Oxford Robotics Institute heads to Birmingham to inspire the next generation of scientists

A small team from the Machine Learning and Articulated Robotics Group (ARG) based at the Oxford Robotics Institute exhibited at the Oxplore Festival in Birmingham, which took place on July 8 and 9. The travelling event is aimed at school-aged children and is designed to encourage them to think about higher education through workshops and hands-on activities.

Now in its second year, the festival is a University of Oxford initiative bringing academic enrichment to schools in regions underrepresented in Oxford admissions. By visiting regions where fewer students go on to study at Oxford, such as the West Midlands, which represented just 6.3% of UK undergraduates in 2025, the festival aims to open doors to higher education for young people across the country. It has previously visited Bodmin, Bradford and Warrington. This year, around 600 pupils from 17 state schools in Birmingham attended.

RG’s Unitree G1 humanoid robot was showcased at the event, and young attendees had the opportunity to see it up close and observe its movements – including waving and dancing. They had the opportunity to learn and ask questions about the technologies that power robotics, including themes such as robotic control, perception and interaction, which are central to ORI’s research.

The team also introduced some of ARG’s research, which focuses on machine learning, planning and control methods that allow articulated robots with arms and legs to move dynamically, manipulate and operate in real-world environments. Specifically, the challenges for humanoid robots encompass the need to coordinate many joints across their legs, torso and arms while maintaining balance and responding to their surroundings. The group's work explores how learning and control methods can allow humanoids to move robustly, use their whole bodies, coordinate balance and perform manipulation tasks safely and intelligently in realistic environments, such as for inspection, maintenance and agile assembly tasks.

Kai Lu, a Postdoctoral Researcher in ARG and one of the demonstrators at the event, said:

“It was great to see how enthusiastic and curious the pupils were about the embodied AI and robotics. Seeing the robot move and dance in person immediately attracted their attention, but they were also interested in what was required to control it and what humanoid robots might eventually be able to do in the future.”

You can find out more about the ARG’s research here.