Unleash your (Disruptive) Tech Geek!
SUNDAY 28 MARCH 2021
LEVEL 1, THE PRECINCT | TC BEIRNE BUILDING, FORTITUDE VALLEY, BRISBANE
FREE non-ticketed events
Queensland AI Hub joins forces with Queensland XR Hub and Queensland Robotics in this mind-boggling deep dive into ‘disruptive technology’. Guaranteed to keep you on your toes – and firing on all neurons – whether walking the talk of AI-enabled robots (think, intelligent bots able to move and respond to your commands) or tapping into the wonder and wisdom of extended reality (XR) immersions. Did you know? In the world of transformative technology, being ‘disruptive’ is a good thing… meaning ‘innovative or groundbreaking’!
Technology moves fast. Can you keep up?
No sweat! In a jam-packed day of FREE interactive activities, we let you set the pace, exploring a series of disruptive tech zones, specially curated for World Science Festival Brisbane’s City of Science program. The following activities are designed as a round-robin series of hands-on ‘experience stations’… to enjoy at your leisure. After all, what’s the rush? The future is now!
PROGRAM
9.00am to 4.00pm
Extended Reality (XR) Demonstrations
Can the past, present and future exist at the one time, in the one place? Is this Hogwarts? Discover how Extended Reality (XR) can be used to understand the past or improve the future. We’ve lined up a diverse selection of XR experiences so you can travel back in time over 200 years ago or journey into a whole other universe as ‘future visionaries’ tasked with tackling problems like cancer prevention or climate change. Anything is possible.
MalignancyVR
Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Excite Science and Real Serious Games
MalignancyVR is an immersive Virtual Reality game exploring modern cancer treatments. Designed by cancer researchers, Dr Ken Dutton-Regester (Excite Science) and Dr Elke Hacker (QUT), the game uses VR as a platform to teach people about cancer – transporting players into the lung! When a metastatic skin cancer suddenly appears, it’s up to players to use chemo, targeted and immuno-therapies to combat the cancer.
Virtual Warrane II
Real Serious Games and acclaimed Indigenous Multimedia Expert, Brett Leavy
Virtual Warrane II provides a virtual experience of the Original Custodians of Warrane, the Gadigal people. Warrane is the Gadigal name for Sydney Cove. This virtual experience is presented as an immersive heritage landscape that displays the arts, culture and heritage of the Gadigal people. It shows what Sydney Harbour was like before the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. Virtual Warrane II presents stories told by the Custodians of Sydney and informed by historical records, original oil paintings, and research by anthropologists and archaeologists.
Allegory of Reality
Multidisciplinary media and XR artist Michelle Brown AKA The Bad Lament
Allegory of Reality is a Virtual Reality exhibition aimed to create a focus on the impact of climate change. Playing with environment and scale and visual juxtaposition, participants are positioned in the space to experience room scale virtual reality that includes immersing individuals into a visual piece that tackles the future of planet Earth.
What is XR 101
Equal Reality Co-Founder, Brennan Hatton (Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs List 2019)
Specially created for ‘Unleash your Disruptive Tech Geek’ visitors, this introduction to XR technologies is not to be missed. It provides a 101 insight into how XR strives to emulate a physical world through digital or simulated experiences for the good of all humanity.
ARDENT ROLEPLAY & AR PHOTO BOOTH
Ardacious
Ardacious will amaze you with their vision of the future of tabletop games and how, using Augmented Reality technology, they bring the games to life. Ardent Roleplay brings virtual scenery, creature, character and prop models face-to-face with the players. Augmented Reality is emerging as the perfect tool to showcase characters and environments on table top games, as if they were straight out of a 3D video game. Each player is finally able to experience what their character sees, AR technology deepens the immersion into the game and stops the metagaming! Have a mini adventure with a Dungeons & Dragons encounter, and get a picture of yourself with a fantasy creature in the AR photo booth.
9.00am to 4.00pm
AI and Robotics Demonstrations
Have you ever wondered how Siri and Alexa know how to convert your words to text? How your Smartphone allows your face to unlock it? How police can identify ‘baddies’ from afar – or that your voice can power a robotic vehicle? Cool, right? We bet you’ll also have a few questions for your very own robot assistant. Done. Join our disruptive tech experts to discover all of this and more in a series of all-ages ‘experience stations’ curated to help you learn about and interact with AI programs using Computer Vision, Robotics, Voice & Facial Recognition.
Totally Gripping! DIY Robotic Hand and 3D-Printed Animatronic Hand
Get up close and personal with a realistic animatronic hand, then learn to build your very own version at home using common household items. This activity provides an insight into biomechanical fundamentals. Are you ready to accept a challenge to play scissors, paper, rock!
Star Wars, Move Over! Your Personal 3D-Printed Light Dagger
The ‘forces’ are strong with this demo! Get ready to learn how movement patterns created by a 3D-printed light dagger form the building blocks for direction and movement of autonomous vehicles.
Are You Ready to Rumble? DIY Robotic Tank
On your command! Learn how robotic tanks can be programmed to move via voice recognition or body movements. Jump forward, backwards, and twist your body to put the tank through its paces.
Get a Grip!
Find out how QUT’s research visionaries are helping robots see and understand the world. This totally gripping Panda manipulation demo (#ahem think robotic arm, not bear… but just as cute) provides an insight into ways robots use computer vision to identify and purposely interact with everyday objects in the real world. Expect hands-on learning at its best as the robotic arm passes you objects of your choice, sorts through mess, or performs handy tasks like turning valves. Could this be a Rosie robot of the future?
Autonomous Vehicles – Hype or Here to Stay?
Autonomous vehicles are one of the hottest technology fields globally, and the race is heating up in Australia to understand and create these key technologies. QUT has put its research pedal to the metal, developing its own fleet of mini autonomous vehicles. Aptly dubbed ‘Carlie’, these mobile robotic platforms (built like tough Aussie utes), are scaled-down versions of the real thing, equipped with a range of cameras and on-board computer capability expected of a full-size autonomous car. Cool, right? Come and meet Carlie!
Robotic Road Trip
The future is now! Take control of mobile robots tasked with navigating a model ‘City of The Future’. Visualise the algorithms they use to stay on the road and add your own flare with full control over the source code of your very own autonomous vehicle. Can you ensure your robot completes the circuit without causing damage to buildings or citizens?
Farmer wants a Bot?
Find out how this Brisbane-based startup is creating the brain, eyes and hands for the next generation of intelligent robots, including a world-first robotic system that can pick up any fruit or vegetable to give a helping hand to farmers and warehouses facing labour shortages.
Start your engines with AWS DeepRacer – the fastest way to get rolling with machine learning
Developers, start your engines! Developers of all skill levels can get hands on with machine learning through a cloud based 3D racing simulator, fully autonomous 1/18th scale race car driven by reinforcement learning, and global racing league. AWS DeepRacer gives you an interesting and fun way to get started with reinforcement learning (RL). RL is an advanced machine learning (ML) technique that takes a very different approach to training models than other machine learning methods. Its super power is that it learns very complex behaviours without requiring any labeled training data, and can make short term decisions while optimising for a longer term goal.
MORE INFORMATION
Click here to learn about the other AI activities happening on 27th March.
Places are limited and dependent on the capacity of the venue under COVID-Safe guidelines. Arrive early for your session to guarantee a spot.