Plenaries, Keynotes, and Invited Guest Talks

The Next Stage of Evolution: Interaction-Centred Design for Trustworthy Human-AI Teaming

Dr. Ming Hou
Defence Research and Development Canada, Canada

Abstract: The effective human-machine teaming is challenged by the lack of understanding of human-machine interaction issues and appropriate design methodologies for mission/safety-critical systems. Limitations and strengths of human and artificial intelligence (AI) must be well understood first before designing, developing, and employing AI-enabled human-machine systems. It is not only about the safety of these systems, but more importantly human lives and mission success. A systematic and structured framework for design, develop, verify, validate, and regulate disruptive technologies is critical to the entire life cycle of these emerging systems. This talk reviews the evolution of design strategy of intelligent systems, presents state-of-the-art design methodologies to address the interaction challenges for developing and deploying responsible AI technologies and thus effective human-AI teaming. A technological solution of trustworthy, collaborative, effective, and responsible human-AI teaming for decision-making in weapon engagement following international laws and rules of engagement provides a best practice example for all stakeholders who are interested in building and using 21st century human-AI symbiosis technologies.

Bio: Dr. Hou is a Principal Scientist and Authority in Human-Technology Interactions within the Department of National Defence (DND), Canada. He is responsible for delivering technological solutions, science-based advice, and evidence-based policy recommendations on AI and Autonomy science, technology, and innovation strategies to senior decision makers within DND and their national and international partner organisations including the United Nations. As the Canadian National Leader in human-AI/autonomy teaming, he directs the Canadian innovation ecosystems on a number of capability development programs to support Canadian major acquisition projects and large-scale live, virtual, and constructive international joint exercises. As the Co-Chair of an international Human-Autonomy Teaming Specialist Committee, he leads the development of international standards for the integration of AI-enabled autonomous systems into the civilian airspaces. Hou is the recipient of the most prestigious DND Science and Technology Excellence Award in 2020 and the President’s Achievement Award of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada in 2021. He is an IEEE Fellow, Distinguished Lecturer, the Lead of Human-AI Teaming of IEEE AI Coalition, and the General Chair of the 2024 IEEE International Conference on Human-Machine Systems and International Defence Excellence and Security Symposium. Dr. Hou is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto and University of Calgary.

Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM)

Prof Maria Pia Fanti
Polytechnic University of Bari, Italy

Abstract: Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM) is expected to reshape the way of travelling and moving around the world. It is estimated that the 90% penetration rate of connected autonomous vehicles (CAV) would not occur before 2045. Therefore, it is necessary to face the coming transition period, during which CAVs will share the same road network with traditional human driven vehicles in a situation representing a dynamic mixed traffic environment.

This talk will present some approaches developed to accelerate the integration of innovative CCAM technologies and systems for passengers and goods in terms of design and implementation of enhanced physical, digital and operational infrastructures. In particular, the talk will show some proposed techniques for designing and applying traffic control methods such as signalized intersection management, route planning services and last mile delivery strategies. The used methodologies encompass global and distributed optimization, artificial intelligence techniques and simulation frameworks applied for a full integration of CAVs in the real traffic for transportation of both passengers and goods. The talk will also describe some recent results obtained in case studies by simulation environments and in the field.

Bio: Maria Pia Fanti received the Laurea degree in electronic engineering from the University of Pisa, Italy. She was a visiting researcher at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, New York, in 1999. Since 1983, she has been with the Polytechnic University of Bari, Italy, where she is currently a Full Professor of system and control engineering and Chair of the Laboratory of Automation and Control. Her research interests include management and modelling of discrete event systems, Petri nets, fault detection, intelligent transportation, logistics and manufacturing systems. Fanti is an IEEE fellow and has published more than 345 papers and two textbooks on her research topics.

She is senior editor of the IEEE Trans. on Automation Science and Engineering and Associate Editor of the IEEE Trans. on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems and of IEEE Trans. on Intelligent Vehicles. She was a member at large of the Board of Governors of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society, member of the AdCom of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, and chair of the Technical Committee on Automation in Logistics. Fanti was General Chair of the 2011 IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering, the 2017 IEEE International Conference on Service Operations and Logistics, and Informatics and the 2019 IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Conference.

AI-based Convoying of Leader-follower Autonomous Vehicles

Distinguished Professor Saeid Nahavandi
Swinburne University of Technology, Australia

Abstract: This presentation will elucidate the design, development, test, validation, and road-trial of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based system for intelligent convoying of a fleet of autonomous vehicles (AVs). The evolution from initially controlling a group of robots bilaterally, transitioning to human-in-the-loop regulation, progressing to advanced human-on-the-loop supervision, and finally achieving a fully autonomous convoy of vehicles will be explained. The key innovations focus on two essential aspects: hardware-based robotic technology, including mechatronic instruments and sensing devices for steering and pedal control in a leader-follower configuration, and software-based AI algorithms, covering data-based learning models and inference engines for sensing and monitoring the environment to ensure robust and safe autonomous operations. The “brain” of the AVs, particularly from the robustness and safety operability perspectives, entails two key modules: one for path planning, navigation, and control to ensure the safety of each AV and the entire fleet; and another for object detection and intention prediction to safeguard the safety of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, and animals. The talk will discuss how these modular sub-systems work together as an integrated AI-based solution for AVs to undertake complex driving tasks in highly unstructured environments. Case studies and major challenges are also highlighted.

