Research & Education
Research projects
2020 — present Assistant Professor Haptics and Soft Robotics, Dynamics and Control, Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology
2019 — 2020 Research scientist at TNO Human Factors, Perceptual and Cognitive Systems, Soesterberg
At TNO, my main research topics were tele-operation robots, embodiment and immersion. In one of our research projects, i-Botics (I-botics.com), I worked with a tele-operation set-up with remote vision due to a home-made camera system and a remote hand mounted on a KUKA robot arm. In the set-up the hand and finger movements of the operator can be tracked and mimicked by the robot hand. Different forms of haptic/tactile feedback are available with the use of force feedback (Senseglove or Dexmo) and vibrations (Elitac glove). The set-up provided a unique opportunity to study perception and action in tele-operation.
Other projects I worked on, involved immersive technologies, e.g. virtual or augmented reality, for all modalities, but also intelligent machines and decision support systems.
2017 — 2019 Dynamic position sense, Rubicon fellowship, ICTEAM and Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), l’Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels
To interact with our environment (e.g. to catch a ball) we need to have our hands at the right time at the right place and ready to interact with an object. Although we are used to take this for granted (how often do you think about the position of your hands?), much is unknown about how we know where our hands are in dynamic interactions. In this research project, we expand the knowledge on static position sense of the hand to dynamic position sense by studying position sense during movements. Furthermore, the aspect of preparations in timing and forces to interact with an object is to be studied. How and when do people prepare for interaction with the objects? Combining these two aspects leads to a very interesting project in which we can determine spatial and temporal control of our hands while interacting with objects around us during movements.
2011 — 2017 Integration of visual and proprioceptive position sense of the hand, H-Haptics project, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
In this project, various (collaborative) experiments were performed to get more insight in the mechanisms of proprioception and in the different factors that play a role in proprioceptive position sense of the hand. Some of the experiments are fundamental and designed to gain knowledge about the proprioceptive systems. Other experiments are designed to be translated to applications in the domain of haptic tele‐operation systems.
2010 — 2012 Audio-visual synchrony perception, Eindhoven University of Technology
Degrees
2011 — 2016 Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Ph.D.
Ph.D. thesis: “Where is my hand? Proprioceptive position sense and its applications in haptics”
Supervised by Dr. Eli Brenner and Prof. dr. J.B.J. Smeets
2008 — 2011 Eindhoven University of Technology, Master Human-Technology Interaction
Master thesis: “New insights in audio-visual synchrony perception”
Supervised by Prof. dr. Jim Juola and Prof. dr. Armin Kohlrausch
2004 — 2008 Utrecht University, Bachelor Physics & Astronomy,
Bachelor thesis: “Constraining item manipulation in haptic search”
Supervised by dr. Myrthe Plaisier and Prof. dr. Astrid Kappers
Grants and Awards
2018 NCM Scholarship, $1000,-
2017 NWO Rubicon grant, €99140,-
2014 Elvire van Oudenaarde Prijs, €1250,-
2013 Application grant Training School COST action TD0904 (TIMELY), €500,-
2011 Short Term Scientic Mission COST action TD0904 (TIMELY), €500,-