A research career was always on the cards for Marc Carmichael, who has been fascinated by technology for as long as he can remember.
Innovative solutions
Dr Marc Carmichael
Dr Marc Carmichael is a Senior Lecturer in School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering and Core Member of the UTS Robotics Institute.
Dr Carmichael is recognised as one of Australia's Most Innovative Engineers (2018) published by Engineers Australia (EA) Create magazine. To compile this list, Create's selection committee looked for outcomes and outputs from the artistic side of engineering – solving a problem in a way that hasn’t been done before. Designing something beautiful and elegant but also functional and transformative.
He was recognised for his leadership of the team developing Robotic Abrasive Blasting. Marc has worked with industry partner Burwell Laboratories for several years to develop, manufacture and test a controlled robotic system to make it easier for workers involved in a physically demanding process. The abrasive material is propelled from hand-held blasting nozzle to smooth, roughen, shape or remove contaminants from surfaces in industrial settings, requiring an engineering response for difficult physical environments.
We overcame many challenges in the development of the robotic system for abrasive blasting.
Typically, robot arms are mounted on a permanent fixture, but our blasting robot is portable, allowing for easy transportation to locations where blasting takes place. We also need to ensure the technology within the system itself is protected during operations from the airborne abrasive material created during blasting.”
