CMU’s Takeo Kanade Awarded 2016 Kyoto Prize for Advanced Technology

In a release by CMU spokesperson Byron Spice, it was announced that CMU’s Takeo Kanade, the U.A. and Helen Whitaker University Professor of Robotics and Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, won the prestigious 2016 Kyoto Prize for Advanced Technology. Kanade was cited for his pioneering contributions to computer vision and robotics.  The international award is presented to individuals who have contributed significantly to the scientific, cultural and spiritual betterment of humankind. While he was a student at Kyoto University in the early 1970s, he developed the first complete system for face recognition by computers for his doctoral thesis. Since then, he has continued to explore the science of computer vision, including the physical, geometrical, optical and statistical processes involved in vision.

Remember the amazing action videos at the January 2001 Super Bowl XXXV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL?  When TV viewers first felt like they were flying around the stadium with the ability to see key plays up close from any angle? That was the pioneering work of Kanade.  He has also made fundamental discoveries in face detection technology, automated driving, three-dimensional image reconstruction, self-flying helicopters and the use of video images to estimate the direction and speed of moving objects. While he was a student at Kyoto University in the early 1970s, he developed the first complete system for face recognition by computers for his doctoral thesis.

“I am most honored,” Kanade said following the announcement. “Since I came to CMU in 1980, soon after the Robotics Institute was founded, I have participated in and led many exciting projects. My students, colleagues and the environment at CMU made them happen.  In fact, it may sound funny, but, honestly speaking, all I had was fun.”  Our thanks to Byron Spice for this update.