Internship: Autonomous Navigation Simulation and Synthetic Dataset Generation

A sustainable, profitable, and enjoyable future for dairy farmers by combining robotization, engineering, and farming expertise. This is what we believe in.

This journey began over 75 years ago with the dream of two brothers in Maassluis. Since then, we have become an innovative global leader in automated systems for dairy farmers worldwide. With 2,300 specialized professionals, we continuously work on new agricultural revolutions. We still do this from our Campus in Maassluis, the building with the highest achievable sustainability standards in the Netherlands, while also operating around the world. Our goal is to ensure that dairy farming remains attractive for future generations.

Imagine building virtual environments that help autonomous robots navigate real farms more effectively. During this internship, you will explore how simulation and synthetic data can improve the navigation capabilities of Lely's mobile robots. You will work closely with engineers from different disciplines and gain hands-on experience with technologies that play a key role in the future of autonomous farming.

As part of the Navigation team, you will discover what data is needed for autonomous navigation, investigate available simulation technologies, and develop a simulation environment that can be integrated with Lely's robotics software stack. Your work will contribute to the development, training, and benchmarking of navigation algorithms in realistic virtual farm environments.

Key responsibilities

You will combine research, software development, and robotics engineering in a project that has a direct connection to real-world autonomous systems.

Throughout your internship, you will contribute to a variety of activities, including:

• Understand which datasets and sensor information are required for autonomous navigation in mobile robotics.
• Set up and develop a simulation environment that can be integrated with Lely mobile robots.
• Generate synthetic datasets for training and benchmarking navigation algorithms.
• Collaborate with software, electronics, and hardware engineers within the Navigation team.
• Test, validate, and document your findings and recommendations for future development.

Practical information

• Start date: September 2026
• Internship type: Educational Internship or graduation assignment
• Duration: 6 months
• Working hours: Minimum 32 hours per week
• Education level: MBO or HBO

You are curious about autonomous systems and enjoy turning complex technical challenges into practical solutions. You like experimenting, learning from specialists around you, and applying your knowledge in a real-world robotics environment.

Additionally, you bring

• An education in Computer Science, Robotics, Mechatronics, or a related field.
• Strong interest in mobile robotics, software development, and mechatronics.
• Experience with simulation environments or a willingness to learn.
• Knowledge of Python and/or C++.
• Experience with Linux.
• Basic...