Defence
ISSUE_05 / Deep sea and deep space: our autonomous frontiers
23 June 2026
Jump to:
In the turbulent, murky waters of the surf zone and the harsh, light-blasted vacuum of Earth’s orbit, South Australian researchers are teaching machines the one thing they’ve always lacked: common sense.
While autonomous vehicles have been technically feasible for decades, they were often considered “usefully paranoid”, safe in theory yet unable to navigate the messy unpredictability of the real world. Today, that is changing.
South Australia has become a global living laboratory where artificial intelligence (AI) is being harnessed to tackle the most dangerous tasks on the planet, and above it.
From Flinders University’s Tonsley campus to Adelaide University’s Roseworthy facility, local experts are developing and commercialising technology that enables robots not only to follow code but also to communicate with humans and make split-second decisions in high-stakes environments.
The surf zone
One such environment, where the stakes are rarely higher, is the littoral surf zone, the shallow waters near shore where naval divers potentially face extreme risks from underwater mines.
Australia manages a maritime domain spanning 53 million km2, and securing these waters is a major national priority.
Professor Karl Sammut, Director of the Centre for Defence Engineering Research and Training at Flinders University, is working with industry giant, Thales Australia, which is leading a $15 million project to remove humans from this danger zone.
His team has developed an autonomous Subsea Crawler, a rugged, tracked vehicle that drives on the seabed, through waves that would toss a lighter vehicle or diver aside.
“The holy grail is for one operator to look after a team of vehicles,” Prof Sammut explains.
“In the underwater domain, communication is incredibly slow. We need these vehicles to be as trustworthy as possible. We don’t want a situation where an operator has to babysit a single robot; we want them to oversee an entire team that can ‘think’ for themselves when the signal drops out.”
Digital twin
This research isn’t just theoretical; it’s moving rapidly towards real-world application. By working with partners such as Ineni Realtime, the team has developed digital twin interfaces that enable operators to view a 3D simulation of the robot’s activity under the waves in real time, even when the visibility is near zero.
While defence is the primary intended user for this technology, its commercial potential ranges from tracking underwater cables and pipelines to inspecting offshore wind farms.
Deep space
Seven hundred kilometres above Prof Sammut’s crawlers, Professor Tat-Jun (TJ) Chin and the AI for Space Group at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning at Adelaide University are tackling a different kind of clutter.
Space is increasingly crowded with over 130,000 objects currently, and a single high-speed collision can trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
Prof Chin’s work focuses on making satellites “sentient,” equipping them with on-board intelligence to perceive their surroundings and act without waiting for a signal from Earth.
“Traditionally, satellites wait for instructions. But when you’re dealing with objects moving at kilometres per second, the round-trip communication time is simply too slow,” Prof Chin says.
His group is a key player in the Space MAITRI mission, a joint Australia-India project scheduled to launch in late 2026.
The mission will demonstrate an autonomous “tow truck” satellite capable of rendezvousing with and repairing other satellites in orbit.
Using AI-driven computer vision, the satellite must dock with a target that may be tumbling or spinning in the harsh, high-contrast lighting of space, a task Prof Chin describes as “extraordinarily delicate”.
He notes that while major space agencies can perform docking, they often do so with billion-dollar budgets and hundreds of engineers. “Our goal is to make these operations leaner, cheaper, and quicker through AI … turning it into a sustainable commercial sector.”
Our commonsense hub
The work of both professors is integral to the development of autonomous and robotic technologies.
Prof Sammut’s research is part of the Trusted Autonomous Systems CRC, Australia’s first Defence Cooperative Research Centre. The centre is uniquely equipped to deliver world-leading autonomous and robotic technologies to enable trusted and effective cooperation between humans and machines.
The work of Prof Chin and his team is integral to the CADR-RAS (Centre for Advanced Defence Research in Robotics and Autonomous Systems) ecosystem.
Managed by Adelaide University, this $10 million Commonwealth-backed initiative, which started in 2021, is the connective tissue of Australia’s innovation, ensuring autonomous systems breakthroughs from the lab reach real-world industry.
CADR-RAS is a partnership representing 12 universities, more than 90 university researchers, and 33 research projects.
The Adelaide University team is working closely with the Australian Defence Technologies Academy (ADTA) at Lot Fourteen, which will serve as a nation-first launchpad for pioneering defence research, workforce development, and industry collaboration — supporting Australia’s national security and capability priorities.
As Prof Chin observes, recent global conflicts have shown that autonomous systems will define the future battlefield; therefore, it is vital that the brains of these machines, the algorithms that protect our ports and satellites, be developed right here in South Australia.
As AI advances at breakneck speed, researchers at Flinders University and Adelaide University are proving that autonomy isn’t just a buzzword. It is a vital tool for the future, whether navigating a sandstorm on the ocean floor or a debris field in deep space.
Related news
Defence
ISSUE_05 / Deep sea and deep space: our autonomous frontiers
23 June 2026
Jump to:
In the turbulent, murky waters of the surf zone and the harsh, light-blasted vacuum of Earth’s orbit, South Australian researchers are teaching machines the one thing they’ve always lacked: common sense.
While autonomous vehicles have been technically feasible for decades, they were often considered “usefully paranoid”, safe in theory yet unable to navigate the messy unpredictability of the real world. Today, that is changing.
South Australia has become a global living laboratory where artificial intelligence (AI) is being harnessed to tackle the most dangerous tasks on the planet, and above it.
