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Andrew Barrows, 34
Transportation
Nav3D
For years, researchers have dreamed of improving air traffic safety and efficiency by giving pilots a real-time 3-D display that shows how to navigate terrain, even in bad weather. But merging Global Positioning System data with graphical displays of the earth’s surface proved dauntingly expensive. As a PhD candidate in aeronautical engineering at Stanford University, Andrew Barrows delivered the first practical, inexpensive “highway in the sky. ”He did it by writing software that merges GPS location information with images from terrain databases and shows the pilot a series of rectangles. The pilot need only keep the plane flying through these targets. “Fifteen years from now, every airplane will have a sophisticated version of this, ”says John Hansman, MIT professor of aeronautics and astronautics. While the Federal Aviation Administration works on certifying this type of system, Barrows has left academe to become president of Nav3D in Palo Alto, CA.One big client, Boeing, is adapting his technology for military use.Nav3D is also exploring displays that would help construction crews “see” underground gas lines or guide firefighters through smoky buildings.
2002 TR35 Winners
Christopher Ahlberg
Software
Andrew Barrows
Transportation
Elisabeth M. Belding-Royer
Telecommunications
Vincent Berger
Telecommunications
Eric Bonabeau
Software
Daniel Branagan
Materials
Arnaud Brignon
Hardware
Joseph Cargnelli
Energy
Howie Choset
Hardware
Michelle Effros
Telecommunications
Alexander Fay
Transportation
Claire Gmachl
Telecommunications
Michael Hansen
Hardware
Tom Hyongsok Soh
Telecommunications
Matt Keyser
Energy
Kara Kockelman
Transportation
Paul Krajewski
Transportation
Christina Lampe-Onnerud
Materials
Der-Horng Lee
Transportation
Andreas Lendlein
Materials
Ihor Lys
Hardware
Larry Mianzo
Transportation
Chahab Nastar
Software
Bill Nguyen
Telecommunications
Rajesh Reddy
Telecommunications
Vincent Rijmen
Software
Jonathan Rosenberg
Telecommunications
Steven Shaw
Energy
Anna Stefanopoulou
Transportation
Lisa Su
Hardware
Vahid Tarokh
Telecommunications
Steve Tuecke
Software
Camille Utterback
Arts
Les Welch
Transportation
Sean Willems
Software
Neil Young
Entertainment