About the course
This course aims toward challenge-based, project-based learning in interdisciplinary student teams, working on open-ended assignments in close interaction with high-tech companies and societal organizations. It combines the design and engineering of a product/service/system and new business development. The course involves no lectures, but studio style group work, self-study and personal and team development. Several out-of-the box workshops will be given (effectual cooking, survival game, Woensel West validation, visual thinking, book-a-ton, pitching training, dare-to-fail workshop, and tools workshop). Students are in the lead in their learning processes. The course is part of educational innovation in TU/e innovation Space, which is modelled after Aalto University’s Design Factory, Parsons Paris' Makelab and Civic design lab, Stanford University’s D. School, and MIT’s Media Lab.
The course 1ZM150 is a semester course and starts in Q1 and Q3.
The registration deadlines are similar to the ones of other courses. Registration for 1ZM150 is possible on Osiris.
Read this testimonial
Which challenges
Every semester, a new list of challenges is available on thispage.
Here you will find short descriptions per challenges. At the start of the course you can choose on which challenge you want to work during the course.
Challenges 2023-2024 semester 1
1. Helping Low Literate People
Challenge Owner: Eindhoven Engine
Description: You can find the long description here.
Summary: This challenge aims to help low literate people in the Eindhoven region. You as a student will investigate how low literate people can best be taught the basic competencies (reading, arithmetic and digital skills) that they need in their daily life. We want you to think about an alternative learning method by creating a “technical” solution which can be used by the target group in their own time.
2. Nudging groups of people at events
Challenge Owner: Intelligent Lighting Institute + various companies
Description: You can find the long description here.
Summary: At events, such as festivals, big sports events etc, there are multiple moments where it would be helpful if people could be nudged, e.g. when queues are long at one point, while somewhere else there is no queue at all. Or when the atmosphere starts to become grim, and you would like to turn it into a positive atmosphere where people enjoy themselves. Light can play a role to nudge people or influence their mood. We challenge you to develop a proposition to nudge groups of people at events.
3. Teenage moms & Female Empowerment via Sanitary Pads
Challenge Owner: One World Citizens (NL) – GAAFAADE Collection project (Rwanda)
Description: You can find the long description here.
Summary: Help One World Citizens to empower teenage moms, girls & women in Rwanda by creating a self-sufficient social enterprise business model for reusable and sustainable sanitary pads.
4. Sustainable Airline
Challenge Owner: Sustainable Aviation Youth Foundation (SAYF)
Description: You can find the long description here.
Summary: Recent advancements in sustainable technologies bring zero-emission aviation closer to reality. Although there are many projects working towards this goal (Solar Impulse), we have yet to see a sustainable airline becoming public. The impact that aviation is having on the climate will be felt most by the youth of today, and therefore, the initiative taken by them will be crucial to reach the climate goals set by climate plans such as the Paris Agreement.
Challenges 2022-2023 semester 2
1. Uber Health
Challenge Owner: AAG
Summary: Home care is currently organized in a very suboptimal way. Because of this, travel times for care workers can be substantial, and those in need of care are not flexible in choosing the right care worker for their specific context. Can you develop a (business) concept that allows for more flexibility in unplanned home care? What would the pros and cons of your concept be, and how should it be?
2. Robotizing the repair process
Challenge owner: ABS
Summary: The car repair process is a handmade job. Nowadays and in the future there will be a tremendous lack of technicians. We think that a part of our repair process can be done by robots. Car manufacturers have a lot of robots in their process. Is it possible to do the sanding (or the painting) of the repair by a robot?
3. Smart inspections of public space
Challenge owners: Intelligent Lighting Institute (ILI) in collaboration with Velotech Solutions & Team IGNITE
Summary: Velotech Solutions specializes in detecting multiple objects in the public space at once. Site inspections are conducted by bicycle, video & LiDAR camera’s as well as Artificial Intelligence. Current solutions include inspections of public lighting, roads, traffic signs and litter in the city. We are interested in extending the functionality of our bike inspections, as well as new applications that contribute to social and traffic safety.
4. Complex data visualization with Simulated Reality
Challenge owner: Dimenco
Summary: Dimenco specializes in immersive (3D) visualization technology without the need for wearables (glasses, HMD, gloves, controllers, etc.). A potential application area of Dimenco’s technology is in the field of complex data visualization and analysis. This form of visualization can help a user to easier and faster understand the complexity of the data or object. Examples are scan data in the oil and gas industry, medical imaging, and molecular modeling. By using Dimenco’s technology complex data can really ‘come to live’ for the user.
5. A sustainable data management ecosystem
Challenge owner: Medicine for Business B.V. (MfB)
Summary: Current BMs have shortcomings for innovators who promote their expert consultancy services. Particularly in data-management/analytics, this is even more challenging because of ever-changing expectations due to large-scale digitalization and products-to-service transformations. In this project, students are encouraged to develop & test CVPs in the field of data & analytics consultancy (within healthcare). Ideally, the CVPs offer a powerful tool for successful service-focused consultancy work.
6. Shape the future with Photonic Integrated Circuits
Challenge owners: EHCI (Eindhoven Hendrik Casimir Institute), PhE (Photonics Society Eindhoven)
Summary: You can see in your daily life that we are not sustainable enough. However, you notice that each day companies demand faster communications. What would you say if I stated that new technology exists to achieve both? Photonic Integrated Circuits is a technology that harnesses the power of light to create energy-efficient, faster, and more accurate microchips. It enables new functionalities to achieve a more sustainable world. Do you want to be part of this revolution applying this to Smart Cities?
