Robots as a data source: Obtaining insights from robotic autonomy

Robots operating autonomously could soon become valuable data sources for industrial companies, providing insights and repeated measurements that humans struggle to match, according to the director of the Oxford Robotics Institute.

Speaking at the AI Summit London, Nick Hawes explained how his team has deployed autonomous robots like Boston Dynamics’ robot dog Spot at sites like a former nuclear fusion reactor, gathering radiation data over 35 days with minimal human involvement.

The Oxford Robotics Institute consists of seven different research groups working across the robotics stack on tasks including dexterous control manipulators to fully AI-driven robots in industrial settings.

He said 80% of the Institute’s work relates to AI – both in a general setting working on fundamental research questions and in the client setting.

The Institute’s early work in robotics led to the research that put the first autonomous cars on the road through Oxbotica, now known as Oxa.

Now they’re working on autonomy, specifically, deploying robots in industrial settings, getting robots into places humans can’t reach.

Hawes said industrial companies are considering autonomy, but they largely prefer a human-in-the-loop approach, where operators collaborate with robots and can take control when necessary.

The move toward full autonomy won’t occur overnight, Hawes explained, as systems need to get better at handling the uncertainty.

“If the world was fixed and 100% predictable then we’d write a Python script and be done,” Hawes said. “The reason you need AI on a robot is because it needs to respond to changes.”

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