Paul Kruszewski

Paul Kruszewski is a Canadian AI technologist and a serial entrepreneur based out of Montreal, Quebec. He is known for pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence, and computer graphics.[1] Born in rural Canada in 1967, he got an early start into the world of computer games and computer programming,[2] when he bought his first TRS-80 colour computer. Since then he has graduated with a PhD in computer science from McGill University,[3] and founded three separate AI startups ranging from crowd simulation to NPC behaviours to human pose estimation.

Academic life

Kruszewski completed his bachelor's degree in computer science at the University of Alberta. During this time he received the most prestigious award available to Canadian students majoring in science and engineering, the NSERC 1967 scholarship.[4] He was also President of his school's computer science association.

Krusszewski moved on to McGill University, to complete his Master's and PhD in computer science.[5] Here he completed his thesis, The botanical beauty of random binary trees: a method for the synthetic imagery of botanical trees, suggesting a method to produce realistic images of trees digitally.[6] His work was inspired by The Algorithmic Beauty of Plants, by Przemysław Prusinkiewicz. After finishing his doctorate, Kruszewski was able to fully develop and commercialize the software, which he called "Tree Druid."[7]

Professional life

Work in industry

After leaving the world of academics, Kruszewski held multiple positions across North America, Europe and Asia. Some notable accomplishments include him having developed the first cloud based human simulator on behalf of My Virtual Model and driving the development of both the PS2 and Xbox game engines at Behaviour Interactive.[8]

Entrepreneurial initiatives

BioGraphic Technologies

BioGraphic Technologies (BGT) was Kruszewski's first real foray into the entrepreneurial world, previously working as a software developer at various companies around the globe.[9] BGT is best known for developing AI.implant, a program allowing for realistic crowd simulation, making characters capable capable of interacting with the environment set around them. Taking his previous experience in video game development, Kruszewski originally focused the BGT's vision on the film and gaming industries, working with companies like Lucas Films and Sony Computer Entertainment. Engenuity Technologies, a Canadian defence contractor,[10] saw the benefits of simulating large civilian crowds for training purposes, and purchased the company in 2005.[11]

GripHeavyIndustries

GripHeavyIndustries, better known as Grip, is recognized for developing complex game AI characters. Before its sale to Autodesk in 2011,[12] Grip had been an integral part of games produced by companies such as EA, Disney and BioWare.[13] Some titles it has been credited on includes Army of Two: The 40th Day and various Deus Ex: Human Revolution iterations[14].

Wrnch

Kruszewski's latest venture builds on previous experience gained from working with computer vision technology.[15] Wrnch's newest piece of tech, BodySLAM, has continued pushing those boundaries. It can now track and emulate 23 different points on the human body, and is being integrated into augmented reality experiences at theme parks and in video games.

Publications and patents

 Publications

Patents

References

  1. ↑ Riga, Andy. "Virtual Minds of their own" (PDF). Montreal Gazette.
  2. ↑ "wrnchTech BodySLAM was ranked as one of the best talks for Media & Entertainment at NVIDIA’s GTC – TandemLaunch". www.tandemlaunch.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  3. ↑ "Paul Kruszewski: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  4. ↑ contenu, English name of the content author / Nom en anglais de l'auteur du. "Details - NSERC’s Awards Database - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada". www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  5. ↑ "CBC News - Montreal company attracts video game interest with artificial intelligence". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  6. ↑ Kruszewski, Paul. The botanical beauty of random binary trees: a method for the synthetic imagery of botanical trees. Diss. McGill University, 1996.
  7. ↑ "Standalone Tree Druid". www.zenstar.com. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  8. ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkruszewski/
  9. ↑ "Paul Kruszewski: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  10. ↑ "CBC News - Montreal company attracts video game interest with artificial intelligence". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  11. ↑ TMP. "Engenuity Technologies Acquires BGT BioGraphic Technologies | Presagis". www.presagis.com. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  12. ↑ "Autodesk acquires Montreal’s Grip Entertainment". Financial Post. 2011-11-07. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  13. ↑ "KEY RELEASE: Grip Digital Extras and Character Control System". Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  14. ↑ "Paul Kruszewski Video Game Credits and Biography - MobyGames". MobyGames. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
  15. ↑ "Red Giant Partnership with wrnch". Red Giant. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
  16. ↑ Devroye L., Kruszewski P. (1996) The botanical beauty of random binary trees. In: Brandenburg F.J. (eds) Graph Drawing. GD 1995. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1027. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
  17. ↑ Kruszewski, Paul (27 October 1995). "A note on the Horton-Strahler number for random trees". Information Processing Letters. 56: 95–99 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  18. ↑ Theoretical Informatics and Applications - Informatique Théorique et Applications, Volume 30 (1996) no. 5 , p. 443-456
  19. ↑ Kruszewski, Paul (October 1999). "An algorithm for sculpting trees". Computers and Graphics. 23: 739–749 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  20. ↑ Kruszewski, Paul (April 1999). "A probabilistic technique for the synthetic imagery of lightning". Computers and Graphics. 23: 287–293 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  21. ↑ Kruszewski, Paul (15 January 1999). "A note on the Horton-Strahler number for random binary search trees". Information Processing Letters. 69: 47–51 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  22. ↑ McKenzie, Frederic D
    Petty, Mikel D
    Kruszewski, Paul A (2005). "Crowd Modelling for Military Simulations using Game Technology". International Journal of Intelligent Games & Simulation. 4.
  23. ↑ Kruszewski, Paul (2006). "Believable and Reactive Crowds in Next Generation Games.". AIIDE: 143–144.
  24. ↑ Kruszewski, Paul (2007). "Navigation Challenges in Massively Destructible Worlds.". AIIDE: 108–109.
  25. ↑ Frederic D. McKenzie
    Mikel D. Petty
    Paul A. Kruszewski
    Ryland C. Gaskins
    Quynh-Anh H. Nguyen
    Jennifer Seevinck
    Eric W. Weisel (17 December 2007). "Integrating crowd-behavior modeling into military simulation using game technology". Simulation and Gaming. 39: 10–38 – via SAGE Journals.
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