Bio: Distinguished Professor Saeid Nahavandi is currently Swinburne University of Technology’s inaugural Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Chief of Defence Innovation. He previously served as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Defence Technologies) and Founding Director of the Institute for Intelligent Systems Research and Innovation, Deakin University.

Saeid Nahavandi received a Ph.D. from Durham University, U.K. in 1991. His research interests include autonomous systems, modelling of complex systems, robotics and haptics. He has published over 1000 scientific papers in various international journals and conferences. Saeid was the recipient of the Clunies Ross

Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2022 from the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering, Researcher of the Year for Australian Space Awards 2021, Australian Defence Industry Awards - Winner of Innovator of the year, The Essington Lewis Awards, and Australian Engineering Excellence Awards - Professional Engineer of the Year.

Professor Nahavandi holds six patents, two of which have resulted in two very successful start-ups (Universal Motion Simulator Pty Ltd and FLAIM Systems Pty Ltd).

Professor Nahavandi is the Vice President: Human-Machine Systems, IEEE SMCS, Senior Associate Editor: IEEE Systems Journal, Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics. Professor Nahavandi is a Fellow of IEEE (FIEEE), Engineers Australia (FIEAust), the Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET). Saeid is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE).

TBA

Prof. Dr. S. Joe Qin
President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science, Lingnan University, Hong Kong

Bio: Professor S. Joe Qin is currently the President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University in Hong Kong. In his prior career, he worked as the Chair Professor and Inaugural Dean of the School of Data Science at City University of Hong Kong, the Fluor Professor at the Viterbi School of Engineering of the University of Southern California, Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and Principal Engineer at Emerson Process Management.

Prof. Qin is a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors, the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC), AIChE, and IEEE. He is the recipient of the 2022 CAST Computing in Chemical Engineering Award by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and the 2022 IEEE CSS Transition to Practice Award, the U.S. National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the 2011 Northrop Grumman Best Teaching award at Viterbi School of Engineering, and the IFAC Best Paper Prize for a model predictive control paper published in Control Engineering Practice.

Prof. Qin has published over 470 international journal papers, book chapters, conference papers etc. He is the inventor of 12 U.S. patents. He received over 39,000 Google Scholar citations with an h-index of 87.

Organoids

Prof. Huijun Gao
Harbin Institute of Technology, China

Abstract: Organoids are clusters of cells grown in vitro that maintain the structure and function of human tissues and organs. They have broad applications in the field of biomedicine and are a focus of international cutting-edge research. There are, however, several fundamental limits for standardised manufacturing of organoids: the complex mechanism of organoid regeneration, the challenging organoid growth control, and the high-precision cell manipulation. In this report, we introduce the micromanipulation methods, systems, and applications for organoid regeneration, and we focus on the major concepts and results in modelling, control, and manipulation for such multicellular systems. We also present an intelligent micromanipulation system for standardised manufacturing of organoids, which promotes the important application of organoids in pathological research, drug development, personalised diagnosis and treatment, and other fields of biomedicine.

Bio: Prof. Huijun Gao received the Ph.D. degree in control science and engineering from the Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China, in 2005. From 2005 to 2007, he carried out his post-doctoral research at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

Since 2004, he has been with the Harbin Institute of Technology, where he is currently a Chair Professor and the Director of the Research Institute of Intelligent Control and Systems. His research interests include intelligent and robust control, robotics, mechatronics, and their engineering applications.

Prof. Gao is a member of the Academia Europaea and an IEEE Fellow. He is/was the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, and an Associate Editor of Automatica, IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics, and IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics. He is the Vice-President of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, and a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society. He is the recipient of IEEE Norbert Wiener Award and IEEE Dr.-Ing. Eugene Mittelmann Achievement Award. He has been an ESI Highly Cited Researcher since 2014.

The Role of Telepresence in Future Space Missions

Dr. Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, USA

Bio: Dr. Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu, FIET, FRAeS, FGA, SMIEE, is a Principal Robotics Engineer, Deputy Chief Engineer, and Assistant Division Manager of the Autonomous Systems Division 34, at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Dr Trebi- Ollennu served as the Chief Engineer for the Mobility and Robotic Systems section from 2017 to 2020, Product Delivery Manager for the InSight Mars Mission Instrument Deployment System, and InSight Mars Mission Instrument Deployment System operations Team Chief. Member of IEEE steering committee in telepresence.