Seed funding projects

Researchers

• Dr. Ming Yang                                 Safety & Security Science, TBM
• Prof.dr.ir. Pieter van Gelder            Safety & Security Science, TBM
• Prof.dr.ir. Genserik Reniers            Safety & Security Science, TBM
• Prof.dr.ir. Andre de Haan               Chemical Engineering, TNW
• Prof.dr.ir. Anton A. Kiss                  Chemical Engineering, TNW
• Ir. Pieter Swinkels                          Chemical Engineering, TNW
• Dr. Mihaela Mitici                           Aerospace Transport & Operations, AE
• Prof.dr. Maria Nogal                      Integral Design & Management, CiTG
• Dr. Xiaoli Jiang                             Transport Engineering & Logistics, ME

Description

The extensive use of robotics called for by ambitious programs aiming to redesign industrial production processes, as the Industry 4.0 in the European Union, is dramatically transforming the safety landscape in process industries. With the progression of Industry 4.0, a new generation of process safety and asset integrity management approach is anticipated through the implementation of digital science technologies, such as the machine learning, Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing, smart equipment, and cyber-physical systems, in an integrated process based on condition monitoring data and dynamic risk assessment methods. However, these opportunities come together with new hazards. Under the above context, this project aims to explore the challenges, identify primary research problems, and establish a collaborative research team for greater funding applications. The proposed project also attempts to establish a transdisciplinary collaborative research network among TU Delft researchers and other researchers and industrial practitioners to investigate digitalized process safety and asset integrity management in the process industries.

The funding will be used for relevant data and information gathering, organizing a workshop, and a series of luncheon talks that aim to provide the opportunity for academia and industry to exchange ideas on the challenges, potential solutions, research directions, and develop collaborative research partnerships.

Description

The Airborne Safety Lab will strengthen the collaboration of AE, TPM and CiTG to advance the state-of-the-art in aviation safety. Interest is in developing cyber-secure and data-protected distributed computing solutions that can better support the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) services for aircraft safety and maintenance. It is also a goal to promote sustainability practices in aviation maintenance. The funding will support future grant applications and help raise awareness to the topic.The Lab builds on active work in predictive maintenance (Marcia, Bruno), edge computing (Aaron, Marijn), and sustainable practices (Daan). The Lab aims to promote quarter TUD talks with leading experts, industry (e.g. KLM) and research centers (e.g. TUD-CoE-AI-Structures). The goal ultimately is to form/strengthen both education and grant consortium for EU calls.

Description

(for literature used please contact Ana)
The chemical recycling of plastic waste (for the expert reader: hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) in this particular study) is useful for the production of circular fuels and chemicals, but can also be dangerous because of unknown variations in the process conditions. Our Safe by Design approach ensures that the technology of recycling plastic waste can be scaled up in a safe manner from lab-scale to large-scale operating plants. The findings of this project will provide guidance regarding the scale-up of HTL technology from lab-scale to large-scale operating plants.The results of this project will contribute to the safe and robust scale-up of the HTL of plastic waste to improve the circularity of plastics. 
     

Description

(for literature used please contact Sina)

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) defines 6 levels of driving automation ranging from 0 (fully manual) to 5 (fully autonomous). These levels have been adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Little is known about the perceived safety and acceptance of passengers sitting in the passenger seat next to drivers of SAE Level 2 automated cars. A recent interview study with 103 users of Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) Beta system revealed that drivers disengaged the system because the passengers were not comfortable with it.
The benefits of road vehicle automation may not be fully realised if drivers disengage the system because passengers do not feel safe and don’t want to take a ride with the system engaged. An alternative negative implication is that the single vehicle miles travelled may increase if drivers decide to drive alone without passengers to experience and test the system.

We aim to investigate the perceived safety and acceptance of passengers of SAE Level 2 automated passenger cars by collecting both physiological, behavioral, and self-reported data before, during, and after the ride and how the perceived safety of passengers can be improved. 
     

