A paper from our Designing Socio-Technical Robotics Systems program has been recognised with an Honourable Mention Award at ACM CHI 2026, placing it in the top 5% of accepted papers at the world’s leading conference in human–computer interaction.
Titled “The Choreography of Care: An Ethnographic Study of Human‑Robot Collaboration in Makoplasty Surgeries,” the paper was recognised by the CHI Awards Committee for its originality, methodological rigour, and potential impact. The research offers in‑depth insights into how humans and robots coordinate care in surgical settings, contributing to critical conversations in human–robot interaction and healthcare technology.
The paper will be presented at CHI in Barcelona on 17th April.
In Spring 2025, undergraduate engineering students from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) partnered with the Australian Cobotics Centre (ACC) to explore an innovative prototyping method for human–robot interaction (HRI). As part of the subject 43019 Design in Mechanical and Mechatronic Systems, student teams built and tested the Kinematic Puppet—a low‑cost, modular robot‑skeleton prototyping tool designed to support rapid experimentation with robot morphology, motion and collaborative behaviour.
The puppet’s design combines 3D‑printed joints with magnetic rotary encoders and PVC linkages, giving users a physically manipulable platform for exploring robot movement and interaction in a way that is accessible, intuitive, and adaptable. The motivation for the kinematic puppet was discussed in a previous ACC article.
Building Capability Through Hands‑On Prototyping
The project offered students rich, applied learning opportunities across mechanical engineering, mechatronics, electronics, CAD, and hands‑on fabrication. Assembling the puppet from provided design files required teams to engage deeply with mechanical design principles while developing practical manufacturing skills. Students then used the puppet to prototype real HRI scenarios, experimenting with robot behaviours, designing custom end‑effectors, and capturing motion data based on their task concepts.
Beyond construction, students were asked to use the puppet to prototype HRI scenarios relevant to ACC partners. This shifted the learning experience from purely technical engineering to a more integrated design research mindset. Teams were encouraged to roleplay interactions, test alternative geometries, capture movement data, and reflect on usability. The result was a deeper understanding of how cobot systems behave not just as mechanisms, but as partners in real work environments research mindset. Teams were encouraged to role play interactions, test alternative geometries, capture movement data, and reflect on usability. The result was a deeper understanding of how cobot systems behave not just as mechanisms, but as partners in real work environments.
Real Benefits for the Australian Cobotics Centre
For the ACC, the project delivered meaningful insight into how the Kinematic Puppet performs as an early‑stage cobot‑prototyping tool. Students worked with the puppet across a variety of task types and skill levels, generating feedback on build complexity, robustness, adaptability, and user experience. This diversity of testing environments and techniques offered the Centre a broad evidence base for understanding the puppet’s value and limitations in practical prototyping settings.
The partnership also produced a range of custom tool attachments, demonstration artefacts, and user reports, helping the ACC shape future iterations of the puppet and refine research questions around embodied prototyping for collaborative robotics. These outputs contribute directly to a forthcoming study on the prototyping tools effectiveness as a design and ideation tool for industry‑relevant cobot applications.
A Model for Meaningful Industry–University Collaboration
The Kinematic Puppet project exemplifies the mutual benefits of embedding authentic industry challenges within university engineering curricula. Students gained hands‑on technical experience, confidence in iterative prototyping, and exposure to real‑world HRI design practices. Meanwhile, the Australian Cobotics Centre accessed high‑value feedback, creative exploration, and a new understanding of how early‑stage tools can support collaborative robot development.
By bringing students into the research process, this project created space for innovation, fresh ideas, and critical evaluation, laying groundwork for future cobot systems that are safer, more intuitive, and more attuned to human needs.
I would like to thank the students for their hard work on this impressive project; Lachlan Scott Rogers, Laila Chamma, Mishoura Rahman, Nicholas Uremovic and Tran Thu Nhan Dang. A video summarising the journey of the students can be seen here: Kinematic puppet for cobot prototyping
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.
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.
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.
Multiple publications and presentations at HRI2025, including the VAM‑HRI Workshop, co‑organised by Glenda Caldwell, Jasper Vermeulen, and Alan Burden.
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
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
Huge thanks to our researchers, HDRs, postdocs and industry partners for another year of thoughtful, human‑centred robotics research with real‑world impact.
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
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.
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 Dwyer’s published work to accurately recreate the puppet and explore its potential for real‑world industrial applications.
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.
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.
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