software. As a Mechanical Engineer, he brings a balanced practical approach with the vision and drive to achieve solutions not previously possible.

Joining me today is Dr Helen Frazer. Helen is an Adjunct Associate Professor and the Clinical Director of St Vincent’s BreastScreen and BreastScreen Victoria. Helen has over 20 years of clinical experience alongside research focussed on the use of deep learning AI for breast cancer detection; ethical, legal, and social implications of AI in healthcare; user experience and workflow studies in cancer screening; and health workforce preparation for AI tools.

Helen leads the BRAIx AI research program that was awarded an MRFF grant to translate promising AI mammography image reading results into breast cancer screening. She was awarded the AI in Health and AI 2022 Innovator of the Year for Women in AI in Australia and New Zealand Awards 2022.

Reach out to Helen on Linkedin.

Joining me today is Dr Catriona Wallace. An entrepreneur in the artificial intelligence field and specialist in the metaverse, an adjunct professor and an expert in digital transformation, the future of work, responsible technology and women in leadership.

Dr Catriona Wallace has been recognised by the Australian Financial Review as the Most Influential Woman in Business & Entrepreneurship.

Catriona is an expert in the field of Artificial Intelligence and the Metaverse and is an Adjunct Professor, keynote speaker, Founder of the Responsible Metaverse Alliance, Director of the Gradient Institute and Chair of an AI Venture Captial fund.

Catriona also Co-Chairs Sir Richard Branson’s B Team’s AI Coalition.

As the founder of one of the first Artificial Intelligence companies to list on the Australian Securities Exchange, Catriona has truly lived the life of an entrepreneur and CEO in the emerging technologies field. Indeed, Flamingo AI was the second only woman-led (CEO & Chair) business ever to list on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Based on her extensive experience in AI and emerging technology, and working between the US and Australia, Catriona delivers keynote speeches globally on topics including Artificial Intelligence, Web3 and the Metaverse, Digital Transformation, Responsible Technology, the Future of Work and Diversity and Inclusion.

Catriona’s rare experience as one of the first women leaders in advanced technology means that she is ideally suited to present on these important and highly topical subjects and does so in a way that is highly accessible and informative, non-technical, engaging and inclusive.

This unique skill set has also seen Catriona invited to Co-Chair Sir Richard Branson's B Team's AI Coalition, to sit on the Federal Government’s AI Action Initiative team as well as achieve significant industry awards. She has been achieved Advance Australia’s highest award in Technology & Innovation for Australians working abroad, she has been named among the Top 9 Female Entrepreneurs by the Sydney Morning Herald and Top 30 Women redefining business by Womens’ Agenda and as one of the top AI speakers, globally, by Onalytica. Catriona was also inducted into the Royal Institution of Australia acknowledging her as one of Australia’s most pre-eminent scientists.

With a burning passion for and deep knowledge of Artificial Intelligence and emerging tech such as the Metaverse, Catriona believes that sharing knowledge about the responsible use of technology and is her true path and purpose.