SensiLab, Monash University

What SensiLab, Monash University does

SensiLab is a creative technology research laboratory within Monash University, founded in 2015 by Prof Jon McCormack. It operates as a joint initiative of the Faculty of Information Technology and Monash Art, Design and Architecture (MADA), located in a purpose-built facility at the Caulfield campus in Victoria, Australia. The lab pursues interdisciplinary research at the intersection of art, design, science, and technology, organised around four themes: Creative AI (co-creative and generative systems), Media Futures (immersive media and VR), Sensory Interactive Space (cross-sensory and inclusive interfaces), and Programmable Matter (computational design with dynamic physical materials). Its team composition is deliberately cross-disciplinary, including artists, designers, scientists, developers, musicians, and luthiers, alongside an active practice-based PhD program.

SensiLab builds and operates a range of research artefacts and software, including the ai.SensiLab online platform (tutorials, research software, datasets), the Art or Not AI-powered art critic app (computer vision trained on over 100,000 artworks), Nodal generative music software, the AirSticks gestural instrument, and interactive installations such as Machine Dreaming and Mirror Ritual. Technical infrastructure comprises immersive visualisation systems, multi-channel sound, motion capture, robotics, digital fabrication, wearable electronics, and an Nvidia DGX-1 Deep Learning supercomputer delivered through an NVIDIA partnership.

SensiLab does not sell products or services commercially; it is funded through Monash University, the Faculty of Information Technology, external research grants (including ARC), and project-based industry collaborations. Its customers are collaborators rather than buyers — comprising industry partners, cultural institutions (e.g., ACMI, Asian Civilisations Museum Singapore), academic institutions, and graduate researchers. Outputs are disseminated via academic publications, public forums, exhibitions, a Creative AI podcast, the ai.SensiLab platform, and an email newsletter.

Name

SensiLab, Monash University

Legal name

SensiLab, Monash University

Website

https://sensilab.monash.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SensiLab is a creative technology research laboratory within Monash University that conducts interdisciplinary research in creative AI, media futures, sensory interfaces, and programmable matter. It serves academic researchers, industry partners, cultural institutions, and graduate students through research collaboration, publications, and public programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Caulfield East

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Funding: SensiLab operates as a university research laboratory funded through Monash University, Faculty of Information Technology, and external research grants including Australian Research Council (ARC) funding.
2. Industry Partnerships and Collaborations: Industry partners collaborate on research projects, providing project funding and research support.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SensiLab is a research laboratory within Monash University's Faculty of Information Technology that conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of creative practice, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies. It develops software, hardware instruments, and interactive installations while supporting postgraduate research, industry collaborations, and public engagement through exhibitions and publications.

Product overview

SensiLab at Monash University is a creative technology research laboratory that operates as a research platform rather than a commercial product company. The lab conducts interdisciplinary research across four main themes: Creative AI (generative systems, computational creativity, co-creative AI), Media Futures (VR, immersive storytelling, electronic media), Sensory Interactive Space (inclusive technologies, accessibility), and Programmable Matter (generative design, digital fabrication). The lab offers several notable tools and platforms including the ai.SensiLab research platform, the Art or Not AI-powered art critic app, Nodal generative music software, and various interactive installations and hardware instruments like AirSticks and drawing robots. Research outputs include publications, software, datasets, and commissioned opinion writing in the field of creative technology and AI.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ai.SensiLab: A research platform for exploring creative possibilities of Artificial Intelligence, featuring hands-on tutorials, research software, datasets, news and commissioned opinion writing.

Products and services

• Art or Not App A mobile/web application developed at SensiLab that allows users to draw images and have them classified by a machine-learning model, used for research engagement and public demonstrations of AI image classification.
• ai.SensiLab Platform An online platform curating creative artificial intelligence works produced at SensiLab, hosting projects, research outputs, and machine-generated artworks.
• AirSticks A wearable gestural musical instrument and motion-tracking system developed at SensiLab, enabling performers to control sound and visuals through 3D movement in real time.
• Nodal A software system for visual composition of music through nodes and connections, used by composers and musicians to create and notate musical works in a graph-based interface.
• Machine Dreaming An interactive installation that uses generative AI and evolutionary algorithms to produce evolving synthetic artworks based on canonical Australian paintings.
• Mirror Ritual An immersive artwork employing computer vision and projection mapping to create responsive, participant-driven visual environments.
• Sound Tree Project A digitally fabricated, interactive sound sculpture combining physical fabrication with embedded sensors and generative sound.
• Drawing Robots Custom-built robotic drawing machines that use algorithms and physical actuation to autonomously produce drawings, exhibited as part of SensiLab's research outputs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sojung Bahng's PhD awarded 2020 Mollie Holman award for best thesis of the year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and supporting.

