ROBOTS, DRONES AND AI PUT THE FUTURE OF GOLD COAST BUSINESS ON SHOW
More than 150 Gold Coast business owners and decision-makers have been given a glimpse of what the next generation of technology could mean for their businesses – and the wider community.
Robots that could one day perform brain surgery from thousands of kilometres away, drones using artificial intelligence to track endangered animals and AI agents capable of running everyday business tasks were among the technologies showcased at a Gold Coast breakfast this morning. More than 150 people attended the Digital Innovation Breakfast 2026 at Bond University, which was hosted by the Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce, with Bond University as the major sponsor. Rather than a traditional technology conference, the event was designed to show business owners what emerging technology is already capable of doing – and what could be coming next. And some of the examples were remarkable.
A robot that could bring stroke treatment to regional Australia
One of the most striking demonstrations came from Bond University alumnus and diagnostic and interventional neuroradiologist Dr Hal Rice, who is working on technology that could allow surgeons to remotely perform life-saving stroke procedures on patients hundreds or thousands of kilometres away. Stroke is the second most common cause of death globally, with Rice telling the audience that one occurs in Australia approximately every 10 minutes and more than 11,000 Australians die from stroke each year. While treatments have improved dramatically, access remains a major problem.
There are currently only 21 thrombectomy centres in Australia – predominantly in major cities – where specialists can physically remove a blood clot from the brain using a catheter. For patients in regional and remote areas, that can mean lengthy transfers. Rice said patients from Darwin currently face a transfer of more than 12 hours to Adelaide, with each transfer costing about $40,000.
“Only about three per cent of people in the world get access to this care,” Rice told the breakfast. His team is working with Remedy Robotics and the Australian Stroke Alliance on a system that could change that. The concept involves a surgeon remotely controlling a robot attached to a patient’s bedside, with a technician remaining at the local hospital. The patient’s CT angiogram can effectively create a digital map of their anatomy, helping guide the procedure.
The technology has already been tested using standard internet connections and 5G between the Gold Coast and California, with Rice saying latency needs to remain below 130 milliseconds for the system to be safe.
“We need a very secure connection. We have redundancy. It’s no good having latency more than 130 milliseconds,” he said. “We’ve just been testing standard internet connections between Gold Coast and California, and it’s very effective and safe.” The technology is now being tested using 3D-printed models based on real patient scans, allowing the team to develop and test the system without putting patients at risk.
Testing of the latest robot is planned at the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct this month and into October, with a Darwin trial targeted as the next major step. The longer-term vision is even more ambitious – with Rice suggesting robotic systems could eventually learn from millions of procedures and perform parts of the operation autonomously. “Ultimately you have a robot that says, ‘I’ve done this five million times,’ because it’s learned from everybody around the world,” he said.
AI helps find a missing Tasmanian devil
Drones and artificial intelligence were also put under the microscope during a discussion between Global Drone founder and CEO Leanne St George and AUAV General Manager Jamie Holyoak. Holyoak recently used AI predictive modelling to help locate Mary, the missing Tasmanian devil who escaped from Paradise Country on the Gold Coast.He combined information from academic research into Tasmanian devil behaviour, media reports of sightings and Queensland Government terrain data to build a predictive model. His first prediction put Mary within 200 metres of her eventual location, while the final prediction came within about 50 metres. The model was also able to predict likely feeding times and movement patterns.
But Holyoak said the experience highlighted one of the most important lessons for businesses considering AI – the technology still needs people. “For the AI to do that it took human input. So that’s probably the biggest takeaway,” he said. That same combination of AI, data and drones is now being used in wildlife conservation.
Drone surveys using thermal imaging have found significantly more koalas than traditional ground surveys, with one example finding 64 koalas around Burleigh Heads over two nights compared with 20 identified by a government ground team over the same period. AI can now automatically flag heat signatures on drone footage, while researchers are working towards using facial and nose-pattern recognition to identify individual koalas and track them over time.
St George said the drone industry itself was expanding rapidly, with more than 43,000 licensed drone pilots now operating in Australia. “It’s growing at 24 per cent per annum. By 2040 there will be 60 million drone flights in this country,” she said. “There are more drone pilots in this country than there are traditional fixed winged pilots.” She also said the Gold Coast had an opportunity to position itself at the forefront of the industry, including the prospect of air taxis. “We have a real good crack at having the first air taxi fleet by 2029,” St George said.
What can AI actually do for my business?
For business owners less interested in robots and drones and more interested in what they can use Monday morning, Bond Business School assistant professor Dr Afrooz Purarjomandlangrudi demonstrated a range of practical AI applications. Her session showed how businesses could create AI “agents” to handle repetitive tasks including customer enquiries, quotes, proposals, social media content and email responses.
One example – a front desk agent – could be built in around 15 to 20 minutes using ChatGPT.
Another demonstration showed how a customer could enter their requirements and have an AI system generate a formatted quote based on a business’s pricing and services. But Purarjomandlangrudi said the quality of the information provided to AI was critical. “The more real data from your business you provide, the better answer – and the better job – it can do for you,” she said. That means businesses need to think carefully about the information they give AI tools, including company policies, pricing, employee information, website content, previous emails and other genuine business data. Her message was that businesses do not necessarily need a technical team to begin experimenting with AI.
“The key is identifying a genuine business problem first, then finding where technology can save time or improve the customer experience.”
The Gold Coast’s next technology chapter
The morning was deliberately built around a simple format: identify a real-world problem, show the technology being used to address it, and then ask what it means for business. That approach gave the audience a look at technologies already being used in the real world rather than simply hearing predictions about the future.
For the Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce, the event also highlighted the opportunity for the region to play a bigger role in Australia’s digital economy. From health technology and artificial intelligence to drones, robotics and emerging aviation, the examples showcased at Bond University demonstrated that innovation is no longer something happening somewhere else. It is already being developed, tested and deployed on the Gold Coast. And the message for local businesses was not necessarily to rush out and buy the latest technology. It was to start experimenting, understand the problems worth solving and build the confidence to learn what works. As the speakers demonstrated, the businesses and communities willing to test new ideas now could be the ones best placed to benefit from what comes next.
