Dr. ir. Vegte, W.F. van der

Wilfred van der Vegte is assistant professor of Internet of Things at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. His research revolves around usage analytics: trying to capture knowledge of how people use products and services – for instance from data generated by connected appliances that is used as input for machine learning or simulations – and finding ways to benefit from that knowledge by informing designers or making products smarter.

Academic Background

Usage analytics can apply both to prototypes and to fielded products/services. In prototyping, the findings of usage analytics can help realising a better next iteration of a prototype. The findings from usage analytics applied to fielded products can be used as input for successor products, but also for updates to services or firmware. There are also products that perform analytics by themselves, as part of their functionality: think of sensor-equipped products that can detect health-related conditions in users. Usage analytics involves technologies such as machine learning/AI and simulation, but an important part is also data preprocessing or data wrangling, i.e., filtering, cleansing and reordering of data.

After graduating in Mechanical Engineering and in Design of Consumer Durables (MSc-level degrees from University of Twente and TU Delft, respectively), I worked for 7 years as a product designer and project manager at the TNO Institute of Industrial Technology. In 1998 I returned to TU Delft where I completed PhD research on integrating user actions and user behaviour into engineering simulations. In my further research as well as in teaching at the Faculty, I have involved myself in several related areas, such as computer-supported knowledge management in design, use-process modelling, ubiquitous computing and cyber-physical systems.

Education

• 2003 – 2009
  Delft University of Technology, PhD
• 1989 – 1992
  Delft University of Technology
  Master (MTD) in Consumer Product Design
• 1981 – 1989
  Twente University of Technology
  Master equivalent (Ir.) in Mechanical Engineering

Experience

Affiliations:

• 1998 – present
  Delft University of Technology
  Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering
  Section of Computer-Aided Design Engineering
• 1992 – 1998
  Former TNO Product Centre / Institute of Industrial Technology in Delft (currently TNO Eindhoven)
• 1989 – 1992
  Delft University of Technology
  Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering
  Section of Engineering Design

Positions:

• 1998 – present
  Assistant professor, Section of Computer Aided Design Engineering
• April/May 2002
  Fellowship for research at the Mizoguchi Lab, Osaka University, by invitation of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
• 1992 – 1998
  Industrial designer / project manager: project management and participation in a wide range of product development projects, varying from furniture to high volume OEM components for domestic appliances; implementation of software tools for DFA (Design for Assembly), DFM (Design for Manufacture), VA (Value Analysis) etc. in TNO's product development process; participation in the conceptual development of DFE (Design for Environment) software
• 1989 – 1992
  Post-graduate trainee

Specialisation / field of research

• Utilization of formal descriptions of human-product interaction in product design and simulation
• Simulation of use processes based on scenarios
• Knowledge management in product design

Lectures and/or coaches students on:

• Machine Learning for Intelligent Products
• Digital Product Development
• Advanced Concept and Embodiment Design (ACD, AED)
• Graduation
• Function modelling