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DECEMBER 2023 P.14 IMPLEMENTING ROBOTICS IN HEALTHCARE

Tech

P.20 HYPERLOOP: HOPE OR HYPE?

pioneering

DELIVERING ON THE QUANTUM PROMISE

2 COVER ILLUSTRATION

CONTENTS

4 12

Chandelier “To me, an illustration is not a literal translation from text to image, but it creates a deeper level. With this cover, I want to paint a picture of the quantum computer that has evolved to such an extent in power and appearance that it must be good, but for which we still use a good old spanner 17, so to speak. With its delicate look, without a plastic case, the computer is also a bit like a chandelier that is smarter than we are. Furthermore, we see a retro portal to the future, with a bright blue sky where the moon can still be seen during the day. I find that such a special sight in real life too, and here it symbolises as if we can determine what we conjure up on the horizon during the day in the future. Moreover, it remains crucial to me that humans continue to play a central role in the future, in this case the tough Mad Max-styled engineer.”

Maus Bullhorst (mausbaus.com)

Colophon Production TU Delft | Innovation & Impact Centre

Jurjen Slump (Editor-in-Chief) Malou Spruit (Art Direction) Annemarie Abma (Marketing & distribution) Jens Kok (Online) Contributing writers Rianne Lindhout, Bennie Mols, Bruno van Wayenburg Infographics & illustrations Maus Bullhorst, Bruno van Wayenburg, Anne-Roos van Ommen Photography Erno Wientjes, Guus Schoonewille Design Ontwerpwerk Concept De Nieuwe Lijn Print Drukkerij van Deventer Copyright TU Delft | Innovation & Impact Centre December 2023

‘ It’s like the construction of the Sagrada Família’ 32

FOREWORD

Accelerating innovation

In this issue

4 Quantum centainty

How research and applications in quantum technology are entangled

14 Together - Robotics in healthcare

In this second edition of Pioneering Tech we once again show how we’re accelerating innovation and creating a positive impact on society. One impressive example is the rise of quantum technology, which is set to make good on its societal promise. QuTech is a global frontrunner in this regard, thanks in part to the institute’s unique combination of research and practical application. Within the ecosystem of collaborating research groups and companies, the number of staff at quantum start-ups now exceeds the number of staff at QuTech itself. While we’re also frontrunners in robotics, it’s still good to touch base every so often. Professor of Haptic HumanRobot Interaction David Abbink ventured to the Erasmus MC workplace to investigate where technology can be of added value to nursing staff and where it expressly cannot. Care robots that just sit there collecting dust will be of no use to anyone. And at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, it will be not a robot but a Roboat ferrying passengers across the Seine. Although small boats are a great way to transport people and goods in busy cities and ports, there is a real shortage of skippers. AMS Institute start-up Roboat is developing a system for autonomous navigation that can be installed on any type of floating vessel. Might we soon see them on the Dutch canals? In conclusion, we must mention that Pioneering Tech is about more than this great magazine. Visit our platform of the same name and enjoy everything from podcasts to the latest articles on groundbreaking innovation and pioneering collaborations. You can also stay up to date by subscribing to the newsletter.

Technology made by and for professionals

18 Start-up - Roboat No skipper at the helm

20 Daring Dilemma - Hyperloop

Can this new technology deliver on its promise?

Also 12

8 Insights Bob Hendrikx aims to launch a sustainable revolution in the funeral industry

25 Fieldlab SAM XL is a global leader in developing ultrasonic welding for aircraft components

28 The Investor Why investing in software alone is not enough

30 Meanwhile Cloe Innovations: implementing medical devices in low-resource settings in Africa

Explainer 6G will make communications smarter, more economical and more robust

36 What if Flying from Amsterdam to London on 5 kilograms of liquid hydrogen

PHOTO © GUUS SCHOONEWILLE

Tim van der Hagen, Rector Magnificus / Chairman of the Executive Board

FUTURE

The inside view of a dilution refrigerator (‘fridge’), used to cool sensitive qubits to their working temperature near absolute zero (-273 degrees Celsius).

QUANTUM CERTAINTY: DELIVERING ON THE QUTECH PROMISE

Quantum certainty: delivering on the QuTech promise HOW RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS IN QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY ARE ENTANGLED

B y B r un o va n Wa ye nbu r g Photo Ma r i e ke de L o r i jn f o r Qu Te ch

QuTech will reach a remarkable milestone this autumn. ‘We’ll reach the point where the QuTech workforce will be overtaken by the number of people working in quantum startups in Delft’, says Lieven Vandersypen, Director Research of the cooperation between Delft University of Technology and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). In other words, the children will outgrow the parent. ‘We’re currently at 300 coworkers and this number will continue to grow’, says Vandersypen, ‘but our startups are growing even faster.’

FUTURE

It all started as a rather theoretical concept: use some of the more intricate properties of quantum mechanics, the physics of the ultrasmall, to perform certain calculations. You could also transfer information in a fundamentally unbreakable way. Where our every-day computers use bits - units of information that can be 1 or 0 - quantum computing uses quantum bits (qubits), which can be any combination of 1 and 0. Such a qubit could consist of a single elementary particle with the ability to exist in multiple states at the same time. In quantum mechanics, this ability is called a superposition. Inspired by this possibility, physicists started finding several qubit candidates: physical systems that can preserve and manipulate such a quantum mechanical state, which is typically extremely fragile (see box The undecided qubit race).

The quantum revolution After theoretical physicists and mathematicians explored these concepts in the early 2000s, a quantum revolution became imminent. Enticed by applications that no other technology promises, large universities and companies such as IBM, Google, Intel, Microsoft and Fujitsu started working on quantum computers. Two applications loom large in the future of quantum technology. One is the famed quantum computer, which can perform certain specific calculations immeasurably faster than any normal computer could ever achieve. ‘For example, take calculations relating to the structure of molecules and materials’, says Vandersypen. ‘Their behaviour is determined by the behaviour of atoms and electrons, which is inherently quantum mechanics. Imagine designing batteries that are so powerful you only have to charge your phone once a week or making electric cars with enough range to drive from the Netherlands to the south of France on one charge. Or think about more efficient chemical plants, developing drugs to treat incurable diseases, and optimised fertilisers that help to feed us but have less impact on the environment.’ To predict how this future will become a reality, is notoriously difficult, he admits. ‘This is the one application that would have very broad use, but I expect it to be around at least ten years away.’ Another important quantum technology is quantum communication, a form of secure communication that is fundamentally impossible to eavesdrop on. Vandersypen: ‘The quantum nature of the connections and nodes will make any interception inherently detectable.’

‘ Imagine designing batteries that are so powerful you only have to charge your phone once a week’

PHOTOS © QUTECH

Kees Eijkel, Director of Business Development (above) and Lieven Vandersypen, Director Research of QuTech.

QuTech As research at TU Delft delivered more quantum breakthroughs, QuTech was launched in 2015 with a vision to make the Netherlands a hub for quantum technology. ‘Quantum computing comprises about two-thirds of QuTech research, quantum internet about one-third’, says Vandersypen. ‘QuTech is unique in its broad, horizontal research strategy’, says Kees Eijkel, QuTech’s director of Business Development. ’We don’t know which qubit candidate will turn out to be the most useful for building quantum technology - and there may even be several. Where many parties choose a vertical approach, e.g. one type of qubit, one type of computer, we’re saying that there are several options at every level. We keep working on the options that we believe are still in the race to win.’ ‘Apart from the type of qubit, there is a lot of focus on the number of qubits’, says Lieven Vandersypen. News headlines tout claims of quantum computers comprising ever higher numbers of qubits, with IBM announcing a 433 qubit computer last May. ‘But many other factors come into play’, says Vandersypen. ‘For example, how well you’re able to control your qubits, i.e. the fidelity, is important.’ The quantum information encoded in qubits is inherently fragile. They need to be protected and made to interact with other qubits in precise ways to build quantum applications. A third factor is connectivity, the number of links each qubit can make. Vandersypen: ‘In an ideal world, each qubit could talk to every other qubit. In practice, the qubits can often only talk to their direct neighbours.’