From Flinders University’s Tonsley campus to Adelaide University’s Roseworthy facility, local experts are developing and commercialising technology that enables robots not only to follow code but also to communicate with humans and make split-second decisions in high-stakes environments.
The surf zone
One such environment, where the stakes are rarely higher, is the littoral surf zone, the shallow waters near shore where naval divers potentially face extreme risks from underwater mines.
Australia manages a maritime domain spanning 53 million km2, and securing these waters is a major national priority.
Professor Karl Sammut, Director of the Centre for Defence Engineering Research and Training at Flinders University, is working with industry giant, Thales Australia, which is leading a $15 million project to remove humans from this danger zone.
His team has developed an autonomous Subsea Crawler, a rugged, tracked vehicle that drives on the seabed, through waves that would toss a lighter vehicle or diver aside.
“The holy grail is for one operator to look after a team of vehicles,” Prof Sammut explains.
“In the underwater domain, communication is incredibly slow. We need these vehicles to be as trustworthy as possible. We don’t want a situation where an operator has to babysit a single robot; we want them to oversee an entire team that can ‘think’ for themselves when the signal drops out.”
Digital twin
This research isn’t just theoretical; it’s moving rapidly towards real-world application. By working with partners such as Ineni Realtime, the team has developed digital twin interfaces that enable operators to view a 3D simulation of the robot’s activity under the waves in real time, even when the visibility is near zero.
While defence is the primary intended user for this technology, its commercial potential ranges from tracking underwater cables and pipelines to inspecting offshore wind farms.
Deep space
Seven hundred kilometres above Prof Sammut’s crawlers, Professor Tat-Jun (TJ) Chin and the AI for Space Group at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning at Adelaide University are tackling a different kind of clutter.
Space is increasingly crowded with over 130,000 objects currently, and a single high-speed collision can trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
Prof Chin’s work focuses on making satellites “sentient,” equipping them with on-board intelligence to perceive their surroundings and act without waiting for a signal from Earth.
“Traditionally, satellites wait for instructions. But when you’re dealing with objects moving at kilometres per second, the round-trip communication time is simply too slow,” Prof Chin says.
His group is a key player in the Space MAITRI mission, a joint Australia-India project scheduled to launch in late 2026.
The mission will demonstrate an autonomous “tow truck” satellite capable of rendezvousing with and repairing other satellites in orbit.
Using AI-driven computer vision, the satellite must dock with a target that may be tumbling or spinning in the harsh, high-contrast lighting of space, a task Prof Chin describes as “extraordinarily delicate”.
He notes that while major space agencies can perform docking, they often do so with billion-dollar budgets and hundreds of engineers. “Our goal is to make these operations leaner, cheaper, and quicker through AI … turning it into a sustainable commercial sector.”
Our commonsense hub
The work of both professors is integral to the development of autonomous and robotic technologies.
Prof Sammut’s research is part of the Trusted Autonomous Systems CRC, Australia’s first Defence Cooperative Research Centre. The centre is uniquely equipped to deliver world-leading autonomous and robotic technologies to enable trusted and effective cooperation between humans and machines.
The work of Prof Chin and his team is integral to the CADR-RAS (Centre for Advanced Defence Research in Robotics and Autonomous Systems) ecosystem.
Managed by Adelaide University, this $10 million Commonwealth-backed initiative, which started in 2021, is the connective tissue of Australia’s innovation, ensuring autonomous systems breakthroughs from the lab reach real-world industry.
CADR-RAS is a partnership representing 12 universities, more than 90 university researchers, and 33 research projects.
The Adelaide University team is working closely with the Australian Defence Technologies Academy (ADTA) at Lot Fourteen, which will serve as a nation-first launchpad for pioneering defence research, workforce development, and industry collaboration — supporting Australia’s national security and capability priorities.
As Prof Chin observes, recent global conflicts have shown that autonomous systems will define the future battlefield; therefore, it is vital that the brains of these machines, the algorithms that protect our ports and satellites, be developed right here in South Australia.
As AI advances at breakneck speed, researchers at Flinders University and Adelaide University are proving that autonomy isn’t just a buzzword. It is a vital tool for the future, whether navigating a sandstorm on the ocean floor or a debris field in deep space.
Related news
Defence
ISSUE_05 / Deep sea and deep space: our autonomous frontiers
16 June 2026
Jump to:
In the turbulent, murky waters of the surf zone and the harsh, light-blasted vacuum of Earth’s orbit, South Australian researchers are teaching machines the one thing they’ve always lacked: common sense.
While autonomous vehicles have been technically feasible for decades, they were often considered “usefully paranoid”, safe in theory yet unable to navigate the messy unpredictability of the real world. Today, that is changing.
South Australia has become a global living laboratory where artificial intelligence (AI) is being harnessed to tackle the most dangerous tasks on the planet, and above it.
From Flinders University’s Tonsley campus to Adelaide University’s Roseworthy facility, local experts are developing and commercialising technology that enables robots not only to follow code but also to communicate with humans and make split-second decisions in high-stakes environments.
The surf zone
One such environment, where the stakes are rarely higher, is the littoral surf zone, the shallow waters near shore where naval divers potentially face extreme risks from underwater mines.
Australia manages a maritime domain spanning 53 million km2, and securing these waters is a major national priority.
Professor Karl Sammut, Director of the Centre for Defence Engineering Research and Training at Flinders University, is working with industry giant, Thales Australia, which is leading a $15 million project to remove humans from this danger zone.
