Stephen Lane

Stephen H. Lane is a Teaching Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering and Applied Science, Department of Computer and Information Science. He serves as Director of the Computer Graphics and Game Technology (CGGT) Master's Program and teaches courses such as Computer Animation (CIS462/562), Advanced Topics in Computer Graphics and Animation (CIS660), and Game Design and Development (CIS564). He also supervises the Game Design Practicum (CIS568) capstone course.

Education:

• B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University (1980)
• M.S. in Systems Engineering from UCLA (1982)
• Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University (1988)

Dr. Lane's research focuses on the intersection of robotics, physically-based character animation, embodied intelligent agents, and virtual reality user interfaces. His work integrates control theory, artificial intelligence, and computer animation techniques to develop advanced simulation and training systems.

His publications since 1987 cover topics such as inverse kinematics, neural networks for motion control, B-spline receptive fields, robotic skill acquisition, and gesture recognition systems. His recent work (2010-2011) emphasizes sensor fusion for gesture recognition and immersive training interfaces.

Scientific Awards:

• Co-inventor of four US patents related to robotic animation and motion control systems
• Contributions to hybrid controller hierarchies and neural network training methods

As founder of soVoz, Inc., Dr. Lane commercializes behavioral animation technology for virtual environments. His academic-industry collaboration includes contracts with Microsoft, Disney, and the US Army. He has developed tools like ProScena™ to integrate interactive 3D simulation capabilities into gaming and training applications.