The Autonomous Motion Systems (AMoS) is the robotics research cluster of the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Centre, focused on developing the mathematical and engineering foundations needed to make unmanned aerial vehicles, such as multirotor drones, robotic arms, humanoids, quadrupeds and wheeled robots, behave reliably and safely in the real world. We are joined by Dr Afraz Subratti and Cade Coker, the Co-Investigators of AMoS to discuss, among other things:  some of the projects AMoS is focusing on; what it means to have robots behave reliably; how public trust can be developed to help robots and other advanced machines to be integrated into Caribbean life; and the most important skills a student or budding engineer should develop if they want to pursue research or a career in robotics.

 

This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.

The Caribbean is no longer just a consumer of global technology; it is becoming a laboratory for its evolution. At the heart of this shift is the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Centre (AIIC), based at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. Specifically, the AIIC’s Autonomous Motion Systems (AMoS) research cluster is carving out a niche by focusing on the rigorous bones of autonomy: the mathematical and engineering foundations that allow machines to navigate the unpredictable, high-entropy environments of the real world.

Many AI labs tend to be digital-only “frontier models,” but the AMoS cluster seeks to address the physical gap with a particular focus on unmanned aerial vehicles, such as multirotor drones, robotic arms, humanoids, quadrupeds and wheeled robots. However, for a robot to be useful in the Caribbean—in our uncertain and even challenging natural environment, for example—it cannot rely on idealised lab conditions. Further and perhaps more importantly, the cluster outputs ought to be practical, high-impact, and be able to operate reliably and safely in the real world.

In this podcast episode, we are chatting with the Co-Investigators of the AMoS cluster to better understand the innovative work being done by that team, and how they have been addressing challenges that no doubt exist when trying to develop cutting-edge products and applications in the Caribbean region.

 

Introducing our guests

Dr Affraz Subratti

Driven by a strong passion for scientific discovery and innovation, Dr Afraz Subratti operates at the intersection of Chemistry and advanced Electrical Engineering at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago. He is a Synthetic Organic Chemist leveraging technical expertise as the Engineering Technician at UWI’s Department of Chemistry, while lecturing part-time at the Faculty of Science and Technology. One of his key areas of focus is developing accessible lab technology, turning complex experimentation into affordable processes through creative hardware/software solutions. 

Afraz is further advancing his technical expertise as a Master of Philosophy candidate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specialising in Intelligent Electronic Systems, while also fulfilling the role of co-Investigator and Builder for the AMoS cluster within the AIIC. 

Cade Coker

 

Cade Coker attained the Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the UWI St. Augustine in 2024, with a major in Control and Communication Systems. He is currently a PhD student and instructor within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the UWI. His research interests are safety-constrained, adaptive, optimal and time-critical control of multi-drone and articulated robotic systems.

Cade currently co-leads research within the AMoS project cluster of the AIIC of the UWI, which focuses primarily on developing and advancing mathematical theories for safe robot autonomy.

 

Insights into our conversation

Although Afraz and Cade and by extension AMoS are using advanced Mathematics, Physics and Engineering to investigate and develop robotic systems, this is the heavy lifting that underpins all of the electronic and mechanical devices that we depend on in everyday life. For example, we tend not to think exactly how such devices work generally, and more so if they move, such as aerial vehicles, like drones, or the domestic autonomous vacuum cleaners, that seem to be able to navigate spaces independently. Everything has to be programmed, whilst also ensuring that the device or system operates predictably, in a verifiable manner, is dependable, as well as safe in the real world, especially when operating in close collaboration with humans.

 At this juncture, much of the work the AMoS is investigating is geared towards industrial or commercial applications, and they have been able to produce research papers that provide further insight into novel or underexplored areas.  Further, Afraz and Cade shared that they have been able to produce more cost-effective solutions when compared with off-the-shelf products, which might be better suited to the Caribbean-based factories or businesses, not just in terms of price, but also in terms of the environment in which they will be required to operate.

Below are key questions that drove our conversation.

  1. To start us off, please share with us some of your background and your journey to becoming part of the AIIC.
  2. What is the AMoS? And what are some of the projects that AMoS is engaged in?
  3. Your focus is on making robots “behave reliably”. How do you define reliability? Is it about error margins, or is it about a robot’s ability to ‘fail gracefully’ without causing damage, for example?
  4. In a region where robotics might still feel like ‘the future,’ how does your research into reliability help build the public trust necessary for these machines to be integrated into daily Caribbean life?
  5. Moving from a simulation to the ‘real world’ is notoriously difficult in robotics. What are common assumptions that fail when a drone or humanoid actually hits the pavement?
  6. For a Caribbean student or engineer listening to this, what is the most important skill to master right now? Is it classical control theory, or the newer intersections of AI and physical hardware?
  7. In five years, if your research foundations are successful, what is one thing we will see a robot doing in a Caribbean city that would be impossible today?

 

We would love to hear your thoughts!

Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.

Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.

Let’s make it happen!

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Images credit:  A Subratti;  C Coker;  user6702303 (Magnific);standret (Magnific); tonefotografia (Magnific)

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez