3D Printing Melbourne

13 Sept: Figurine Painting and Friends-Social

**✨Are you tired of making ‘how are you’ friends? This event is for you!✨** 🎨What better way to build and deepen connections than through a fun activity like **Figurine painting**! There are many social events but it isn’t easy to feel connected to someone in a large group setting. I am super extroverted yet found myself walking home after a great social feeling more lonely, because of all the superficial connections made. I started Hue&Crew to help people build their next close-friend circle based on age, personality and interest! 🎨**What to Expect** This isn’t a big mixer event, every event has a limit of 6 people per table and a fishbowl full of conversation starters to help people get started! We move around Melbourne's many beautiful cafes weekly to keep things fresh! Expect: * A fresh, comfy venue * A hosted structure so you’re never left awkwardly quiet * A fishbowl of conversation starters for the introverts * A relaxed atmosphere where you can genuinely be yourself * Hand-painted figurines you made yourself to bring home Each group is curated to feel natural, matched by age, interest and personality 🎨**Notice before you sign up:** As the events are really small and it might take some time to form a group with similar interests, we will inform you when there is a suitable group for you! **RSVP now:** [https://forms.gle/4MN6oygujee9qmej9](https://forms.gle/4MN6oygujee9qmej9) **Take a look at our instagram page to see past public events**👇 [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXY8PXADXsm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXY8PXADXsm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) **Bring a friend for a 10% Discount for the both of you!**

Origami and Chocolate

Join us for a relaxing time of folding together at the Ratio chocolate factory in Brunswick! Bring a fun origami project to fold and share, all while sipping on delectable hot chocolate! Standard origami paper will be provided. We just ask for a gold coin to help with group expenses.

Let's build: A.I/ML/Robots using Google Colab and Aiko Services

**Aim:** Create A.I / Machine Learning projects ... optionally with Robots **Web-site: [https://ai-ml-robots.github.io](https://ai-ml-robots.github.io)** **Discussions: [https://tinyurl.com/ai-ml-robots-discussions](https://tinyurl.com/ai-ml-robots-discussions)** **Pre-meeting catch-up:** 6:00 pm at **[Grill'd Burgers, 127-133 Swan St, Richmond](https://maps.app.goo.gl/N6QBydEVo1JW6ctn9)** ... great opportunity for casual discussion and especially for newcomers to get acquainted with the group ***(our table will have orange traffic cones)*** **Activity:** Using [Google Colab](https://colab.google) and [Aiko Services](https://github.com/geekscape/aiko_services), we will build a project utilizing A.I/ML and simple, low-cost robots. **Agenda:** **7:00 pm sharp at 415 Church Street, Richmond** \- 7:00 pm ML software "guided" build session using Google Colab \- 9:30 pm Projects show and tell: ad\-hoc for anyone to contribute \- 9:45 pm Tidy up room \- 10:00 pm Hard stop \! **Please bring a laptop, as these are hands-on build sessions.** Just think of a laptop as a robot without wheels or legs ! If you are a newcomer to Machine Learning or robotics, you are still very welcome. If you do have a robot, please bring it along !

Saturday morning badminton @ Beyond Badminton Centre - Clayton

Fabric x SpaceXAI Launch Event

🚀 What does it really mean to build AI-native software? Join us for an upcoming fireside chat with [SpaceXAI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/spacexai/posts/?feedView=all) as we explore what’s next for AI-powered software development. We’ll unpack: 🔹 Why the SpaceXAI × [Fabric Group](https://www.linkedin.com/company/fabricgroup/) partnership matters 🔹 What AI-native software development really looks like 🔹 How AI is reshaping engineering teams and workflows 🔹 The challenges organisations face when adopting AI at scale 🔹 Opportunities to modernise legacy systems and accelerate delivery Whether you’re leading an engineering team, driving digital transformation, or exploring what AI could mean for your organisation, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. 📍 Join us for the conversation.

Friday Night Badminton @ Mt Waverley Badminton Centre

The Materials Revolution: Engineering the Future Beyond Plastics

Join me for an evening of big ideas at The Royal Society of Victoria, where a panel of researchers will dig into what comes after plastics — and what the next generation of materials might make possible. The panel brings together authors from the latest edition of *Science Victoria* to talk through everything from award-winning work on capturing greenhouse gases, to new approaches for recycling plastic waste, to the materials behind solar energy and quantum technology. It's a public talk, so you don't need a science background to follow along — just some curiosity about the stuff the world is made of. We'll meet outside the gates of The Royal Society of Victoria on La Trobe Street at 5:40pm so we can say hello before things start, then head inside together around 5:50pm to find seats. The talk and discussion run from 6pm to 8pm, and the meetup wraps up when it finishes. This is a casual social meetup so we can head along together — it isn't run by, affiliated with, or endorsed by The Royal Society of Victoria. Please book your own ticket directly through Humanitix; an RSVP here doesn't include entry. **Who this is for** * Anyone curious about science, sustainability, materials or where technology is heading * No background knowledge needed — it's pitched at a general audience * People who enjoy a talk with actual researchers rather than a summary of one * Coming solo? Very welcome — plenty of people come on their own, and meeting outside beforehand makes it easy to find the group **Links** * Meetup start point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/AaqS2VimHeoE8oYX6 * Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/science-victoria-sep-26 * The Royal Society of Victoria: https://www.rsv.org.au/ **Timeline** * 5:40pm – Meet outside the gates of The Royal Society of Victoria and say hello * 5:50pm – Head inside together and get seated * 6:00pm – Main talk and panel discussion begins * 8:00pm – Talk finishes and the meetup ends **Tickets / cost** * Everyone books their own ticket directly through Humanitix — please sort this out before the night, as these talks can fill up * A Meetup RSVP is not a ticket and doesn't include entry * The listing mentions light refreshments are included with your ticket **Transport** * The venue is at 8 La Trobe Street in the CBD, an easy walk from Melbourne Central and Parliament stations * Trams along La Trobe and Swanston Streets stop close by * Street parking in the area is limited and metered, so public transport is the easier option **Bring** * Your ticket * A jacket — it's a September evening in Melbourne * Something to take notes with, if that's your thing * Questions for the panel **Expect** * Difficulty: none — it's a sit-down talk * Pace: relaxed, about two hours of listening and discussion * Vibe: curious, friendly, low-pressure * Group style: we meet outside first, sit together where seating allows, and there's no obligation to stick with the group all night **Important notes** * Please book your own ticket in advance * The RSV is a historical building with stair-only access, including a flight of stairs up to the theatre room and amenities. If that's a concern, the RSV suggests getting in touch with their team at rsv@rsv.org.au before booking * I'll be waiting outside the gates from 5:40pm — if you're running late, please head inside and find a seat rather than missing the start * The speaker line-up is set by the RSV and may change; the listing currently names Prof Neil Cameron (Monash University) and Dr Anne-Maree Boland (RM Consulting Group), with a third speaker to be announced * If your plans change, please update your RSVP so numbers stay clear Looking forward to seeing you there.

Predictive Maintenance at the Synchrotron and Building Better MCP Tools

The MLAI Meetup is a community for AI researchers and professionals which hosts monthly talks on exciting research. Our format is: * 6:00 - 6:20: Socializing * 6:20 - 6:40: Announcements and AI news * 6:40 - 7:40: Talk(s) and Q&A * 7:40 - 8:00 Networking * 8:00: Head to the nearest pub for dinner **Joanna Wieclaw: "From Fixed Thresholds to Learned Boundaries: Predictive Maintenance at the Australian Synchrotron"** **Talk Description:** Last year I showed you how the Australian Synchrotron works. This year I'd like your help keeping it working. Much of my job in Controls involves troubleshooting equipment after something has already gone wrong. I'd rather catch the warning signs first. I'm developing a proposal for a phased predictive-maintenance system using data we already collect through EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System). The proposed first phase is deliberately simple: choose one system, set fixed upper and lower thresholds, and alert on breaches. In parallel, I'd like to explore what can be learned from our historical data using offline ML models, with signals such as encoder drift, motor current and vacuum levels among the first targets. Later phases could augment those thresholds with learned boundaries and look for patterns across equipment rather than within a single system. I'd like to hear how you would approach it: what methods are worth trying early, how you would validate models when labelled failures are scarce, and what I should be implementing now to make the data useful as the system develops. **Speaker Bio:** Joanna Wieclaw is a Senior Controls Technician at the Australian Synchrotron (ANSTO). With a mechatronics background and extensive experience in system integration and live fault-finding, she spends much of her time diagnosing complex equipment under pressure. **Jack McPherson: "Building Better MCP Tools: Working with code mode and dynamic workers to create a simple universal MCP system for analytics."** Talk description and speaker bio TBA

