Edwin Olson is an American computer scientist, roboticist, and entrepreneur known for his contributions to autonomous navigation, robotics perception, and software systems. He is a professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan and the co-founder and CEO of May Mobility.
Academic Career and Research Olson earned his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2008, where his research focused on simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). Following his doctoral studies, he joined the faculty at the University of Michigan, where he established the APRIL (Autonomous Perception Robotics Intervention and Learning) Robotics Laboratory. His academic work primarily involves developing algorithms that allow robots to perceive and navigate complex environments.
In 2010, Olson led the University of Michigan team to a first-place finish in the Multi-Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge (MAGIC), a competition involving the coordination of a fleet of autonomous vehicles in a simulated urban combat environment.
Technical Contributions One of Olson's most significant technical contributions is the creation of AprilTags, a visual fiducial system. AprilTags are 2D barcodes designed to be easily detected and identified by computer vision systems. They are widely utilized in the robotics community for tasks such as camera calibration, robot localization, and object tracking due to their high localization accuracy and computational efficiency.
Professional and Entrepreneurial Ventures Olson has held various roles in the private sector related to autonomous vehicle development. He previously worked at Toyota Research Institute (TRI) as a Principal Investigator. In 2017, he co-founded May Mobility, an Ann Arbor-based startup that develops and operates autonomous shuttle services for urban environments. As CEO, Olson has overseen the company’s deployment of self-driving technology in several cities across the United States.
Recognition Olson’s work has been recognized with several honors, including the DARPA Young Faculty Award. In 2012, he was named to the MIT Technology Review's "TR35" list, which recognizes top innovators under the age of 35. He is also a frequent contributor to major robotics conferences, such as the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).