Prof Paul Newman, Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Oxford is interviewed by Prof Denis Noble. They discuss how driverless cars are just the beginning of a revolution which will see smart machines increase in number and sophistication, completely transforming the way humans utilise “bits to move atoms”. The University of Oxford Robotics Group has been road testing driverless cars since 2012, and recent UK Government Legislation should help ease their development, both in terms of laws and encouraging entrepreneurial start-ups. As well as driverless cars, Paul’s group also works on autonomous technologies with the capability to explore extreme environments, such as underwater terrain, or even as part of a mission to explore other planets.
