National Robotarium
Robo future: why we don't need to fear the robotics revolution
National Robotarium
Robo future: why we don't need to fear the robotics revolution
Stewart Miller CEO of the National Robotarium
The National Robotarium is based on Heriot-Watt's Edinburgh campus. A partnership with the University of Edinburgh, it is the largest and most advanced applied research facility for robotics and artificial intelligence in the UK.
While the potential for robotics to transform lives is huge, there is still widespread anxiety around this most disruptive of technologies. Stewart discusses why we don’t need to fear the robotics revolution and where the National Robotarium’s work fits in an evolving futuristic landscape.
“As someone who has been working in technology for 40 years, leading a facility that is tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges using robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) is incredibly exciting. Harnessing their power brings enormous potential and the National Robotarium presents an extraordinary opportunity to build productive global partnerships for creating economic, environmental and societal benefits.
I think the reticence around these technologies has arisen from books and movies, where for dramatic purposes, they are frequently portrayed getting wildly out of control. But even the most advanced robot can only be as good as its programming. As we move into a new era where robots are a lot less pre-programmed and doing much more thinking for themselves, the thing to remember is that we, the humans, can still decide how far things go. Of course, there need to be safeguards in place because AI is a very powerful technology. I believe part of my role is about building understanding of how robotics and AI can help to address key societal issues and make life better for many people.
At the National Robotarium we are applying these technologies to critical problems in order to solve them. One area of industry collaboration focuses on how robotics can reduce the need for workers to be physically present in hazardous or challenging working environments where the possibility of injury is high. Our researchers have trialled the Spot robot, developed by Boston Dynamics, for these environments, including in the construction site where the National Robotarium was being built. The quadruped mobile robot uses telexistence technology to facilitate remote monitoring and inspection of infrastructure, allowing scanning, mapping and reporting to be undertaken quickly, safely and accurately. It can also be used in situations such as disaster recovery.
We currently have two multi-million-pound projects dedicated to researching trust in autonomous systems. They are bringing together expertise in robotics, cognitive science and psychology, in a consortium with colleagues from Imperial College London and the University of Manchester, to improve human-robot interaction. By creating greater clarity of communication, which builds confidence in the use of autonomous systems, we are breaking down barriers to using robots for complex and hazardous tasks in a range of industries.
The National Robotarium is applying these technologies to critical problems in order to solve them.”
Humans and robots can work in harmony to achieve different things.”
Up to now, robotics has been predominantly about replacing human input, such as on automotive production lines. Now, we are going to see them working alongside humans through ‘co-botting’ – where humans and robots work in harmony to achieve different things. There’s huge potential to augment and assist what humans do through the application of robotics and we can see this happening across a range of sectors.
One of these is healthcare, and at the National Robotarium we’re exploring many ways where we can help. For example, we are investigating ways in which new robot-assisted surgery methods can improve surgical outcomes and patient care, including a breakthrough technique to help surgeons decide how much of a patient’s tissue is affected by cancer and should be removed during robotic surgery.
Another example is SPRING (Socially Pertinent Robots in Gerontological Healthcare), based at the facility’s state-of-the-art Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) labs, which is developing socially assistive robotics to perform multi-person interactions in complex environments, specifically with older patients in hospitals and other healthcare settings.
While in our Laboratory for Assistive Robotics (LARA lab), we are illustrating the revolutionary potential of cobots to assist vulnerable people to live safely and independently in their own homes, and for those living with Alzheimer's disease and dementia, our researchers have devised an AI companion.
As the capabilities of AI and robotics grow ever more sophisticated, we will see them advancing into every area of our lives. I don’t believe we need to fear this, but rather should welcome the benefits that robots can bring to society. I want to allay the concerns and show how the cutting-edge work of the National Robotarium can support the economy, the environment and world populations.
Our work is more than the technology, the gadgets and whizz-bang stuff that makes the headlines; what matters is how we can be an incredible collaborative force for good.”
Contact the Business Development team to explore how robotics and AI can help your business.
Stewart Miller
Stewart is an experienced business leader with a background in the aerospace sector. He took up the position of Chief Executive Officer at the National Robotarium in 2021, having previously been Chief Technology Officer of the UK Government’s innovation agency, Innovate UK. Prior to this he worked in senior roles at major firms including Leonardo and BAE Systems. He aims to boost inward investment and talent attraction, fulfil national potential for the development of robotics manufacturing, and foster a thriving robotics industry that elevates the UK’s global standing in robotics and AI.