• NVIDIAcoreTechnology or Integration · 27 August 2018NVIDIA partnership providing advanced GPU computing infrastructure including Nvidia DGX-1 Deep Learning supercomputer and cloud-based advanced compute servers for deep learning research and AI development.
• Studio Roland Snooks/NNBWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject architects who designed the purpose-built SensiLab space with specialized studios, laboratory and presentation spaces, incorporating 3D printed polycarbonate walls fabricated by industrial robot.
• ACMI XkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) on events and projects exploring AI and creative technology in cultural sector.
• Blackmagic DesignsupportingTechnology or IntegrationBlackmagic Design provides equipment and support for SensiLab's media and video production capabilities.
• RMIT University Tectonic Formation LabkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on AI and Material Agency PhD project developing generative design methodologies with artificial intelligence techniques applied to architectural prototypes using additive manufacturing of biomaterials.
• Cultural OrganisationskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborations with museums, galleries, and cultural institutions on creative technology projects including virtual heritage and immersive experiences.
• Academic Institutions (Domestic)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaborations with other universities within Australia for research projects and knowledge sharing.
• Academic Institutions (Global)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partnerships and collaborations with researchers from institutions worldwide.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Culture Lab, Newcastle University: UK university research facility blending creative practice with digital technologies, covering interactive media, digital humanities, and creative computing. Comparable to SensiLab in mission, academic-hosted structure, and interdisciplinary output.
• IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique): Paris-based public research institution dedicated to musical creation and scientific research, producing software (e.g., OpenMusic), instruments, and AI-driven music tools. Directly comparable to SensiLab's Nodal, AirSticks, and generative-music research.
• MIT Media Lab: MIT's interdisciplinary research lab combining art, science, and technology with custom-built facilities and industry partnerships. Closely comparable to SensiLab in mission, operating model, and research themes spanning creative AI, tangible interfaces, and immersive media.
• ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe: German research and exhibition center at the intersection of art and media technology, producing immersive installations, software art, and creative-AI research. Comparable to SensiLab's Media Futures and Creative AI research themes and cultural-institution collaborations.
• Eyebeam Art + Technology Center: NYC-based nonprofit art-and-technology residency producing open-source tools, exhibitions, and creative-AI research. Comparable to SensiLab in art-tech output, public-engagement programming, and tool-creation activities such as Art or Not and ai.SensiLab.
• Goldsmiths Digital Studios, University of London: Research and teaching unit at Goldsmiths focused on creative computing, computational art, and interactive media. Closely aligned with SensiLab's Creative AI and Media Futures themes and practice-based PhD model.
• Ars Electronica Futurelab: Austrian research-and-development lab at Ars Electronica focused on the intersection of art, technology, and society, with custom infrastructure and industry collaborations. Directly comparable to SensiLab in creative-technology research, exhibitions, and interdisciplinary team composition.

Broad incumbents

• Adobe Research: Industrial research arm of a major creative-software company with work spanning generative AI, computational photography, and creative tools. A broader incumbent that overlaps SensiLab's generative-AI and creative-tool research but operates commercially at far greater scale.
• Google DeepMind (Creative-AI / Music / Art teams): Frontier AI research organization with active projects in music generation (e.g., MusicLM), image generation, and creative collaboration. A broader incumbent pursuing adjacent research to SensiLab's Creative AI theme but with vastly greater compute and headcount.
• Microsoft Research (Creative-AI and FUSE Labs): Industrial AI research organization with historical work in computational creativity, multimedia authoring, and creative tools. Comparable to SensiLab in research themes but operates as part of a global commercial platform company.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sensilab-monash-university

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SensiLab, Monash University