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Ayanna Howard, 31
Writes programs that more intelligently guide actions of robots
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Electrical engineer Ayanna Howard sees a future in which humans and machines work together to explore new terrain. Today’s planetary rovers- suitcase-size robots that move on wheels- must be remotely controlled by human operators, a labor-intensive and imprecise process. So Howard, who weeks at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, developed artificial-intelligence software that mimics the decisions humans make about where to land spacecraft and how to navigate robots safely. Loaded onto a rover’s computer, Howard’s software can process information from maps and video cameras and automatically find a safe path between two points, in real time. The rover can thus avoid craters instead of trying to negotiate their edges- at great risk to multimillion-dollar equipment. Rovers equipped with Howard’s software are now used by forest rangers in Idaho to map loggings shattered by earthquakes or bombs. In 2001, Howard won the Lew Allen Award, JPL’s highest honor for leadership and innovation.
2003 TR35 Winners
Geoffrey Barrows
Gives unmanned reconnaissance planes insect vision
Serafim Batzoglou
Devises powerful tools for assembling and analyzing genomes
Cynthia Breazeal
Constructs robots whose expressive faces convey humanlike emotions
Ian Clarke
Pioneered software that delivers Web files quickly, anonymously
Andre DeHon
Designs architectures needed to build practical molecular computers
Daniel Gottesman
Works to improve quantum computers so they can speed drug design and perform other massive computing tasks
Kathryn Guarini
Fabricates three-dimensional integrated circuits that could vastly increase computer power
Vic Gundotra
Sparked Microsofts change to .Net
Andrew Heafitz
Invented inexpensive rocket-based surveillance systems
Steven Hofmeyr
Devised software that roots out security threats to a networks operating system
Mike Horton
Engineers tiny sensors that can be spread like crumbs around a battlefield or factory
Ayanna Howard
Writes programs that more intelligently guide actions of robots
Kevin Lee
Integrates photonics and electronics on chips to speed telecommunications
Desmond Lim
Develops high-volume manufacturing lines for making optical chips into commodities
Michael OConnor
Designed an automated tractor steering system that is saving farmers bushels of money
Joe Pompei
Delivers "spotlights" of sound for use in concerts, museums, and automobiles
Jovan Popovic
Makes simpler, more powerful animation tools for novices and professionals
Thomas Reardon
Tailors Internet application to cell phones
Torsten Reil
Employs simulations of human movement to create realistically animated characters
Heike Riel
Built large, bright, organic video displays using materials dismissed by contemporaries
Maximilian Riesenhuber
Programs computers to recognize objects the way the human brain does
Linda Rottenberg
Helps entrepreneurs in emerging nations turn innovations into business
Ted Sargent
Fashions photonic circuits that could speed voice and data to homes
Tim Sibley
Serves up customized audio and video gems
Alex Vasilescu
Transforms computers ability to recognize human faaces
Lorraine Wheeler
Codes software that makes handheld computers handier
Tsuyoshi Yamamoto
Builds brain-imaging machines that are faster and cheaper than magnetic-resonance imaging equipment