Elevating Your Research Through Software Development

**Elevating Your Research Through Software Development** **Date:** 22nd September, 2026 **Time:** 5:30 PM (networking and refreshments from 5:30 PM; talk begins at 6:00 PM) **Where:** DiUS, Level 3/31 Queen St, Melbourne Research projects often begin with a collection of scripts and files that become increasingly difficult to manage, reproduce, and share. Adopting software development practices and structuring research projects like software packages can help address these challenges while improving the quality, reproducibility, and impact of research. In this meetup, we’ll explore how package-based project structures can transform analytical workflows, using real-world examples from COVID-19 vaccination policy analysis and scabies transmission modelling in the Netherlands. The talk will demonstrate how treating research code as software enables more efficient collaboration, easier reuse, and faster translation of analyses into real-world decision-making. We’ll also discuss how emerging AI tools, such as Claude Code, can help researchers build resources that extend the reach of their work beyond its original scope. Come along if you’re interested in reproducible research, scientific programming, data analysis, or research software engineering, or if you’d like practical guidance on creating more structured, reusable, and collaborative research projects!

AI & Robotics Innovation Expo

**AI & Robotics Innovation Expo 2026** The AI & Robotics Innovation Expo 2026 brings together more than 30 emerging startups, scaleups and research organisations from across Australia’s innovation ecosystem. Visitors can experience live demonstrations, discover commercially deployable technologies and meet the founders, researchers, investors and technology leaders shaping the future of AI and robotics. The program spans enterprise AI, autonomous agents, robotics, digital twins, intelligent automation and emerging applications across business, industry and everyday life. **Register Here**: https://www.melbconnect.com.au/events/ai-robotics-innovation-expo **Event details** * Date: Friday, 11 September 2026 * Time: 11:00 AM–3:00 PM * Venue: The Launchpad and The Lab, Melbourne Connect * Host: AIBUILD * Partners: InnovateConnect Alliance, Global Elite School, StarPlan AI and AI Development Group **Speakers** * **Dr Daisy Liu** — Founder and CEO, StarPlan AI * **Dr Johan Barthélemy** — Senior AI Scientist, NVIDIA AI Technology Centre * **Yifei Wang** — Founder and CEO, AIBUILD * **Wendy Jiang** — Co-Founder and Managing Director, StrataXcel * **Sicheng “Joe” Zhou** — Co-Founder and Director, AskRomi * **Liam Kelly** — Head of Technology Practice, Method Recruitment * **Joseph Lee** — Associate Director, Data, AI and Delivery, Method Recruitment * **Professor Jenny Waycott** — Professor of Human–Computer Interaction, University of Melbourne * **Carey Hassall** — NVIDIA Business Manager, Multimedia Technology * **Dickson Li** — Co-Founder and Director, Roboly * **Kathy Coultas** — Strategic Adviser, AIBUILD * **Amber Main** — Founder and Ecosystem Builder * **Professor Lihai Zhang** — Professor of Engineering Management, University of Melbourne **Expo agenda** * 10:00 AM–11:00 AM: Exhibitor setup * 11:00 AM–11:15 AM: Official opening * 11:15 AM–12:00 PM: Industrial demonstrations and startup pitches * 12:00 PM–1:00 PM: Expo showcase and networking * 1:00 PM–1:30 PM: Expo Pitch Stage presentations * 1:30 PM–2:00 PM: University of Melbourne research presentations * 2:00 PM–3:00 PM: Expo showcase, live demonstrations and networking * 3:00 PM–4:00 PM: Exhibitor pack-down Be an Exhibitor: please contact team@aidg.au

