IEEE Awards Booklet - 2019 - 26

2019 Ieee technIcAl fIeld AwArds

IEEE Frederik Philips Award

IEEE Photonics Award

Sponsored by the IEEE Photonics Society

Asad M. Madni

Michal Lipson

For leadership in and pioneering contributions to the development and commercialization of sensors and systems for
aerospace and automotive safety

For pioneering contributions to silicon
photonics

Asad M. Madni's revolutionary contributions to sensors and systems for navigation and stability in aerospace and automotive
applications have helped save countless lives around the world.
Madni's GyroChip was the first microelectromechanical-based
gyroscope and inertial measurement unit for aerospace and automotive safety. The GyroChip and numerous other sensing, actuation, and signal-processing techniques developed by Madni are at
the heart of electronic stability control and roll-over prevention
systems, lane-change assist, and steering and wheel speed detection prevalent in today's passenger cars. They are also used for
pitch stability control systems and yaw dampers in aircraft.
An IEEE Life Fellow, Madni is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor/Distinguished Scientist with the University of California, Los
Angeles (UCLA) Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and Faculty Fellow with UCLA's Institute of Transportation
Studies, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Essentially defining the field of silicon photonics with critical
building blocks, Michal Lipson has been at the forefront of developing a key technology for data communications. Lipson was
among the first to realize the power of using silicon as an optical
medium and the potential of using photons to detect, process, and
transmit information more eﬃciently than electrical signals. Her
demonstration of the first ring-resonator-based modulator and efficient waveguide-fiber couplers paved the way for the development of on-chip optical interconnects. Her development of silicon
slot waveguides allows nanoscale subwavelength light confinement
in lossless dielectric structures well beyond the traditional diﬀraction limit. She has demonstrated their use for optical manipulation
and on-chip transport of nanoparticles and biomolecules, which is
important for biomedical applications.
An IEEE Fellow, Lipson is the Eugene Higgins Professor of Electrical Engineering with Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.

IEEE Robotics and Automation Award
Sponsored by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society

Zexiang Li and Frank Wang

For contributions to the development and commercialization of civilian drones,
aerial imaging technology, robotics engineering advancement, innovation,
and entrepreneurship

The aerial technology innovations of Zexiang Li and Frank Wang
are fueling one of the most significant robotics developments of
the past decade-the rise of the drone and its growing impact on
society. Wang and Li were the first to dispel the stereotype that
useful aerial robots were expensive and unwieldy, repositioning
drones from luxurious toys to practical tools. They cofounded
Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI), the world's largest manufacturer and
leader in consumer drones and aerial imaging technology. Their
flight control systems have provided robotics researchers with platforms for research in visual navigation, collective robotics, simulta-

neous localization and mapping, and object detection and tracking.
Among DJI's many innovations are drones designed specifically
for agricultural applications, autopilot drones for search and rescue,
and camera stabilization technology that achieves movie-grade
aerial footage for the motion-picture and film industry.
An IEEE Fellow, Li is a professor with the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology, Clearwater Bay, Hong Kong, China.
An IEEE member, Wang is founder and chief executive oﬃcer
of SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China.

26 | 2019 IEEE awards bookLET

IEEE Awards Booklet - 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Awards Booklet - 2019