Prof. LIU Dikai from the University of Technology Sydney presented human-centred intelligent robotics in a seminar

Prof. LIU Dikai, Distinguished Professor and Strategic Research Director in the School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Australia, delivered a PAIR seminar titled “Human-Centred Intelligent Robotics: Case Studies, Lessons Learnt, and Opportunities” on 10 October 2024 at PolyU. The seminar attracted over 120 in-person participants and captivated an online audience of over 13,100 from various countries and regions, who watched the live broadcast on multiple social media platforms, including Bilibili, Weixin, Weibo, YouTube, etc.

The seminar began with a warm welcome by Prof. ZHANG Weixiong, Associate Director of PAIR, followed by a brief introduction of the speaker by Prof. ZHANG Chengqi, Chair Professor of Artificial Intelligence. Prof. Liu kick-started his presentation by outlining the key milestones in the evolution of robotics, and pointed out that human-centred intelligent robots should be able to co-exist, cooperate and collaborate with humans. He stated that robotics is a truly interdisciplinary field that combines engineering, science and humanities. Next, through a series of case studies, Prof. Liu examined how intelligent robots have been designed to work alongside humans in various applications, including civil infrastructure maintenance, construction, and manufacturing. He then discussed the dynamics of collaboration between humans and robots, and examined issues such as trust, computational modelling, physical and cognitive workload, brain-robot interface and human-centred design. By reflecting on the lessons learnt from these case studies, Prof. Liu highlighted both successes and challenges. At the end of his presentation, Prof. Liu emphasised that human-robot teaming is an interdisciplinary field. He also pointed out some areas for further development in the field, highlighting the many opportunities in robotics.

The presentation was followed by a lively and insightful question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. Zhang Chenggi. The audience engaged in a productive discussion with Prof. Liu.