His team has developed an autonomous Subsea Crawler, a rugged, tracked vehicle that drives on the seabed, through waves that would toss a lighter vehicle or diver aside.
“The holy grail is for one operator to look after a team of vehicles,” Prof Sammut explains.
“In the underwater domain, communication is incredibly slow. We need these vehicles to be as trustworthy as possible. We don’t want a situation where an operator has to babysit a single robot; we want them to oversee an entire team that can ‘think’ for themselves when the signal drops out.”
Digital twin
This research isn’t just theoretical; it’s moving rapidly towards real-world application. By working with partners such as Ineni Realtime, the team has developed digital twin interfaces that enable operators to view a 3D simulation of the robot’s activity under the waves in real time, even when the visibility is near zero.
While defence is the primary intended user for this technology, its commercial potential ranges from tracking underwater cables and pipelines to inspecting offshore wind farms.
Deep space
Seven hundred kilometres above Prof Sammut’s crawlers, Professor Tat-Jun (TJ) Chin and the AI for Space Group at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning at Adelaide University are tackling a different kind of clutter.
Space is increasingly crowded with over 130,000 objects currently, and a single high-speed collision can trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
Prof Chin’s work focuses on making satellites “sentient,” equipping them with on-board intelligence to perceive their surroundings and act without waiting for a signal from Earth.
“Traditionally, satellites wait for instructions. But when you’re dealing with objects moving at kilometres per second, the round-trip communication time is simply too slow,” Prof Chin says.
His group is a key player in the Space MAITRI mission, a joint Australia-India project scheduled to launch in late 2026.
The mission will demonstrate an autonomous “tow truck” satellite capable of rendezvousing with and repairing other satellites in orbit.
Using AI-driven computer vision, the satellite must dock with a target that may be tumbling or spinning in the harsh, high-contrast lighting of space, a task Prof Chin describes as “extraordinarily delicate”.
He notes that while major space agencies can perform docking, they often do so with billion-dollar budgets and hundreds of engineers. “Our goal is to make these operations leaner, cheaper, and quicker through AI … turning it into a sustainable commercial sector.”
Our commonsense hub
The work of both professors is integral to the development of autonomous and robotic technologies.
Prof Sammut’s research is part of the Trusted Autonomous Systems CRC, Australia’s first Defence Cooperative Research Centre. The centre is uniquely equipped to deliver world-leading autonomous and robotic technologies to enable trusted and effective cooperation between humans and machines.
The work of Prof Chin and his team is integral to the CADR-RAS (Centre for Advanced Defence Research in Robotics and Autonomous Systems) ecosystem.
Managed by Adelaide University, this $10 million Commonwealth-backed initiative, which started in 2021, is the connective tissue of Australia’s innovation, ensuring autonomous systems breakthroughs from the lab reach real-world industry.
CADR-RAS is a partnership representing 12 universities, more than 90 university researchers, and 33 research projects.
The Adelaide University team is working closely with the Australian Defence Technologies Academy (ADTA) at Lot Fourteen, which will serve as a nation-first launchpad for pioneering defence research, workforce development, and industry collaboration — supporting Australia’s national security and capability priorities.
As Prof Chin observes, recent global conflicts have shown that autonomous systems will define the future battlefield; therefore, it is vital that the brains of these machines, the algorithms that protect our ports and satellites, be developed right here in South Australia.
As AI advances at breakneck speed, researchers at Flinders University and Adelaide University are proving that autonomy isn’t just a buzzword. It is a vital tool for the future, whether navigating a sandstorm on the ocean floor or a debris field in deep space.
Related news
Defence
ISSUE_05 / Deep sea and deep space: our autonomous frontiers
16 June 2026
Jump to:
In the turbulent, murky waters of the surf zone and the harsh, light-blasted vacuum of Earth’s orbit, South Australian researchers are teaching machines the one thing they’ve always lacked: common sense.
While autonomous vehicles have been technically feasible for decades, they were often considered “usefully paranoid”, safe in theory yet unable to navigate the messy unpredictability of the real world. Today, that is changing.
South Australia has become a global living laboratory where artificial intelligence (AI) is being harnessed to tackle the most dangerous tasks on the planet, and above it.
From Flinders University’s Tonsley campus to Adelaide University’s Roseworthy facility, local experts are developing and commercialising technology that enables robots not only to follow code but also to communicate with humans and make split-second decisions in high-stakes environments.
The surf zone
One such environment, where the stakes are rarely higher, is the littoral surf zone, the shallow waters near shore where naval divers potentially face extreme risks from underwater mines.
Australia manages a maritime domain spanning 53 million km2, and securing these waters is a major national priority.
Professor Karl Sammut, Director of the Centre for Defence Engineering Research and Training at Flinders University, is working with industry giant, Thales Australia, which is leading a $15 million project to remove humans from this danger zone.
His team has developed an autonomous Subsea Crawler, a rugged, tracked vehicle that drives on the seabed, through waves that would toss a lighter vehicle or diver aside.
“The holy grail is for one operator to look after a team of vehicles,” Prof Sammut explains.
“In the underwater domain, communication is incredibly slow. We need these vehicles to be as trustworthy as possible. We don’t want a situation where an operator has to babysit a single robot; we want them to oversee an entire team that can ‘think’ for themselves when the signal drops out.”
