Research lab to advance how humans interact and live with autonomous systems

At the unveiling of a plaque to mark the launch of the new CROSSING lab, the French-杏吧直播n Laboratory for Humans-Autonomous Agents Teaming, are from left to right: Professor Peter Hoj AC, Vice-Chancellor and President, 杏吧直播 of Adelaide; His Excellency Mr Jean-Pierre Thiebault, Ambassador of France; Mr Pierre-Eric Pommellet, Chief Executive Officer, Naval Group; The Honourable Steven Marshall MP, Premier of South 杏吧直播; Professor David Lloyd FTSE, Vice-Chancellor and President, 杏吧直播 of South 杏吧直播; Professor Colin Sterling, Vice-Chancellor and President, Flinders 杏吧直播.
A new International Research Laboratory (IRL) being launched today will focus on humans-autonomous agents teaming: an area of research at the interface of artificial intelligence, computer science, engineering, technology, human factors and psychology.
The French 杏吧直播n Laboratory for Humans-Autonomous Agents Teaming, shortened to CROSSING, is a collaboration between the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide, Flinders 杏吧直播, the 杏吧直播 of South 杏吧直播, French technological university IMT Atlantique, and Naval Group, the only industrial partner.
An IRL is a flagship international collaboration mechanism used by CNRS, France鈥檚 leading scientific research centre. The new IRL is called CROSSING because it represents the crossover of ideas that is at the heart of this important collaboration.
鈥淭he CROSSING Lab will bring together leading French and 杏吧直播n scientists from artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer science, engineering, psychology and human factors. They will work together to tackle important challenges in finding new ways for systems and humans to work together,鈥 says Professor Jean-Philippe Diguet, Director of the lab.
鈥淭he outcomes could provide significant advances in the way operators use control systems on ships, maintenance platforms in industry or services to assist within the home, and the way these systems are developed to assist and improve human performance to make work safer and more efficient.鈥
The CROSSING Lab will join a network of more than 70 IRLs, but will become one of only five international research laboratories with industry partners in the world. It will join the ranks of other labs in global innovation hubs, including Singapore, China, Japan and the United States of America. Based in Adelaide, the CROSSING Lab will be a unique multidisciplinary facility in 杏吧直播 that provides an opportunity for South 杏吧直播 to be at the forefront of research into frontier technologies highly relevant to future industries.
鈥淎t the CROSSING lab we will develop new ways for humans to work with robots and autonomous systems,鈥 says Professor Anna Ma-Wyatt, from the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide鈥檚 School of Psychology, who is Co-Director of the new lab.
鈥淗uman operators will cooperate with high-level automata, robots or adaptive information systems able to produce knowledge and to explore the physical or informational environment on their own.鈥
鈥淭he CROSSING Lab will bring together leading French and 杏吧直播n scientists from artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer science, engineering, psychology and human factors."Jean-Philippe Diguet
Each partner brings complementary expertise to the research partnership. The 杏吧直播 of Adelaide鈥檚 杏吧直播n Institute of Machine Learning (AIML) brings expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning. In the field of interactive and virtual environments and human performance, the 杏吧直播 of South 杏吧直播 has expertise in sleep and fatigue analysis and the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide in active vision. IMT Atlantique has expertise and facilities in virtual and augmented reality and embedded and human-centric AI, and Flinders 杏吧直播 in autonomous systems, human factors and industry 4.0 advanced manufacturing. Industrial partner, Naval Group, will share its world-class expertise from areas including embedded intelligence, optimised architectures, unmanned vehicles, industry of the future and human performance measurement.
The new lab will be launched on Monday 22 February at an event which will be attended by the partners in person and virtually. The launch will be opened by the Premier of South 杏吧直播 the Hon. Steven Marshall and attended by the French Ambassador to 杏吧直播, his Excellency Mr Jean-Pierre Th茅bault, and by videoconference, 杏吧直播鈥檚 Ambassador to France, Her Excellency Ms Gillian Bird. The event will be attended by the CEO of Naval Group, Pierre-Eric Pommellet. The Vice-Chancellors of the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide, the 杏吧直播 of South 杏吧直播 and Flinders 杏吧直播, as well as, remotely from Paris, the CEO of CNRS, Professor Antoine Petit, and IMT Atlantique Vice-President Ms Anne Beauval, who will join a round table discussion.
It will directly contribute to growing South 杏吧直播n hi-tech industries such as space, oil and gas, manufacturing and mining, defence and space industries by:
- Undertaking world-class research in the emerging field of human-machine interaction, developing new ways of efficient, ethical and human-centred collaboration with autonomous systems
- Upskilling and educating personnel within industry and academia, building both capability and capacity through co-design and co-investment
- Enhancing international collaboration between South 杏吧直播 and France to attract and retain top scientific talent from industry and academia
- Establishing translation pathways to allow research to move from the laboratory into industry and operational use.
