Staff Reporter

DR RAJ Reddy, Professor of Computer Science and Robotics at the Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, has been awarded the 2005 Honda Prize by the Honda Foundation.

The prize includes an honorary certificate, a medal and 10mn yen (about $89,000) for his contributions to ‘eco-technology’, a concept that technology does not pursue efficiency and profits alone but is geared towards harmony with the environment.

According to the Honda Foundation, Dr Reddy was honoured for his outstanding achievements in computer science and robotics, particularly as a world leader in the study of human-computer  interaction, artificial intelligence and speech and visual recognition by machine.

A spokesperson for Qatar Foundation said the Honda Foundation also cited his impressive career as an educator, noting that he was founding director of Carnegie Mellon’s “renowned” Robotics Institute and has vigorously promoted and enhanced the international robotics community by accepting and educating many researchers from companies and universities around the world.

“As a result robotics has become one of the most promising technological areas of today’s industry as well as future society in the sense that it helps create more harmonious relationships between man and nature through the involvement of intelligent machines.

“This honour truly reflects Raj’s contribution to our university and society,” Carnegie Mellon provost Mark Kamlet said.

Dr Reddy is now engaged in a mission to reach across the digital divide to improve the lives of the world’s poorest with the Million Book Digital Library project and the PCtvt, an inexpensive, wirelessly networked, personal computer combining television, video and telephone.

A member of the Carnegie Mellon faculty since 1969, Dr Reddy has been recognised worldwide as a leader in robotics and computing research for more than 30 years. He holds eight honorary doctorates from universities around the world.

He was awarded France’s Legion of Honour in 1984 for his work in developing countries; the ACM Turing Award in 1994 for his work in the field of artificial intelligence; India’s Padma Bhushan in 2001; and the Okawa prize in 2004.

Earlier this year, Dr Reddy was honoured as the first recipient of Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s Mozah bint Nasser Chair of Computer Science and Robotics.

The Honda Foundation was established in 1977 by the late Soichiro Honda, founder of Honda Motor Co Ltd.  Reddy will deliver a one-hour memorial speech when he receives the prize in Tokyo on November 25.