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We are delighted to welcome Bhanu Watawana as a new Research Assistant at Swinburne working with Michelle and Roshan on project 4.7 Cobot Welding.
Welcome to new starter – Bhanu Watawana!
Author: Merryn Ballantyne
Research in Focus Series: Jagannatha Pyaraka
We’re pleased to launch our Research in Focus series, featuring the contributions of our Postdoctoral and PhD researchers and the value their work is delivering to Australian manufacturing. As many of our researchers move into the final stages of their projects, this series highlights the outcomes of their work and what comes next.
Our first video features Jagannatha Charjee Pyaraka from Swinburne University of Technology. Jagan started his PhD with the Australian Cobotics Centre in July 2022 as part of the Biomimic Cobots Program and is due to submit his PhD thesis in the coming months.
Jagan’s PhD focuses on developing lightweight learning‑from‑demonstration frameworks, enabling collaborative robots to learn manipulation tasks directly from human demonstrations, even when data and compute resources are limited. His project also included industry placements with Workr and InfraBuild, applying robotics and machine‑learning techniques to real industrial challenges.
Supervisory team:
- Professor Mats Isaksson (Principal Supervisor)
- Professor John McCormick
- Dr Sheila Sutjipto (University of Technology Sydney)
Across his candidature, Jagan has contributed to a broad range of Centre activities, including:
- A peer‑reviewed journal publication in Electronics MDPI (2025) on interaction recognition for robot learning
- Demonstrations at Australian Manufacturing Week (2023)
- Supporting Swinburne’s Industry 4.0 workshops across regional Victoria, delivered through the Victorian Government’s Digital Jobs for Manufacturing (DJIM) program
- Hands‑on engagement with humanoid and collaborative robot platforms in both research and industry settings
To learn more about Jagan’s background, publications, and projects, you can read his profile here:
The Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand (AIRAANZ) conference
Our Human-Robot Workforce researchers, Associate Professor Penny Williams and Professor Paula McDonald were at The Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand (AIRAANZ) conference at the University of Technology Sydney from 28-30th January.
Penny presented in multiple sessions including one in the ‘Technology and Worker Voice’ stream: Humanoids at Work: What will happen when workplaces are shared with human-like robots? by Melinda Laundon, Penny Williams.
The theme of this year’s conference is Shifting perspective and practice: Industrial relations in a changing world of work. This theme invites reflection and dialogue on societal impact in industrial relations scholarship and practice, and the challenges and opportunities of undertaking socially impactful research in a changing world of work.
Read more: AIRAANZ conference 2026 | AIRAANZ
Prof Glenda Caldwell Featured in AMTIL: Industry 5.0 and the Future of Collaborative Robotics
Deputy Director of the Australian Cobotics Centre & QUT Professor, Professor Glenda Caldwell, has been prominently featured in a recent AMTIL article exploring how Industry 5.0 is reshaping Australia’s manufacturing landscape. The piece highlights the growing importance of cobots as industry shifts toward more human‑centred, sustainable, and adaptable production systems.
In the article, Prof Caldwell explains that while Industry 4.0 focused heavily on technological advancement, Industry 5.0 calls for a deeper understanding of the human element—placing people, their needs, and their expertise at the centre of technology design and deployment. She emphasises that effective cobot integration begins with understanding the tasks workers perform, the environment they operate in, and the challenges they face.
The AMTIL article also notes the advantages of cobots, including built‑in safety sensors and the ability to work alongside people without traditional industrial barriers, making them more accessible to Australian manufacturers of all scales. Industry experts, including Weld Australia’s Dr Cornelius van Niekerk, reinforce how these features reduce infrastructure requirements while enhancing workplace safety.
Read more:
👉 AMTIL Article
2025 in Review | Program 3 – Designing Socio‑Technical Robotic Systems
Continuing our 2025 program highlights, today we celebrate Program 3: Designing Socio‑Technical Robotic Systems led by A/Prof Müge Belek Fialho Teixeira and Dr Matthias Guertler, with postdoc Dr Alan Burden.
Here’s what stood out in 2025
- Industry‑embedded research
- Ongoing progress analysing Mako‑assisted surgeries, strengthening our evidence base for real‑world surgical HRC.