Digital twin
This research isn’t just theoretical; it’s moving rapidly towards real-world application. By working with partners such as Ineni Realtime, the team has developed digital twin interfaces that enable operators to view a 3D simulation of the robot’s activity under the waves in real time, even when the visibility is near zero.
While defence is the primary intended user for this technology, its commercial potential ranges from tracking underwater cables and pipelines to inspecting offshore wind farms.
Deep space
Seven hundred kilometres above Prof Sammut’s crawlers, Professor Tat-Jun (TJ) Chin and the AI for Space Group at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning at Adelaide University are tackling a different kind of clutter.
Space is increasingly crowded with over 130,000 objects currently, and a single high-speed collision can trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
Prof Chin’s work focuses on making satellites “sentient,” equipping them with on-board intelligence to perceive their surroundings and act without waiting for a signal from Earth.
“Traditionally, satellites wait for instructions. But when you’re dealing with objects moving at kilometres per second, the round-trip communication time is simply too slow,” Prof Chin says.
His group is a key player in the Space MAITRI mission, a joint Australia-India project scheduled to launch in late 2026.
The mission will demonstrate an autonomous “tow truck” satellite capable of rendezvousing with and repairing other satellites in orbit.
Using AI-driven computer vision, the satellite must dock with a target that may be tumbling or spinning in the harsh, high-contrast lighting of space, a task Prof Chin describes as “extraordinarily delicate”.
He notes that while major space agencies can perform docking, they often do so with billion-dollar budgets and hundreds of engineers. “Our goal is to make these operations leaner, cheaper, and quicker through AI … turning it into a sustainable commercial sector.”
Our commonsense hub
The work of both professors is integral to the development of autonomous and robotic technologies.
Prof Sammut’s research is part of the Trusted Autonomous Systems CRC, Australia’s first Defence Cooperative Research Centre. The centre is uniquely equipped to deliver world-leading autonomous and robotic technologies to enable trusted and effective cooperation between humans and machines.
The work of Prof Chin and his team is integral to the CADR-RAS (Centre for Advanced Defence Research in Robotics and Autonomous Systems) ecosystem.
Managed by Adelaide University, this $10 million Commonwealth-backed initiative, which started in 2021, is the connective tissue of Australia’s innovation, ensuring autonomous systems breakthroughs from the lab reach real-world industry.
CADR-RAS is a partnership representing 12 universities, more than 90 university researchers, and 33 research projects.
The Adelaide University team is working closely with the Australian Defence Technologies Academy (ADTA) at Lot Fourteen, which will serve as a nation-first launchpad for pioneering defence research, workforce development, and industry collaboration — supporting Australia’s national security and capability priorities.
As Prof Chin observes, recent global conflicts have shown that autonomous systems will define the future battlefield; therefore, it is vital that the brains of these machines, the algorithms that protect our ports and satellites, be developed right here in South Australia.
As AI advances at breakneck speed, researchers at Flinders University and Adelaide University are proving that autonomy isn’t just a buzzword. It is a vital tool for the future, whether navigating a sandstorm on the ocean floor or a debris field in deep space.
Related news
Defence
ISSUE_05 / Deep sea and deep space: our autonomous frontiers
16 June 2026
Jump to:
In the turbulent, murky waters of the surf zone and the harsh, light-blasted vacuum of Earth’s orbit, South Australian researchers are teaching machines the one thing they’ve always lacked: common sense.
While autonomous vehicles have been technically feasible for decades, they were often considered “usefully paranoid”, safe in theory yet unable to navigate the messy unpredictability of the real world. Today, that is changing.
South Australia has become a global living laboratory where artificial intelligence (AI) is being harnessed to tackle the most dangerous tasks on the planet, and above it.
From Flinders University’s Tonsley campus to Adelaide University’s Roseworthy facility, local experts are developing and commercialising technology that enables robots not only to follow code but also to communicate with humans and make split-second decisions in high-stakes environments.
The surf zone
One such environment, where the stakes are rarely higher, is the littoral surf zone, the shallow waters near shore where naval divers potentially face extreme risks from underwater mines.
Australia manages a maritime domain spanning 53 million km2, and securing these waters is a major national priority.
Professor Karl Sammut, Director of the Centre for Defence Engineering Research and Training at Flinders University, is working with industry giant, Thales Australia, which is leading a $15 million project to remove humans from this danger zone.
His team has developed an autonomous Subsea Crawler, a rugged, tracked vehicle that drives on the seabed, through waves that would toss a lighter vehicle or diver aside.
“The holy grail is for one operator to look after a team of vehicles,” Prof Sammut explains.
“In the underwater domain, communication is incredibly slow. We need these vehicles to be as trustworthy as possible. We don’t want a situation where an operator has to babysit a single robot; we want them to oversee an entire team that can ‘think’ for themselves when the signal drops out.”
Digital twin
This research isn’t just theoretical; it’s moving rapidly towards real-world application. By working with partners such as Ineni Realtime, the team has developed digital twin interfaces that enable operators to view a 3D simulation of the robot’s activity under the waves in real time, even when the visibility is near zero.
While defence is the primary intended user for this technology, its commercial potential ranges from tracking underwater cables and pipelines to inspecting offshore wind farms.
Deep space
Seven hundred kilometres above Prof Sammut’s crawlers, Professor Tat-Jun (TJ) Chin and the AI for Space Group at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning at Adelaide University are tackling a different kind of clutter.
