Hi, I'm Helen!
I want to make robots that actually work in the real world. I live in Zürich and have spent my career working on different robots such as boats, drones, warehouse AMRs, mobile manipulators, and driverless cars.
I've worked at Google, Microsoft, and Nvidia, and studied at Olin College of Engineering and ETH Zürich.
What I care about!
My main goal is to make robots that actually work and do something useful. I care most about the Dull, Dirty, and Dangerous tasks that humans shouldn't have to do. Right now, that means keeping the AI factories of the future running: repetitive rack maintenance work that's quietly getting more dangerous as data centers move to 800VDC. Longer term, I want to take humans out of harm's way in critical infrastructure maintenance, construction, and disaster response.
I focus on the tight loop between perception and action: real-time mapping, uncertainty-aware planning, reactive control, and online adaptation when the robot's models are wrong.
The people I work with matter the most to me, and I care deeply about helping them grow, find direction, and build confidence. I'm committed to supporting women in STEM, especially getting young girls excited about engineering before anyone tells them it's not for them.
I also have opinions about books.
Say hi!
The best way to reach me is helen@helenol.com. You can also add me on LinkedIn. :)