- Expanded collaboration with B&R Enclosures, including commencement of a new proof‑of‑concept project.
- a new University of Technology Sydney‑led socio‑technical cobot integration project that investigates the socio‑technical complexity of cobot workplaces to improve cobot selection and integration.
- High‑impact research outputs
- Book Chapter published in Extended Realities, Virtual Environment, and Interactive Experiences. “Extended reality in human‑robot collaboration: Present and future.” By Yuan Liu, Glenda Caldwell, Müge Belek Fialho Teixeira, Markus Rittenbruch, Alan Burden, Matthias Guertler (https://lnkd.in/g5HJAESC)
- Multiple publications and presentations at HRI2025, including the VAM‑HRI Workshop, co‑organised by Glenda Caldwell, Jasper Vermeulen, and Alan Burden.
- Extensive presence at OzCHI: Australian Conference on Computer-Human Interaction 2025, including a provocation talk.
- Media Mentions
- Alan Burden featured in Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and News.com.au’s coverage of humanoid robotics:
https://lnkd.in/ghaecFsB
https://lnkd.in/gjddj5Zn - Müge Belek Fialho Teixeira in The Guardian on sustainable robotic construction:
https://lnkd.in/ghMn2KrJ - Talks, podcasts & workshops shaping public conversation
- Queensland Orthopeadic Research Fund (QORF) talks:
– An analysis of non‑technical skills in total knee and hip arthroplasty surgeries using the Mako Robotic System — Jasper Vermeulen
– Robotics & Injury: How they help and how future designs prevent harm — Alan Burden - QUT Digital Media Research Centre podcast – PhD researcher, Jasper Vermeulen featured discussing real‑world surgical robotics research.
https://lnkd.in/gxKR4GnB
- Alan Burden featured in Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and News.com.au’s coverage of humanoid robotics:
- Awards & recognition
- Top 10 Cited Paper of 2024 (MDPI Robotics) — Yuan Liu
- QUT Faculty of Engineering Best Poster Award — Yuan Liu
- HDR Spotlight on Success Award — Jasper Vermeulen
Congratulations to the entire Program for another excellent year!
2025 in Review: Human-Robot Interaction Program
As we wrap up 2025, Program 2: Human–Robot Interaction (HRI) reflects on a year of strong collaboration, impactful research, and industry‑embedded outcomes that are shaping how humans and robots work together. The program led by Co-leads, Prof Markus Rittenbruch and A/Prof Jared Donovan with postdoc Dr Valeria Macalupú had an amazing year with:
- Deep industry collaboration
- The creation of an industry‑ready toolkit translating HRI insights into actionable design requirements collaborating with industry partners to test and validate the framework.
- Continued collaboration with Cook Medical, including a PhD placement for James Dwyer.
- Further development of tools initially created with one partner into assets used across multiple organisations and universities
- Research excellence
- 7 conference papers (DIS, CHI, HRI, IEEE CASE) and 5 journal publications, including Scientific Reports and Construction Robotics
- Best Demo Award at HRI’25 for James Dwyer
- Seed funding secured from the QUT Design Lab to launch new work on Design Affordances in HRI
- New projects and methods
- New Intention Visualisation research project led by Markus Rittenbruch with Research Assistant, Dr Wei Win Loy Ph.D.
- Development of reflective and transferable research tools, including Visualising Your Research Positioning workshops, led by Dr Valeria Macalupú
- Continued momentum on design‑led HRI methods that extend beyond the Centre’s lifespan
- Cross‑university and cross‑disciplinary collaboration
- Shared teaching, tools and datasets across QUT, University of Technology Sydney and other partners
Huge thanks to our researchers, HDRs, postdocs and industry partners for another year of thoughtful, human‑centred robotics research with real‑world impact.
2025 Research Program Highlights – Biomimic Cobots
We’re kicking off our 2025 research program highlights with Program 1 – Biomimic Cobots, led by Prof Teresa Vidal Calleja (University of Technology Sydney) and Prof Mats Isaksson (Swinburne University of Technology) with postdoc Dr Sheila Sutjipto.
In 2025, the team delivered outstanding progress in enabling robots to perceive, learn, adapt and collaborate safely with humans, demonstrating what it takes to deploy advanced robotics “in the wild” in real industrial environments.
