Month: December 2025

How do we turn research into real-world impact? Why great tech doesn’t always get used and how to change that? Where do the most exciting opportunities in robotics and automation lie? How can researchers and industry speak the same language?   

These were the big questions explored at the ARIAM x ACFR Robotics Sundowner, held following our Research Showcase on 20 November at the ACFR Labs, University of Sydney.  

In collaboration with the Australian Centre for Robotics (ACFR), we brought together researchers, industry leaders, and innovators to tackle the challenge of translating leading-edge research into impact and provide a platform for networking within the Australian robotics community.   

David K Martin, (Ai Group) set the stage for the night with a keynote that delivered valuable insights on Australian manufacturing trends, tech adoption, and the pressing skills shortage.  

Next, our guest speakers Emili Hernandez, Alex Shapilsky, David Martin, Lashika Medagoda and Viorela Ila were joined by our Deputy Director, Prof. Stefan Williams, who moderated a panel discussion about the whole-of-lifecycle for translating research innovation. The panel shared their expertise and tackled some key questions facing the robotics research sector today.  

The proceedings closed with a pitch session featuring Stefan Williams (Seascape), Kaylee Li (Sydney Interplanetary Rover Initiative), Bradley Hastings (John Grill Institute), and Andy Whyte (Adaptive Machine Patterns). 

A massive thank you once again to our industry partners for taking the time to join us and share their expertise with the attendees and for everyone who made this event possible.  

It was a great night of knowledge sharing and networking. helping to strengthen and encourage future collaboration across academia and industry within the Australian robotics community.  

To conclude a busy and productive year, ARIAM hosted its second Annual Conference and Research Showcase at the University of Sydney on 20 November 2025. This year’s event brought together ARIAM researchers, academics, and key industry partners for a day of knowledge exchange and discussions. The event was a success; building stronger connections amongst our team and allowing them to explore the broader research being undertaken at ARIAM.  

The showcase was opened with remarks from Hub Director, Professor Ian Manchester, followed by presentations by our Postdoctoral researchers and a series of lightning talks from our PhD team. After lunch, our PhD researchers discussed their research with attendees through poster presentations. Well done to Sharni for winning the best lightning talk and to Raghav for winning the best poster award.  

A special thank you to our own David Henderson, who provided a great update on the Demonstrator Program and the Rijk Zwaan team for their wonderful work in presenting their project overview.  

The day concluded with a Future Opportunities workshop, which included a panel discussion by Prof. Hanna, Dr Donald, and Dr Viorela on emerging research trends.  

A special thank you to our industry partners who contributed to the discussions and the day overall. The event was a wonderful way to foster collaboration across ARIAM and to look forward towards the next chapter of ARIAM’s research journey.