They did this during the annual high-tech safari for students. After a day program of three routes, past our high-tech companies and a closing network dinner at Philips, they returned home. "I didn't know there were so many interesting high-tech companies in the Northern Netherlands."

Saving lives

In three buses, the students of the study associations Physical-Mathematical Faculty Association, Technical Physical Association 'Professor Francken' and study association for Artificial Intelligence and Informatics Cover followed the tracks of sensoring & big data, visual intelligence and robotics. It brought them to Resato in Assen where they were given a demonstration of the waterjet cutters and extremely high-pressure equipment. Then on to BD in Drachten to discover what visual intelligence in combination with big data can mean for the accelerated detection of diseases. ,,So, because you know much faster what is wrong with someone, you can give medicines earlier and thus save lives!''

Savings

At Photonis in Roden, the students got a glimpse of the military possibilities of this technique by looking through super night binoculars. That lives can also be saved with visual high tech was shown at Ziuz in Gorredijk, where the linking of smart software to superlenses checks medicines for correctness and quantity. The introduction to our big 5 continued at Neopost in Drachten. There the students saw how smart technology and robotization can pack goods 10 times faster with a 50 percent volume gain. “That should result in enormous savings in transport and transport.”

Cobots

YP Your Partner showed the unlimited application possibilities for industry and business of augmented reality using the Hololens from Microsoft. "It's as if you literally add something to reality." At Variass in Drachten, the students were introduced to 'cobots', robots that can safely collaborate with people. ,,It takes some getting used to, but I can well imagine that we will find working with a robot very normal in a few years.'' Irmato presentation at Variass all kinds of applications with robots.

Finally, there was a tour at Philips in Drachten. First in the ICD Shared Facility Center, where our 3D metal printer captured the imagination. Followed by a tour of the production of razors in the most advanced 'robot factory' in the Northern Netherlands.