The role drones will play in logistic supply chains across Northern Australia will be at the centre of research and training at a new facility for drones established by Charles Darwin University and the North Australia Center for Autonomous Systems.

The centre will also be involved in the monitoring and surveillance of a broad range of industries and sectors deemed important to the Territory and the wider Asia Pacific region.

The scope of applications for drones and their associated artificial intelligence (AI) applications will include border security, agriculture, fisheries, emergency and disaster planning, health care, resource extraction, and energy.

Centre Director, Professor Hamish Campbell, said demand for unmanned autonomous system-based services will grow substantially over the next 10 years.

“We know that emerging autonomous technologies is a key area for investment and growth in North Australia, and this centre is about ensuring CDU becomes a leader in autonomous technology research and training,” Mr Campbell said.

“Having a physical location in Darwin, Katherine, and Alice Springs, will be an attractive offering for autonomous system manufacturers wishing to relocate or create an arm in Northern Australia, which would attract these companies to the Territory.”

The Federal Government previously identified NACAS as one of the projects that received a portion of a $12 million grant from the Emerging Aviation Technology Partnership program which will be used for the centre’s experimental drone service delivery for health-related packages between health centres and remote communities in the West Arnhem region.

CDU, along with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, earlier received $1.4 million from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).

The fund forms part of the Next Generation Graduate Program which will train personnel at Darwin’s TestLabs 4.0 in emerging technologies, including applied AI, digital twins and threads, machine learning, robotics, cyber security, and state-of-the-art manufacturing.

The university will soon offer a Vocational Education Training Certificate III (remote pilot) course in aviation.

Early this year, the university said it would be building a test flight facility CDU-RMIT Industry 4.0 TestLab for the development of un-crewed autonomous aircraft, which will also manufacture aerospace and defence industry parts at its Casuarina campus.

Aboriginal corporations and land councils are also being asked by the centre to take part in the delivery of on-site pilot training across the Territory, as well as to create new programs on technology information for communities.