Researchers

• Prof.dr.ir. Genserik Reniers, Safety Science, TPM
• Prof.dr.ir. Paulien Herder, e-Refinery, AS
• Prof.dr.ir. Ruud van Ommen, chemical engineering, particle technology, AS
• Dr.ir. Arvind Gangoli Rao, sustainable aviation, AE
• Dr.ir. Nils van der Blij, power electronics, EEMCS

Description

The e-Refinery institute of TU Delft, www.tudelft.nl/e-refinery, develops new technology for the production of sustainable fuels and chemical building blocks. This technology is based on electrochemical conversion processes. Given that the technology is still in its infancy, it is urgent to study and find solutions for any new, unprecedented safety issues that come with this new technology, so that we can develop inherently safe devices. Key examples of such new safety issues are the combination of very high electricity currents in chemical reactors, the stacking of several heat emitting devices, or issues related to small-scale, local fuel production in ports or airports and its subsequent storage and use in various means of transportation.

Safety issues for this new technology have been addressed only sporadically by academics, so this project aims to develop a contemporary and inspiring research agenda. We will do this by bringing together academics from various disciplines (chemical, systems, electrical, aerospace, maritime, mechanical, safety) from the national and international playing field, and industry from the entire value chain (high tech manufacturing, chemical/process, aviation, power). We also connect to other relevant triple helix initiatives such as the Safety Delta Nederland, Topsector Energy and Topsector Chemistry.

During the project we wil visit a number of companies with a group of academics and students in order to strengthen our interaction, but mostly to motivate students from various disciplines to include safety issues more explicitly into their curriculum or MSc thesis work. Such field trips may also initiate a Joint Interdisciplinary Project (JIP) in 2021-2022.

The funding will be used for organising a workshop and field trips, visual assistance for the research agenda development, and activities for a joint research proposal.

Researchers

• Dr.ing. M.Z. Voorendt                   Hydraulic Engineering, CiTG
• Dr.ir. M.M Rutten                          Water Management, CiTG
• Dr.ir. J.S. Timmermans                Multi-Actor Systems, TBM
• Dr. F. Hooimeijer                          Urbanism, BK

Description

The Dutch Rijnmond-Drechtsteden delta is a highly urbanised area with a high economic value, where the water comes from two sides: from the North Sea and from the rivers. Both are influenced by climate change: through sea level rise and through more extreme high and low river discharges. Economic continuity and spatial development is only possible if flood protection, fresh water supply and climate robustness are assured. Integrated conceptual designs made in interdisciplinary teams are required to explore opportunities, challenges, and solutions in their full complexity. This can be achieved by means of 'research by design'.

The funding be used for hiring an Engineer as a coach for students and coordinator of activities.

Researchers

• Dr. Laura Ferranti              Cognitive Robotics, ME
• Dr. Zeki Erkin                    Cyber Security Group, EWI

Description

Mobile robots will soon be part of our daily lives. These technologies have the potential to significantly improve our quality of life, for example, by improving transportation efficiency and safety. Recent surveys, however, showed major societal concerns about mobile robots in terms of security, and privacy. The algorithms used to coordinate the robots play a fundamental role to address these concerns. These algorithms are responsible for the way robots process sensor information, interact with each other, and actuate decisions. From the coordination perspective, there are three key challenges: (i) how to guarantee safety of the robots and humans in complex dynamic environments, (ii) how to guarantee secure operations in the presence of attacks, (iii) how to preserve users’ privacy, which can be compromised by robots sharing information. To address these challenges, our goal is to devise a real-time distributed coordination framework that allows robots to avoid collisions with humans and other robots (safety), while dealing with attacks (security) and preserving user privacy by operating computations over encrypted data (privacy). While the robotics and computer science communities have attempted to address these challenges with ad-hoc solutions, there is an urgent need for generic solutions that can be validated in practice.

This funding will be used to lay the foundation of the collaboration between our teams. We will use the funding to purchase the necessary equipment to test our preliminary algorithms on real robot systems. Our ultimate goal is to submit a joint proposal for the next NWO CyberSecurity call or a KLEIN-2.

