EngD Autonomous Systems: Optimising Drive Trains for Philips care Devices

The EngD is a two-year post-master program that trains you to address real-world technological challenges in industries or society. It provides participants with both academic and practical training. It is an opportunity for individuals passionate about practical problem-solving to kick-start their careers in the Dutch high-tech industry. Each EngD trainee is coupled to a company project, which presents a specific technological design challenge to be solved. For this position, we are looking for an EngD trainee for a project with Philips in Drachten.

EngD program overview
During the first year of the EngD program, the trainee undergoes comprehensive training to prepare with the necessary skills and knowledge to solve the technological challenge of their project. The training includes courses for developing professionalisation skills, a series of modules on Systems Engineering, and EngD-level courses on Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence. The first year also includes a 10-week module to work on the project, enabling the EngD trainee to apply their skills directly to the engineering challenge. During the second year of the program, the EngD trainee follows a one-year internship at a high-tech company (Philips Drachten, in this case), focused on solving the technological challenge of the project. Upon program completion, you will receive the EngD degree and recognition by the Royal Institution of Engineers in the Netherlands (KIVI).

Project description
Philips Drachten develops personal care products such as shavers, trimmers, and epilators, often featuring attachments like beard stylers and precision trimmers. These devices are designed to meet specific performance requirements to function optimally across various use cases.

A Model-Based Systems Engineering approach is used to improve designs, connecting system data such as requirements, user needs, and simulations to optimize and maintain products throughout their development. This project focuses on the drive train, which includes components like motors, batteries, and gearboxes, and aims to deliver power efficiently for tasks like shaving or trimming. The assignment seeks to minimise the required drive trains across the product range. By using existing simulation models, the current motor, battery, and gearbox modules will be evaluated, with potential modifications for optimization. Various methods, including AI-based algorithms, may be applied to achieve this goal.