Events

UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY - THE BOEING EXPERIENCE

Dr. Christopher Reid | Technical Fellow and Boeing Designated Expert in the Human Factors & Ergonomics

Thursday 23 Nov 2023 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM | Flinders University Tonsley, Lecture Theatre 2

What opportunities can advanced technology offer business?

AITI invites you to a presentation from Dr Chris Reid followed by a panel discussion exploring the future of the advance manufacturing workforce.

Come and learn through the experience of Boeing how advanced technologies combined with good workforce partnering have been successful in technology adoption to increase competitiveness.

This is a free event and everyone is welcome! Whether you're a business leader, advisor, researcher - or just interested in the future of work! This is part of the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute's (AITI) ongoing Future of Work Seminar Series.

A light lunch will be provided so please RSVP for catering purposes.

RSVP NOW

PANEL

Following a presentation Dr Chris Reid will lead this discussion exploring the lessons learned by Boeing from partnering with their people to maximise the benefits of technology adoption in their manufacturing processes.

Mark Corbett - Principal Human Factors Specialist, Boeing, Adelaide

Donna Duffy – Associate Technical Fellow in Human Factors and Ergonomics, Boeing Brisbane

Marina Vitale – Senior Human Factors Engineer, Boeing Brisbane

Dr. Christopher Reid is a Technical Fellow and Boeing Designated Expert in the Human Factors & Ergonomics discipline, with a focus on wearable technology.

Prior to Boeing, he worked for Lockheed Martin on astronaut spacesuit assessment as a Human Factors & Ergonomics Discipline Lead at NASA Johnson Space Center and as a Human Factors Engineer for the US Army Natick Labs, assessing Warfighter personal protective equipment.

Outside of Boeing, Chris volunteers his time on several technical associations, including as the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society 2021-2022 President, and ASTM International’s Chair of the ASTM F48.02 Subcommittee on Human Factors & Ergonomics for Exoskeletons and Exosuits. He’s also an advisor on the National Safety Council’s Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) Solutions Lab Advisory Council.

PARKING

Please note, free parking for the general public is located at Carpark 4 - see this map for details.

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(08) 8201 5083

aiti@flinders.edu.au

Past Events

AUTOMATION NATION

Dr Navinda Kottege|CSIRO

In this first instalment of the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute's (AITI) Future of Work in the Digital Age Seminar Series Dr Kottege talked about the current state of robotics and automation and, drawing on insights from global trends, attempt to paint a picture of what the future of work may hold. 

In 2021 Dr Kottege led the CSIRO’s Data61 robotics team as they placed second in the ‘Robotic Olympics’ - the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Subterranean Challenge, a global robotics challenge to send field robots into unknown underground environments.

Australia is undoubtedly punching above its weight in robotic developments, but our robotics ecosystem is fragmented. Dr Kottege discussed some of the challenges of the adoption and commercialisation of cutting-edge technology in Australia in the light of current capabilities. And how the collaborative sub-systems of humans and robot interactions means we should anticipate a future of work that includes jobs we have not yet imagined.

This event was held on 17 Feb 2022.

THE PROMISE OF AUTOMATION AND DIGITALISATION

Professor Hugh Bradlow|Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering

The rise of the so-called “Internet of Things” (or “IoT”) over the last decade promises digitilisation of the physical world through measurement, analysis and control. This, combined with Artificial Intelligence, creates the promise of automating many tasks currently done by humans.

But the nature of this automation is yet to be understood. Although there is widespread fear that automation will supplant human jobs Prof. Bradlow argued there is a greater likelihood that automation will complement human work, not replace it. In other words, automation will be no different from other technological advances that humans have applied since the beginning of time – it will just be another tool to make humans more effective.

In this presentation, Hugh Argued that the advantage of automation is not productivity (even though it will inevitably lead to changes in productivity) but the reduction, and possibly ultimately elimination, of human error. He will focus on the progression of automated vehicles and smart buildings as examples.

This event was held on 3 March 2022.

CHARGING AHEAD. ELECTRIC VEHICLES AS INDUSTRIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR (SOUTH) AUSTRALIA

Dr. Mark Dean | Laurie Carmichael Distinguished Research Fellow at the Carmichael Centre, Centre for Future Work at The Australia Institute

Australia possesses many of the key elements to develop an electric vehicle manufacturing industry: critical minerals, advanced industries, skilled workers and consumer demand.

But it lacks an active industrial policy for manufacturing that could coordinate these elements and create a major industry at the core of a sustainable, renewables-focused advanced industrial economy. There are significant opportunities for (South) Australia’s urban centres and regions to benefit from a national EV-focused industrial transformation.

What opportunities are there for state and country, and how can they be captured by federal industry policy and a state government strategy? This question is explored in relation to the key role of public investment in Australia’s renewables-driven future.

This event was held on the 21 of April 2022.

FUTURE SKILLS: MORE THAN PROGRAMMING?

Prof. Toby Walsh | Laureate Fellow & Scientia Professor of AI, School of CSE, UNSW Sydney

What are likely future demands on workers’ skills and what are the implications for Australia’s training system?

From a perspective of organisational readiness and scientific advances, Australia is amongst the global leaders in developing applications for, and with, Artificial Intelligence.

Having adequate numbers of qualified data scientists and machine learning experts is seen as one of the challenges ahead. What does this mean for Australia’s education and training system? What do we need to teach and learn?

Is it all about technical skills – or, as argued in this presentation, are there soft skills to be considered as well?

Prof. Toby Walsh discussed the implications and impacts of future demands for workers’ skills on Australia's training system.

This session was not recorded.

REACHING FOR UTOPIA

John Quiggin | Professor of Economics, University of Queensland.

From four-day weeks to unconditional basic income to free education, it’s possible to imagine a future where society’s focus has moved from consumption to quality of life.

Prof. John Quiggin discusses the technological possibilities and the way the experience of the Covid pandemic has changed our thinking.

This discussion is hosted by Prof. John Spoehr, Director of the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute and is suitable for anyone interested in automation and the future of work in Australia.

This event was held on the 14 July 2022.

Inviting vista or hostile landscape? The gig economy through the eyes of young Australians

Dr Josh Healy | University of Newcastle, Dr Andi Pekarek | Melbourne

Young people are avid participants in the gig economy, as users and as workers. This dual involvement means that platform companies play a significant role in many young people’s lives, both in enabling their consumption and providing new opportunities for work.

In this paper, Dr Healy and Dr Pekarek present contemporary evidence of how young Australians engage with platforms and their views about gig work. They find that while young people have taken enthusiastically to platforms as users, they are pessimistic about important aspects of gig work. And discuss what this combination of support and suspicion portends for young people’s awareness and acceptance of platforms’ labour practices, which are central to the future of work.