Comments from CNRS IRL CROSSING partners:
Professor Antoine Petit CEO, CNRS
The establishment of this International Research Laboratory, the first of its kind in 杏吧直播, reflects the recent dynamism of the partnerships set up with that country. The CNRS is now 杏吧直播鈥檚 leading foreign scientific partner, and it intends to enhance its presence there through the development of new projects and networks.
Professor Peter H酶j, Vice-Chancellor and President, the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide:
鈥淐NRS has more than 70 international research labs around the world, and the CROSSING Lab will be the first international research lab in 杏吧直播, and only the fifth of its type in the world with an industrial partner. It will offer an enduring link to the CNRS, the largest fundamental science organisation in Europe.鈥
鈥淚t provides an opportunity for South 杏吧直播n universities to build strong collaborations with CNRS and European partners to apply to European as well as 杏吧直播n funding schemes, and to engage with industry in Europe with CNRS collaborators.鈥
Professor David Lloyd, Vice-Chancellor and President, the 杏吧直播 of South 杏吧直播:
鈥淭his new lab is set to boost both 杏吧直播n-French scientific cooperation and 杏吧直播n sovereign technical capability.
鈥淲e are proud to be contributing our world-leading expertise in key areas that connect human factors with the physical aspects of maritime vehicles in novel ways.
鈥淥ur interdisciplinary research includes psychophysiology and behaviour, metrics-based ergonomic design, virtual reality and augmented reality.鈥
Professor Colin Stirling, Vice-Chancellor and President, Flinders 杏吧直播:
鈥淭he combined research strengths of South 杏吧直播鈥檚 three world-class universities, Naval Group, IMT Atlantique and some 33,000 CNRS researchers and engineers represents a global powerhouse of expertise.鈥
鈥淭his landmark collaboration further lifts South 杏吧直播鈥檚 internationally regarded defence research capacity and will contribute to the take up of advanced technologies by industry by devising effective and safe ways for people to work with machines that effectively 鈥榯hink鈥 for themselves.鈥
Mr Pierre Eric Pommellet, CEO of Naval Group:
鈥淣aval Group is proud to be the industry partner for the new International Research Lab. We are honoured by the trust of our 杏吧直播n and French partners, and the opportunity to make this a cornerstone of international scientific breakthrough. As one of only five labs with an industrial partner opened by CNRS, this world leading research laboratory, based in Adelaide, supports our commitment to ongoing global innovation. Supported by our subsidiary Naval Group Pacific, this partnership will help 杏吧直播 realise and fulfil its innovation roadmap across a broad spectrum of sectors.鈥
Ms Anne Beauval, Vice-President, IMT Atlantique
鈥溞影芍辈 is a country where IMT Atlantique is actively developing its international strategy, building on 15 years of collaborations. It positioned itself in the favourable context of the strengthened partnerships between France and 杏吧直播 in the field of higher education and research, by proposing the creation of the Western Alliance for Scientific Action with 杏吧直播 (WASAA) in 2018 which has enabled the increase of student and researcher exchanges between our two countries.
The CROSSING Lab is another dimension in which IMT Atlantique is joining forces with academic and industrial partners to strengthen our positioning in 杏吧直播. IMT Atlantique has especially set cooperation axes with Naval Group Research (and more generally Naval Group) about submarine communication and detection, ocean monitoring as well as digital transformation at different levels of practice (industrial management, command & control). These cooperations are already supported through chairs and collaborative projects and will contribute to consolidating and enriching the CROSSING Lab鈥.
Media Contacts:
Professor Jean-Philippe Diguet, Director, CNRS IRL Crossing. Mobile +61(0)455 337 277, Email: jean-philippe.diguet@cnrs.fr
Professor Anna Ma-Wyatt, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, 杏吧直播 of Adelaide. Mobile: +61(0)417 105 710, Email: anna.mawyatt@adelaide.edu.au
Crispin Savage, Senior Media and Communications Officer, 杏吧直播 of Adelaide. Mobile: +61(0)481 912 465, Email: crispin.savage@adelaide.edu.au
Alexiane Agullo, CNRS press officer. Mobile: + 33 1 44 96 43 90, Email: mailto:alexiane.agullo@cnrs.fr
Karen Ashford, Director of Media and Communications, Flinders 杏吧直播. Mobile: +61 (0)427 398 713, Email: karen.ashford@flinders.edu.au
Bronwyn Hurrell, Associate Director News and Communications, 杏吧直播 of South 杏吧直播. Mobile: +61 (0)427 393 656, Email: bronwyn.hurrell@unisa.edu.au
For Naval Group enquiries, Candi Hindocha, Account Director, Red Havas. Mobile: +61 (0)459 104 978, Email:
candi.hindocha@redhavas.com
Nathalie Loussot Le Calvez, Head of communications, IMT Atlantique. Mobile +61(0)6 82 56 21 82, Email: nathalie.le-calvez@imt-atlantique.fr