Ernst Dickmanns
Also known as Ernst Dieter Dickmanns, Ernst D. Dickmanns
Ernst Dickmanns is a German researcher in dynamic computer vision and autonomous vehicles. He studied aerospace and aeronautics at Aachen before working at a German aerospace research establishment and joining the University of the Bundeswehr Munich in 1975. In 1986 his robot van VaMoRs drove all by itself, and by 1987 it could reach 96 kilometers per hour. In 1994 and 1995 his vehicles drove on highways, and in 2007 Springer published his 474-page book on dynamic vision. He stayed with the university until 2001, and in 2026 he lives in a small town near Munich.
Timeline
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1956–1969
Aerospace studies at Aachen
He studies aerospace and aeronautics at RWTH Aachen from 1956 and earns a doctorate at the Technical University in Aachen in 1969.
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1961–1975
Aerospace research in Oberpfaffenhofen
He works from 1961 to 1975 at the German Aero-Space Research Establishment in Oberpfaffenhofen.
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1975–2001
A professor in Munich
He joins the University of the Bundeswehr Munich in 1975 and initiates its institutes for flight mechanics and autonomous systems. His research focuses on dynamic computer vision and autonomous vehicles, and he stays with the university until 2001.
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1986–1987
The robot van VaMoRs
In 1986 the robot car VaMoRs drives all by itself, and by 1987 it can drive itself at speeds up to 96 kilometers per hour.
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1994–1995
Highway drives for PROMETHEUS
The PROMETHEUS project holds its final presentation in October 1994 on Autoroute 1 near Paris. In 1995 an autonomous drive from Munich covers 95 percent of the distance without intervention of the safety pilot.
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2007
A book on dynamic vision
Springer publishes his 474-page book Dynamic Vision for Perception and Control of Motion in 2007.
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2017
Eduard Rhein technology prize
The Eduard Rhein Foundation names him for its technology prize for contributions to autonomous driving, with the handover set for October 2017 in the Deutsche Museum in Munich.
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2026
Living near Munich
In 2026 he lives in a small town near Munich, and he rarely speaks publicly about his work.
Sources and credits
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- Ernst Dickmanns - Wikipedia
- Oral-History:Ernst Dickmanns - Engineering and Technology History Wiki
- For pioneering contributions to autonomic driving – Eduard Rhein Stiftung
- The pioneers of self-driving cars: Meet Ernst Dickmanns, the nearly 90-year-old man, who pioneered the driverless future - ABC7 San Francisco
- Books1
- Dynamic vision for perception and control of motion / Ernst D. Dickmanns