Helen Greiner | |
|---|---|
 Greiner in 2015 | |
| Born | (1967-12-06)December 6, 1967 (age 58) London, United Kingdom |
| Engineering career | |
| Employer(s) | iRobot, CyPhyWorks, Robotic, AI & Autonomy Expert of US Army, Tertill |
| Awards | Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision Award |
Helen Greiner (born December 6, 1967) is an American engineer and businesswoman who was a co-founder ofiRobot and former CEO of CyPhy Work, Inc.,[1] a start-up company specializing in small multi-rotor drones for the consumer, commercial and military markets, and of Tertill Corporation.
Greiner was elected a member of theNational Academy of Engineering in 2013 for leadership in the design, development, and application of practical robots.
Greiner was born in London on December 6, 1967.[2] Her father came to England as a refugee from Hungary, and met his wife, Helen's mother, while he was attendingImperial College London. When Helen was five, her family moved to Southampton, New York, US.[3]
At the age of ten, Greiner went to see the popular filmStar Wars. She has said she was inspired to work with robots byR2-D2 in the film.[3][4]
Greiner graduated from theMassachusetts Institute of Technology with a Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, and earned her Master's in computer science.[5] She also holds an honorary doctor of engineering degree fromWorcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).[6] Greiner has also received an honorary degree fromClarkson University.[7] Her long term goal is to understand the nature of intelligence.[8]
In 1990, along withRodney Brooks andColin Angle, Greiner co-foundediRobot, a robotics company headquartered inBedford, Massachusetts, which delivers robots into the consumer market. She co-designed the first version of theiRobotRoomba.[4]
Greiner served as President ofiRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT) until 2004 and Chairman until 2008. During her tenure, iRobot released theRoomba, thePackBot andSUGV military robots. She built a culture of practical innovation and delivery that led to the deployment of 6,000 PackBots with the United States armed forces. In addition, Greiner headed up iRobot's financing projects, raising $35M in venture capital for a $75M initial public offering.[9]
She has worked at NASA'sJet Propulsion Laboratory and theMIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.[10]
In 2008, Greiner founded CyPhy Works,[1] creator of the Persistent Aerial Reconnaissance and Communications (PARC) and Pocket Flyer multi-rotor drones. She also served on the board of the Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF).[11] She left the company in late 2017, and subsequently resigned from her position on the board of directors to support a broader mission within the US Army.[12]
In 2012, Grenier purchased the notedShingle Style Loring House by architectWilliam Ralph Emerson on Massachusetts' North Shore. After spending many years attempting to restore Loring House with local preservation organizations refusing to negotiate, she demolished the home in 2014 and built a home in which to live.[13]
As of 2018, she works as an advisor to theUnited States Army, within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, (OASA(ALT)).[14] She was sworn in on June 4, 2018 as a Highly Qualified Expert (HQE) for Robotics, Autonomous Systems & AI for the Army (ASA(ALT)).[15][16]
In September 2020, Greiner was appointed as CEO and Chairman of robotic gardening startup, Tertill.[17]
Greiner was listed as one of the Global Leader of Tomorrow by theWorld Economic Forum[18] in 2000.
In 2003, Greiner and iRobot co-founderColin Angle were namedErnst and Young New England Entrepreneurs of the Year. That same year, Greiner was named one of the “Top Ten Innovators” byFortune Magazine.
Good Housekeeping[19] named her "Entrepreneur of the Year" by and she was named by theKennedy School at Harvard in conjunction with theU.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Leaders."[20]
Greiner received the Pioneer Award from theAssociation for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International(AUVSI)[21] in 2006.
In 2007, Greiner was inducted into theWomen in Technology International Hall of Fame.[22]
She received the 2008Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision Award for Innovation for her work atiRobot.[23] She has also been honored as one ofTechnology Review Magazine'sTR100 "Innovators for the Next Century."
Greiner spoke at TEDxBoston in 2013, discussing how robots can save lives, performing work that is either too monotonous or dangerous for humans.[6]
She received the DEMO God Award at theDEMO Conference in 2014. Following this achievement, she was named a Presidential Ambassador for Global Leadership (PAGE) by US President,Barack Obama and US Secretary of Commerce,Penny Pritzker.[24]
In 2018, she was named "woman of the year" atWentworth Institute of Technology.[25]
Greiner will be one of several speakers at GoFly's 2020 Final Fly Off. Notably, she will be the only female speaker attendee. This competition, in Mountain View, California, will feature teams from around the world to compete for almost $2 Million in prizes.[26]
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| National | |
| Academics | |