QUANTUM CERTAINTY: DELIVERING ON THE QUTECH PROMISE

PHOTO © KLAPSTUK FOR QUTECH

Another look at the inside of a dilution refrigerator.

The undecided qubit race It’s one of the more baffling and counterintuitive consequences of quantum mechanics: particles such as electrons and photons can exist in several states at once, called a superposition. This property is essential for quantum technology but it’s also very fragile: even tiny perturbations from outside can destroy (or decohere) the superposition. To provide the best possible protection, physicists developed several qubit candidates. These are physical systems that allow superpositions to survive for longer periods (typically fractions of seconds), while also offering ways to control them and couple them to other qubits, another prerequisite for quantum technology. All of these candidates only work at very low temperatures of around -273 degrees Celsius. • Semiconductor qubits, also known as spin qubits, use a single electron trapped in a quantum dot, a nanometre-scale island of semiconducting material embedded in an isolating material. Cooled to -273 degrees Celsius, the quantum dot can hold an electron, which is the carrier of the superposition. The semiconductor design,

well-known from ordinary computer chips, is useful for miniaturising and mass production. • Nitrogen Vacancy Center A diamond crystal is made up of carbon atoms, but in some places, a nitrogen atom sits in the crystal lattice instead. This nitrogen atom can hold an extra electron, which can carry the superposition, relatively free from outside perturbations. The NV Center can be read out and manipulated using laser light. • Superconducting qubits This qubit, also known as transmon, is made of superconducting material, a material that conducts electricity without any resistance at low temperatures of around -273 degrees Celsius. Two patches of superconducting material, embedded within an isolator, together hold a tiny charge which encodes the qubit. There are many other candidates, often carrying intriguing names, from trapped ions to Majorana quasiparticles, Kitaev chains and fluxonium. It’s not clear yet which of these will make it into practical quantum technology applications.

FUTURE

While QuTech scientists are working hard to increase these numbers, they concern only the core of any quantum system, which requires many other parts: from ultra-precise electronics to exert control and read out qubits to cabling that can transmit quantum information. And from reliable photon detectors to refrigerator systems that deliver the required temperatures of just above the absolute minimum of -273 degrees Celsius. QuTech’s approach to this is also unique. ‘QuTech is very focused on developing the full system, the full stack as we say’, says Vandersypen. Where players like IBM and Google choose to develop this full stack in-house, QuTech focuses on fostering an ecosystem of research groups and companies developing individual parts. For example, the quantum startup Q*bird is working on Quantym Key Distribution, a vital ingredient of secure quantum networks. Another startup, Quantware, builds quantum chips, while Orange Quantum Systems develops software to calibrate quantum systems, and the startup Qphox is working on interconnects, which can transfer quantum information optically. There is a university spin-out, Single Quantum, developing superconducting nanowire devices that can reliably detect single photons or light particles.

House of Quantum Many startups are housed in the House of Quantum incubator centre in Delft. ‘There is a lot of collaboration and discussion, and we do collaborate on development projects to match each other’s technology’, says Niels Bultink, CEO of Qblox, a scale-up company that develops, builds and sells control electronics. ‘As a PhD student in Delft, I conducted experiments on error correction, a way to combine several qubits to make a single, more reliable qubit. To do this, I needed special equipment that was being developed by TNO’, says Bultink. Halfway through the PhD project, we realised: ’We can make a company out of this.’ Five years ago, the control electronics of the quantum chips were quite complicated: ‘We used a lot of standard lab equipment such as wave generators and oscilloscopes, and we built the control system piecewise. That’s how university research works. But scaling-up things is an expensive and slow way to work, which is prone to errors.’ So Qblox designed and built dedicated, scalable electronics that combine all functions in one miniaturised, modular system that can control 20 qubits with picosecond precision. This makes things much more scalable and ready for larger quantum chips. ‘We now have 85 people working here’, says Bultink, ‘and more than 100 systems ordered. We have even been able to turn a profit in our first years. I suppose we are no longer a start-up but a scale-up.’

Fujitsu QuTech also cooperates with major companies like Intel, Microsoft and recently the Japanese company Fujitsu (see box). ‘Collaborations like these are extremely important. QuTech is about building options for a scalable quantum system’, says Kees Eijkel. ‘A working experiment in a lab, created by university researchers, is only the first step.

PHOTO © PIM TOP FOR QUTECH

Unique Delft approach

PHOTO © ANNE REITSMA FOR QUTECH

Above Gold plated copper plates are used to conduct heat in subsequently colder stages of the fridge, with the coldest lower stage housing the quantum devices. Below A QuTech PhD student working in the quantum computing lab.

QUANTUM CERTAINTY: DELIVERING ON THE QUTECH PROMISE

Shintaro Sato on QuTech-Fujitsu collaboration

Above Quantum properties of light can be created and manipulated using laser sources, lenses and other devices on an optical table. Below Researcher Ivan Kulesh mounting a quantum chip, to be cooled to 0,3 degrees above absolute zero.

PHOTO © CHEESEWORKS FOR QUTECH

With more than 120,000 employees and a net profit in excess of a billion euros, Fujitsu is one of the world’s largest IT service providers. ‘We’ve been working on computer technology since the era of the mainframe in the 1970s’, says Shintaro Sato, head of Fujitsu’s Quantum Laboratory, which has entered into a partnership with QuTech in the field of quantum computers. The company is a well-known supplier of High Performance Computing (HPC) systems. ‘But Moore’s Law, which ensured years of successful, steady increase in computing power, is plateauing’, says Sato, ‘and we are looking at alternatives.’ These include special chips for specific computing tasks, such as Artificial Intelligence, along with Digital Annealers and Ising Machines. These are computers based on quantum mechanics principles that specialise in solving combinatorial optimisation problems, such as the optimisation of Toyota’s production processes. Fujitsu is working on full-fledged quantum computers in collaboration with the Japanese research institute RIKEN, with super-conducting qubits being their qubit technology objective. The collaboration with QuTech involves the NV Center qubits based on nitrogen atoms in a diamond lattice, which is a specialism of TU Delft. ‘We want to develop a scalable system based on standard tiles of 64 qubits. These can then be combined to achieve larger numbers’, says Sato. In this way, the Japanese specialism of integrating and upscaling electronics augments TU Delft’s existing knowledge. One advantage of the NV Center qubits is that the working temperature is higher than 1 Kelvin (one degree higher than absolute zero, or -273 degrees Celsius). These ‘hot’ qubits require less intense cooling measures than other types that work at lower temperatures. Fujitsu and QuTech will also collaborate on the software, i.e. the protocols for controlling the qubits. And ultimately on the development of applications, says Sato. ‘We have some ten companies in various branches of industry, from manufacturers of computer chips to Fujifilm, who are interested and already working on applications.’ Sato expects useful applications of the first quantum computers to become available by the end of this decade. ‘Ultimately, we want to fit this quantum technology into the computing-as-a-service platform that we have just launched’, he says. It is an accessible yet powerful computing platform that frees clients from worrying about the exact computing technology. ‘This currently consists of our High Performance Computer, the Digital Annealer, and a quantum computer simulator. The actual quantum technology will simply be added to this.’

