Let’s disrupt 2023 lunch

“It is so nice to get acquainted with the Eindhoven Engine projects, which are very diverse in terms of technical subjects,” says Janne. “Being engineers, we like this! In other respects, the projects are very similar: the energy and inventiveness are high. And also the involvement with each other, as shown, for instance, in the 5-weeklys.”

What also became clear in the past two months is that it is getting busier and more dynamic at our beautiful location in Disruptor. It is often a puzzle to find a workplace or workshop space for everyone with the increasing number of activities of projects and student groups. How different this was only half a year ago. It means a lot to us as the Eindhoven Engine core team: now that the COVID time is definitely behind us, we see the fruits of our efforts to turn our offices into a vibrant innovation location.

We are also making plans for the future: Maarten (Steinbuch, scientific director at Eindhoven Engine) and Janne are busy working out two scenarios for the future of Eindhoven Engine, aligning with the Brainport agenda and in close consultation with our critical friends. More on this later in the year. Stay tuned!

Events in January and February 2023

Traffic in the built environment has more and more access to linked open data. Through smart use of communication between vehicles and road network the traffic flow can be improved. The SmartTwo+ project investigates the possibilities of this improvement. How will road traffic evolve in the future and how can emergency services benefit from this evolution? I’m Giel, an EngD graduate from the SmartTwo+ project, and these are the overarching questions that have been puzzling me for the past two years. There is a broad consensus that road traffic will radically change in the coming decades.

On the one hand, vehicles will be enabled to talk to each other and to the road infrastructure, constituting a connected traffic system. On the other hand, vehicle-driving functions will be increasingly automated on the path to fully autonomous vehicles. These transitions are expected to reduce the number of road accidents drastically, resulting in fewer road deaths and serious injuries. This is specifically relevant to emergency services as their operation typically entails high-pressure situations involving many risks.

Research in communication devices

In my research, I proposed three applications that employ communication devices to reduce the response time of emergency services and improve their safety in traffic. The first two applications were evaluated in large-scale simulations performed with the Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO) traffic simulator. The third application was tested in the realistic 3D traffic environment provided by CARLA, utilizing the Autoware.auto autonomous driving software.

Vision Zero

The investigation resulted in a formula to determine the minimum range at which the emergency vehicle should request its priority depending on the specific circumstances at the intersection. For the past two years, I have immersed myself in studying connected and automated mobility. I now consider it a crucial development in achieving Vision Zero by reducing the number of road deaths and serious injuries to nearly zero by 2050. At the same time, the Smart Cities and Buildings EngD program expanded my view and helped me to become a more confident professional. Soon, I will leave for a thrilling adventure in Nepal and plan my next career steps!

The built environment is responsible for about 36% of the global energy demand. About 5-30% of the energy use of buildings is related to energy waste due to faults in heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. The goal is to develop a self-learning module that can monitor and diagnose climate systems in large buildings.

“In my current role as director at Bureau WO, I deal with the strategy regarding changes within ecosystems,” Janne explains. “Innovations can enter the market faster by including the larger context as a degree of freedom for change. With this approach, I hope to contribute to the success of Eindhoven Engine. I look forward to working with the energetic team in order to take Eindhoven Engine to the next level.”

“Innovations can enter the market faster by including the larger context as a degree of freedom for change.”

Janne Brok | Managing Director Eindhoven Engine

 

Janne joins Eindhoven Engine at an excellent time. Following the successful OpenCalls and the current portfolio of innovation projects, she will work with Maarten Steinbuch and the team to further build on this success and shape the next phase.

Janne has been assigned to Eindhoven Engine for three days a week. In addition, she will continue to carry out her duties as director of Bureau WO.

Credits: Izzy Fotografie

The recent first financial commitment for infrastructure (roads, transport, etc.) is proof of this. On the issue of talent, all educational institutes are making plans to grow (double) the number of students; see, for example, the recent plans announced by TU/e. In addition, the growth will also affect the innovation power of our region and it will enforce the role of valorization and the interplay between knowledge institutes, industry and society.

