Research Groups

Research is a key part of our work at ECS and a diverse range of projects are underway at any one time.

ECS Research Groups

ELVIS - Software Engineering

ELVIS's work ranges from more technical research concerning the structure of software and tool support for development, to human-computer interaction and software development processes. They have experience and interests in a wide range of topics and applications in the OO paradigm, including visualisation, design patterns, software reuse, and frameworks, as well as in interface design and evaluation.

Artificial Intelligence

The artificial intelligence group carries out research in Machine Learning, Neural Networks, Cognitive Science, and Data Mining. Active projects include a system for automatic clustering of temporal data, analysing the evolution of cooperative behaviour, and the development of reinforcement learning techniques for complex tasks.

Network Engineering Research Group

The research of the Network Engineering Research Group covers wireless communications, networking protocols and performance issues. With the network as the focal point, the research can be broadly divided into cognitive networks (covering physical up to network and transport layer), distributed computing (transport layer and above), and security, trust and cooperation (vertical thrust that cuts across all layers).

Computer Systems Engineering and Electronic Engineering

The Mechatronics Group has the largest fleet of mobile robots in New Zealand. The fleet comprises of 6 individual robots: MARVIN our security guard; Itchy and Scratchy, who work in a co-operative manner, the Tank, a tracked vehicle which is the grandmother in the USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) project, Rubblebot, the mother in the USAR project and finally the ROV, an underwater submersible vehicle. The end goal is of the Mechatronics Group is to create fully autonomous robots, where human intervention is not required for normal operation.

Software and Hardware projects are available. Current projects include Low cost Laser Range finding system, Real-time range imaging System, Hardware and Software Enhancements to an Autonomous Mobile Robot.

Interdisciplinary

While there are some strong links between groups within the School, there are also good ties to groups outside the School.

Centre for Logic, Language and Computation

The Centre for Logic, Language and Computation (CLLC) was established in February 2001. The aim of CLLC is:

• to promote research in logic, computation and the logical analysis of language (including related areas, such as formal syntax), particularly at the interface between these disciplines.

CLLC consists of people from mathematics, computer science, philosophy and linguistics.

Evolutionary Computation Research Group

Evolutionary Computation Research Group focuses on a range of topics such as Genetic Programming, Learning Classifier Systems, Particle Swarm Optimisation, Multi-Objective Optimisation, Evolutionary Computer Vision, Image Analysis and Signal Processing, and Evolutionary Art. The group consists of people from computer science, artificial intelligence, operations research, Statistics, computer systems engineering.