FUTURE

The quantum computer The ecosystem around QuTech has spawned several quantum technology startups and scale-ups that provide components for quantum systems. They can also help make the entire quantum system, the full stack, work.

Delft Circuits makes cables to connect the cryogenic quantum chips with the outside world in a scalable way.

Qphox builds a modem to connect quantum processors.

Qblox builds control electronics for quantum computers. More than 20 qubits can be controlled with one Cluster. Multiple Clusters can be linked together to scale up, with all signals synchronised to the picosecond (10^-12 second).

Quantware makes computer chips with superconducting qubits.

Orange Quantum Systems makes full-stack equipment for testing quantum chips.

GRAPHIC DESIGN © ONTWERPWERK

QUANTUM CERTAINTY: DELIVERING ON THE QUTECH PROMISE

PHOTO © CHEESEWORKS FOR QUTECH

A quick whiteboard sketch illustrating properties of quantum dots, one of the quantum bit (‘qubit’) candidates.

‘ Science is meant to help society with applications, but we also feel the duty to inform society about those applications’ Ultimately, you will have to make ten, a hundred, a thousand of them, in a reliable and, ultimately, cost-efficient manner.’ QuTech deploys demonstrator projects to bridge fundamental research and commercial activity in companies. These projects are full stack functional systems to showcase Quantum Technology. One such demonstrator is Quantum Inspire, an online interface that anyone can use to test a real 5-qubit quantum system functioning in Delft. Another demonstration project is the star-shaped quantum internet that Q*bird has set up in the Rotterdam harbour to showcase inherently safe quantum communication.

Facilitating collaboration Connecting research and applications is integral to QuTech. ‘The natural tendency for scientists is to focus on their research, while companies tend to focus on selling to their clients. We are the hub that facilitates cooperation between the parties’, says Kees Eijkel, ‘not on a project basis but permanently.’

To do this, QuTech fosters continuous dialogue between all the contributors. ‘It’s a continuous back and forth’, says Eijkel. ‘Companies can ask the scientists to investigate certain questions, while scientists inform the companies about useful technologies they are working on.’ ‘This has been proven to work for almost a decade, bringing quantum technology ever closer to real-world applications, but the trick is to persevere’, says Eijkel. ‘Don’t just say: “Okay, that’s rolling along fine, let’s move on to the next subject”. That would lead to the withering of the plant that you have been so painstakingly nurturing and growing.’ Eijkel stresses that this doesn’t only or even mainly concern funding, but other forms of involvement as well. Researchers and developers working on startups are welcome to set up shop in Delft, while policymakers could consider what quantum will mean for society in the long run. Government parties might turn out to be launching customers or considering it in new regulations. Even if they don’t, the knowledge and involvement of policymakers will lead to better policy decisions.

Helping society This involvement, says Vandersypen, goes both ways. ‘We don’t do this for ourselves. Science is meant to help society with applications, but we also feel the duty to inform society about those applications. Quantum technology is a new technology, and new technologies always have unexpected consequences, some good and some potentially dangerous. This is where we want to assume responsibility and be part of the discussion.’ ■

8 INSIGHTS

Bob Hendrikx founded Loop Biotech three years ago. The entrepreneur hopes his unique product – living coffins made of mushrooms – will launch a sustainable revolution in the funeral industry and beyond. Having started out in the tech incubator YES!Delft, Hendrikx now has his first production facility and 15 members of staff. What are the most important insights Hendrikx has acquired over the past few years?

Above Bob Hendrikx in his office, located next to TU Delft Campus. Middle and below Loop’s products are grown from local mushrooms and upcycled hemp fibres.

LOOP BIOTECH

8 INSIGHTS FROM LOOP

By Ju rjen Slu m p Photos L o o p B i o t e c h

The Tesla of coffins Loop Biotech unleashes sustainable revolution in funeral industry 1

Accumulation of insights

‘Founding Loop was the final step in a quest for building as sustainably as possible. As an architecture student, I worked on making houses more sustainable. It was during my master’s programme in Architecture & Industrial Design that I got the idea of combining architecture with biotech, in other words: getting nature to grow houses. This led me to mycelium, which is what we use for producing our coffins.’

Less is more

‘Mycelium is the underground root network of mushrooms and it’s one of nature’s major recyclers. It turns dead organic material into new life. We use it to enable people to enrich life after their death by serving as compost. The coffins are grown in a mere seven days at our sustainable factory in Delft, using only local mushrooms and upcycled hemp fibres.’

Teamwork makes the dream work

‘Our business is three years old and has a production capacity of some 500 coffins a month. About 500 people have been buried in our coffins. My girlfriend Lonneke Westhoff is the co-founder, which makes us a real family business. Although our rule is that we do not discuss Loop when we are at home.’

Lonely at the top

‘We are the only company in the world growing mycelium on such a grand scale. That’s when you notice, for example, that the intern who worked here for nine months has more knowledge and experience than the world’s greatest experts. We also face the weirdest challenges. For instance, mycelium eats plastic but we grow it in a plastic mould, which means it eats the container it grows in.’

Eye on the ball

‘Mycelium offers huge opportunities. It consumes and is nourished by all kinds of waste. A living mushroom coffin therefore has a purifying effect on the cemetery soil, which is often contaminated from years of using regular coffins. This is unique and cannot yet be measured in financial terms, but that will change eventually.’

Think of the bigger picture

‘We hope that our product will lead to the funeral industry becoming a lot more sustainable. We produce everything locally, in the Netherlands. No part of nature needs to die in order for us to have a product. No ecologically important trees that take thirty years to grow are chopped down and then shipped to the Netherlands. That’s such a waste! Wood is a high-quality material with so many more worthwhile applications than simply setting it on fire!’

Be revolutionary

‘We are witnessing the birth of a bio revolution and the development of a regenerative economy built on products that are good for the earth. Ultimately, we can make any organism do what we want it to. We can get trees to generate light and plant them along the highway. Cool streetlamps, don’t you think? This is organism-driven design.’

Look before you leap

‘The challenge for the year ahead is to expand our facility and scale up and ensure that we have a perfect product. Growing mycelium is challenging. Even the smallest change to the environment in which it grows can affect its strength or colour. Once we scale up, we will also become more competitive price-wise. At this stage, we are still the Tesla of coffins.’ ■

READ AN EXTENSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BOB ON TUDELFT.NL/PIONEERINGTECH

WORKING TOGETHER - FRAIM RESEARCH CENTRE

PHOTO © MARCEL KRIJGER

Technology made by and for professionals

ROBOTICS IN HEALTHCARE

By Ri a nne L i ndh o u t

For years, robotics developers have sought to create instruments to support the healthcare industry but the results have been underwhelming. Working with nurses at Erasmus MC, Professor of Haptic Human-Robot Interaction David Abbink demonstrated that it is possible to turn things around. ‘I had no idea what they were doing.’ You might have seen them before: cute little hip-height, big-eyed robots that buzz around and talk to patients. They can help children manage their diabetes or keep elderly patients company. Given the dire staff shortage in healthcare, they sound like an ideal solution. While they’re certainly adorable, the actual assistance they provide is disappointing, argues David Abbink, Professor of Haptic Human-Robot Interaction at TU Delft. ‘These Pepper robots, as they’re known, might look amusing but most of them are collecting dust in hospitals or the classrooms in which they were supposed to help pupils learn arithmetic. The demo videos cast them as gregarious creations that you can have a nice chat with, but they’re rather difficult to interact with in practice. When push comes to shove, they’re little more than an iPad on wheels.’

