Oxford Robotics Institute director discusses the truth about AI and robotics - The Robot Report

Nick Hawes, director of the Oxford Robotics Institute and professor at the University of Oxford, highlights significant advances in robotics and AI that are transforming business applications. He emphasizes that autonomous robotics—robots capable of operating independently without direct human control—are becoming increasingly common, especially in logistics and inspection tasks. Examples include quadruped robots and drones that autonomously monitor sites for issues requiring human attention. While humanoid robots generate excitement, Hawes advises caution for immediate business adoption, suggesting their practical use cases may emerge within the next five to ten years. In AI, he points to foundation models, such as large language and vision-language-action models, as pivotal technologies that enable robots to better understand and interact with complex, unstructured environments. Hawes draws on extensive experience deploying autonomous robots across diverse environments to illustrate their potential. Early projects involved autonomous mobile robots performing security patrols in offices and assisting nursing staff in care homes and hospitals, operating continuously without human intervention. His work also includes underwater autonomous robots collecting