Space is increasingly crowded with over 130,000 objects currently, and a single high-speed collision can trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
Prof Chin’s work focuses on making satellites “sentient,” equipping them with on-board intelligence to perceive their surroundings and act without waiting for a signal from Earth.
“Traditionally, satellites wait for instructions. But when you’re dealing with objects moving at kilometres per second, the round-trip communication time is simply too slow,” Prof Chin says.
His group is a key player in the Space MAITRI mission, a joint Australia-India project scheduled to launch in late 2026.
The mission will demonstrate an autonomous “tow truck” satellite capable of rendezvousing with and repairing other satellites in orbit.
Using AI-driven computer vision, the satellite must dock with a target that may be tumbling or spinning in the harsh, high-contrast lighting of space, a task Prof Chin describes as “extraordinarily delicate”.
He notes that while major space agencies can perform docking, they often do so with billion-dollar budgets and hundreds of engineers. “Our goal is to make these operations leaner, cheaper, and quicker through AI … turning it into a sustainable commercial sector.”
Our commonsense hub
The work of both professors is integral to the development of autonomous and robotic technologies.
Prof Sammut’s research is part of the Trusted Autonomous Systems CRC, Australia’s first Defence Cooperative Research Centre. The centre is uniquely equipped to deliver world-leading autonomous and robotic technologies to enable trusted and effective cooperation between humans and machines.
The work of Prof Chin and his team is integral to the CADR-RAS (Centre for Advanced Defence Research in Robotics and Autonomous Systems) ecosystem.
Managed by Adelaide University, this $10 million Commonwealth-backed initiative, which started in 2021, is the connective tissue of Australia’s innovation, ensuring autonomous systems breakthroughs from the lab reach real-world industry.
CADR-RAS is a partnership representing 12 universities, more than 90 university researchers, and 33 research projects.
The Adelaide University team is working closely with the Australian Defence Technologies Academy (ADTA) at Lot Fourteen, which will serve as a nation-first launchpad for pioneering defence research, workforce development, and industry collaboration — supporting Australia’s national security and capability priorities.
As Prof Chin observes, recent global conflicts have shown that autonomous systems will define the future battlefield; therefore, it is vital that the brains of these machines, the algorithms that protect our ports and satellites, be developed right here in South Australia.
As AI advances at breakneck speed, researchers at Flinders University and Adelaide University are proving that autonomy isn’t just a buzzword. It is a vital tool for the future, whether navigating a sandstorm on the ocean floor or a debris field in deep space.
Related news
Defence
ISSUE_05 / Deep sea and deep space: our autonomous frontiers
17 March 2026
Jump to:
In the turbulent, murky waters of the surf zone and the harsh, light-blasted vacuum of Earth’s orbit, South Australian researchers are teaching machines the one thing they’ve always lacked: common sense.
While autonomous vehicles have been technically feasible for decades, they were often considered “usefully paranoid”, safe in theory yet unable to navigate the messy unpredictability of the real world. Today, that is changing.
South Australia has become a global living laboratory where artificial intelligence (AI) is being harnessed to tackle the most dangerous tasks on the planet, and above it.
From Flinders University’s Tonsley campus to Adelaide University’s Roseworthy facility, local experts are developing and commercialising technology that enables robots not only to follow code but also to communicate with humans and make split-second decisions in high-stakes environments.
The surf zone
One such environment, where the stakes are rarely higher, is the littoral surf zone, the shallow waters near shore where naval divers potentially face extreme risks from underwater mines.
Australia manages a maritime domain spanning 53 million km2, and securing these waters is a major national priority.
Professor Karl Sammut, Director of the Centre for Defence Engineering Research and Training at Flinders University, is working with industry giant, Thales Australia, which is leading a $15 million project to remove humans from this danger zone.
His team has developed an autonomous Subsea Crawler, a rugged, tracked vehicle that drives on the seabed, through waves that would toss a lighter vehicle or diver aside.
“The holy grail is for one operator to look after a team of vehicles,” Prof Sammut explains.
“In the underwater domain, communication is incredibly slow. We need these vehicles to be as trustworthy as possible. We don’t want a situation where an operator has to babysit a single robot; we want them to oversee an entire team that can ‘think’ for themselves when the signal drops out.”
Digital twin
This research isn’t just theoretical; it’s moving rapidly towards real-world application. By working with partners such as Ineni Realtime, the team has developed digital twin interfaces that enable operators to view a 3D simulation of the robot’s activity under the waves in real time, even when the visibility is near zero.
While defence is the primary intended user for this technology, its commercial potential ranges from tracking underwater cables and pipelines to inspecting offshore wind farms.
Deep space
Seven hundred kilometres above Prof Sammut’s crawlers, Professor Tat-Jun (TJ) Chin and the AI for Space Group at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning at Adelaide University are tackling a different kind of clutter.
Space is increasingly crowded with over 130,000 objects currently, and a single high-speed collision can trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
Prof Chin’s work focuses on making satellites “sentient,” equipping them with on-board intelligence to perceive their surroundings and act without waiting for a signal from Earth.
“Traditionally, satellites wait for instructions. But when you’re dealing with objects moving at kilometres per second, the round-trip communication time is simply too slow,” Prof Chin says.
His group is a key player in the Space MAITRI mission, a joint Australia-India project scheduled to launch in late 2026.
The mission will demonstrate an autonomous “tow truck” satellite capable of rendezvousing with and repairing other satellites in orbit.
