Next Level Engineering

After Anneloes van Dijk had successfully obtained her bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, she wanted to pursue a technical master's degree programme. She opted for the 1-year master's degree programme Next Level Engineering. “I am fascinated by the combination of people and technology. How can technological tools improve people's lives? My drive is to solve problems with creativity and to work on further improvements based on knowledge.”   

Anneloes (23) previously completed the minor in Healthcare Technology. “That topic touched me. I wanted to specialise further in creating technical designs with impactful applications.” For a project during the second part of the master's degree programme, Anneloes worked with fellow students on a project for the elderly in a nursing home, focused on assistance with eating. Anneloes: “Many elderly people deteriorate mentally and physically when they enter a nursing home. That is because they then don't have to do much themselves anymore.”  

Designing a robot 

The aim of this project was to enable elderly people to prepare their own food independently. The students had to devise a solution themselves. “We developed a prototype robot for this purpose with use of a 3D printer. The robot is a table model and pours drinks when the elderly press buttons. This makes the elderly feel more independent. Of course, the robot became the topic of conversation at the table and helped ensure social interaction. It brought a lot of fun.”  

Blind doctor 

For her graduation project, Anneloes joined the Photonics Research Group. This research group focuses on research with light. Anneloes: “My project focused on people with a heart rhythm disorder who are undergoing surgery. In a so-called catheter ablation, parts of the heart are burned away with electricity. Previously, the inserted equipment was visualised using X-rays. Unfortunately, the doctor then only sees in 1D what he is doing exactly. MRI provides a 3D image and allows you to work much more precisely and more targeted. The problem, however, is that when you work with MRI, you no longer see the catheter on the screen. This means that the doctor is basically blind during the operation.”  

Mirror 

Anneloes' contribution was to make the catheter visible in MRI. Anneloes: “This can be done by tying a glass fibre thread of less than a millimetre thick to the instrument. This fibre optic cable can be used to direct light. It contains optical structures that reflect light and act as a kind of mirror. That is how the bending of the catheter can be visualised through calculations on a screen.  

Major impact 

My contribution to this research project was to prove this with experiments. I was able to prove that the theory was correct and I was able to determine the position of the catheter very accurately. Further research is needed to determine how this can be applied further. I am of course extremely happy with these results. I even spoke to a doctor who told me about the huge impact in practice. And that's what I ultimately do it for!” 

Multidisciplinary 

In particular, the diversity of the Next Level Engineering master's degree programme appealed to Anneloes. “I thought it was cool that I had the opportunity to do and be exposed to so many different things, such as Neural Network, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning. Also the subject Key Enabling Technologies appealed to me. During the last six months you can choose a specialisation. That is when you can really go into any direction with various projects. In each project you work together with fellow students. Every student has a different background and contributes different knowledge. That multidisciplinary character was a real added value. I learnt a lot from that. You learn to trust each other, because someone else has more specific knowledge than you. Actually, it works the same as in the professional practice. Because then you also have to work with colleagues who have different backgrounds. This is why the master's degree programme provided the ultimate preparation for the professional practice!” 

After studying Industrial Design Engineering, Antoine (23) followed the 1-year master's degree programme Next Level Engineering at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. The practical aspect really appealed to him. “Truly hands-on. Also the relatively small scale appealed to me. There were short lines of communication with the lecturers and fellow students.”  

“There were many interesting workshops, in which the content was discussed in more depth. In addition to subjects such as Data Science, there were many one-off workshops covering a wide range of topics. For example, we experimented in a laboratory with photons and light sensors.”  

Waste robot 
According to this student from France, the study has a strong multidisciplinary character. “The students come from all kinds of different degree programmes, such as Industrial Design, Biomedical Engineering, Human Technology. This gives you the opportunity to learn from each other and complement each other during joint projects. For example, I worked in a small team to build a robot. The aim of the project was to encourage people on the streets to recycle their waste. Thanks to the different backgrounds we were able to examine the project well from all different angles.”  

Digital Shadow of Manufacturing 
During his graduation project, Antoine focused on digital shadow of manufacturing, which uses digital technologies to collect, process, and visualise real-time data from physical production processes. “Smaller companies in particular have difficulty financing their data and the available technologies to process these data and to optimally deploy them for efficient business operations.” With the software developed by Antoine and the use of sensors, companies can immediately see where specific products are located within the production line and thus remain competitive. “I made a digital copy of their entire production process.” 

Mental puzzle 
The feedback Antoine received was that this has contributed greatly to an improved decision-making process, thanks to the design of a smarter route through the production process and the time saved in searching for lost products. Antoine was asked to continue his research, which he is happy to do. “I love getting to the bottom of the entire process from product to software. Some sort of mental puzzle, where I slowly put all the puzzle pieces of a company in the right place.” 

Obvious trend 
According to Antoine, there is a clear trend that more and more companies want to use digital shadowing. “On the one hand, this is of course due to improving decision-making moments. On the other hand, this software enables companies to make decisions more flexibly and quickly.” Something that, according to him, is urgently needed in tomorrow's economy. “The COVID pandemic made it clear how vulnerable companies are. If the chain fails somewhere, it has far-reaching consequences. Companies must be able to act quickly and flexibly to survive. Another important reason for companies to continuously adapt is the sustainability of the industry.”  

Flexible market 
According to Antoine, the master's degree programme Next Level Engineering helps students prepare well for this flexible and dynamic market. “Especially because of the multidisciplinary nature of the programme. You learn to work together with people from different backgrounds. In addition, during this year you will be introduced to subjects that you previously knew nothing about and that may never have crossed your path.” 