Naarm Solarpunk Meetup

[Merri-bek Tech](https://www.merri-bek.tech/), a group in the inner northern suburbs of Naarm (Melbourne), invites everyone involved interested in tinkering with grass-roots technologies in support of a **Sustainable**, **Resilient** and **Just** future to join us for the **Naarm Solarpunk Meetup**. Following on from our workshop in August we will be doing some hands-on hacking as well as welcoming everyone who wants to talk further about getting involved in the group or finding out more about positive, grassroots tech futures. On the night we will be doing, * Merri-tek LoRes Node install and setup, support and general questions * Raspberry Pi setups * Linux OS installs * Your sustainable, resilient and/or just project :) MBT members will also be ready to talk further about what we do, what we hope to do and how you can join in. **About the Naarm Solarpunk group** Some of us are technologists, and will be showing off software or hardware projects, and others are more interested in community organizing, responding to the climate crisis, or building local resilience. Whatever your area of interest, or your level of skill, you're absolutely welcome to dive in. At the meetups we'll have a show-and-tell time for any projects that you're working on, as well as occasional short presentations. The space will be hosted by volunteers, and we'll actively work towards inclusion through applying a [code of conduct](https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/1/code_of_conduct/). Merri-bek Tech has some projects that you might be interested in updates from, including our attempt to build P2P mesh network based community hosting on Raspberry Pis, and our project to run a local fediverse social network. We aspire to keep this meetup **Solarpunk** as fuck. We support the hackers, tinkerers and makers and misfits. There are plenty of other spaces for big corporate green tech, so bring your hobby project, not your day job, unless that job is firmly rooted in the solidarity economy. We are not value neutral. We'll start with Merri-bek Tech's [values](https://www.merri-bek.tech/about/values/) and [principles](https://www.merri-bek.tech/about/principles/), and build from there together. In particular, in the context of ongoing genocide, we will ask you to leave if you're associated in any way with the weapons industry. This meetup will be hosted on the stolen, unceeded lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. **Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.** Image alt text: The image is a illustration of a future, sustainable city. The city has green roofs and walls and sea of green towards the horizon.

Our teams have the best AI tools but nothing changed

[Josh Centner](https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcentner/), Principal PM, Seek: will be taking us through this topic building on some discussions from ProductCamp. **Our teams have the best AI tools but nothing changed** Most organisations now have AI tooling across their product and engineering teams. Most of them are moving just a little faster then they were two years ago. The tools aren’t the problem. The operating model underneath them is. Build is no longer the bottleneck. The new constraint is coordination: how teams align on what to build, how functions like legal, security, and design stay genuinely involved without becoming the gate everything stalls behind, and how leaders shift from approving decisions to setting the conditions that let good decisions happen without them. This session draws on a live transformation across a large technology organisation, redesigning not just how teams build, but the entire system from idea to customer impact. We’ll cover the three things that actually have to change for AI tooling to translate into speed: – how work gets defined before it’s built – how specialist functions engage without creating queues – and how the PM role changes when coordination overhead drops and intent has to survive further and faster than ever before. This isn’t a talk about tools. It’s about what your organisation needs to look like for the tools to matter. Our fabulous sponsors: **Netwealth** Netwealth is one of Australia's leading wealth management platforms, providing technology and investment solutions for financial advisers and their clients. Since 1999, we’ve focused on innovation and challenging the status quo, building digital products that help Australians see wealth differently and achieve better financial outcomes. At the heart of Netwealth is a culture of curious, collaborative, courageous, optimistic, agile and genuine people who are passionate about solving meaningful problems and creating better experiences for customers. For more [about careers](https://www.netwealth.com.au/web/about-netwealth/careers/) at Netwealth.