Sitting idle The medical sector abounds in tech support and advanced tools but they’re still pretty much invisible in the workplace. Monique van Dijk, Professor of Nursing Science at Erasmus MC, explains that even minor details can interfere with adoption. ‘Erasmus MC introduced smart beds that could also weigh patients, which would make weighing bedridden patients considerably easier. But no one ever explained how the beds worked and nurses didn’t trust the readings, which meant that, before long, the smart new devices were sitting idle. The same can happen if workers don’t know how to report malfunctioning equipment.’ Abbink expects that self-learning future technologies, such as robotic assistance, will be even harder to implement. That’s why he is committed to improving alignment with real workplace needs and wishes, ‘so that professionals will enjoy providing care in the long run. Only then will technology actually help combat labour shortages.’ Abbink helms the FRAIM research centre, where researchers can freely experiment with technology and test its impact in controlled environments. Its current focus areas are mechanical and repair work, healthcare, and baggage handling at Schiphol Airport.

Blind spots

David Abbink, Professor of Haptic Human-Robot Interaction at TU Delft.

Technology development is only a small piece of the puzzle Abbink wants to solve to develop truly relevant workplace innovations. ‘The best solutions are social, organisational or logistical, not technological. I can tell you a lot about fostering cooperation between robots and people, and a psychologist knows exactly how to research and encourage well-being in the workplace. The problem is that everyone has blind spots. In other words, you need a diverse group of academics, professionals and relevant experts to engage in collective blind-spot reduction to develop an effective robot or technology.’

WORKING TOGETHER - FRAIM RESEARCH CENTRE

Monique van Dijk (above), David Abbink and Iris Wallenburg.

PHOTOS © DAVID ABBINK

Academics need non-academic knowledge to make a difference Whether they’re looking to improve the health of an entire neighbourhood or exploring ways to help farmers green their operations, more and more researchers seeking to bring about societal change are discovering the same critical success factor: transdisciplinary collaboration. At the turn of the century, interdisciplinary research emerged as a new trend. For example, we learned that unhealthy behaviour is often sparked by multiple factors, such as poverty or other stressors. Healthy lifestyle advice alone is not the solution, so you need to go beyond a purely medical approach. While an interdisciplinary team with behavioural scientists and sociologists will be slightly more effective, more is needed to actually improve public health. To be truly effective, the team will have to join forces with all stakeholders that can play a part in the solution, such as community centres, GPs, urban planners, other policymakers and, last but not least, the actual people involved. True transdisciplinary science is the best way to prevent blind spots.

Abbink was given six months to test his ideas in a pilot project at Erasmus MC, seeking first and foremost to address the systemic shortage of nursing staff. There is no cut-and-dried solution but many have turned to the field of robotics for help. Instead of quickly rolling out a prototype, Abbink decided to put together a broad team of young researchers, including a nursing scientist, an organisational scientist, a designer, a robotic expert, a social scientist and an innovation expert. The team did their required reading, conducted workplace visits and found a team of nurses to work with, before shadowing two oncology nurses to get an accurate picture of their day-to-day activities.

An eye-opener All the time spent observing and searching for things was surprising to say the least, says Abbink: ‘We learned that we didn’t have a clue as to what nurses do all day, how complex their job is and how many tasks they have to navigate! No matter what happens, they always get everything done. It’s a very commendable effort.’ It even caught senior oncology nurse Janno Wouters by surprise. ‘I knew that we’re incredibly hardworking, creative and capable problem-solvers, and my pedometer tells me that I cover considerable distances every day. Still, seeing the routes on paper was an eye-opener. I would never have imagined that I walked that many rounds through wards and past patients.’ In a workshop also attended by nursing team leaders, the group identified their needs and wishes and scoped out possible solutions for the future. Van Dijk: ‘Making a bed isn’t much fun but having a chat with the patient at the same time can be. It’s important that you carefully consider whether technology has added value.’ She is hopeful that technology can help in some other way: ‘Nurses spend an awful lot of time looking for stuff. There’s nothing more annoying than discovering that the last wound dressing has just been used. The solution? A brisk walk to the Plastic Surgery ward.’

ROBOTICS IN HEALTHCARE

‘ Using the arm helped me see its added value in the provision and preparation of medication’ Oncology nurses discover the capabilities of a robotic arm during a workshop. Through this physical experience, more concrete ideas emerged for plausible robotic support for their work: for example, taking the blood sampling supplies or medication from (or handing them over to) the nurse.

Why am I just hearing about this now? For some team leaders and managers, the workshop was the first time that they heard what their people were up against. ‘Why am I just hearing about this now?’ was a commonly heard response. Usually, nurses simply find a solution and don’t have time to consider the alternatives, so they push through and don’t complain. Wouters: ‘I was amazed at what happened when I was encouraged to let go of my reticence and allow my imagination run wild. In the past, I tended to stress the restraints and problems and wonder whether something was even possible.’ Wouters’ colleague Ada Langendoen got to test a robotic arm during the workshop and saw its merits: ‘Actually using the arm helped me see its added value in the provision and preparation of medication.’

FRAIM is working on the future of work In view of the ageing population, fewer workers will have to produce more and take care of more pensioners in the future. Robotisation may be part of the solution. Research centre FRAIM explores how humans and robots can work together symbiotically in the workplace. Efficient and meaningful work is the end goal, prompting the researchers to combine technical and social sciences and tap into the non-academic knowledge of the employees and organisations involved. Abbink: ‘A key part of the FRAIM method is that people throughout the organisation take the time to listen to each other, triggered by a reflection on the findings reported by the researchers.’ KLM Engine Repair and Schiphol's baggage handling department already use FRAIM's expertise. There are also clearcut opportunities in the construction and cleaning sectors, and robots can also help lay the cables needed for the energy transition.

Good for the relationship The final session of the working group revolved around reflection. Abbink: ‘Nurses are worried that the advent of robots would lead to them having to treat even more patients in less time, while they mainly want to spend more time with patients. Team leaders, on the other hand, argued that labour shortages might force them to make unpopular decisions.’ The honest exchange of thoughts and ideas helped create mutual understanding. People realised that they’re all facing the same issues, which improved the relationship between them. So did the participants come up with an idea for a device that will actually be adopted? A smart medical supply room that orders dressings automatically when stocks run low, perhaps? We’re not quite there yet, Abbink admits. ‘This was only a prelude, the first step towards finding ways to address complex workplace issues. It was an unmitigated success. We managed to identify ways to prioritise real-life impact in research and innovation by working with representatives from every layer of the organisation.’ ■

On to bigger and better things After the interviews, it was announced that Abbink and Van Dijk will prolong their stint at Erasmus MC. Together with Iris Wallenburg of the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, they have been given the chance to put together a broad team of five experienced researchers. The team will work with nurses for two years before taking on the challenge of coming up with concrete interventions to benefit nursing work.

START-UP

PHOTO © ROBOAT

Start-up company Roboat develops technology that enables vessels to sail without a skipper at the helm.

Roboat is on course for the future

Artist’s impression of a Roboat cruising on the Seine. Right Ynse Deinema (standing) and teammates working on the autonomous Roboat system.

ROBOAT

The warehouse in Amsterdam’s maritime quarter overlooks the Maritime Museum and the replica of an 18th-century Dutch East India sailing ship moored alongside it. In this warehouse surrounded by maritime history, work on the future of inland shipping is hard under way. It’s a future in which shipping vessels will be smart enough to sail without the intervention of a human skipper. Filling up the space in the warehouse and providing a glimpse of what’s to come are two silver-coloured autonomous boats – a water taxi and a refuse container. The warehouse is the home of Roboat, a start-up company established in early 2023. The company grew from the Roboat research project, run from 2015 to 2022 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute), of which TU Delft was a co-founder. Ynse Deinema was the project manager of the Roboat scientific project and is currently the CEO of the eponymous start-up.