7. Football Pitch of the Future
Challenge owner: PSV Eindhoven
Summary: One of the core values of PSV Eindhoven is innovation. PSV is always looking for smart ideas and possibilities to develop and be one step ahead. This is why the PSV Academy has created an Innovation Pitch where the newest state-of-the-art tools and training methods will be developed and tested. Together with Innovation Space, PSV is looking for these smart and “out of the box” ideas to help to reach their goals in their own way.
8. Moving Towards Sustainable Travel
Challenger owner: TU/e
Summary: Lots of our research at TU/e champions sustainability! But what is the carbon footprint of this work? The Low Carbon Travel Initiative needs your help! We challenge you to create a decision-making support tool that can assist academics to make low-carbon choices when traveling for work. Join us and help make TU/e work travel more sustainable!
Challenges 2022 - 2023 Semester 1
Uber Health
Light therapy
Challenge owner: AAG
Description: You can find the long description here.
Short summary:
Home care is currently organized in a very suboptimal way. Because of this, travel times for care workers can be substantial, and those in need of care are not flexible in choosing the right care worker for their specific context. Can you develop a (business) concept that allows for more flexibility in unplanned home care? What would the pros and cons of your concept be, and how should it be implemented?
Electrifying the Transport Industry
Challenge owner: DAF Trucks N.V.
Description: You can find the long description here.
Short summary:
The transportation industry is changing rapidly, driven by new types of powertrains that enable the transition towards zero-emission vehicles (ZEV). While the environmental benefits and concrete applications of ZEV are becoming more evident, there is still a lot of uncertainty around what will happen after the end of life of ZEV vehicles and their batteries. More specifically, there are currently only few concrete examples of viable business opportunities in the ZEV aftermarket, though the potential is huge, think of battery upgrading, recycling, 2nd life of batteries, etc. In this challenge we would like you to explore the aftermarket of ZEV so that you can develop concrete business ideas that will support the transformation of the transport industry and contribute to today’s sustainability and circular economy targets and ambitions.
Challenge owners: Intelligent Lighting Institute (ILI) in collaboration with Signify & Team IGNITE
Description: You can find the long description here.
Short summary:
In the ISP course (starting in September) we offer a challenge related to Light Therapy. Lighting has a strong influence on health and well-being. Research has shown that it can reduce depressions and through regulation our biological clock improve our sleep quality. Although the impact of light therapy is significant, the market has not yet developed. So we challenge you to make light therapy available for many people. Can you develop a proposition and business model for specific contexts, e.g. offices, homes, public spaces, or light cafes?
From plastic waste to technical and economic value
Challenge owner: Mikrocentrum
Description: You can find the long description here.
Short summary:
A lot of plastic is still processed within the manufacturing industry. Companies within this industry are gaining more and more knowledge about recycling and are working on decreasing the amount of waste. However, it doesn’t matter if you are an extruder, injection molder or vacuum former, the recycling of technical plastics is a difficult job. Some plastics do not lend themselves for recycling. In some product parts, recycled plastic isn’t allowed to use and sometimes manufactures do not have the knowledge how to process waste into recycled plastic. The challenge is therefore: what is possible with (technical) plastic waste when located at the manufacturer? The waste stream can be extremely valuable, but how?
Sustainable Airline
Challenge owner: Sustainable Aviation Youth Foundation (SAYF)
Description: You can find the long description here.
Short summary:
Recent advancements in sustainable technologies bring zero-emission aviation closer to reality. Although there are many projects working towards this goal (Solar Impulse), we have yet to see a sustainable airline becoming public. The impact that aviation is having on the climate will be felt most by the youth of today, and therefore, the initiative taken by them will be crucial to reach the climate goals set by climate plans such as the Paris Agreement.
Circular smart-tech horticultural replicable package
Challenge owner: Seed2Feed & Planetary Service (facilitators) Growpact – Kenya (local organization)
Description: You can find the long description here.
Short summary:
Do you want to contribute with your skills & knowledge to a more sustainable future in Africa?
Yes?! Then this ISP is for you!
In collaboration with Seed2Feed, Planetary Service & Growpact, develop a circular smart-tech horticulture package that can be easily duplicated in several environmental and socio-economical contexts.
Be part of the promotion of sustainable agriculture practices and local community capacity building in Kenya and elsewhere.
This is your chance to have a meaningful impact in the world!
Martial arts & Technology for mental wellbeing
Challenge owner: SensAi Technologies, CORE (support from EAISI)
Description: You can find the long description here.
Short summary:
We are on a mission to make martial arts safe, fun, engaging, and with its positive values help people develop themselves physically and mentally. To do this, we are developing a dedicated coaching app with a smart punching bag.
We are developing a hardware sports tech IoT solution. Our product is a coaching app with a smart punching bag, which measures users’ data such as punching power, speed and reaction time of the punches. These in turn can be used to give personalized coaching and create a gaming experience to help users reach their fitness and mental health goals.
Moving Towards Sustainable Travel
Challenge owner: Organization: low carbon travel initiative
Description: You can find the long description here.
Short summary:
Lots of our research at TU/e champions sustainability! But what is the carbon footprint of this work? The Low Carbon Travel Initiative needs your help! We challenge you to create a decision-making support tool that can assist academics to make low-carbon choices when travelling for work. Join us and help make TU/e work travel more sustainable!
Autonomous Training Assistant / Help creating the training assistant of the future
Challenge owner: PwC
Description: You can find the long description here.
Short summary:
In the Netherlands more than half of all children do not have enough physical exercise. Besides, about 1 out of 10 are lacking financial means to participate in sport activities. For this reason, PwC is working on making tools available to improve sporting skills for all children in the Netherlands. In collaboration with HC Den Bosch, dive into if and how video analysis techniques can be used to tackle performance and societal challenges, related to field hockey!