University of Sydney partners with Asia’s AI powerhouse

The University of Sydney has announced a research partnership with Singapore’s Nanyang TechnologicalUniversity and hinted that the institutions are seeking to develop a wall-climbing welding robot.

Engineers from the Sydney university’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologiesand NTU’s College of Engineering will collaborate on a range of research including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, the Internet of Things and data science.

Engineers were in Singapore last week to discuss potential opportunities.

“This is the Faculty of Engineering and IT’s first strategic partnership with a Singaporean institution and we are delighted to be joining forces with one of the world’s largest and best-known engineering colleges,” the University of Sydney faculty’s Interim Dean Professor Kim Rasmussen said.

“We are very proud of the fact that a number of our academic staff have worked at or with NTU in the past, and we look forward to continuing to work together on initiatives that will be mutually beneficial to researchers at both institutions.”

Professor Louis Phee, acting dean, College of Engineering at NTU Singapore, and University of Sydney Faculty of Engineering and IT interim dean Professor Kim Rasmussen

NTU is the topuniversityin the world for citations in AI, according to a 2017 list jointly compiled by Nikkei and Elsevier.

Professor Louis Phee, Acting Dean, College of Engineering at NTU Singapore,said: “TheUniversityofSydneyis known for its research in areas such as civil and structural engineering. Together with NTU, which is globally recognised for its strengths in engineering and AI, this partnership will also open new doors in translational research and set sail into new frontiers of technological innovation.”

One project earmarked for collaboration is the development of an autonomous wall-climbing robot capable of welding large engineering structures, that can also conduct inspections and clean the surfaces of large structures.

Other areas of joint research touted include photonics, telecommunications and networks, space engineering and robotics.

It is expected the collaboration will include inter-country visits, guest lectures and workshops for students, and opportunities for PhD students to work on joint projects.