Ynse, what is your personal connection with boats? ‘Boats have been a hobby of mine since I was a child. Not only do I like sailing in them, but I love working on them, fixing them and tinkering with the technology behind them. It’s immensely interesting to explore the limits of what you can do with a boat. How much technology can you inject into a boat without it losing societal relevance? While it is utter nonsense to claim that all shipping vessels will be autonomous within 50 years, there certainly are a great many applications in which autonomous boats definitely provide added value. I enjoy contributing to this.’

What solutions do you want Roboat to offer? ‘Worldwide, there are terrific opportunities involving aquatic transport in cities and ports, such as for transporting people or collecting waste. Conventional shipping is currently reaching the limits of what is possible. Urban boats are relatively small, so operating costs are high. At the same time, there is an enormous shortage of skippers everywhere. We want to make commercial transport on inland waterways more efficient, safer and less expensive.

PHOTO © ERNO WIENTJES

By Be n n ie M o ls

‘We want environment that the system itself makes while sailing. The third component, the to make controls, drives the propellers of the Roboat.’ commercial How helpful has TU Delft been in setting up your business? transport ‘We got help from Delft Enterprises during our initial phase as a start-up. In addition, on inland TU Delft is a breeding ground for top talent in the areas of robotics, visual recognition, waterways systems and control, and product design.’ more efficient, do you currently consider to safer and less What be your showpieces? ‘We provide Amsterdam’s public transport expensive’ company GVB with a Roboat system for the We achieve this this by developing autonomy systems that can be installed on any type of shipping vessel. Customers have the choice of installing the system on an existing vessel or integrating it in the design and build of a new vessel.’

What does your autonomy system consist of? ‘It consists of three main components: perception, navigation and control. For perception, we use a LiDAR, a kind of laser scanner, in combination with various cameras. Together, they detect all obstacles in the vicinity, ranging from other vessels to infrastructure and swimmers. This kind of observation is super accurate – a step further than the customary standard in the industry. The second component is the navigation: calculating a path from A to B without knocking into anything. This part consists of extremely accurate GPS combined with the map of the local

ferry service across the IJ river. This system keeps an eye on all objects in the water and passes on this information to the skipper to make the crossing safer. For example, it can sometimes be difficult to see a small boat on the water but our system would pick up on it and alert the skipper. Additionally, we will supply an autonomous electric boat for use at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. It will ferry passengers across the Seine from the athletes’ village, situated on a peninsula, to the opposite bank and back. This boat measures four by nine metres and carries 35 passengers. We are supplying the autonomy system, the ship-building company Holland Shipyards will be 3D-printing the vessel, and a local operator in Paris will run the service. Although it’s fantastic that Paris is building experience with this, it’s a pity that Amsterdam is not doing so yet.’ ■

For more information: roboat.tech and ams-institute.org

DARING DILEMMA

THE GAME HYPERLOOP CHANGER: EIWITTRANSITIE

By B r un o va n Wa ye nbu r g

Type visual O nt we r pwe r k

Illustration Ma u s Bullhorst

A futuristic new mode of transport: hope or hype? Originally a concept that American rocket pioneer Robert Goddard came up with over a century ago, the Hyperloop experienced a spectacular revival in 2012. It was the year in which Elon Musk, the technology visionary and builder of electrical cars and rockets, launched his proposal for a mode of transport that would shoot through near-vacuum tubes at speeds of hundreds of kilometres per hour. Low pressure ensures very low air resistance, making speeds of 700 to 1200 kilometres per hour possible. This idea was seized upon by Musk fans, engineers in search of a mission and travel visionaries, and within ten years, dozens of universities, start-ups and even a special Hyperloop-dedicated research lab were hard at work developing it. This includes the Dutch student team Delft Hyperloop and the Hardt Hyperloop start-up in Rotterdam. A test centre is being set up in Groningen. Even travel giants such as Deutsche Bahn published favourable estimates of the technical possibilities and the costs. But the question remains: can Hyperloop actually become a ‘fifth mode of transport’ alongside cars, boats, aircraft and trains and will it be emission-free, quiet, modest in size and have enough capacity to keep up with the growing demand for transport?

DARING DILEMMA

Mars Geuze, Hardt Hyperloop ‘This was our first iteration’, says Mars Geuze, CCO of the Hardt start-up in Rotterdam. He’s standing near a bridge-like metal construction under which a little vehicle is parked. The top and sides of the vehicle feature large electromagnets, reaching to within a few centimetres of the rails under the bridge and fixed to the sides. ‘They’re pure steel; there’s nothing smart about them’, Geuze says about the rails. When the system is switched on, the vehicle shoots into the air and then remains levitating under the bridge. ‘The magnets draw themselves up towards the steel’, Geuze explains. The distance to the track is measured 4000 times a second, and the vehicle can be kept levitating at a particular height by increasing or decreasing the magnetic power. The magnets and rails along the sides keep the vehicle centred.

20 metre pods This is the principle behind Hardt’s hyperloop which, in Geuze’s vision, might ultimately become a revolutionary form of passenger transport. Pods with a length of around 20 metres are propelled through a tube in which the air pressure has been reduced to about a thousandth of normal air pressure. ‘Although this is low pressure, it is not considered an actual vacuum in the vacuum industry’, says Geuze. The pods can accommodate about 30 passengers and would eventually be able to transport people from A to B at a speed of around 700 kilometres per hour. One of Hardt’s PR videos shows an impression of a slick design terminal with a screen displaying the times for an Amsterdam-Berlin trip: departure 12:10, arrival 1:05. The 600 kilometre trip would take less than an hour. But more than a few technical issues need to be resolved before we get to that point. How will passengers board? ‘Through doors in the tubes that coincide exactly with those in the pod, properly sealed with a kind of rubber’, says Geuze. What would drive the pod? ‘It pulls itself forward by means of magnets along steel pads in the track.’ How would you deal with major leaks or other problems in the tube? ’By dividing the tube into segments with partitions that you can close and getting the pods to reduce speed extremely quickly.’

Switching lanes There’s one problem that Hardt claims to have solved already: how do you switch lanes? ‘You can do this by choosing either the left or right side lane at any fork’, says Geuze. Hardt demonstrated this on a test track in 2019. The advantage is that the pod can choose its route independently, explains Geuze, and that offers opportunities for making Hyperloop more flexible than the current railways: ‘Even a single pod full of passengers wanting to travel from A to B is sufficient demand.’ The exact layout of a network of this kind will still require extensive decision-making though: would you board the train along the main line or would you work with on- and off-ramps for building up speed or slowing down again? The infrastructure is also considerably more advanced than railways when it comes to hardware: kilometres of near-vacuum tubes. ‘Then again, tubes have a width of just 3.5 metres and so take up less space than railways’, says Geuze. He also maintains that the network will ultimately be 30% cheaper than that for high-speed trains. ‘The costs of the network can be recouped even if you charge regular ticket prices’, he promises.

Growing demand for transport Even more to the point, according to Geuze, Hyperloop is essential for meeting the sharply growing demand for transport. ‘Schiphol expects demand to grow by 180% but the airport wants to downsize. Deployment of electrical aircraft will not be enough to sort out this mismatch.’ Hyperloop connections will compete with flights on distances up to 2500 kilometres, which represents 70% of demand. Whichever way you look at it, investment in European infrastructure needs to take place, he says, and Hyperloop

THE HYPERLOOP

represents the best option. Although it’s not necessarily an option for the short term. Geuze predicts that the first short stretches of Hyperloop travel will happen by 2030, either in terms of local travel or test trips. ‘But the first contours of regional networks won’t become visible until somewhere between 2035 and 2040. This is a marathon, not a sprint.’

