Next Generation Robotics

Robotics is a multi- and interdisciplinary engineering domain. The creation of innovative robots needs high level research in all disciplines involved. It is a “mission” in which top level engineers of these disciplines work closely together.

Currently, the TU Delft does not offer bachelor programmes with this “mission” scope. Forecasts indicate that industry will increasingly need these broadly educated and mission driven engineers.

The TU Delft Robotics community, united within the Robotics Institute, wants to attract excellent and motivated students to this mission driven group as soon as possible, by offering them a challenging robotics programme, named Next Generation Robotics (NGR) within the broader framework of the BSc Honours programme of TU Delft.

About the NGR Honours Class

What is the Interdisciplinary NGR Honours Class?

The Interdisciplinary NGR Honours Class is one of the interfaculty specializations of the official TU Delft Honours programme Bachelor (HPB). Within this programme, outstanding BSc students can choose to pursue an Honours certificate by taking part in extra-curricular education activities within the context of the BSc Honours programme. Each faculty has set their own entry requirements and selection procedure to determine which of their students are eligible to participate in the HPB and how they can apply for a place. See the Honours Programme website for main information. The main purpose of the HPB is to offer the perfect challenge for your ambition and talent to develop yourself further, both in terms of broadening your horizons as well as gaining more in-depth knowledge and skills of your field of study. The NGR Honours Class is one of the few interfaculty specializations, you can apply for once you have been admitted to the HPB programme by your faculty.

If you apply and are selected for NGR, you will closely collaborate with like-minded robotics enthusiasts, work on projects of the TU Delft Robotics Institute, and have personal interactions with top-tier robotics professors and specialists. The purpose of the NGR programme is to offer you a valuable interdisciplinary robotics research and development experience, so that you become part of the core of the robotics ecosystem in and around Delft. For example, earlier NGR participants founded the now-popular Robotics Student Association in Delft, and started influential projects such as Lobster and Krill.

NGR programme requirements

In the interdisciplinary part of the Honours Programme Delft, you work alongside honours students from other faculties on your academic and professional development. You must obtain at least 5 or 6 ECTS for the interdisciplinary part depending on your faculty’s requirements. There are several ways to obtain these ECTS. For more information check here.

Within the NGR Part the following components will be considered for your NGR HPB:

You can take additional courses from other domains to acquire theory and skills necessary for developing the next generation of robots. Which courses qualify depends on your regular programme. Be mindful to not select courses that are part of your (future) minor or your future master. These do not necessarily have to be TU Delft courses, reputable online MOOCs or relevant courses within the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus universities collaboration may also qualify.

Essential knowledge within the field of Robotics: mechanics, programming skills, electronics, data-acquisition, systems and control, sensors, micro controllers, basics embedded systems, basics human-machine interaction.

You can also work on project either in small groups (2-3 NGR students) or by yourself by defining a mission that can be used to create a consistent set of projects over the years. Based on the mission you can choose between doing several smaller projects or one large project within that mission. These are your projects, and you are in control. As part of the NGR we will help you find a supervisor who you can spar with and who will approve your work.

Each project is concluded by writing an individual report per project they pursued which must be approved by your supervisor. The number of ECTS per project is determined based on the hours you spend on each project so you must also keep a log of your hours.

In addition to courses and projects, certain other Robotics related activities can also be included in your NGR programme, such as:

Participation (international) conferences in the Robotics field
(International) collaboration (competitions/summer courses etc.)
Industry visits and projects
Implementation of the full mission, demonstrate it and interpret the results.
Be part of the outreach programme of the university

Applying for the NGR Honours Class

Bachelor students who have already been accepted for the BSc Honours programme (HPB). In principle, we focus on students from the followingBSC programmes, although well-motivated exceptions are possible:

Aerospace Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Computer Science and Engineering
Mechanical Engineering

A maximum of 15 participants are accepted each year, aiming for 3-4 students from each faculty. The students will form a team (a NGR generation) together.

You have been admitted to the BSc Honours programme.
You have a strong interest in robotics which shows from your motivation letter in which we expect that you describe:

Your experience in making a robot to date.
Your experience with solving complex problems in a team.
Examples that prove you are goal-oriented and have the perseverance to achieve your goals.
Robot applications that inspire you.
Your motivation and ambitions to make a difference in the NGR programme.

Please send your application to Gillian Saunders (G.N.Saunders@tudelft.nl) via email with the subject of the email being “Application NGR”.

The email shall contain the following:

a motivation letter of no more than 300 words
a Curriculum Vitae – maximum of 1 page which must include a recent picture.

