Professor Nick Hawes Introduces Robot 'Bambam' to the Duke of Cambridge

It was a unique afternoon for Pembroke’s Engineering Fellow, Professor Nick Hawes, who introduced his robot 'Bambam' to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.

The Duke of Cambridge was visiting Oxford to open the new H B Allen centre at Keble College, a graduate space that had been under construction since 2016. During his tour of the Oxford Robotics Institute, he met various academics and staff, before being greeted by Bambam who handed the Duke of Cambridge a potted plant.

Bambam is an example of ever-advancing robotic capability and AI technology. Professor Hawes informed Prince William that such robots could be used for a number of important tasks in the future such as assessing contamination during nuclear decommissioning and overseeing stocktaking in supermarkets.

Discussing the success of the demonstration, Professor Hawes commented: ‘It was a fantastic opportunity to be part of such a landmark event, and showcase some of our cutting-edge AI and robotics research to such a high-profile audience. I was relieved that the demonstrations all went according to plan!’