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About

Mirko Felisa is a leading researcher in autonomous driving and intelligent vehicle systems, with a focus on computer vision and real-world robotic navigation. His most influential work centers on stereo-vision-based obstacle detection, particularly in challenging, unstructured environments—a critical capability for safe autonomous driving. Felisa’s landmark paper, "Stereo obstacle detection in challenging environments: The VIAC experience" (2011, 38 citations), demonstrates how stereo algorithms can reliably detect hazards in complex terrains, advancing both driver assistance and fully autonomous systems. He is also a key contributor to the VisLab Intercontinental Autonomous Challenge (VIAC), documented in a 2010 paper (20 citations), which chronicled a groundbreaking 13,000 km, three-month autonomous drive from Italy to China—the first intercontinental journey of its kind. This achievement set a new benchmark in vehicular robotics, proving that long-range autonomous navigation is feasible across diverse and unpredictable conditions. Felisa’s work has shaped modern perception systems for autonomous vehicles, inspiring further research in robust, real-world computer vision.