Researchers

• Dr.ir. H. (Haneen) Farah                    Transport & Planning, CEG
• Dr. A.P. (Amir Pooyan) Afghari           Safety & Security Science, TPM
• Dr. E. (Eleonora) Papadimitriou         Safety & Security Science, TPM
• Dr.ir. J.C.F. (Joost) de Winter             Cognitive Robotics, ME

Description

Recent field experiments and driving simulator studies have shown that road users might adapt their behaviour when interacting with automated vehicles (AVs), known as behavioural adaptation. However, the mechanisms behind such behavioural adaptation are not yet well understood. Studying road users’ gaze behaviour using recent technological advancements and data collection tools can provide additional insight into those underlying mechanisms. In this project we will conduct an experiment to study the gaze behaviour of road users when interacting with an AV at an intersection, using an eye tracking system. We will investigate the impact of several external independent variables (such as external Human–Machine Interfaces displayed on the AV, the recognisability of the AV and its current driving mode, and the presence/absence of a driver in the AV) as well as internal behavioural factors (such as trust, attitudes and receptivity) on road users’ gaze behaviour and their crossing decisions. In addition to the gaze behaviour, the participants will be asked to think-aloud during the experiment to probe what they are thinking, and will be asked to fill in questionnaires related to e.g., their personal characteristics and trust in technology. These factors will then be used to study the association between individual characteristics and the road users’ gaze behaviour and crossing decisions. The extensive use of robotics called for by ambitious programs aiming to redesign industrial production processes, as the Industry 4.0 in the European Union, is dramatically transforming the safety landscape in process industries. With the progression of Industry 4.0, a new generation of process safety and asset integrity management approach is anticipated through the implementation of digital science technologies, such as the machine learning, Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing, smart equipment, and cyber-physical systems, in an integrated process based on condition monitoring data and dynamic risk assessment methods. However, these opportunities come together with new hazards. Under the above context, this project aims to explore the challenges, identify primary research problems, and establish a collaborative research team for greater funding applications. The proposed project also attempts to establish a transdisciplinary collaborative research network among TU Delft researchers and other researchers and industrial practitioners to investigate digitalized process safety and asset integrity management in the process industries.

The funding will be used for relevant data and information gathering, organizing a workshop, and a series of luncheon talks that aim to provide the opportunity for academia and industry to exchange ideas on the challenges, potential solutions, research directions, and develop collaborative research partnerships.

Researchers

• Dr. S. (Saba) Hinrichs-Krapels                  Multi-Actor Systems, TPM
• Dr. S.M. (Samantha) Copeland                 Philosophy, TPM
• Prof.dr.ir. Bas Jonkman                             Hydraulic engineering, CEG    

Description

Over the past years, amplified by Covid-19, resilience has risen to the top of policy agendas. Correspondingly, there has been an increased interest from non-academic decision-makers in strategic evidence, methodologies, and safe policy test beds for maintaining cities and regions safe and secure from shocks and stresses, including disasters and pandemics. Within the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management (TPM) and the TPM Resilience Lab we have developed strategies, tools, and models to help decision-makers deal with the disruptions they are facing, working alongside collaborators in the public sector (examples include the UN World Food Programme, Partos, The Hague Municipality, GGDs & Safety Region Haaglanden, and the Ministry of Defence). 
However, despite scientific breakthroughs achieved in these projects, sustained societal impact with these non-academic partners requires further work. Our tools and methods are relatively new, often technical in nature and their uptake takes time. Furthermore, decision-makers are not always aware of when to use which method, nor what our tools can do for them in practice. Therefore, instead of using state-of-the art methods, there is a tendency to fall back on familiar methodologies even when they have known pitfalls. 
Our vision with this seed funding is to enable proactive, collaborative and brokering engagement with these decision-makers, in two sets of activities: 

Requirements analyses workshops 

Four ‘requirement analyses’ co-design workshops with members of the Municipality of The Hague and Rotterdam to (i) identify key challenges they faced in recent disasters, (ii) co-design questions they would want answers in upcoming research projects, and (iii) promote ownership for future projects. These elicited requirements will feed back into discussions with the TU Delft Safety and Security community about the available approaches and tools that best fit the municipalities’ needs. Our combined expertise in risk management, policy implementation, and social resilience will be used to synthesise workshop findings into tangible future research projects that build on existing state-of-the-art research, but also cater to non-academic stakeholder needs. 