Karel van Dalen Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences ‘My expertise is in the dynamics of constructions, in other words: the vibrations of the Hyperloop tube and the columns it rests on’, says Karel van Dalen, a researcher at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, ‘and from that point of view the Hyperloop is very interesting. These kinds of speeds can generate waves comparable with a ship’s stern wave, which will travel through the ground.’ Together with a post-doc researcher, Van Dalen is working on simulations of possible effects that could make Hyperloop less efficient and cause a nuisance to the surroundings. Another such effect is the vibrations of the pod inside the tube. ‘At these kinds of speeds, these vibrations might be unstable, which would mean that they get steadily stronger. This could lead to material fatigue, or even to hazardous situations, and the pod running the risk of crashing against the tube.’

Emission-free ‘This subject is fascinating. Can it be done? What needs to be done for this to happen? How do we ensure that dynamic effects are suppressed as much as possible? Just as fascinating is the fact that I can be involved in the development of completely new transportation technology and it might even be entirely “green”’. If the electricity used to run Hyperloop is generated sustainably, its operation could be carbon emission-free, says Van Dalen. ‘The challenge lies in the construction of the Hyperloop. Will it be possible to build it without emissions? The system will require thousands of kilometres of tube, while climate agreements state that building needs to be emission-free by 2050.’ Van Dalen is of the opinion that it should be possible. The tubes can be made of steel or, for example, fibre-reinforced polymers, and the columns and foundations will need to be made of concrete. ‘Green steel is undergoing rapid development; green concrete is a different matter, though.’

DARING DILEMMA

ARTIST’S IMPRESSION OF THE HARDT HYPERLOOP SYSTEM © HARDT HYPERLOOP

Serious option He believes that much more research should actually be taking place. ‘While research is underway, there’s a notable scarcity of it, particularly at the European level. This really surprises me.’ In the meantime, Hyperloop has become a serious option, he says. ‘It’s much more than simply hype by now. If as a scientist you still want to make an impact on this subject, you must do it now. At this stage, you can still contribute significantly to the development.’

Wijnand Veeneman Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management ‘Let’s begin by acknowledging that this technology is fantastic’, says Wijnand Veeneman, an expert in mobility and infrastructure at the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management. ‘If it allows you to shoot through a vacuum while levitating, you can reach speeds that approximate those of aircraft without the energy required to keep an aircraft airborne.’

Veeneman has supervised a number of graduates on this subject, he says, ‘but there are still a number of complexities and these aren’t the same everywhere. There is, for example, a difference between building this network in a built-up area such as Schiphol or, say, an urban area that is yet to be developed. If you start from scratch, you have far more options in terms of spatial planning. Obviously, this results in a different business case.’

Last mile ‘Even if you connect the Hyperloop to a railway network, you will need to construct a vacuum tube for that “last mile”, for example to the terminal at Schiphol, and the cost in that built-up area is much higher than in rural areas. And in Europe there are locally-developed systems that compete, such as the railway networks.’ Yet Veeneman believes that there is definitely space for this concept. People focus far too much on yes or no answers. ‘They either regard it as bullshit or they think it’s fantastic. However, that isn’t how technology development works.’ He expects that Hyperloop will initially only be usable in particular circumstances and niches.

Sagrada Família ‘When I look at the promises innovators in the Hyperloop world are making, I think: yes, well, no I’m afraid. And, frankly, I believe they are aware of this themselves, but they need to maintain faith to avoid running out of funding. It’s like the construction of the Sagrada Família: something fantastic that will only be used as it is meant to be in the long term. But this much you do know: if you don’t start now, you won’t be done in 150 years’ time either.’ ■

FIELDLAB

RESEARCH CENTRE SAM XL Fieldlab ID Name SAM XL is short for Smart Advanced Manufacturing using extra-large (XL) robotics. The research centre was established as a non-profit foundation under the aegis of TU Delft.

Mission

The automation of aerospace production and inspection techniques, bridging the gap between fundamental research and industry applications.

Headquarters

TU Delft Campus building 137, Rotterdamseweg 382C, 2629 HG Delft

Year founded 2018

Number of employees 19

Partners Airbus, TNO, NLR, Fokker GKN Aerospace, GTM Advanced Structures, Airborne, KVE, CEAD, Suzlon and more.

Accurate alignment of tools is essential to create a good weld.

New welding technology paves the way for greener aircraft

FIELDLAB

RESEARCH CENTRE SAM XL

PHOTOS © FOTOGRAAF

Delft-based non-profit research centre SAM XL is a global leader in developing ultrasonic welding for aircraft components, a technique that promises to spawn lighter, more sustainable aircraft. By B en n ie M o l s

Photos Er n o W i e n t j e s

SAM XL’s colossal research facilities already abound in small robotic arms and experimental setups, but they have recently welcomed a large, new orange robotic arm. Starting in 2024, this robot will gradually show the world the merits of ultrasonic welding in the assembly of future generations of airplanes. With this technology, SAM XL is set to make a valuable contribution to making the aviation industry as climate-neutral as possible. For years, airplanes were made primarily from aluminium, but the relentless pursuit of weight and fuel savings has meant that this metal has lost ground to lighter, stronger composite materials made from long strands of carbon fibre. The latest generation of composites, known as fibre-reinforced thermoplastics, melt when exposed to sufficient heat and can therefore be welded together, eliminating the rivets used in today’s airplanes. Not only are the materials lighter, but you also need fewer components.

Testing the robot’s motion in anticipation of the welding process.

‘The biggest challenge is developing a welding technique that lets us consistently produce long, high-quality welds on complex surfaces at high speeds’, says SAM XL process engineer Bram Jongbloed. ‘And we happen to have found a solution to that very challenge. We have developed an ultrasonic welding technique that has already been proven to work in various research projects.’

A daunting challenge While ultrasonic welding has been used to weld plastics for decades, thermoplastic composites were a much more daunting challenge, prompting SAM XL to develop its own proprietary software and hardware. Jongbloed: ‘Our ultrasonic welding technology uses a sonotrode, a kind of hammer, that vibrates at a frequency of 20,000 Hz as it presses down on the weld. This creates so much friction on the interface and the thermoplastic itself that the material melts, but because you only melt a small section of the material, it’s also highly efficient.’ SAM XL has demonstrated the underlying concept of the continuous ultrasonic welding process by welding a few dozen cm stretch on a straight surface and has even carried out robotic spot welding on a full-size fuselage panel of an Airbus aircraft. Jongbloed: ‘When we welded that 8x4m panel, we became the first to apply ultrasonic spot welding on an aircraft component made entirely from thermoplastics.’

RESEARCH CENTRE SAM XL

Above Automated continuous ultrasonic bench welder with patented sonotrode design. Below Bram’s focus is to develop and industrialise innovative manufacturing techniques.

With the recently installed robotic arm, SAM XL intends to demonstrate that it can also perform welds spanning several metres, before taking on the challenge of curved surfaces. Jongbloed: ‘We are currently developing a new software framework with so-called zero-programming, which will give the robotic arm the intelligence it needs to scan an object, build a digital model and generate optimal weld routes regardless of the shape.’

