Dr. Brano Kusy1, Dr. Joey Crosswell2
1Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO's Data61, Brisbane, Australia, 2Research Scientist Biogeochemistry, Oceanography, CSIRO's Environment, Brisbane, Australia
Biography:
Dr. Brano Kusy is a principal research scientist and Group Leader of the Distributed Sensing Systems in CSIRO. His research is on the new frontiers in networked embedded systems, mobile and wearable computing, and Internet of Things. Specifically, his focus on realising the vision of intelligent sensing technology that turns physical world into intelligent environments that we can sense, automate, and interact with in real-time. He has designed and deployed energy-efficient networked sensing systems to improve productivity and safety in the industry as well as improve resilience of natural and built ecosystems. Dr. Kusy is a strong proponent of research that is deployed and validated in the real world and his key focus area is to help end users to realise the value of edge AI models in challenging, always changing, real-world environments.
Dr. Joey Crosswell's research focuses on connectivity of coastal systems, particularly carbon and nutrient cycling along the river-estuary-shelf continuum. My main study regions include the Great Barrier Reef, Gulf of Carpentaria and Southeast Queensland along with international work in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, southern Chile and the mid-Atlantic coast of the US. My field work looks at the major drivers and fluxes in biogeochemical cycles at local scales, such as individual estuaries or habitats, while building broader datasets for the comparison of diverse ecosystems. I am continually looking for ways to expand observational capabilities to new parameters and new environments, which has led to my keen interest in quantifying the impacts of extreme events like floods and tropical cyclones.
Abstract:
Scientific exploration is rapidly evolving, with an emphasis on data collection methods that offer real-time, precise insights derived from field surveys at scale. This talk will discuss AI-powered sensing devices and robotic platforms that operate in various physical environments. We will examine the diverse range of edge AI algorithms developed to optimally utilize the underlying compute and sensing hardware, capabilities of which can vary by 6 orders of magnitude depending on the use-case. Through case-studies, including scalable coastal marine surveys for blue carbon accounting, we will illustrate how these technologies enhance the scalability, accuracy, and timeliness of data collection and scientific insight formulation. The presentation will also touch on generative AI models that improve user interaction with advanced technology. Tools based on advanced sensing, robotics, and AI are poised to become essential components of the future scientific toolkit.