Using AI-driven computer vision, the satellite must dock with a target that may be tumbling or spinning in the harsh, high-contrast lighting of space, a task Prof Chin describes as “extraordinarily delicate”.
He notes that while major space agencies can perform docking, they often do so with billion-dollar budgets and hundreds of engineers. “Our goal is to make these operations leaner, cheaper, and quicker through AI … turning it into a sustainable commercial sector.”
Our commonsense hub
The work of both professors is integral to the development of autonomous and robotic technologies.
Prof Sammut’s research is part of the Trusted Autonomous Systems CRC, Australia’s first Defence Cooperative Research Centre. The centre is uniquely equipped to deliver world-leading autonomous and robotic technologies to enable trusted and effective cooperation between humans and machines.
The work of Prof Chin and his team is integral to the CADR-RAS (Centre for Advanced Defence Research in Robotics and Autonomous Systems) ecosystem.
Managed by Adelaide University, this $10 million Commonwealth-backed initiative, which started in 2021, is the connective tissue of Australia’s innovation, ensuring autonomous systems breakthroughs from the lab reach real-world industry.
CADR-RAS is a partnership representing 12 universities, more than 90 university researchers, and 33 research projects.
The Adelaide University team is working closely with the Australian Defence Technologies Academy (ADTA) at Lot Fourteen, which will serve as a nation-first launchpad for pioneering defence research, workforce development, and industry collaboration — supporting Australia’s national security and capability priorities.
As Prof Chin observes, recent global conflicts have shown that autonomous systems will define the future battlefield; therefore, it is vital that the brains of these machines, the algorithms that protect our ports and satellites, be developed right here in South Australia.
As AI advances at breakneck speed, researchers at Flinders University and Adelaide University are proving that autonomy isn’t just a buzzword. It is a vital tool for the future, whether navigating a sandstorm on the ocean floor or a debris field in deep space.
Related news
Defence
ISSUE_05 / Deep sea and deep space: our autonomous frontiers
30 January 2026
Jump to:
In the turbulent, murky waters of the surf zone and the harsh, light-blasted vacuum of Earth’s orbit, South Australian researchers are teaching machines the one thing they’ve always lacked: common sense.
While autonomous vehicles have been technically feasible for decades, they were often considered “usefully paranoid”, safe in theory yet unable to navigate the messy unpredictability of the real world. Today, that is changing.
South Australia has become a global living laboratory where artificial intelligence (AI) is being harnessed to tackle the most dangerous tasks on the planet, and above it.
From Flinders University’s Tonsley campus to Adelaide University’s Roseworthy facility, local experts are developing and commercialising technology that enables robots not only to follow code but also to communicate with humans and make split-second decisions in high-stakes environments.
The surf zone
One such environment, where the stakes are rarely higher, is the littoral surf zone, the shallow waters near shore where naval divers potentially face extreme risks from underwater mines.
Australia manages a maritime domain spanning 53 million km2, and securing these waters is a major national priority.
Professor Karl Sammut, Director of the Centre for Defence Engineering Research and Training at Flinders University, is working with industry giant, Thales Australia, which is leading a $15 million project to remove humans from this danger zone.
His team has developed an autonomous Subsea Crawler, a rugged, tracked vehicle that drives on the seabed, through waves that would toss a lighter vehicle or diver aside.
“The holy grail is for one operator to look after a team of vehicles,” Prof Sammut explains.
“In the underwater domain, communication is incredibly slow. We need these vehicles to be as trustworthy as possible. We don’t want a situation where an operator has to babysit a single robot; we want them to oversee an entire team that can ‘think’ for themselves when the signal drops out.”
Digital twin
This research isn’t just theoretical; it’s moving rapidly towards real-world application. By working with partners such as Ineni Realtime, the team has developed digital twin interfaces that enable operators to view a 3D simulation of the robot’s activity under the waves in real time, even when the visibility is near zero.
While defence is the primary intended user for this technology, its commercial potential ranges from tracking underwater cables and pipelines to inspecting offshore wind farms.
Deep space
Seven hundred kilometres above Prof Sammut’s crawlers, Professor Tat-Jun (TJ) Chin and the AI for Space Group at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning at Adelaide University are tackling a different kind of clutter.
Space is increasingly crowded with over 130,000 objects currently, and a single high-speed collision can trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
Prof Chin’s work focuses on making satellites “sentient,” equipping them with on-board intelligence to perceive their surroundings and act without waiting for a signal from Earth.
“Traditionally, satellites wait for instructions. But when you’re dealing with objects moving at kilometres per second, the round-trip communication time is simply too slow,” Prof Chin says.
His group is a key player in the Space MAITRI mission, a joint Australia-India project scheduled to launch in late 2026.
The mission will demonstrate an autonomous “tow truck” satellite capable of rendezvousing with and repairing other satellites in orbit.
Using AI-driven computer vision, the satellite must dock with a target that may be tumbling or spinning in the harsh, high-contrast lighting of space, a task Prof Chin describes as “extraordinarily delicate”.
He notes that while major space agencies can perform docking, they often do so with billion-dollar budgets and hundreds of engineers. “Our goal is to make these operations leaner, cheaper, and quicker through AI … turning it into a sustainable commercial sector.”
Our commonsense hub
The work of both professors is integral to the development of autonomous and robotic technologies.
Prof Sammut’s research is part of the Trusted Autonomous Systems CRC, Australia’s first Defence Cooperative Research Centre. The centre is uniquely equipped to deliver world-leading autonomous and robotic technologies to enable trusted and effective cooperation between humans and machines.