Safety and resilience guide

Create a user-friendly, visually-appealing online and printable guide that can help to identify a ‘which method when?’ for communicating the available tools, models and frameworks for approaching safety and security challenges in times of disasters. The first above workshops will inform the content of the guide, and latter ones be used to validate its utility in communicating its content. 

● Workshops (including logistics, event costs, catering) & promotional activities (costs not requested - funded through the TPM Resilience Lab) 

Description

(for literature used please contact Oscar)
Overengineering is the act of designing a product or solution to a problem in a elaborate manner, where a simpler solution exists with the same efficiency and effectiveness as the original design. We argue that overengineering also entails safety risks. For example, a U.S. doctor died in a post-crash fire because he could not be removed from the vehicle as Tesla’s retractable door handles cannot be manually opened in case of malfunction. The issues with the door handle continued as drivers reported difficulties entering the vehicle in winter because of ice obstructions. As a result, “sticks on door handle” to fix this issue have become popular, increasing the carbon footprint. Although one could conclude that engineering the handle was a lousy idea, externally inaccessible handles have been said to increase security as external attackers cannot access the vehicle. This example highlghts the need to consider overengineering, and how it relates to safe-by-design/design for values. We aim to create new knowledge and inform the research and education agenda for responsible risk management/innovation at TU Delft. With amongst other case study workshops we are bringing experts together and expect to create a better understanding of the relationship between overengineering and safety & security. In doing so we will be able to support advocacy for more responsible engineering practices.

Description

for literature used please contact Yan)

Pedestrians with Reduced Mobility (PRM) are particularly vulnerable when it comes to road safety. Research on PRM’s interactions with other road users is still lacking. Understanding PRM’s road crossing behavior is crucial for designing accessible, inclusive, and safe mobility systems. Virtual Reality (VR) provides opportunities to accomplish this by immersing PRM in virtual road scenarios without exposing them to real risk. We aim to explore the usage of VR to understand the interaction between PRM—mainly those in wheelchairs— with existing and future road scenarios. Two major research activities are included. Firstly, a qualitative study with PRM on campus will be conducted, consisting of an observation followed by an interview. The goal is to document real-life experiences with wheelchair pedestrians and define risky locations. Results will be used for the design of the VR study. Second, a VR wheelchair simulator will be developed. VR experiments will be conducted to collect behavioral data (for example movement trajectories and gaze points) and perceptional data (for example perceived safety) of wheelchair pedestrians in current risky scenarios and future road scenarios. The results will provide insights regarding similarities and differences in road safety issues experienced by typical pedestrians and wheelchair pedestrians. The results will be shared with campus safety managers and Diversity & Inclusion office to provide insights to improve safety and inclusion on the TU campus, as well as with relevant societal stakeholders to promote inclusive and accessible design of mobility systems.

Researchers

• Dr. ir. Alessandro Antonini, Coastal Engineering, CEG
• Dr. ir. Manuel Diaz Loaiza, Hydraulic Structures and Flood Risk, CEG
• Prof. dr. ir. Bas Jonkman, Hydraulic Structures and Flood Risk, CEG
• Dr. Sandra Fatoric, Centre for Global Heritage and Development, Architecture
• Prof. dr. ir. Pieter van Gelder, Safety & Security Science, TPM

Description

Due to the peculiar characteristic of the Dutch territory, throughout the centuries, the Netherlands developed a flood protection system that is worldwide recognised as an example. However, the flood protection interventions are tailored made for specific cases and this makes difficult the direct application to other countries. The Venetian and Dutch circumstances differ for two main aspects. Dutch events are relatively impulsive whereas in Venice the water level increases slowly. The exposed values are different, in Venice (UNESCO’s World Heritage Site) the heritage assets are among the main concerns, whereas the risk for human life and critical infrastructures is limited. 

