Professor Ole Ravn's 40th jubilee

You can change all the surrounding structures, but Ravn is actually still seated in almost the exact same office he started out in – and is doing pretty much the same thing, too, he says.

He started out in Servolaboratoriet in the middle of a generational change - it was hard work, but they managed.

In the beginning their work mostly revolved around feedback control. Then in the 90’s they began working with robots, and what we would call autonomous systems today. An evolution Ravn has followed closely through the years.

• Group leader for the Automation and Control group 2001-2021
• Won medals in international robotics competition MBZIRC in ‘17 and ‘20

When people ask Ravn “how could you stand staying in the same place for 40 years?” The answer is simple: it hasn’t been the same place. It has changed all the time.

Back when Ravn started out, the gizmos were the exciting bit; building something that could move or do something – and it’s still great. But now, it’s even cooler to create something that has a real impact on society.

He describes his approach: “It can be advanced, but it needs to be usable as well”.