Edwin Olson Age 35 University of Michigan”Compared to a human, a single robot is a terrible searcher and decision maker,” Olson says. “When you have a complex task, the only way robots win is if you can get a lot of them to work together.” As opposed to flocking or swarming systems, Olson’s system employs a multi-agent approach. Each robot has a camera and a laser range finder, which it uses to create 3-D “maplets” of its environment. It radios those maplets to a ground-control station, where an algorithm stitches them into a master map. Another algorithm then tasks individual robots with goals—scan that area, disarm that bomb. Bit by bit the robots complete their mission. In 2010, Olson won MAGIC, an autonomous-robotics competition, when his robots sniffed out eight fake bombs. Now he is working with the Department of Transportation. Mounted on track-inspection vehicles, his sensors will scan railroad crossings for obstructions, flagging problems before they sow havoc. Click here to see more from our 11th annual celebration of young researchers whose innovations will change the world