The aim of this project is to preliminary assess the applicability of the Dutch safety level within Venice's lagoon. The achievement of the overall aim relies on a collective effort of three TUDelft Faculties:

Civil Engineering and Geosciences: Hazard quantification

• Extreme water levels analysis for the Venice lagoon.
• Hydrodynamic modelling of Venice’s lagoon and high resolution model of the historic city.

 Architecture and the Built Environment: Exposure quantification

• Mapping the exposed assets within the Venice lagoon such as heritage assets, archaeological sites, critical infrastructures and wetland areas of relevant natural value.

Technology, Policy and Management: Vulnerability quantification 

• Assess the citizens response to 12^th November flood event through anonymous mobile phone tracking and social network traffic.

 The funding will be used for data gathering, organising a field survey and local stakeholder meetings, support in the communication and dissemination of the project findings, and the organisation of a workshop with international speakers at TU Delft.

Researchers

• Dr.ir. Martine Rutten                     Water management, CEG      
• Davide Wüthrich                          Hydraulic engineering, CEG
• Prof.dr.ir. Bas Jonkman               Hydraulic engineering, CEG 
• Dr.ir. Fransje Hooimeijer             BK     
• Dr.ir. J.S. (Jos) Timmermans      MAS, TBM
• Prof.dr.ir. Pieter van Gelder        Safety & Security Science, TPM

Description

In a world influenced by climate change, extreme water flows represent a serious threat for coastal and riverine communities. Recent floods in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands proved conclusively the destructive nature of these events, with severe damages to buildings and critical infrastructure. Unfortunately, similar events are expected to become more frequent in the future, exposing more people to these catastrophes. Therefore, climate adaptation, mitigation measures and flood protection are closely related and pressing challenges that society needs to face at once.
Despite their tragic nature, these floods allowed to conduct fact-finding missions in the Ahr Valley (Germany) and in Limburg (Netherlands), providing a clearer understanding of the dynamic of these events. In particular, the data collected represent a source of knowledge that needs to be further elaborated to provide an understanding of how damages and fatalities can be reduced during future events. Moreover, the multidisciplinary nature of these challenges makes integrated approaches pivotal to explore opportunities and solutions in their full complexity. Thus, within the DeltaFuturesLAB, multiple teams of MSc students are working on different aspects linked to these recent floods. To further enhance this collaborative research and bring it to a larger level, this proposal establishes a framework to support current and future students/researchers on themes related to flood safety, climate adaption, mitigation measures and crisis response. Altogether, the results are expected to provide a more detailed understanding of these recent events through a combined and multidisciplinary approach in assessing the effectiveness of flood protection measures.

Researchers

• Dr. F. Fioranelli                 Microwave Sensing Signals & Systems, EWI
• Dr. M. Schleiss                 Geoscience and Remote Sensing, CITG
• Dr. R. Taormina                Urban Water Infrastructure, CITG

Description

Extreme rain is responsible for millions of damages in the Netherlands every year. A single convective thunderstorm with high peak intensities and strong downdrafts such as the one that occurred on 28/06/2011 near Herwijnen can devastate entire neighbourhoods in a few minutes. As the planet warms up, these type of storms will become more frequent and more dangerous.

To reduce damages and warn users about imminent threats, the Dutch Royal Meteorological Agency KNMI and local water authorities and businesses increasingly rely upon localized/personalized rainfall monitoring and prediction apps (e.g. like Buienradar.nl). However, predictions have limited accuracy, resolution, and update times, which are insufficient for fast-developing, localized phenomena such as microbursts.

