The ARIAM Team was thrilled to host the inaugural Australian School for Robotic Systems (AuSRoS 2024). From July 2nd to 5th, participants were treated to 4 packed days filled with lectorials, workshops and deep dives from leading academics in robotic systems and related areas. The school, held at the University of Sydney, brought participants from Australia’s top universities and industry professionals from ARIAM’s partner cohort, together for an immersive learning experience.
The program was designed to provide participants with an opportunity to learn about the foundations of robotic systems, hear from high-profile speakers and engage with peers in both industry and academia. Foundational lectures were presented by leading academic researchers and covered the basic elements of robotic systems including:
- Sensing and Perception Presented by Dr. Mitch Bryson, Dr. Donald Dansereau, and A/Prof. Thierry Peynot, this track covered essential topics such as sensors, localisation and mapping, and sensor fusion.
- Reasoning and Planning Dr. Rahul Shome, A/Prof. Patrik Haslum, and Prof. Hanna Kurniawati guided participants through the basics of reasoning and planning, manipulation planning, and planning under uncertainty.
- Control and Estimation A/Prof. Guodong Shi and Prof. Ian Manchester led sessions on single-joint control, rigid-body state estimation, and multi-body robot control, providing an overview of control and estimation techniques.
- Robotic Learning Dr. Feras Dayoub and Prof. Tat-Jun Chin presented on the importance of simulation in robot learning, bridging the reality gap, and foundational models in robotics.
Complimenting the foundational track sessions were daily ‘deep dive’, intensive sessions covering the state-of-the-art in the science and systems of robotics, led by top Australian and international experts. Science sessions included drones in cluttered, open-ended environments by Prof. Stefan Leutenegger, human-robot interaction by Prof. Dana Kulić, and uncertainty in robotics by Prof. Tom Drummond. Systems Deep Dive sessions on agricultural robotics by Prof. Salah Sukkarieh, intelligent transportation systems by Dr. Stewart Worrall, and marine robotics by Dr. Gideon Billings and Dr. Lachlan Toohey.
A standout moment of AuSRoS was the hands-on activity with the Robot Operating System (ROS) led by Dr. John Vial. This session provided practical experience with ROS, to enhance our participants’ skills and confidence in this important subject. An in-depth course can be found via Start Creating Robots site, contact John for more details.
Overall, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from both participants and speakers. Thank you to all the presenters, participants, and organisers for making this event a resounding success. We look forward to building on this success in future editions of the program.