Moderators

Jotte Sonneveld

Jotte is a University of Twente alumnus, having completed the TCS Bachelor and the Cyber Security Master, and currently works at Eye Security as a Cyber Security Specialist. He is a familiar face at Inter-Actief, being part of the board in 2017/2018 and as a member of countless committees. During his student days and beyond, Jotte had the pleasure to experience many symposia and congresses in diverse roles. Now, he's thrilled to be your host at Symposium Hephaestus!

Lindsay Kempen

Lindsay is a University of Twente alumna of the TCS Bachelor and the Data Science Master. At Inter-Actief, she worked hard to improve our education, internationalization, and diversity in activities -- during and outside of her board year in 2017/2018. After an initial role as ML scientist at Amazon, she currently develops software for Picnic to automate the warehouses for your groceries. Her biggest thrill of automation? Seeing a rollercoaster of conveyors performing your algorithms! Having been a long-running host at the TCS Bachelor open days and co-host of symposium Disseminate, she has never-ending curiosity for people's stories. Combined with her love for automation, she is eager to guide you through the day!

Speakers

Jens Kober | Cognitive Robotics department of TU Delft

Jens Kober is an associate professor at the Cognitive Robotics department of TU Delft, Netherlands. Previously he has held positions in Germany at Bielefeld University, Honda Research Institute Europe, and Max-Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems as well as at Disney Research in the US. His research is at the intersection of machine learning, control, and robotics with a focus on learning motor skills for robot arms. He and his group have developed learning techniques that enable robots to have complex interactions with their environment and humans. A recent focus has been on rendering the learning process efficient and effective by leveraging interactions with human teachers. His research spans fundamental research to applications in agriculture, manufacturing, care, and retail.

Matthias Grote | Rosenxt

Dr. –Ing. Matthias Grote is working as a Technology Manager for Rosenxt. He started working as a Scientist for the ROSEN Group 10 years ago, concentrating on the Development of New Technologies for Future Market Needs of the ROSEN Group. Together with a multidisciplinary team, Matthias has developed various Technologies through internal and external Research and funding Projects. For more than 5 years now, he has been intensively involved in Applications and Developments for Autonomous Robotics and is responsible for the associated Technology Field "Autonomous Robotics" at ROSEN as Technology Manager. Actual Rosenxt was founded, to concentrate on the development of solutions for New Markets and the development of New Technologies. Matthias will continue to expand the Technology Field “Autonomous Robotics” for Rosenxt.

Mihnea Răzvan Petrea | RoboTeam Twente

Mihnea Răzvan Petrea is the Technical Manager and part of the Mechanical Engineer sub-team of the 8th generation of RoboTeam Twente. The team is building autonomous robots that play soccer at the international competition RoboCup. The main goal of the competition is to have, by 2050, a fully autonomous team of robots that can defeat the human world champions. Răzvan is between his 2nd and 3rd year in Mechanical Engineering Bachelor at University of Twente. Being a big fanatic of robots, with his first interaction with one 10 years ago, he is planning on helping the team get the best result possible at the RoboCup 2024. Click here for more info on RoboTeam Twente.

Nathalie Geerlings | Riwo Engineering

Nathalie Geerlings is Lead Robotics Engineer at Riwo Engineering B.V. in Oldenzaal. After a bachelor Advanced Technology at the UT and master Biorobotics at the TU Delft, she started working at Riwo and got the chance to set up her own robotics team. Together with her team, she focusses on building generic software modules that can be used in various robotic projects. These projects are very different from the traditional factory robots, here you have unknown, noisy and dynamic environments. The team makes use of cutting edge open source technology to quickly move from concept to working proof-of-concept, without having to reinvent the wheel. The projects range from apple picking robots in an orchard, to waste sorting systems for recycling firms, to feeding systems that drive around in cattle stables. Click here for more info on Riwo Engineering.

Arie Riezebos | Voortman Steel Group

Arie Riezebos (Software Tech Lead) from the Robotics team within Voortman Steel Machinery will talk about software development from their Robotics team during the presentation. How they develop this software, what challenges they encounter and how they deal with them. But also what the future will bring. Click here for more info on Voortman Steel Group.

Paul Hentschke | Voortman Steel Group

Paul Hentschke (Director Engineering) will tell about our organization. Where we currently stand and where we as an organization want to go in the future. He will also focus on what influence software development will have. Click here for more info on Voortman Steel Group

Edwin Dertien

Edwin Dertien is a robotics enthusiast with a strong background in both academic research and hands-on DIY art projects. Starting his journey with an internship at the Shadow Robot Company in London, he gained experience in humanoid hands and walking robots. Later, he delved into energy-efficient actuation in walking robots and participated in the RoboCup in 2008 and 2009. In 2014, he completed his PhD on pipe inspection robots, integrating rapid manufacturing techniques like 3D printing. Alongside his academic pursuits, Edwin maintains a blog documenting his personal DIY projects at retrointerfacing.com. These projects showcase his innovative approach to robotics and technology. Currently, Edwin is deeply involved in various research projects, particularly in social robotics and wearables. As an educator, he shares his expertise through teaching robotics courses, while also co-founding the ASSortiMENS foundation, which supports individuals with autism through FabLab workshops.