Here's a breakdown of Sebastian Thrun, a renowned figure in artificial intelligence, robotics, and education: **Background & Expertise** - **German-American Innovator:** Born in Germany, [[Sebastian Thrun]] has significantly impacted technological advancements in the United States. - **Computer Science & Robotics Pioneer:** He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Statistics and is an internationally recognized expert in artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning, and probabilistic algorithms. - **Academic Stints:** Thrun has held prestigious positions as a Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon University. **Major Projects & Achievements** - **DARPA Grand Challenges:** Thrun made headlines by leading the Stanford Racing Team, whose autonomous vehicle "Stanley" won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. His team's car "Junior" placed second in the following DARPA Urban Challenge in 2007. - **Google X & Self-Driving Cars:** He founded the secretive Google X research facility and spearheaded the groundbreaking Google self-driving car project, revolutionizing transportation. - **Udacity:** Thrun co-founded Udacity, a pioneering online education platform focused on democratizing education in tech-related fields like AI and data science. - **Kitty Hawk Corporation:** He is the CEO of Kitty Hawk Corporation, a company dedicated to developing all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (also known as flying cars). **Other Notable Aspects** - **Awards and Recognition:** Thrun has been featured in publications like Time, Fortune, and Fast Company. He has received honors such as the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for Education. - **Documentaries:** Thrun has been interviewed in documentaries like "Do You Trust This Computer?" (2018), highlighting his perspectives on artificial intelligence. **Why He's Important** Sebastian Thrun is considered a visionary in the fields of technology and education. His contributions have fundamentally shaped how we think about autonomous vehicles, online learning, and the future of AI in society. **Where to Find More Information** - **Wikipedia:** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Thrun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Thrun) - **Udacity Website:** [https://www.udacity.com/](https://www.udacity.com/) - **Kitty Hawk Website:** [https://kittyhawk.aero/](https://kittyhawk.aero/) - **Google Scholar (Publications):** [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=q-buMEoAAAAJ&hl=en](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=q-buMEoAAAAJ&hl=en) # References ```dataview Table title as Title, authors as Authors where contains(authors, "Sebastian Thrun" ) or contains(publisher, "Sebastian Thrun") sort title, subject, modified ```