GUS the robot to get enhanced AI and autonomous navigation after grant success
The ground uncrewed systems (GUS) is being upgraded to become fully autonomous. Image: Supplied
The research team behind a surveillance robot developed to help protect rangers from armed poachers in African national parks has been awarded nearly $800,000 to significantly enhance the robot's capabilities and applications.
The Centre for Smart Analytics (CSA) research centre has received an Australian Economic Accelerator (AEA) Innovate grant to upgrade the robot dubbed GUS (Ground Uncrewed Systems) to a fully autonomous model.
Human operators remotely control the current GUS model and the grant will fund the work to overhaul the robot with an advanced AI machine vision system for terrain detection and a smart local navigation algorithm. The project team includes specialists in robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and autonomous systems.
The grant includes industry partner Outlook Industries – a Gippsland-based defence robotics and innovation company. Separately, the CSA was awarded a grant by the Department of Defence in collaboration with the Institute for Intelligent Systems Research and Innovation at Deakin University.
The robot is equipped with cameras and sound detection devices that can potentially alert operators to any unwanted presence in the vicinity in which it is operating.
The AI-driven sensory system will enable the robot to autonomously identify free space for safe navigation and avoid potential obstacles while staying on track to its intended destination. Machine learning will further enhance the robot's efficiency.
Associate Professor of Mechatronics Gayan Kahandawa says the Australian Army has expressed its strong support for the project because a fully autonomous (GUS-A) robot has the potential to drastically reduce risks to personnel doing reconnaissance or minefield mapping work.
"Full GPS autonomy means that if you were to mark a location on a map, GUS would be able to go there without any intervention. The local navigation component is the decision-making capability to turn right, left, navigate around holes and difficult terrain," Assoc Prof Kahandawa said.
"The machine will be able to identify obstacles and react to the environment, like increasing torque to specific wheels if it gets stuck. It will have the adaptability to navigate all these challenges."
The GUS designed for military purposes adds a generator that can recharge the two large on-board batteries. The batteries can power GUS for one day but the recharging capability means GUS can operate for up to six weeks without refuelling.
Assoc Prof Kahandawa says development work on GUS has been going on for about five years and the project will be wrapped up in two years. A PhD student is working with the Federation mechatronics team and another is working with Outlook Industries on the project. The CSIRO is funding a third PhD student to work on the technology used in GUS.
GUS was developed after Captain Luke Townsend – a specialist in counter-poaching operations in Africa – approached Assoc Prof Kahandawa to build a robot that could potentially prevent injury or death to rangers who encounter organised poaching rings and other armed intruders – including groups believed to be carrying drugs – making their way across the continent.
Captain Townsend, who is from the Latrobe Valley and established Outlook Industries there, has served with the Australian and British armies and has links to researchers at Federation. Dr Hasitha Hewawasam, also from the CSA, led the development of electronics and programming for the robot, and the research team includes Dr Linh Nguyen, Professor Joarder Kamruzzaman and Dr Tanveer Choudhary.
In 2022, GUS was presented at the LAND FORCES International Land Defence Exposition in Brisbane, taking out the award for Best Land Innovation in a pitch-style competition. LAND FORCES is the region's premier International Land Defence Exposition, attracting hundreds of Australian and international companies and is supported by the Department of Defence.
GUS has been trialled by the Australian Army's Regional Force Surveillance Group Pilbara Regiment in harsh conditions in Western Australia. That includes surveillance work along a vast coastal region.
Assoc Prof Kahandawa says there are many potential commercial applications for GUS, including forestry, emergency services and the agriculture sectors.
In Victoria, GUS is being used to identify koalas in blue gum tree plantations, alerting forestry groups to their location before any trees are harvested. When a koala is spotted, that tree and others around it are left alone to protect the animals.
"In agriculture, farmers could potentially use an autonomous robot for spraying, or they could be used in a fire environment where a GUS could be sent in first to observe the situation," Assoc Prof Kahandawa said.
"There can be other applications in urban areas as well – many situations where you want to send a vehicle from A to B, like transporting people around an airport.
"At the moment, our focus is on military applications, but once GUS is fully developed, there is potential for many applications."