Sebastian Thrun

Updated: 11/16/2019 by Computer Hope
Sebastian Thrun

Name: Sebastian Burkhard Thrun

Born: May 14, 1967, in Solingen, West Germany

Computer-related contributions

  • German educator, computer scientist, robotics developer and programmer.
  • Known for his work in driverless cars, robotics and Artificial Intelligence.
  • Founder of Google X, home to projects like the Google self-driving car and Google Glass.
  • CEO and co-founder of Udacity (a for-profit educational organization).
  • Google VP and Fellow.
  • Research Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University.

Significant publications

  • Explanation-Based Neural Network Learning (2011).
  • FastSLAM: A Scalable Method for the Simultaneous Localization and Mapping Problem in Robotics (2007).
  • Principles of Robot Motion: Theory, Algorithms, and Implementations (2005).
  • Probabilistic Robotics (2005).

Honors and awards

  • Max-Planck-Research Award (2011).
  • Inaugural AAAI Ed Feigenbaum Prize (2011).
  • Elected into the National Academy of Engineering (2007).
  • Named one of Brilliant 5 by Popular Science (2005).
  • Selected as the fifth most creative person in business in the world by Fast Company.
  • Elected into the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.

Quotes

"Self-driving cars will enable car-sharing even in spread-out suburbs. A car will come to you just when you need it. And when you are done with it, the car will just drive away, so you won't even have to look for parking."

Websites