Let's Talk Robotics

Joining me today is ‘engineering hero’ and icon in the industry, Pat Boland! Pat is the founder and joint Managing Director of ANCA, a world leading Australian manufacturer of CNC tool grinders. Founded in 1974 in Melbourne, ANCA also has manufacturing sites in Thailand, Germany, the US, UK and Taiwan and 900+ employees globally.

Pat has been awarded ‘engineering hero’ status by the Victorian Government and the 1999 Kernot Memorial Medal by Melbourne University. Amongst ANCA’s numerous awards are included Australian Exporter of the Year in 1995 and 2015, Large Advanced Manufacturer in the Australian Export awards in 2012 and Australian Endeavour awards Manufacturer of the Year for 2015.

Pat is active in the manufacturing industry and has several patents in the field of machine tools. He is the past President and a current Director of AMTIL, was a member of the Future Manufacturing Industry Innovation Council and has a first class Honours Degree in Electrical Engineering from Melbourne University.

ANCA is the major sponsor of the Generate22 inaugural conference to be held over two days, 30 & 31 March at Box Hill Tafe, Lilydale Campus.

Contact Pat at [email protected]

Laura Mabikafola is the Executive General Manager with Skills Lab.  She has demonstrable expertise in translating emerging industry needs into reskilling and upskilling solutions.  Adding to SAGE Group’s training arm, Laura established Skills Lab who are leading the way in Australia with industry 4.0 training with the Diploma of Applied Technologies.  With 25 years in the people industry (skills focused, incorporating organisational development, HR and recruitment), Laura has expertise in managing and leading local firms through to being part of global leadership teams.

Contact Laura at [email protected]

Joining me today in episode 69 is Dan White, CEO and founder of Filament Games. Dan believes that good gameplay and good learning are complementary rather than oppositional forces. An alumnus of Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Dan earned an M.S. in Education Technology under seminal learning game scholars Drs. Kurt Squire and James Paul Gee. Prior to founding Filament, Dan worked as a teacher, an instructional designer, and a game developer. Dan’s passions include learning games, sustainability, mindfulness, and modernizing institutional education.

Contact Dan through their website!

Joining me today is Dr Sarika Kewalramani. Sarika is an Early Childhood/Primary STEM Lecturer at Monash University, Melbourne. Sarika's research expertise resides in conceptualising kindergarten and primary teachers' understanding of the nexus between creative STEM-based play by integrating technologies (robotics) in their teaching practices and educational programs in ways that promote children's learning and development. Sarika also designs customised professional learning courses to help early childhood educators implement STEM-based play in their programs. A new play-based robot therapy program is also available for Victorian kindergartens to access through the DET 2022 School Readiness Funding Menu.

Contact Sarika at [email protected]

Joining me today is legend Professor Salah Sukkarieh. Salah is passionate about robotics and the environment. Salah is the Founder and CEO of Agerris, a new Agtech startup company developing autonomous robotic solutions to improve agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability, and is the Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at the University of Sydney.

Salah was the Director Research and Innovation at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics from 2007-2018, where he led the strategic research and industry engagement program in the world's largest field robotics institute. He is an international expert in the research, development and commercialisation of field robotic systems and has led a number of robotics and intelligent systems R&D projects in logistics, commercial aviation, aerospace, education, environment monitoring, agriculture and mining.

To contact Salah email him at [email protected]

Joining me today is Amelia Luu. Amelia is a Robotics Field Engineer and is part of the Wildcat Technologies Team in CSIRO Data61’s Robotics and Autonomous Systems Group. She is driven to assist industry explore and adopt new technology.

She has experience working in multi-disciplinary teams for both research and industry-led projects across broad industry sectors and continues to do so in her role at CSIRO. Amelia enjoys applying robotics and other advanced technologies to collaboratively solve real industry challenges. Before Wildcat, she was a mechatronics engineer at ARM Hub and the technical lead on the ‘robotic linisher’, a part of the Design Robotics project, an IMCRC funded project between QUT, RMIT and UAP. Her work with Design Robotics and ARM Hub both focused on advising on and developing advanced solutions for industry to reduce the dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks in manufacturing processes.

Amelia is passionate about promoting STEM, demonstrating how it can create lasting societal change, and is interested in outreach opportunities.

• design robotics and uap link and wildcat

https://designrobotics.net and https://www.uapcompany.com

https://www.csiro.au/en/research/technology-space/robotics/Wildcat-SLAM-2

Contact Amelia at [email protected]

Joining me today is the wonderful Dr John Flackett! John is the co-founder and head of AiLab (Artificial Intelligence Laboratory); a global company headquartered in Australia providing Artificial Intelligence education programs and research. John is also the AI Specialist in Residence and AI Ambassador for Auckland University of Technology, where he has recently launched an ‘AiLab at AUT’ at the university as part of AiLab’s expansion into New Zealand.

John has been working in AI for over 25 years and is an international AI speaker, educator, and advisor. With a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, John has received various awards and spent 10 years as a senior university academic teaching AI and Software Engineering in the UK.

Additionally, John is one of the Australia AI Collective’s founding directors; a NFP committed to championing a national AI industry, as well as the co-founder of Adelaide AI – the largest AI networking community in South Australia.

Contact John at https://www.ailab.com.au/contact/.

Joining me in today’s episode is Rosanne Jessop, Managing Director, Pilz Industrial Automation (AU & NZ subsidiaries). Rosanne is an experienced strategic thinker who has a proven track record in leadership, partnerships / stake holder engagement, and business performance.

Rosanne has broad exposure to the industry sectors in mining, food and beverage and energy. She has an excellent understanding of Industry 4.0 and digitalisation of manufacturing. Rosanne has a passion for both People and our Planet and fell in love with "Sustainability" at the age of 12. An engineer by trade, (honours degree in Chemicals and Materials), Rosanne was building Neural Network (AI) models in her early 20s.

She has a proven track record of improving the safety, productivity and environmental impact of industrial facilities around the globe.

Contact Rosanne at [email protected].

Joining me today is Dr Navinda Kottege! Navinda is a Principal Research Scientist and the Group Leader at CSIRO's Robotics and Autonomous Systems Group of nearly 50 staff members and 30 affiliates. Apart from research management, he has extensive hands on experience in field robotics, autonomous systems and machine learning. He started and led legged robotics research at CSIRO since 2011. Navinda is the Principal Investigator for team CSIRO Data61 that competed in the DARPA SubT Challenge, with an outstanding result!

Navinda’s specialties are: Research Management, ROS, C, C++, Python, Machine Learning, Embedded system development, Scientific programming using Matlab, Digital signal processing.

Contact Navinda at [email protected]!

Joining me today is Sofie Pringle. Sofie established Align Robotics, an automated construction technology company, to help create a world where good-quality construction is easier, cheaper and more affordable for everyone. Construction, technology and sustainability are closely intertwined, and after working in the construction sector for 12+ years, Sofie recognised the need for innovation to build products of the future for a better tomorrow.

Their two products, AutoMARK and TerraMARK, have been designed to convert digital drawings into real-world construction sites for front-line trades to get the job done faster, reducing conflicting information and minimising stress.

Contact Sofie at [email protected]!