By Scott Wright

THERE is no shortage of films depicting dystopian futures where human existence is threatened by robots or artificial intelligence that have spiralled out of control.

But, in real life, harnessing the power of robotics and AI technology can bring much benefit to industry and society.

So argues Stewart Miller, the newly appointed – and first – chief executive of The National Robotarium, which has been developed in partnership

by Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh.

Speaking in just his fourth week in post, Mr Miller says he gets why some people may be wary of the rapid development of robots and AI technology, but contends that it’s the role of organisations such as the Robotarium to provide reassurance.

“Naturally, we as human beings have a certain reticence around robotics, particularly if it is thinking for itself,” Mr Miller said. “We have all seen the movies that paint a picture of doom and gloom, but there are also some movies out there that actually paint quite a harmonious picture and show some of the benefits.

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“But I think most people instinctively want to be reassured that when robotics come into their lives, the benefits are really strong and understood, and that any form of concern is allayed as much as possible.

“The way we want to frame the Robotarium is around explaining how robotics can help with the issues we have in society, and the ambitions we have in the economy, rather than just talking about the technology, the gadgets and whizz-bang stuff that make it work.”

The National Robotarium is being developed as a centre of excellence for AI and robotics. Construction is under way on a two-storey, 40,000 square metre facility for the organisation at the Heriot-Watt campus on the outskirts of Edinburgh, which is hoped will be complete in the spring of 2022. Academics and companies will be able come together and collaborate on research and product design at the building, which will also house “living labs”, where small businesses can test their ideas, supported by in-house engineers and technicians. This aims to overcome the lack of facilities that can be a “barrier” to SME growth.

One of the living labs will be dedicated to investigating how robotics can be applied to the assisted living care and medical sectors, as well as space for meetings and conferences.

The new building will also have a robotics and autonomous systems lab, where the likes of drones and large industrial robots can be tested in a “safe environment”.

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While the construction work continues, current Robotarium projects will carry on. These include its ORCA Hub, which has been developing robots to make infrastructure inspection in the offshore industry safer.

“Its overall reason for being is to try and boost the economy in the UK,

by focusing on the benefits and applications for robotics and artificial intelligence, and those two go hand-in-hand,” said Mr Miller of the Robotarium, which is one of five innovation hubs supported by the £1.3 billion Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal. “Most of the work myself and my team, once I have assembled it, will be working on is finding those industry partners that we can help apply robotics and artificial intelligence to whatever their industry problem is, in order to solve that problem.

“[And] Hopefully, as a result of that, occasionally find the ability to build up whole new companies and new sectors, both in Scotland and more widely.

“Equally important, the mission is to develop new talent and skills, to get

that pipeline of people who understand how to spell robotics and artificial intelligence and how to make it work together coming through at all different levels.”

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That search for talent will begin in schools to promote robotics as a career path, and will extend to older people looking to learn new skills or switch their career paths.

Research into the “next wave” of robotics and AI will also be a priority, building on the current capabilities of the two universities that will provide its running costs. He praises the strong level of collaboration that the two institutions have brought to the project.

Mr Miller joined the Robotarium from his previous post as chief technology officer at Innovate UK, the UK Government’s innovation agency. That came after a long career in the aerospace industry, which saw him spend more than 20 years with Leonardo at Crewe Toll in Edinburgh.

“My background is avionics and fast jets, [with] a little bit of helicopters,”

he said. “But most of my last 20 years could be summed up as developing business strategies, putting those strategies into place, and delivering business growth as a result. I think that’s what Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh University were looking for when they were looking for a chief executive.

“Coupled with that, I’m just an engineer at heart. I got into engineering when I was 12, 13 years old when

I started getting interested in microprocessors, and went off to do my degree in electronics and electronic engineering. I was fortunate enough in my early career to do a lot of design of computers and graphic systems.

“I’ve never lost that interest. I’m interested in all things engineering; what is going in the space sector, robotics, engineering, all sorts of things. Although I’m not a robotics expert – fortunately I am surrounded by quite a few of them – I’m not ignorant of the exciting and very large opportunities in robotics. Particularly as it is probably entering a new phase.”

He said this new phase, which will addressed by the Robotarium, will involve combining AI such as speech recognition, machine learning, or

“true artificial intelligence” with the capabilities of autonomous robots.

Mr Stewart said: “We are going to move into a new era where robots are

a lot less pre-programmed, a lot more thinking for themselves. That opens

up a whole new series of possibilities, not in least in the application of what

is known as ‘coboting’, where humans and robots work in harmony to achieve different things. A big application

of that is going to be health and

social care.”