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A Great American Mobility Success Story – Part 1

It could be said that one of the godfathers of the automated mobility revolution is a professor from Princeton who many know from his podcast, the SmartDrivingCar. Each week, Dr. Alain Kornhauser provides his wisdom and wit to make a serious topic engaging and fun. It is his decades of experience that differentiates Alain from the crowd.

With a transportation background dating back to the Apollo Space program, Kornhauser brings more than a rigorous academic approach to advancing autonomous mobility. In the 1970s, he started a business that became a pioneer in commercializing GPS services for trucking companies. In the 2000s, he led a Princeton team that participated in the DARPA challenge. 

Dr. Alain Kornhauser also has the distinction of being probably the only Princeton professor who flunked first grade. It is not a surprise to hear of his struggles, given that he was plopped into a 1950s-era, sink-or-swim, Pittsburgh, PA-area school from his native France. It is also not surprising to hear how he quickly adapted and skipped second grade.

Interview Highlights

Highlights of the above interview, which is the first of multiple parts, include:

It is clear from the description in this article and the way Kornhauser refers to it, that the benefit of this league, like most recreational softball leagues, goes beyond balls and strikes. Simply, it is an excellent way for different groups within the university to socialize, develop relationships, and have fun. One has to think that it also forms interdisciplinary bonds necessary to tackle complex topics, like automated mobility.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this interview, where Kornhauser will talk about his career that has spanned spaceships, trains, and trucks.

2 responses to “A Great American Mobility Success Story – Part 1”

  1. […] View and Read the 6-part interview with Kornhauser and his “Great American Mobility Success Story” […]

  2. […] Alain Kornhauser’s long career in transportation started with rockets in the 60s, personal rapid transit and trains in the 70s, trucking, and GPS in […]

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