Growth of activities at Eindhoven Engine

We also foresee a potential growth for the activities of Eindhoven Engine as an accelerator for innovation. For this reason, we are already working on plans for the next phase of Eindhoven Engine to continue as a public/private partnership. We also started activities for scale-ups in our region in the form of funding scans by ScaleUpNation. We are working on a plan for industrial and societal residents to join our community starting next year. Finally, the growth of our region might also bring more tension regarding diversity within the region. This is why we will further strengthen the Emergence Lab for low literacy over the coming year. With all of these activities, we hope that we can further strengthen our role as Innovation Accelerator for the years to come.

Photo: Angelique Swinkels

Source: commons.wikimedia.com (edited by K. Chamilothori)

The IntelLight+ project focuses on human-centric lighting. It takes an integrative approach to developing algorithms to infer and even predict user context to accommodate user needs and preferences. In his sub-research, Sietse is working on a photorealistic simulation of dynamic natural light for perception in virtual reality (VR). Light is an environmental factor that directly and indirectly impacts human health and well-being through processes affecting circadian rhythm, arousal and alertness, as well as comfort and visual interest. Current insights in lighting research show that eyes need high (blue-enhanced) light levels in buildings to support a healthy circadian rhythm and the associated good sleep. However, when delivered by traditional lighting fixtures, these high light levels challenge visual comfort and user acceptance. At the same time, recent studies suggest that ambient light distributions can affect attention, visual interest, alertness and relaxation. The question that emerges is whether these positive psychological effects, driven by spatial and temporal dynamics of illumination, could be used to increase the user acceptance of lighting solutions aimed at supporting circadian effects. 

Applicability of dynamic light in nature

Theories from environmental psychology suggest that nature and natural elements can be restorative for humans. The biophilia hypothesis explains this via humans’ innate and evolutionary connection with nature. By recreating the spatial and temporal characteristics of natural light patterns with artificial lighting, the positive qualities of daylight and the restorative effects of nature may be brought indoors. As a novelty, the applicability of dynamic light patterns that are prevalent in nature, such as dappled light, is being researched. 

“The tool will provide researchers with a fast and flexible method to conduct experiments on the perception of such patterns in a space independent of location or external conditions.”

Sietse de Vries

Simulation tool for photorealistic indoor environments

To identify the impact and perception of certain dynamic patterns of natural light, experiments are necessary. Due to the complexity of controlling natural light during such experiments, immersive virtual environments have been identified as a suitable alternative. The goal of the EngD project is to create a simulation tool that generates photorealistic indoor environments with customizable dynamic patterns of natural light to be viewed using virtual reality headsets. The tool will provide researchers with a fast and flexible method to conduct experiments on the perception of such patterns in a space independent of location or external conditions.

Dappled natural light

Recently, proof of concepts of all parts of the simulation tool have been produced, allowing early testing. The current focus is on optimizing simulation efficiency and closely reproducing the properties of dynamic patterns of dappled natural light. When finished, the simulation tool will facilitate research that is needed to advance the development of innovative lighting scenarios that maximally benefit human functioning, ensuring high visual comfort and satisfaction and support for circadian and restorative effects.

After the summer, we also introduced the project updates on Thursday mornings every five weeks, the ‘Every 5 weeks update’. These offer an informal moment to update and learn from each other and some valuable new connections have been made. From students to research to project leaders, all were present to provide mind-challenging presentations. We invite you to join these meetings as well; the time investment is low and the energy high!

As always, we will keep growing and gaining momentum with our community! If you would like to participate or be involved in any way, please contact us via community@eindhovenengine.nl!

Jasmijn, succesor to Joris

Meet also our new community manager Jasmijn Schol as the successor to Joris Dufils. Questions and advice about how to join the community or about community building, please contact her via community@eindhovenengine.nl

 

“I look foward to continuing to build the community of Eindhoven Engine. You can find me from Monday to Thursday in House of Disruption or 0.44 in building Disruptor.”