Bridging the gap

‘ We were the first to apply ultrasonic spot welding on an aircraft component made entirely from thermoplastics’

In practice, there is often a large gap between fundamental scientific research and real-life applications in the aviation industry. SAM XL was created to bridge that gap. In the coming years, SAM XL aims to commercialise ultrasonic welding technology in partnership with renowned aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Jongbloed: ‘Airbus is keen to develop ultrasonic welding and we’re the world leader in it. We frequently consult with people from Airbus and often have them on site to showcase what we are doing. Airbus wants to be able to produce as many as 100 A320 aircraft a month, and if they decided to use thermoplastic composites, they would need assembly techniques that are up to the task. We have now drawn up a roadmap with the goal of having ultrasonic welding commercialised by a manufacturer like Airbus by around 2035.’ SAM XL is also particularly interested in supporting the Dutch manufacturing industry and has seen interest in its technology skyrocket. It has recently started looking into ways to harness ultrasonic welding for hydrogen tanks, which will play a key role in the energy transition. ■

For more information: samxl.com

THE INVESTOR

the investor

FORWARD.one ‘ SOFTWARE ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH. YOU NEED MACHINES.’

By J u r jen Slump

Ampelmann makes safe, stable gangways for use in the offshore industry.

Investment company FORWARD.one is involved in various Delft-based spin-off companies. Its founder Arjan Göbel is an Offshore Engineering graduate of TU Delft and was a co-founder of Ampelmann, which he helped grow into a successful company in the offshore industry. He subsequently began investing in high-tech hardware (aka deep tech): radical innovations based on breakthrough technology. What drives Göbel and why is he investing in start-up tech companies?

FORWARD.ONE

Just do it! Arjan Göbel encourages entrepreneurial students to start a business.

What made you start investing in deep tech? ‘When we founded FORWARD.one a mere seven years ago, people were not really into what we call high-tech hardware. Investors were queueing up for a share of software companies such as Airbnb and Uber. Yet, when it comes to the energy transition, you need hardware: solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and sensors. We were the only investor in the Netherlands that was considering start-ups of this kind.’ PHOTO © FORWARD.ONE

What kind of technology are we talking about? ‘It varies from chips for quantum computers (Quantware) to robotics for charging electric vehicles (Rocsys), and more efficient fermentation technology (DAB). And then there’s climate tech such as Qualinx, a spin-off that makes GPS chips up to ten times more energy efficient. Hardware is the common denominator in all our investments. Software alone is not enough. There needs to be a physical component. You need machines. It must also have the potential to really disrupt things.’

The companies you named all originated in Delft. Is this a coincidence?

What’s your view on the general investment landscape in the Netherlands?

‘Some of us are from Delft, so it’s no coincidence from that perspective. A distinguishing trait of people from Delft is that they really like to tinker. Take the Dream Hall, where teams of students build solar-powered and hydrogen-powered cars. These people are all doers who really get stuck into things. Their initial idea might be somewhat naive, but getting involved has its advantages. I strongly believe that if you make a product yourself, it will ultimately turn out better. This approach was very successful at Ampelmann.’

‘It really is considerably better than seven years ago. The early phase following the establishment of new companies is well covered now. This is good news for entrepreneurs just starting out, but it suits us too because we like to invest jointly with other parties to spread the risks. What I do see though is that many businesses still go abroad when it comes to really large investment rounds. It would be good if this issue got more attention. If we managed to keep these companies here, it would immediately result in jobs that would otherwise have gone to the US.’

Ampelmann makes safe, stable gangways for use in the offshore industry. You helped grow this business from a start-up to a flourishing company and then sold your part of it. What is the most important lesson you’ve learnt over all of these years? ‘Execution is far and away the most important thing. You must have a sense of urgency and get your product to market quickly. You must set yourself unrealistic deadlines and then make those deadlines. Techies often strive for perfection, but a B is good enough. Enter the market and generate your first revenue. This is also the only way to get feedback from customers, which in turn allows you to improve your product.’

You often work together with Delft Enterprises, the investment vehicle of TU Delft. What’s your view on universities investing in spin-offs? ‘I applaud it, especially in the early phase. The initial thousands of euros, assistance with patent applications, coaching – all of these things are very useful. For me personally, a university’s involvement in a start-up counts as a seal of approval. However, over the past few years, it hasn’t always been clear how big the shareholdings of the universities were in these enterprises. But the new deal terms the universities have agreed on have brought a lot more transparency and uniformity. Besides this, I feel ploughing something back into the university is the decent thing for an entrepreneur to do. TU Delft meant a lot to Ampelmann. For instance, we were able to make extensive use of the university’s facilities while building our first prototype.’

What drives you as an investor? ‘Being a driver of innovation! Venture capital results in new products that would otherwise not have existed. We literally create jobs. Our ambition is to keep businesses in the Netherlands for longer. To this end, we are working on larger funds to allow us to invest in companies that are set to grow very vigorously and will need lots of money to facilitate this growth. If this enables us to attract and retain good entrepreneurs, it will be mutually reinforcing. Turning the flywheel is how I would put it.’

And personally? ‘I quite enjoy being involved in innovation. All entrepreneurs are convinced that they will conquer the world within ten years. They approach their business with 100% conviction. It’s a lovely bubble to be in. I also see this drive among today’s students. In my day, everyone wanted a job at Shell; nowadays they all want to work at Van Oord so they can build offshore wind turbines. I derive a genuinely positive impression from this.’

What would you say to entrepreneurial students who are considering starting a business? ‘Just do it. There’s time enough to get a job in the corporate world. TU Delft graduates don’t need to worry about employment. As a newly qualified engineer, you are still unencumbered by a mortgage or children, which makes it a lot easier to start a business. So just do it. Attract people with good commercial skills and never lose the sense of urgency!’ ■

MEANWHILE

A simple end to screams of pain Even as a boy, Karlheinz Samenjo knew he was a maker. In Delft, he has managed to make what he most wanted: a simple, durable device that could administer pain medication to women during gynaecological procedures in low-resource settings. ‘This is my calling.’

By Ria n n e Lin d h o u t Photos C h lo e I n n ovat i o n s

Women scream with pain when undergoing gynaecological treatment without pain medication. Pain relief is not possible because long syringes to numb the cervix are usually unavailable. Chloe SED, a simple extension piece for syringes, can provide tremendous pain relief.

Field of waste Karlheinz Samenjo invented this innovative device. ‘I love making stuff. As a child, I wandered around the field where the hospital dumped waste behind our house. Among the sharp implements, broken glass and blood, I gathered all sorts of stuff and made things such as a skateboard.’ Even then, Samenjo dreamed of visiting the country called Holland. ‘Although I didn’t know where it was or anything else about it.’ Samenjo was born in Cameroon and grew up in Kenya. Born in a low-resource community, he received support from his extended family to become an engineer. By that time, the hospital rubbish dump saddened him. ‘So much medical waste. Can’t it be reduced?’

It just clicked Then two things happened. ‘A friend told me about the terrible pain women suffer when having to undergo a dilation and curettage surgical procedure, often referred to as a D&C, after a miscarriage. It just clicked: I wanted to do something about that. This is my divine calling.’ An encounter with a student visiting Kenya brought Samenjo to Delft. ‘Through the Global Initiative, I met scientists and other partners working on a sustainable approach to design.’ He took a two-year master’s course in Industrial Design Engineering and ended up merging his desire to develop medical devices for low-resource settings with the desire to do so from a sustainable or circular economy perspective. Samenjo tested the Chloe Syringe Extension Device on 261 women in Kenyan clinics. The gynaecologist inserts a standard syringe of anaesthetic in it and numbs the cervix via the vagina. Samenjo: ‘The best part of the project was hearing from women and doctors about how much pain relief the device provided.’

One dollar The Chloe Syringe Extension comes in two different materials. ‘The one made of polypropylene costs only a dollar and can be used at least 25 times. Wear and tear comes from having to clean it in a chemical solution, which is standard practice in the

TU Delft Global Initiative

healthcare domain. The aluminium variant costs $15. Although that is rather pricey for many sub-Saharan hospitals, it can be used more than 1,000 times and cleaned with steam or chemical solutions.’ The best option for a hospital depends on its financial situation and the cleaning method available.

