Researchers secure $500k grant to advance AI vision technology

The Australian Government’s Global Science and Technology Diplomacy Fund – Strategic Element (GSTDF-SE) has awarded $549,445 to a University of Melbourne research team to develop smarter AI machine vision for use in robots, drones and self-driving cars.

The project will be led by Associate Professor James Bullock from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (DEEE) in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT). The team will design a system inspired by human eyes and brains that efficiently processes visual information.

GSTDF-SE is a grant program designed to support science and research collaborations between Australia and selected priority partner countries, with many of this round’s recipients working with partners in Japan. The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, in collaboration with the Australian Academy of Science, has responsibility for delivering the program.

The project is supported by FEIT Deputy Dean Engagement, Professor Stan Skafidas, and Dr Alexander Corletto from DEEE, alongside Professor Kuniharu Takei (Hokkaido University) and Professor Daisuke Kiriya (University of Tokyo) who both lead internationally-recognised research programs that align with this proposal in Japan.

Associate Professor Bullock said the project, titled “Manufacturing Physical AI Sensor Networks via Printed Nanomaterial”, will develop new hardware for AI machine vision to quickly detect movement and avoid collisions in real time.

“It combines advanced light-sensing materials and new electronic components into a prototype system, aiming to make AI vision hardware faster, cheaper and easier to manufacture, while strengthening Australia’s capabilities in this next-generation technology,” he said.