The work of Prof Chin and his team is integral to the CADR-RAS (Centre for Advanced Defence Research in Robotics and Autonomous Systems) ecosystem.
Managed by Adelaide University, this $10 million Commonwealth-backed initiative, which started in 2021, is the connective tissue of Australia’s innovation, ensuring autonomous systems breakthroughs from the lab reach real-world industry.
CADR-RAS is a partnership representing 12 universities, more than 90 university researchers, and 33 research projects.
The Adelaide University team is working closely with the Australian Defence Technologies Academy (ADTA) at Lot Fourteen, which will serve as a nation-first launchpad for pioneering defence research, workforce development, and industry collaboration — supporting Australia’s national security and capability priorities.
As Prof Chin observes, recent global conflicts have shown that autonomous systems will define the future battlefield; therefore, it is vital that the brains of these machines, the algorithms that protect our ports and satellites, be developed right here in South Australia.
As AI advances at breakneck speed, researchers at Flinders University and Adelaide University are proving that autonomy isn’t just a buzzword. It is a vital tool for the future, whether navigating a sandstorm on the ocean floor or a debris field in deep space.
Related news
Defence
ISSUE_05 / Deep sea and deep space: our autonomous frontiers
3 November 2025
Jump to:
In the turbulent, murky waters of the surf zone and the harsh, light-blasted vacuum of Earth’s orbit, South Australian researchers are teaching machines the one thing they’ve always lacked: common sense.
While autonomous vehicles have been technically feasible for decades, they were often considered “usefully paranoid”, safe in theory yet unable to navigate the messy unpredictability of the real world. Today, that is changing.
South Australia has become a global living laboratory where artificial intelligence (AI) is being harnessed to tackle the most dangerous tasks on the planet, and above it.
From Flinders University’s Tonsley campus to Adelaide University’s Roseworthy facility, local experts are developing and commercialising technology that enables robots not only to follow code but also to communicate with humans and make split-second decisions in high-stakes environments.
The surf zone
One such environment, where the stakes are rarely higher, is the littoral surf zone, the shallow waters near shore where naval divers potentially face extreme risks from underwater mines.
Australia manages a maritime domain spanning 53 million km2, and securing these waters is a major national priority.
Professor Karl Sammut, Director of the Centre for Defence Engineering Research and Training at Flinders University, is working with industry giant, Thales Australia, which is leading a $15 million project to remove humans from this danger zone.
His team has developed an autonomous Subsea Crawler, a rugged, tracked vehicle that drives on the seabed, through waves that would toss a lighter vehicle or diver aside.
“The holy grail is for one operator to look after a team of vehicles,” Prof Sammut explains.
“In the underwater domain, communication is incredibly slow. We need these vehicles to be as trustworthy as possible. We don’t want a situation where an operator has to babysit a single robot; we want them to oversee an entire team that can ‘think’ for themselves when the signal drops out.”
Digital twin
This research isn’t just theoretical; it’s moving rapidly towards real-world application. By working with partners such as Ineni Realtime, the team has developed digital twin interfaces that enable operators to view a 3D simulation of the robot’s activity under the waves in real time, even when the visibility is near zero.
While defence is the primary intended user for this technology, its commercial potential ranges from tracking underwater cables and pipelines to inspecting offshore wind farms.
Deep space
Seven hundred kilometres above Prof Sammut’s crawlers, Professor Tat-Jun (TJ) Chin and the AI for Space Group at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning at Adelaide University are tackling a different kind of clutter.
Space is increasingly crowded with over 130,000 objects currently, and a single high-speed collision can trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
Prof Chin’s work focuses on making satellites “sentient,” equipping them with on-board intelligence to perceive their surroundings and act without waiting for a signal from Earth.
“Traditionally, satellites wait for instructions. But when you’re dealing with objects moving at kilometres per second, the round-trip communication time is simply too slow,” Prof Chin says.
His group is a key player in the Space MAITRI mission, a joint Australia-India project scheduled to launch in late 2026.
The mission will demonstrate an autonomous “tow truck” satellite capable of rendezvousing with and repairing other satellites in orbit.
Using AI-driven computer vision, the satellite must dock with a target that may be tumbling or spinning in the harsh, high-contrast lighting of space, a task Prof Chin describes as “extraordinarily delicate”.
He notes that while major space agencies can perform docking, they often do so with billion-dollar budgets and hundreds of engineers. “Our goal is to make these operations leaner, cheaper, and quicker through AI … turning it into a sustainable commercial sector.”
Our commonsense hub
The work of both professors is integral to the development of autonomous and robotic technologies.
Prof Sammut’s research is part of the Trusted Autonomous Systems CRC, Australia’s first Defence Cooperative Research Centre. The centre is uniquely equipped to deliver world-leading autonomous and robotic technologies to enable trusted and effective cooperation between humans and machines.
The work of Prof Chin and his team is integral to the CADR-RAS (Centre for Advanced Defence Research in Robotics and Autonomous Systems) ecosystem.
Managed by Adelaide University, this $10 million Commonwealth-backed initiative, which started in 2021, is the connective tissue of Australia’s innovation, ensuring autonomous systems breakthroughs from the lab reach real-world industry.
CADR-RAS is a partnership representing 12 universities, more than 90 university researchers, and 33 research projects.
