Opportunities to Study Robotics in the Robotic Systems Group (RSG)


Notice: As this page could be interpreted as an invitation to study at the ANU, I am required to inform you that the ANU's CRICOS Provider Number is 00120C.

Ph.D. Applicants

We generally accept a small number of Ph.D. students every year.  If you would like to study for a Ph.D. in robotics then we invite you to apply.  The ANU has a centralized admission process for all Ph.D. applicants, which is administered by the Graduate School.  All the information you need, including application forms and information about scholarships, can be found on their web site.  You may find it useful to contact potential supervisors directly by email, in order to discuss possible research topics.  A list of the academics currently associated with the RSG can be found on the RSG web site; and some general information for Ph.D. applicants to our research school can be found here.

If you do decide to apply, please send me an email after you have submitted the application, so I know it is coming and can look out for it.

Employment Opportunities

Opportunities for employment at the Department of Information Engineering, which contains the RSG, do not arise very often.  When a position does become available, it is advertised in the news media, and on the ANU's jobs page.  It might also be advertised on various academic job web sites.  (Try googling academic jobs.)

Summer Scholarships

Summer scholarships take place during the Australian summer period (November − February), and are aimed mainly at domestic undergraduate students and students from New Zealand.  Details of our summer scholarships program, including a list of robotics projects being offered, can be found here.

Honours and Masters Projects

We generally offer a small number of honours projects and/or masters projects in robotics every year to ANU students---mainly FEIT students, but we would consider students from elsewhere in the ANU.  Each department has its own methods of disseminating project information to its students.  Computer Science students can look here to see what projects are being offered to them.  I don't know where Engineering students are supposed to look.

Example Research Projects

Wondering what to do for your research project?  Or perhaps you already have an idea and are looking for a supervisor?  Here are some examples of the kinds of project you could do with me (Roy Featherstone) as your supervisor.  If you would like to know what kinds of project other members of RSG are willing to supervise then consult their web pages or contact them directly.  The list below applies mainly to PhD students.  Honours students and summer scholars can, of course, do smaller projects in the same subject areas.  Other good places to look for project ideas are the list of past and present summer scholar projects, and past and present computer science honours projects.

Ongoing Projects

Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) ---  Build robots actuated by SMA.  Design and test control systems that produce fast, accurate motions and forces from SMA actuators.  Push the boundaries of what is possible using SMA.  For more details of our past and present work on SMA actuators and control systems, see the SMA project web page.

Potential Projects

Energy-Efficient Robot Walking ---  The present generation of humanoids and walking robots are slow, clumsy and inefficient.  Part of the problem lies in the actuator technology, which is not the best for walking.  Another part of the problem lies in the mechanical design of the legs; and a third part lies in the control algorithms used.  In this project, you could: design new actuators; build and test actuator prototypes; simulate accurately the activity of walking, to predict the energy losses; perform design studies of energy-efficient walking machines; design and test new walking control strategies; and so on.

Liquid Robots ---  Is such a thing possible?  Take a look at this stuff before you decide.  This is a high-risk, high-difficulty project for a brilliant researcher with a talent in physics and engineering.

Robot Dynamics Algorithms and Simulation ---  Design new algorithms; test and compare existing algorithms; write simulators and parts of simulators; and so on.

An Idea of Your Own?

If you have a project idea of your own that you think I might be interested in, then check my interests list to see if it fits, and discuss the matter with me.