At TU Delft, we are working together with KNMI, SkyEcho (weather radar start-up), and HKV (water risk management consultancy), on an innovative concept of hybrid physical statistical rainfall forecasting system based on machine learning. Our group operates a network of diverse weather radars (e.g. PARSAX and MESEWI radars on top of EWI Faculty building, the Rijnmond radar in Rotterdam operated by SkyEcho, portable cloud radars deployed at the Green Village) that we aim to use to enhance and complement the national KNMI network. All these data are integrated into a machine learning framework to achieve more localized and faster forecasts of heavy rainfall (“nowcasting”).

This seed funding will cover implementation costs to realize a small-scale demonstrator on rainfall nowcasting arising from the research of a co-supervised MSc student. The objective is to implement a new visualization and warning tool for risk assessment and decision making in case of heavy rainfall events. The goal of the first demonstrator will be to provide intelligence for real-time decision making and optimization of the water pumping systems for the Delfland area. The longer-term vision is to expand this proof of concept into an automated visualization & decision making tool, and to provide personalized functionalities for TU Delft students such as text warnings to cyclists, motorists or pedestrians with recommendations for how to stay safe in case of incoming severe weather.

Researchers

• Dr. Cristina Richie                           Values, Technology and Innovation, TBM
• Prof. Patricia Osseweijer                 Biotechnology and Society, TNW
• Dr. Lotte Asveld                               Biotechnology and Society, TNW
• Prof. Dr. Paddy French                   Bio electronics, EWI
• Dr. J. C. Diehl                                 SDI, IO
• Prof. Dr. J. Dankelman                   BioMechanical Engineering, ME
• Dr. Roel Kamerling                         SD, UD
• Dr. J.C.J. Wei                                 Medical Instruments & BioInspired Technology, ME

Description

Despite identifiable concerns of artificial intelligence (AI) use in healthcare biotechnologies, the most significant ethical issue ought not to be vulnerabilities in the software or potential for exploitation of biodata, but the environmental impact. Healthcare emits a significant amount of carbon in many countries, thus contributing to climate change. In 2017, the Dutch biomedical industry emitted an estimated 15.8 million metric tons of carbon, or 8.1% of the country’s total emissions. While healthcare biotechnologies may be made more sustainable by “greening” the medical lifecycle or by targeting high-impact biotechnologies it would be too laborious to calculate the carbon impact of every aspect of biotech, particularly in the rapidly evolving field of AI. This tension drives my research question: "In absence of comprehensive carbon calculations, how can AI in biotech be more environmentally sustainable?" My proposed project, Environmentally Sustainable Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Technologies, will organize four collaborative workshops to discuss and develop frameworks for sustainable AI in biomedical technologies.

Funds will cover expenses related to workshops, dissemination of discussion, application of additional funding, and public engagement.

Researchers

• Qing Wang, Department of Software Technology, EEMCS. 
• Aaron Ding, Department of Engineering Systems and Services, TPM.

Description

Visible light communication (VLC) is a paradigm to meet increasing demands on wireless capacity. The benefits of VLC compared to traditional radio frequency (RF) networks are clear and immense: 10.000x larger spectrum, energy efficiency, etc. The global VLC market is expected to reach USD 24.2 billion by 2023. However, VLC applications in many scenarios demand strong security. In SecureLight, we will systematically analyze the VLC security myths and facts, and exploit the natural characteristics of light to create insights, technology, and methodologies for securing VLC networks. A small-scale use-case demonstration of the envisioned research will be carried out. We will collaborate with two initiatives of TU Delft, Do IoT consortium and Infrarium container lab, on the demonstration.

Besides preliminary research investigation, another important activity in this project is to prepare substantial grant applications, such as NWO CLEIN and VIDI. A workshop dedicated to VLC security and applications will be organized. Our team consists of two faculties: EEMCS and TPM. Strong interdisciplinary cooperation already exists in this project. External interdisciplinary cooperation is foreseen, such as between TU Delft and KU Leuven, TU Munich, TU Darmstadt, Cambridge University, among others. Besides, cooperation with non-academic stakeholders will be built. With SecureLight and follow-up projects, we envision to become a frontrunner in VLC security research. In the future, we target to make TU Delft Safety & Security Institute a central hub in VLC security research, with great visibility in education and research.