The Adelaide University team is working closely with the Australian Defence Technologies Academy (ADTA) at Lot Fourteen, which will serve as a nation-first launchpad for pioneering defence research, workforce development, and industry collaboration — supporting Australia’s national security and capability priorities.
As Prof Chin observes, recent global conflicts have shown that autonomous systems will define the future battlefield; therefore, it is vital that the brains of these machines, the algorithms that protect our ports and satellites, be developed right here in South Australia.
As AI advances at breakneck speed, researchers at Flinders University and Adelaide University are proving that autonomy isn’t just a buzzword. It is a vital tool for the future, whether navigating a sandstorm on the ocean floor or a debris field in deep space.
Related news
Defence
ISSUE_05 / Deep sea and deep space: our autonomous frontiers
28 July 2025
Jump to:
In the turbulent, murky waters of the surf zone and the harsh, light-blasted vacuum of Earth’s orbit, South Australian researchers are teaching machines the one thing they’ve always lacked: common sense.
While autonomous vehicles have been technically feasible for decades, they were often considered “usefully paranoid”, safe in theory yet unable to navigate the messy unpredictability of the real world. Today, that is changing.
South Australia has become a global living laboratory where artificial intelligence (AI) is being harnessed to tackle the most dangerous tasks on the planet, and above it.
From Flinders University’s Tonsley campus to Adelaide University’s Roseworthy facility, local experts are developing and commercialising technology that enables robots not only to follow code but also to communicate with humans and make split-second decisions in high-stakes environments.
The surf zone
One such environment, where the stakes are rarely higher, is the littoral surf zone, the shallow waters near shore where naval divers potentially face extreme risks from underwater mines.
Australia manages a maritime domain spanning 53 million km2, and securing these waters is a major national priority.
Professor Karl Sammut, Director of the Centre for Defence Engineering Research and Training at Flinders University, is working with industry giant, Thales Australia, which is leading a $15 million project to remove humans from this danger zone.
His team has developed an autonomous Subsea Crawler, a rugged, tracked vehicle that drives on the seabed, through waves that would toss a lighter vehicle or diver aside.
“The holy grail is for one operator to look after a team of vehicles,” Prof Sammut explains.
“In the underwater domain, communication is incredibly slow. We need these vehicles to be as trustworthy as possible. We don’t want a situation where an operator has to babysit a single robot; we want them to oversee an entire team that can ‘think’ for themselves when the signal drops out.”
Digital twin
This research isn’t just theoretical; it’s moving rapidly towards real-world application. By working with partners such as Ineni Realtime, the team has developed digital twin interfaces that enable operators to view a 3D simulation of the robot’s activity under the waves in real time, even when the visibility is near zero.
While defence is the primary intended user for this technology, its commercial potential ranges from tracking underwater cables and pipelines to inspecting offshore wind farms.
Deep space
Seven hundred kilometres above Prof Sammut’s crawlers, Professor Tat-Jun (TJ) Chin and the AI for Space Group at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning at Adelaide University are tackling a different kind of clutter.
Space is increasingly crowded with over 130,000 objects currently, and a single high-speed collision can trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
Prof Chin’s work focuses on making satellites “sentient,” equipping them with on-board intelligence to perceive their surroundings and act without waiting for a signal from Earth.
“Traditionally, satellites wait for instructions. But when you’re dealing with objects moving at kilometres per second, the round-trip communication time is simply too slow,” Prof Chin says.
His group is a key player in the Space MAITRI mission, a joint Australia-India project scheduled to launch in late 2026.
The mission will demonstrate an autonomous “tow truck” satellite capable of rendezvousing with and repairing other satellites in orbit.
Using AI-driven computer vision, the satellite must dock with a target that may be tumbling or spinning in the harsh, high-contrast lighting of space, a task Prof Chin describes as “extraordinarily delicate”.
He notes that while major space agencies can perform docking, they often do so with billion-dollar budgets and hundreds of engineers. “Our goal is to make these operations leaner, cheaper, and quicker through AI … turning it into a sustainable commercial sector.”
Our commonsense hub
The work of both professors is integral to the development of autonomous and robotic technologies.
Prof Sammut’s research is part of the Trusted Autonomous Systems CRC, Australia’s first Defence Cooperative Research Centre. The centre is uniquely equipped to deliver world-leading autonomous and robotic technologies to enable trusted and effective cooperation between humans and machines.
The work of Prof Chin and his team is integral to the CADR-RAS (Centre for Advanced Defence Research in Robotics and Autonomous Systems) ecosystem.
Managed by Adelaide University, this $10 million Commonwealth-backed initiative, which started in 2021, is the connective tissue of Australia’s innovation, ensuring autonomous systems breakthroughs from the lab reach real-world industry.
CADR-RAS is a partnership representing 12 universities, more than 90 university researchers, and 33 research projects.
The Adelaide University team is working closely with the Australian Defence Technologies Academy (ADTA) at Lot Fourteen, which will serve as a nation-first launchpad for pioneering defence research, workforce development, and industry collaboration — supporting Australia’s national security and capability priorities.
As Prof Chin observes, recent global conflicts have shown that autonomous systems will define the future battlefield; therefore, it is vital that the brains of these machines, the algorithms that protect our ports and satellites, be developed right here in South Australia.
As AI advances at breakneck speed, researchers at Flinders University and Adelaide University are proving that autonomy isn’t just a buzzword. It is a vital tool for the future, whether navigating a sandstorm on the ocean floor or a debris field in deep space.