Cosmos
Cosmos is a quarterly science magazine. We aim to inspire curiosity in ‘The Science of Everything’ and make the world of science accessible to everyone.
By Cosmos
From monitoring Antarctica’s delicate ecosystem and navigating treacherous bushfire zones to designing innovative amphibious robots, Australia’s next generation of female roboticists are tackling transformative projects.
Brittany Gorry, Angelina Fantasia, and Jessica Gumowski have begun their postgraduate research studies at QUT’s Centre for Robotics and at Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, supported by our Alberto Elfes Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Named after the late Professor Alberto Elfes, a pioneering leader in robotics at CSIRO, this scholarship aims to increase diversity within Australia’s robotics sector. It was made possible by the $1.2 million prize awarded to the CSIRO-led team for our success in the 2021 DARPA SubT Challenge.
The scholarship seeks to support high-performing students from groups underrepresented in the robotics industry, including women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, gender-diverse individuals, applicants with disabilities or health conditions, and people from remote or rural areas. Through this scholarship, we hope to foster the next generation of female leaders, paving the way for greater diversity and innovation.
Meet the young women driving Australia’s robotics revolution and reshaping the future of the field.
Robot philosopher
Brittany Gorry is redefining the role of a roboticist. With a background in physics, she is pursuing a Master of Philosophy at QUT and CSIRO.
“I want to bring an interdisciplinary perspective to research that enhances how technology interacts with the world around us,” Gorry says.
During her scholarship, Gorry will combine physics, engineering, and AI to improve environmental monitoring in Antarctica.
“We’re working towards developing machine learning models to help scientists more accurately and autonomously identify patterns in Antarctica’s environmental indicators, such as moss coverage.
“This will improve our understanding of how the ecosystem’s health is evolving.”
Not having a conventional background in robotics is just one stereotype Gorry wants to change.
“Visibility and representation are crucial for breaking down stereotypes about who belongs in STEM. It’s essential that women see themselves reflected in the field,” she says.
Gorry believes that showcasing the diverse applications of robotics and highlighting the wide-reaching impact of their work can help encourage more women to pursue these paths.
“Some of the most impactful breakthroughs happen when people from diverse fields come together, and I’d like to see more researchers embracing that approach.”
Walking with robots
When a human walks through dense bushland, they instinctively assess whether they can push through overgrown vegetation or if it’s too thick to pass. Robots, on the other hand, don’t have that intuition – yet. Angelina Fantasia is working to bridge that gap.
As part of her scholarship at QUT, Fantasia, born in Venezuela with Italian heritage, is developing methods to understand the interaction between robots and vegetation in off road environments.
“If the robot doesn’t know whether the cluster of vegetation is traversable, it can get stuck or damaged,” she says.
Her research will enable robots to navigate diverse environments, including farms, wetlands, and burnt bushland. This has applications in agriculture, conservation, and search and rescue.
“I don’t want my research to just sit on paper, I want it to have practical applications,” Fantasia says.
With a background in theoretical and medical physics, she discovered her passion for robotics in Germany. There, she programmed a robot that autonomously performed testing tasks for a medical device.
“I learned to program the robot’s software and hardware and build a state-of-the-art setup. The process absolutely fascinated me.”
Fantasia hopes her work will not only advance robotics but also inspire more women to enter the field.
“Australia has been incredibly welcoming. Here, women in STEM are respected and valued. It’s not just talk, it’s real. I want to see more women take up these opportunities, because we have so much to contribute.”
Soft robotics
Jessica Gumowski’s love of science began with Asari, the inquisitive female protagonist of the comic series Manga Science by Yoshitoo Asari.
“There was an edition where Asari helped build a space rocket, and I loved it,” Gumowski recalls.
“That issue made me completely sure I wanted to become an engineer.”
Today, Gumowski is conducting cutting-edge research in soft robotics. Through her QUT scholarship, she’ll contribute to the design of a robot capable of navigating both aquatic and terrestrial environments.
Gumowski’s journey in robotics has been strongly shaped by female role models. “During my time at EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne), I was greatly inspired by my manager, Dr Josie Hughes, and my PhD supervisor, Nana Obayashi.
“Seeing them made me think, ‘This is what I want to do; I want to be like them.’ These female role models had a really positive impact on me.”
As she continues her studies, Gumowski hopes to encourage more women to consider careers in engineering and robotics.
“You just need to take that first step and go for it. Scholarships like this can help provide that confidence.”
Originally published at CSIRO News by Alison Donnellan
