Project Scholarship- Ant-inspired processes for teams of building robots

Construction and manufacturing can be dangerous, wasteful industries – making them prime candidates for automation by teams of mobile robot builders. However, our understanding of how to program robots for teamwork is limited.

This scholarship supports research into how ant colonies build complex structures using decentralised processes, in order to program robots for teamwork.

Key details

Reference number

20225180

For course

MRes Year 2 + PhD

Key dates

Applications close on 30 April 2024 at 11pm

Student type

Domestic, International

Area of study

Engineering, science

Stipend value
(Direct payment)

$35,000 p.a.

About the scholarship

This project aims to understand how colonies of weaver ants build complex silk nest structures using decentralised, self-organised processes.

In the first phase we will:

  • utilise individual tracking techniques to follow worker positions, coupled with frequent 3D-scanning of the emerging nest structure, to characterise the individual-level behaviours and interaction rules used at each stage of construction.
  • use this data to assemble a theoretical framework, validated by simulation modelling and robophysical tools, that explicitly links individual-level behaviour to team-based coordination and stage transitions and, finally, emergent structural outcomes.

This framework will be transformational in our understanding of a range of other complex systems in nature and engineering.

Insights from the biology and modelling phases of the project will be combined to deliver the first generation of bio-inspired robots that use teamwork to adaptively 3D-print complex structures without the need for oversight or pre-planning.

The investigation spans concepts of behavioural ecology, computational science and robotic engineering. Candidates with experience in one or more of these fields will be desirable.

Availability

This scholarship is available to eligible candidates to undertake a direct entry four-year MRes Year 2 and PhD program.

Components

The scholarship comprises:

  • a tuition fee offset
  • a living allowance stipend.

The value of the stipend scholarship is $35,000 per annum (full-time, fixed rate) for up to four years.