For Elske van Herwijnen, the master's degree programme Next Level Engineering at The Hague University of Applied Sciences was the perfect follow-up to her bachelor's degree in Industrial Design Engineering. “I really want to design products with added social value. This master's degree programme provided me with more technical skills.” 

“I think it is very important that new products are being developed, but designing everyday products feels pointless to me. There already are so many tables, chairs, and lamps. So what is the added value of a newly designed product? I rather design products that add something to society, products that are of real value to people.”  

Self-driving vehicles 

During the work placement of her bachelor’s degree programme, Elske created a new design for a prosthetic foot. “I became fascinated by healthcare innovation, but I lacked the technical side of this process at the time. That is when the master’s degree programme Next Level Engineering came into the picture. Elske: “A year to gain technical knowledge. That was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I wanted to learn more about current developments, innovations, such as artificial intelligence and robotics. All these topics were covered. During the programme, there is also a lot of attention for the research part, for example how to write a thesis or how to conduct research. You learn about new techniques. With the subject Key Enabling Technologies I focused on self-driving vehicles. Extremely interesting!” 

Green light 

During the master's degree programme Next Level Engineering, students work on graduation projects from the research groups of The Hague University of Applied Sciences. There were no thesis topics on healthcare innovation where Elske would be in direct contact with users and where she would devise a solution for them. “This is definitely the topic I want to be focusing on in the future. And preferably also in contact with vulnerable people. How can I really help them? After a conversation with my lector, I got the green light to execute my own project.”  

Robot cat 

During an earlier project, Elske had already ended up at an organisation for the elderly. Elske: “There I came into contact with people with dementia. They had a robot cat. Interacting with this robot cat contributes to their mental well-being. It inspired me. After doing some literature research, I discovered a serious problem: swallowing problems in people with dementia. A huge problem that many people with advanced dementia suffer from. This is because the brain's control doesn’t work that well anymore, making it difficult to control, coordinate, and understand swallowing. This can cause people to choke and even suffocate. Many people in a nursing home with dementia die from complications related to this condition.”  

Positive impact 

Elske conducted literature research during the first few weeks, after which she visited healthcare locations. Elske: “That is where I interviewed healthcare professionals, made observations, and ate with the elderly. Next, I started brainstorming and came up with solutions. I printed several possible solutions with the 3D printer and took them with me to the nursing home. I brought a whole bag, including a special drinking cup with holes to slow down drinking thus preventing people from choking. After several design cycles (devising, evaluating, improving) I developed my final prototype: a bright red drinking cup with a scent compartment. People with swallowing problems are given a thickened liquid to drink to prevent choking. There isn't much of a smell to the thickened drink, but an added scent like lemon or coffee can distract the brain from the nasty, starch-like texture of the drink. The elderly enjoy their drinks more and therefore drink more. I look back on this project with satisfaction. I feel like I've been able to make a positive impact. And that fits in perfectly with my passion!” 

Learnt a lot 

Elske looks back with satisfaction on the 1-year master's degree programme. Elske: “I found it very educational. It was interesting that many different study programmes come together, such as Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, and Human Technology. As a result, you learn a lot from each other without even knowing it. During the projects you work closely together and, with all the different backgrounds and diverse knowledge, you develop much better end products together than if you had done it alone. Thanks to that multidisciplinary aspect you see many different perspectives. I learnt a lot from that.” Elske currently works at the Healthcare Technology Research Group at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Elske: “I am a junior researcher. So cool that I can continue my passion for healthcare innovations in my job! Especially with the growing pressure on healthcare, I am convinced that social and technological solutions can do a lot in this regard.” 

After obtaining her bachelor's degree in Mathematics in Iran and her master's degree in Artificial Intelligence, Fahime (34) wanted to specialise further. "I chose the city of The Hague, because the Netherlands is a pioneer in the field of AI. The Next Level Engineering master's degree programme offered me the opportunity to use this knowledge in a multidisciplinary environment."  

“It was highly interesting to apply the theory of artificial intelligence in practical projects. To work with students from different backgrounds, who all think differently and come from different cultures, is an enriching experience. Not only is it important to acknowledge these differences, but also to appreciate them and to share knowledge with each other.”  

Plastic litter  
Fahime’s thesis focused on the use of machine learning in order to detect different types of plastic waste using infrared light. About 90% of all plastic litter in the world belongs to 1 of 6 different types of plastic. “To recycle plastic, you need to know what type of plastic you are dealing with. This is because different types of plastic cannot be mixed in the recycling process.”  

Cheap alternative 
Fahime's aim was to make this process easily accessible. "The detection process is complicated and can only be performed by large recycling companies. The equipment is also very expensive. This makes it impossible to detect plastic and recycle plastic in many places in the world." The objective of the project was to develop accurate equipment to speed up this process. Equipment that is affordable, portable, and remotely operable. 

Infrared light 
Challenging was the fact that detection is done by reading out the spectrum of infrared light reflecting from the plastic. Interpretation of these data requires extensive knowledge. Thanks to the use of machine learning, this interpretation is automatic and the instrument can be used by everyone. Fahime: “For example, by someone in a developing country, picking up plastic litter on the beach with a portable tool. After a scan, the collected plastic can be sold locally to a recycling company.” 

Cleaner planet 
These tools were designed a few years ago by the Plastic Scanner Company. Fahime made the scanning software more accurate with use of AI software. Furthermore, by looking at how the devices themselves can be made more efficient, they will become cheaper and easier to use in the near future. “Although the scanning equipment contributes to a cleaner planet, I think it is primarily important to reduce the global use of plastic.”