Hans Moravec
Also known as Hans Peter Moravec, Hans P. Moravec
Hans Moravec is an Austrian-born roboticist known for his work on robot vision and spatial mapping, and for Moravec's paradox. He earned a Stanford PhD in 1980 for a TV-equipped robot that negotiated cluttered obstacle courses. He joined Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute in 1980, and his Mobile Robot Lab found more effective approaches to robot spatial representation, notably 3D occupancy grids. In 1988 he published Mind Children, and he wrote that computers found adult-level intelligence tests easier than a one-year-old's perception and mobility. In 2003 he co-founded Seegrid Corporation, and as of October 2026 he is its chief scientist.
- Now at
- Carnegie Mellon University and Seegrid Corporation
- Works
- 50
- Citations
- 7,375
- h-index
- 20
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.
Timeline
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1948–1969
A mathematics degree at Acadia
He is born in Kautzen, Austria, in 1948. He attends Loyola College in Montreal before taking a mathematics BSc at Acadia University in 1969.
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1971–1980
A PhD on obstacle-course robots
He receives an MSc in computer science at the University of Western Ontario in 1971. He completes a Stanford PhD in 1980 for a TV-equipped robot that negotiates cluttered obstacle courses.
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1980–2005
Joining the Robotics Institute
He joins the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon as a research scientist in 1980. He becomes research professor in 1995 and adjunct in 2005.
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Since 1980
3D occupancy grids
Since 1980 his Mobile Robot Lab discovers more effective approaches to robot spatial representation, notably 3D occupancy grids.
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1988
Mind Children and Moravec's paradox
He publishes Mind Children in 1988, and he writes that computers find adult-level intelligence tests comparatively easy, while giving them a one-year-old's perception and mobility is difficult or impossible.
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2003
Co-founding Seegrid Corporation
In 2003 he co-founds Seegrid Corporation to commercialize the lab's work. The company brings vision-guided autonomy into warehouses and manufacturing facilities.
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2015
Vision-guided pallet handlers
In 2015 Seegrid's sales reach about 300 vision-guided pallet handlers and other machines, sold to manufacturers including Daimler AG's North American truck operations.
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As of October 2026
Chief scientist at Seegrid
He is chief scientist of Seegrid Corporation, which he co-founded in 2003. He also retains an adjunct faculty position at Carnegie Mellon University.
Sources and credits
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