Systems and Control
Our Systems and Control research group is concerned with modelling, analysing, designing and building innovative, reliable and predictable computer-controlled systems.
Our research expertise spans:
- control and signal processing
- sensory embedded systems
- trusted autonomous systems, decision and control
- secure cyber-physical networks
- machinereinforcement learning
- game theory and optimisation
- hybrid system design and analysis.
Our Systems and Control research group’s work is applied throughout society to enhance things like public safety, transport, agriculture, firefighting and surveillance. It also plays an integral role in the defence sector, helping to boost sovereign capability in:
- countering improvised threats in urban and contested environments
- surveillance and situational awareness
- intelligent multi-agent coordination and learning
- protection of critical infrastructure.
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Research impact
We are focused on developing innovative, integrable solutions that provide great potential for technology transfer. Some of our key funded projects involve:
- ‘fuzzy’ approaches to networked control system analysis
- decentralised reinforcement learning for coordinating systems
- distributed control for multi-vehicle systems
- distributed team-based learning in multi-player game environment
- distributed genetic fuzzy decision-making for coordinating systems
- multi-agent systems and formation control
- neural networks, fuzzy sets and systems
- complex hybrid dynamical system modelling, analysis and design.
Our group’s research is globally renowned. Group member Professor Peng Shi has been recognised as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers in engineering and computer science by ISI Thomson Reuters and Clarivate Analytics. The group in 2017-18 we received funding support of over $1.5M. This included from:
- the Australia Next Generation Technologies Fund
- two Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group Competitive Evaluation Research Agreements
- four DST Group Research Agreements
- an Australian Research Council Discovery Projects grant.
Our Systems and Control research group also contributed strongly to the University of Adelaide’s 2020 world-ranking achievements in engineering. In the Academic Ranking of World Universities the University was ranked:
- 24th for Automation and Control
- 42nd for Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- 40th for Computer Science and Engineering.
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Consulting services
We consult to government and industry. Some of our current collaborative research agreements are focused on:
- autonomous systems
- multi-agent formation control
- distributed reinforcement learning
- fuzzy networked control.
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Our researchers
We have expertise across a wide range of areas. Many of our researchers are available to assist with research project supervision for Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy students.
Research team Expertise Professor Peng Shi Multi-robot systems; Networked control systems; Complex hybrid dynamical system modelling, analysis and design Professor Cheng-Chew Lim Distributed real-time control; Trusted autonomous multi-agent systems; Reinforcement and machine learning Dr Hong Gunn Chew Machine learning including deep learning; Data network cyber security; Autonomous multi-agent systems Dr Duong Duc Nguyen Decentralised reinforcement learning for autonomous systems Dr Xin Yuan Dr Zhi Lian Dr Bing Yan Mr Daotong Zhang Mr Yize Yang Mr Tagor Hossain Associate Professor Rini Akmeliawati Dr Lei Chen -
Collaborations
We collaborate with various industry and government organisations, including:
Higher degree by research opportunities
Be involved in engineering discovery, invention, and cutting-edge research through a higher degree by research. Join our Master of Philosophy or Doctor of Philosophy programs.