Bring Chloe to those who need it most Unfortunately, the device cannot be implemented in hospitals until regulatory certifications are completed. Samenjo wants to go through the certification process and bring Chloe to the women who need it most. Together with four scientists and doctors, he founded the company Chloe Innovations. ‘We want to work with impactdriven companies that can bring the Chloe to market.’ Samenjo expects it will take another one to two years before we see the large-scale use of the Chloe in clinics. In addition to his work on this, Samenjo is doing PhD research in Delft. ‘In most African countries, the processes and pathways from design to market implementation for innovations like the Chloe are not very clear. As such, I am finding out how it works and providing the steps needed in my PhD thesis.’ Samenjo hopes this will make it easier for other researchers who want to make an impact by designing and implementing medical devices in low-resource settings in Africa.

Value for Africa and Holland And what is it like to have finally ended up in Holland? ‘It’s amazing to be here and to create value for Africa and Holland. My research can encourage the Dutch healthcare system to move away from the current use-dispose mindset that generates an enormous amount of medical waste. I look forward to continuing to advance global health as much as I can during my lifetime. And then die completely spent.’ ■

31 CHLOE SYRINGE EXTENSION DEVICE

EXPLAINER

By Be nnie Mo ls

Digital innovation with 6G

NETWORK FUTURE

OF THE

DIGITAL INNOVATION WITH 6G

Grab your phone and check what type of mobile network you’re on. If you’re in the Netherlands, there’s a good chance you’re using 4G. Even though the faster 5G variant (3.5 GHz frequency) is not yet available, work is already underway on the sixth generation of mobile networks, or 6G, which is expected to be ready for rollout starting in 2030. Each generation lasts about ten years, and although the first generations were primarily used for phone calls, 3G and 4G saw the transmission of ever larger amounts of data. 5G and 6G offer even more opportunities for innovative digital applications that require fast, reliable digital communications. Mobile networks are essential for advancing the digitalisation of our society and fostering innovation in various economic sectors, including industry, energy, logistics and healthcare. One of the goals of 6G is to contribute to Dutch and European ambitions for digital autonomy and sustainability. Fernando Kuipers, professor of Internet Science at TU Delft and scientific director of the Do IoT Fieldlab, is researching the smart software that will power the future 6G network, in which Artificial Intelligence will play a key role. Together with Lenneke de Voogd, programme manager of the Do IoT Fieldlab, Kuipers is working on Future Network Services (FNS), a publicprivate programme proposal that aims to develop a strong 6G ecosystem for the Netherlands.

The 6G mobile network of the future is set to drive new innovations and make communications and data transmission smarter, more economical and more robust.

Mobile networks are essential for advancing the digitalisation of our society and fostering innovation in various economic sectors, including industry, energy, logistics and healthcare.

While the underlying technology for 6G is still in development and standards are yet to be set, 6G is expected to reach peak transfer speeds of approximately 1 terabit per second, making it 100 times faster than 5G and 1000 times faster than 4G. On top of that, latency will be cut to mere milliseconds and the capacity of the new network will increase by a factor of 100. The frequency of the radio waves used will be between 30 GHz and 3 THz. Fernando Kuipers: ‘Other key features of 6G are its high reliability, scalability to vast quantities of devices and energy efficiency. Accomplishing all those goals will require smarter software, for which 6G will harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Conversely, 6G will also be used for AI applications, as the 6G network will make it possible to process data closer to the source instead of sending it to the cloud.’ Lenneke de Voogd: ‘The innovative applications powered by 6G range from smart factories, smart grids and remote medical procedures to transport hubs, e-commerce platforms and extended reality applications such as e-sports or training instruments for maintenance.’

EXPLAINER - DIGITAL INNOVATION WITH 6G

➝R obustness Network technology has become so complex that the vast majority of network incidents in Europe are now caused by human error. ‘An important area of research for us to explore is if and how AI can help cut out those errors’, Kuipers explains. ‘My own research revolves around harnessing AI to make reliable, smart software for mobile networks.’

➝ F uture Network Services (FNS) Future Network Services (FNS) is a seven-year public-private partnership programme that aims to create a unified, powerful 6G ecosystem in the Netherlands. The programme focuses on developing smart radio components and antennae, smart networks, and applications for key Dutch sectors. FNS is led by TNO in cooperation with TU Delft and TU Eindhoven. ‘We were awarded a grant from the National Growth Fund for the initial two-year phase’, De Voogd explains, ‘which amounted to about EUR 61 million in funding. If all goes well, the second and final phase will follow, costing an expected

EUR 142 million. In the past, Dutch efforts to study new mobile networks were diffuse and fragmented. The FNS is our first-ever national research and innovation consortium in which all 60 partners share their knowledge and experience.’

➝ Do IoT Fieldlab TU Delft’s Do IoT Fieldlab is where scientists, students, entrepreneurs and companies come together to experiment with future mobile network technology. ‘We already have our own pre-commercial, operator-independent 5G network’, says De Voogd, ‘and we will also start experimenting with pre-commercial 6G technology in the near future. Developing new applications and efficiently implementing them is a struggle for individual companies, but the Do IoT Fieldlab lets them band together and run experiments with our experts to test and develop prototypes. What are the practical benefits of 5G or 6G mobile networks? Can their software run efficiently on the network? Do actual network speeds meet expectations? Will 6G enable us to connect plug-and-play components in a way that allows companies to easily build new applications?’

➝S trategic autonomy The development of 6G network technology reflects geopolitical realities, with the major power blocs (the U.S., China and Europe) seeking to carve out maximum autonomy. ‘Europe spearheaded the development of 1G to 4G, with companies like Ericsson and Nokia leading the way’, Kuipers recalls. ‘With 5G, Europe lost that position. We aim to regain the lead with 6G.’ ‘Our ambitions are to reduce the country’s dependence on other states’, De Voogd concludes, ‘and leveraging our strengths will allow us to do just that. Dutch companies such as NXP and Ampleon are global leaders in the production of key radio components for mobile network technology. The Netherlands also has ample network software knowledge at its universities, and our social and economic sectors are characterised by a high degree of digital integration.’ ■

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WHAT IF

Full throttle on sustainable air travel

In developing the Phoenix, the AeroDelft team’s aim is to accelerate change in the aviation industry, which is why they’re working with established partners such as KLM, Airbus and of course TU Delft. The university is also committed to the cause of sustainable flight by 2050. TU Delft Campus is home to an extensive cluster of field labs, student teams, businesses and knowledge institutions that together are going full throttle to make sustainable air travel possible. Ready for take-off! ■

LEARN MORE AT TUDELFT.NL/ PIONEERINGTECH

By Ju rj en Slump Photo AeroDelft

A petite aircraft born of grand ambitions! AeroDelft is a team of students with one mission: to prove that aviation can be sustainable. To this end, they are developing the Phoenix – a manned aircraft fuelled by liquid hydrogen. Since the emissions are all water and heat, we can say goodbye to flight shame. The team is aiming for the Phoenix to take off with liquid hydrogen in two years’ time. But a number of technical challenges still need to be resolved before this can happen. An important intermediate step is flying on gaseous hydrogen. This will provide al lot of useful information for the ultimate goal. The aircraft is an existing model, a Slig 4, which can carry two persons. This will be converted into an electric aircraft that will run on a hydrogen cell. A tank carrying 5 kilograms of liquid hydrogen will allow the Phoenix to fly from Amsterdam to London. It’s not only the technical challenges that are being resolved, the team is also collaborating on drawing up international guidelines for the certification of hydrogen propulsion systems. Safety first!