Abstract: Autonomous marine robots have made rapid advancements in recent years, driven by exciting progress in artificial intelligence (AI), advanced sensory technologies, and robust decision-making systems. These robots are now being deployed in high-impact applications such as offshore wind farm inspections, search and rescue operations, and seabed mapping, among others. The key to achieving high-level autonomy in marine robots lies in the autonomous navigation system, which encompasses sensing/perception, planning/decision-making, and automatic control. This talk will focus on recent developments in advanced autonomy technologies for marine robots at UCL. Key topics include: 1) reliable semantic segmentation of the water surface, 2) efficient multi-constraint planning for surface vessels, 3) reinforcement learning-powered multi-task allocation, and 4) adversarial networks for enhanced maritime systems.

Bio: Dr. Yuanchang Liu is an Associate Professor and Chair of Marine Research in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London. Dr Liu is also the Programme Director of MSc Power Systems Engineering. Prior to joining the department, he served as a Research Fellow in Robotic Vision and Autonomous Vehicles at the Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey. Dr. Yuanchang Liu earned his MSc degree in Power Systems Engineering and a PhD degree in Marine Control Engineering, both from University College London in 2011 and 2016, respectively. Dr. Liu’s research primarily focuses on automation and autonomy, with a special emphasis on exploring technologies related to sensing, perception, and the guidance and control of intelligent and autonomous vehicles. In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Liu was featured among the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University in both 2022, 2023, 2024. Additionally, he received the Denny Medal, awarded by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science, and Technology (IMarEST).

Time:   11:00 am -12:00 pm (GMT), 9th Dec 2024

Venue:   127, School of Engineering (Y8), University of Birmingham

Organizer:   IEEE University of Birmingham Student Branch & PES Chapter

Registration Link: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/450274