Here’s what stood out over the last year
- Our continued collaboration with InfraBuild, culminated in the successful demonstration of an AI‑enabled “shorts” detection system operating on a live steel production line. This project demonstrated:
- Real‑time quality inspection in a dynamic setting
- Reduced waste through flexible, AI‑driven automation
- Improved operator safety and reduced fatigue
- The launch of EmbodX, founded by former ACC postdoc Dr Fouad (Fred) Sukkar. EmbodX is making AI‑powered robotics more accessible for SMEs, with ACC researchers Dr Sheila Sutjipto and Dr Tony Le also on the team
- Research excellence across perception, sensing and learning
- Publications across IEEE CASE, ROBIO, HRI, RA‑L, TRO and RSS, including outputs led by PhD researchers Jagannatha Charjee Pyaraka and Nadimul Haque
- Innovative low‑cost solutions emerging from biomimetic research, including audio‑based sensing approaches validated in industrial contexts
- Recognition of the difficulty — and value — of conducting high‑quality research directly on factory floors
- Collaboration across Australia and internationally
- Strong cross‑university collaboration between UTS, Swinburne and QUT
- New academic collaborations, with Prof Teresa Vidal‑Calleja and Dr Sheila Sutjipto in Japan collaborating with Tokyo University of Science and others
- Hands‑on engagement through workshops, demos and showcases across Australia and internationally, led by HDRs, postdocs and CIs including Swinburne University of Technology‘s Industry 4.0 workshops, demonstrations for MPs (Zongyuan Zhang, Jonathan Roberts), and countless industry visits.
Congratulations to the entire Biomimic Cobots team for an exceptional year of research excellence and real‑world impact. We can’t wait to see what 2026 brings.
UTS Students Bring James’s Kinematic Puppet to Life in Cross‑University Collaboration
Undergraduate engineering students from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have spent the semester engaging hands‑on with one of the Australian Cobotics Centre’s most innovative research tools: the kinematic puppet developed by PhD researcher James Dwyer. Guided by UTS Chief Investigator A/Prof Marc Carmichael, the student cohort has been closely following James’s published work to accurately recreate the puppet and explore its potential for real‑world industrial applications.
James’s Human–Robotic Interaction Prototyping Toolkit provides an accessible, low‑cost platform for designing and testing robot behaviours in a safe, intuitive way before transitioning concepts to actual robotic systems. You can learn more about the project here:
This semester, UTS students applied the toolkit to potential scenarios with industry partner Infrabuild, designing new end‑effectors that support collaborative robotics tasks in steel manufacturing environments. By iterating through physical prototypes, testing motion, and experimenting with interaction affordances, the students gained valuable experience in human‑centred design for cobotics.
The collaboration showcases the growing strength of cross‑university engagement within the Australian Cobotics Centre, with researchers, students, and industry partners all contributing to shared problem‑solving. It also highlights how research tools like James’s puppet can accelerate learning and spark innovation across multiple projects.
It’s fantastic to see this level of cross‑university collaboration in action and to see students meaningfully contributing to an industry‑aligned research challenge.
Read more on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7401580610944995330
Weld Connect Article
The latest Weld Connect magazine features our cobot welding project, led by Mariadas Capsran Roshan and the team at Swinburne University of Technology.
The article explores how collaborative robotic welding systems can use adaptive control and real-time sensing to improve weld quality, reduce defects, and make welding processes smarter and more efficient.
Check out the full article on page 14 here: Weld Connect – Weld Australia
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IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO) 2025
PhD Researchers, Jagannatha Pyaraka and Danial Rizvi presented papers at ROBIO 2025, the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics, which took place in China from 3–7 December.
- Real-Time Human-Object Interaction Recognition Using Minimal Keypoints and Bi-LSTM for Imitation Learning, Jagannatha Charjee Pyaraka, Mats Isaksson, John McCormick, (Swinburne University of Technology) Fouad Sukkar, and Sheila Sutjipto (UTS Robotics Institute)
- Toward Plug-and-Play Asset Management: Spot-Based Visual Surveying in Untagged Industrial Spaces, Danial Rizvi, Gavin Paul, Amal Gunatilake, (University of Technology Sydney) and Mariadas Capsran Roshan (Swinburne University of Technology)