PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Jean-Paul Laumond

Jean-Paul Laumond was a roboticist whose research linked geometric motion planning with humanoid robots and human movement. He earned mathematics and robotics degrees at the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse and joined CNRS in 1985. At LAAS, he brought motion-planning technology into industry through Kineo CAM, co-directed the humanoid robotics lab JRL, and launched the Gepetto team. His ERC-backed Actanthrope project studied anthropomorphic action, and he later joined Willow to work on embodied representations and robotics. He held the Liliane Bettencourt chair at the Collège de France, received the 2016 IEEE Inaba Technical Award, and died in 2021.

Born
1953
Died
2021
Badges

Years link to their sources.

Timeline

  1. 1976–1989

    Mathematics and robotics studies

    He earns an M.S. in mathematics at the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse in 1976, a robotics Ph.D. in 1984 and the habilitation in 1989. He teaches mathematics at high schools from 1976 to 1983 and joins CNRS in 1985.

  2. 1992–2012

    Motion planning into industry

    He coordinates PROMotion (1992–1995) and MOLOG (1999–2002), two European Esprit projects on robot motion planning and control. In 2000, he helps set up Kineo Cam, which he manages for two years as the company develops software components for virtual prototyping in the automotive and aeronautics industries; Siemens acquires it in 2012.

  3. 2005–2008

    JRL and the Gepetto team

    He co-directs the Franco-Japanese JRL laboratory for humanoid robotics from 2005 to 2008. At LAAS-CNRS, he launches the Gepetto team in 2006 to study artificial motion for humanoid robots, virtual motion for digital actors and mannequins, and natural human movement.

  4. 2011–2012

    The Liliane Bettencourt chair

    He holds the Liliane Bettencourt Technological Innovation Chair at the Collège de France from 2011 to 2012.

  5. 2014–2018

    The Actanthrope project

    He manages Actanthrope, an ERC Advanced Grant project, from 2014 to 2018. The project uses geometric models to study anthropomorphic action across robotics and computational neuroscience.

  6. 2016

    An IEEE robotics award

    He receives the 2016 IEEE Inaba Technical Award for Innovation Leading to Production.

  7. 2019

    Joining Willow

    In 2019, he joins DIENS's Willow team as a senior CNRS researcher. He helps the team develop research on learning embodied representations and robotics. His 2019 essay on robotics and artificial intelligence describes humanoid robots' balance and movement as a form of intelligence rooted in the body.

  8. 2021

    Death in 2021

    He dies in 2021.

Career

  1. From 2019DIENSSenior CNRS researcher
  2. 2011–2012Collège de FranceChair holder
  3. From 2006LAAS-CNRSFounder
  4. 2005–2008French-Japanese Joint Robotics LaboratoryCo-director
  5. 2000–2002Kineo CamManager
  6. From 1985CNRS

Education

  1. 1989Université Toulouse III - Paul SabatierHabilitation
  2. 1984Université Toulouse III - Paul SabatierPhD
  3. 1976Université Toulouse III - Paul SabatierM.S.

From the biography.

  1. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes CNRS. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  2. Universities keep AI researchers for a median of 6 years, compared with 2 years at frontier labsIncludes CNRS. Across 15,811 dated work stays (6,529 people), median role tenure runs from 6 years at universities to 2 years at frontier labs. We compare all five organization types, starting decades from the 1970s to the 2020s, and the organizations that keep people longest.
  3. People shaping AI work at a median of 3 organizations over a career: 3 for university starters and institute and lab starters, versus 2 for company startersIncludes CNRS. Across 6,853 people shaping AI with a dated work role, we estimate a median of 3 parent organizations over a career (mean 3.6), comparing role groups, starting sectors and starting decades from the 1950s to 2020–2026.
  4. The top 10 organizations employed 22% of people shaping AI in 2025: 51% of company researchers and 21% of university researchersIncludes CNRS. We estimate the share of people shaping AI who worked at the top 10 organizations each year from 1955 to 2025, comparing concentration across companies, universities, and institutes and labs.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. Jean-Paul Laumond di.ens.fr. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Biography and publications | Jean-Paul Laumond - Technological innovation Liliane Bettencourt | Collège de France college-de-france.fr. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Geometry at the service of robotics erc.europa.eu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. WILLOW - 2019 - Rapport annuel d'activité radar.inria.fr. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. « Robotique et intelligence artificielle : parlons-en ! » lejournal.cnrs.fr. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Disparition de Jean-Paul Laumond college-de-france.fr. Checked 20 October 2026.