Please apply immediately after your first meeting with the Honours programme coordinator. Typically, this meeting takes place in mid-September. We prefer to have received all applications before September 30. We will try and notify you whether your application was successful by Mid-October. We aim to kick off the NGR honours class on the Saturday of first week of Q2.

Expectations and study load of NGR Honours Class

An average student needs 28 hours of study to obtain 1 ECTS point. It is expected that excellent students need less time than average students. The honours class NGR starts in Q2 of your second year and the programme will cost you on average 8-10 hours extra per week. How you plan your activities is up to you, but you are expected to attend the biweekly NGR meetings which typically take place on a weekday from 18.00-19.00. It is our experience that students selected for this programme also use part of the (summer) holidays to work on projects.

No additional fees are charged for enrolling into the honours class NGR. It is possible that during the programme you may incur some additional costs for travel and study materials, etcetera.

You must finish regular programme and the integrated honours programme in the nominal length of the bachelor (3 years) to receive an honours certificate and a statement letter from the Robotics Institute (some extension may be possible in case of special circumstances, see your faculty’s BSc Examination regulations).
Expected study load: Second year BSc: ~10 EC (including the interfaculty courses); Third year BSc: ~10 EC.
NGR students must complete the mandatory number of interdisciplinary courses (~5 EC) offered within the TU Delft Honour’s Programme.
We strongly advice to also choose the minor (advanced) Robotics in your third year.
We strongly encourage that where possible selected and admitted students also select a robotics research/development assignment as their final bachelor thesis (supervision and assessment according to the guidelines and assessment criteria from their major programme).

Early orientation and preparation to become inter- and multidisciplinary innovative team player in Robotics.
Experience to work with (research and industrial) robotics experts and motivated peers.
An additional challenge to broaden and deepen your knowledge and experience.
The possibility to experience state-of-the-art developments in robotics research and industry.
The possibility to explore your own creativity, communication, and innovation skills.
Be part of the exclusive TU Delft honours community.
Build an early network in the Robotics field.
The possibility to work on an entire mission from the start with enough time and skills to accomplish this possibility.
The possibility to write and present a scientific paper when the results are promising.
The possibility to work in an interdisciplinary team and to experiment with different engineering roles.
Be extra prepared for the MSc Robotics.
Be embedded in the TU Delft Robotics Institute and become part of the (international) robotics community.

If you successfully complete the Interdisciplinary Honours Class NGR within 2 years, you will receive a TU Delft Honours certificate. More information about the TU Delft Honours programme can be found on this website. In addition to this honours certificate, you will also receive an additional statement letter from the TU Delft Robotics Institute that you have successfully completed the Next Generation Robotics Interdisciplinary Honours Class.

If you feel have misjudged the level of the Honours Class NGR or the amount of work, you can drop out at any time and continue as a regular student with your bachelor studies. Please discuss your decision with your project supervisor and the NGR coordinator.

Organisation, infrastructure, and coaching

The NGR programme is formally hosted by 3mE. The NGR activities for all NGR students (independent of originating faculty) will be registered through this faculty. The NGR staff team consists of the following members

: Gillian (3mE) is the NGR coordinator and does the day-to-day running of the NGR programme. She runs the biweekly meetings, arranges for the results to be communicated to the 3mE HP coordinator, and can help with general trouble shooting.
: Martijn (3mE) is the director of the Robotics institute and is the scientific lead for the NGR programme. He will approve all projects before starting to their suitability.
: Chris is the architect of the NGR programme. He makes sure to be present for the yearly selection of new NGR students as well as the formal presentations (such as final presentations) by the NGR students. Informally, he is always ready to serve as a source of inspiration, and to re-emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration.
: Martin is the coordinator of the Minor Robotics, and as such he has many contacts with companies that provide assignments. For NGR, Martin is the go-to-person regarding all cont(r)acts with companies.
: Prof. Verhaegen (3mE) is the coordinator of the 3mE “regular” honours programme, and he is the only one allowed to enter the results of the student projects in OSIRIS and approves the projects for all 3mE participants within the NGR programme.
: Each NGR project has a formal academic supervisor. This could be any staff member of TU Delft. It could be one of the staff members listed above themselves, or they could help find someone else. It is also possible for to propose a formal academic supervisor. This supervisor will check the quality of the NGR project work, using the NGR report requirements. At the end of the project, the supervisor and the NGR student will jointly sign the HP project completion form to formalise that the project was completed satisfactorily. This form will then be sent to the Honours Programme Coordinator at 3ME who will register the results in OSIRIS.