The Oxford Robotics Institute (ORI), a subsidiary of the Department of Engineering Science, was among the 22 UK educational institutions that were awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2023. ORI was recognised for supporting future sustainability and delivering fundamental advances in autonomous robotics technology, including RobotCar, the first autonomous vehicle allowed on UK roads.
The prize is awarded every two years by the Royal Anniversary Trust, which was established to mark and celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 40th year on the throne. The charity aims to “recognise and promote innovation by UK colleges and universities that benefits wider society.”
Sir Damon Buffini, Chair of The Royal Anniversary Trust said: “The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education are an integral part of our national Honours system, shining a light on the ground-breaking work taking place in universities and colleges across the UK.”
ORI’s recent achievements include validating the safety and capability of robotics technologies in over 380 field trials in locations as diverse as Icelandic volcanoes, the Atacama Desert, Loch Ness, mine sites in the UK and US, and the surroundings of the JET fusion reactor. It was also instrumental in the adoption of safer, cleaner nuclear energy strategies for Sellafield and the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
The institute has published over 900 papers and gathered £40 million in funding and their research has generated 22 patents, 70 intellectual property licences and 4 startups. Their teaching programme has trained over 120 PhDs, 40 postdoctoral researchers, and at least 60 Masters students.
Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford wished “[c]ongratulations to all those involved”, stating that “[ORI’s] work is a fantastic example of our researchers collaborating with industry to come up with cutting-edge solutions to the world’s challenges, from supporting sustainability in agriculture to improving safety in manufacturing.”
The winners will be presented with a medal and certificate at a formal Honours ceremony in February 2024.
