Olaf Winkler studied electrical engineering (Dipl.-Ing.) and received a doctoral degree in semiconductor technology (Dr.-Ing.) from the RWTH Aachen University, Germany. He worked in automotive electronics development in Lippstadt, Germany, and in Shanghai, China. In 2009 he got the idea of a ball-based transporter and started experimenting. In 2015 he returned to Germany, quit his job and founded his own company dedicated to the Üo project.