People, robots and AI coordinated as a single system, so each does the work it is best at. Runs in live operations involving hundreds to thousands of people and robots. Oscar is technical director and co-project manager.
AI that works in the real world.
Oscar Mendez leads physical AI: intelligence for robots and autonomous machines that work outside the lab. He is Director of AI & Data Science at Locus Robotics, whose robot fleet runs at more than 350 sites worldwide, and a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Surrey.
A bird's-eye map, the view of the world Oscar's research teaches machines to build.
Team grown ~3×AI & Data Science team built and led at Locus Robotics
350+ sitesPhysical AI running in live operations worldwide at Locus Robotics
ICRA 2022 Best PaperFor Translating Images into Maps
Sullivan PrizeBest computer vision PhD thesis in the UK, 2018
4 US patentsSensor calibration, segmentation and bird's-eye-view mapping, with one more pending
£2.3M+ in research fundingWon and led as principal investigator or project lead
What Oscar does
He works where AI meets the physical world: deciding what machines should be able to do, then making sure they do it reliably outside the lab.
Physical AI strategy
Decides where AI creates real value in physical operations, sets the strategy, and explains it clearly to customers, investors and the board. Builds and leads teams that ship.
From model to machine
Takes perception and decision-making models from proof of concept to robots in daily use, with the MLOps to keep them reliable at fleet scale.
Research in embodied AI
More than 35 papers at venues including CVPR, ICCV, ICRA and IROS, on how robots perceive, map and move through the world.
Selected work
Physical AI across logistics, autonomous vehicles and agriculture.
Computer vision and navigation for robots that work on farms. Oscar secured the funding and led the programme as principal investigator.
Wrote and led the University of Surrey's part of a consortium with Parkopedia, StreetDrone and the Transport Systems Catapult, delivering localisation for multi-storey car parks.
Get in touch
For leadership roles, advisory work or speaking, email is quickest. Oscar is based in Surrey, UK.