Overview
Background
Professor Ross McAree is Head of the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at the University of Queensland. His research interests are focused on machinery dynamics and control with a current emphasis on mining equipment automation.. Professor McAree led the development and demonstration of the world’s first fully autonomous mining excavator as the outcome of a 10year collaboration with Joy Global Surface Mining (now part of Komatsu) and has collaborated with Caterpillar Inc. to develop and trial the world’s first autonomous bulldozer capable of production dozing using the ‘pivot push’ method. From 2007-2015 Professor McAree held an industry funded (P&H) Chair in Mechanical Engineering and from 2009-2015 he was Vice President for Automation and Automation Program Leader with the Cooperative Research Centre for Mining. He has attracted in excess of $12M dollars of Category 1-3 and $8.5M of Category 4 funding has contributed to the winning of two CRC bids (CRCMining and CRCMining2) for a total of $35.2M funding. He established the Mechatronic Engineering Plan at UQ in 2002. He has given leadership to his School as Chair of Research Committee (2009-2015) and Teaching and Learning Committee (2015-2017). Significant external service includes serving as Chair for the Australian Academy of Science National Committee on Mechanical Sciences (2001-2006) and as the Australian representative to the International Federation of Mechanism and Machine Theory (2001-continuing), Associate Editor for journal ‘Mechatronics’ (1999-2011) and member of Australian Standards Committees ME-27 and IT-06P. Professor McAree is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE).
Availability
- Professor Ross McAree is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Research impacts
Professor McAree's research group have been involved in the development of several automation technologies for the mining sector which have been commercialized. The outputs have been estimated to have had benefit to the global mining industry of in excess of $1000m.
Works
Search Professor Ross McAree’s works on UQ eSpace
1990
Book Chapter
Using Sturm sequences to bracket real roots of polynomial equations
Hook, D. G, and McAree, P. R (1990). Using Sturm sequences to bracket real roots of polynomial equations. Graphics gems. (pp. 416-422) edited by Andrew S. Glassner. Boston, United States: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-08-050753-8.50089-9
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Ross McAree is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Physics Informed Graph Neural Networks for Discrete Element Simulations
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Tyson Phillips
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Doctor Philosophy
Autonomous bulldozers for stockyard management
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Zane Smith
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Doctor Philosophy
Development of a smart spreader system
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Micah Nehring, Dr Tyson Phillips, Professor Peter Knights
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Doctor Philosophy
Mapping Unstructured Environments for Real-Time Pose Estimation using Multimodal Perception to Explore and Provide Trusted Autonomy
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Tyson Phillips
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Doctor Philosophy
Autonomous insect-machine hybrid robots
Associate Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Development of a Living Wireless Sensor Network for Environmental Monitoring
Associate Advisor
Completed supervision
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Building and maintaining real-time terrain maps for autonomous bulldozer mining
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kevin Austin, Dr Tyson Phillips
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Mission planning under bounded rationality for autonomous excavation
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kevin Austin
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Autonomous material characterisation for precision mineral extraction
Principal Advisor
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Traction Estimation and Adaptive Autonomous Driving for an Articulated Mining Truck
Principal Advisor
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Achieving a Representation of Asset Data Conducive to Machine Learning driven Predictive Maintenance
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr David Hyland-Wood, Professor Peter Knights
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2019
Master Philosophy
A treatise on the productivity of semi-automated pivot push bulldozing
Principal Advisor
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Determining and verifying object pose from LiDAR measurements to support the perception needs of an autonomous excavator
Principal Advisor
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2016
Master Philosophy
Scan matching for terrain mapping in open-pit mining
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kevin Austin
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2014
Master Philosophy
Enhancing Awareness to Support Teleoperation of a Bulldozer
Principal Advisor
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
Estimating and verifying truck pose for automated excavator loading
Principal Advisor
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
Failure detection in longwall armored face conveyors
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Hal Gurgenci
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
Avoidance filtering for human-commanded manipulation systems using constrained control
Principal Advisor
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
Algorithms for Collision Hulls and their Applications to Path Planning
Principal Advisor
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
Optimal drill pattern assignment for multi boom jumbos
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kevin Austin
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2008
Master Philosophy
Models for predictive control of electric mining shovels
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor David Mee
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2006
Doctor Philosophy
GEOMETRIC ALGORITHMS FOR MACHINE DYNAMICS
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Hal Gurgenci
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2006
Master Philosophy
QUANTIFYING ROAD SURFACE QUALITY FOR UNDERGROUND HAUL ROADS
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Hal Gurgenci
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2004
Doctor Philosophy
A METHODOLOGY FOR MONITORING TYRE-FORCES ON OFF-HIGHWAY MINING TRUCKS
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Hal Gurgenci
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2003
Master Philosophy
EFFECT OF BLASTING PATTERNS ON EXCAVATOR RELIABILITY AND MAINTENANCE
Principal Advisor
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2020
Master Philosophy
A perception pipeline exploiting trademark databases for service robots
Associate Advisor
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2012
Master Philosophy
Gas Turbine Control in Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle Plants
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Hal Gurgenci
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2003
Doctor Philosophy
IMPLEMENTATION OF CMAC AS A NEURAL NETWORK CONTROLLER ON MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
Associate Advisor
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Ross McAree directly for media enquiries about:
- Automation and autonomous systems
- Autonomous mining equipment
- Mechanical engineering
- Mechatronic engineering
- Safety related control systems
- Societal consequences of automation
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