UQ, ARM Hub launch partnership for applied cybersecurity research with manufacturers

The University of Queensland and ARM Hub have announced a partnership focussed on lifting cybersecurity among Australian manufacturing businesses.

Professor Ryan Ko, ARM Hub’s Cyber Security Lead and the Director of Cyber Security at The University of Queensland, said that the first project was with Bondi Labs. The company uses industrial smart glasses and augmented reality in agtech, logistics and biosecurity industries. One application is in quality inspection for meat processing.

“Using trusted computing and AI detection, the intended outcome is to improve security and privacy, and the integrity of data,” explained Ko in a statement on Tuesday.

“There is a direct connection between cyber security and profitability. Ransomware can be in the scale of millions of dollars, a much higher cost than implementing the security measures itself.

“Cyber security is not an IT problem; it is a business risk. These criminals are opportunistic and targeting the manufacturing industry.”

Projects through the partnership would focus on “implementing AI strategies” as part of improving companies’ cybersecurity measures, said the ARM Hub, which was established in 2019 and focusses on AI and robotics within Australian manufacturing.

The partnership would also provide an opportunity for students and researchers to help lift the industry’s digital prowess, added Professor Bronwyn Harch, UQ’s Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation at UQ.

“As global supply chains become increasingly complex, more than ever, Australia’s industries need to be driving applied research and increasing the commercial adoption of innovations in AI, robotics and related technologies into manufacturing,” said Harch.

The news follows the launch of an AI Accelerator program for manufacturers by the ARM Hub last month.

Picture: Bigstock

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