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Technology with a conscience: Bram’s engineering journey at Nobleo

When Bram Odrosslij first stepped through Nobleo’s doors as an intern from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) 3.5 years ago, he couldn’t have imagined how perfectly this company would align with his deepest aspirations. What began as a master internship focussed on autonomous robots has evolved into a fulfilling career as a Robotics and AI engineer, allowing him to both pursue his passion for engineering and his desire to making a meaningful difference in the world.

How it all started

Bram’s journey at Nobleo began during his Mechanical Engineering Studies, where he specialized in Dynamics & Control with a master in Artificial Intelligence. His passion for mobile robotics was sparked by his tutor, who at the time worked at both the TU/e and Nobleo. “He showed me what they were doing at Nobleo, and I found it incredibly exciting,” Bram recalls.
This inspiration led to a master’s internship at Nobleo, during which he worked on a sweeper robot, an indoor cleaning robot with brushes. The project entailed a subsidised feasibility study with certain deliverables. “I really enjoyed working on this project and wanted to see it through to completion. Also to witness it put in practice.”

Where AI meets motion

His enthusiasm and dedication prompted Nobleo to support his graduation project focused on reinforcement learning for mobile robot navigation, which later evolved into a whitepaper co-authored with two other Nobleo colleagues. “Reinforcement learning is essentially quite simple. It’s very similar to how we as humans learn,” Bram explains. “The robot tries different actions, and you reward it when it does something you think is good.
This way, robots are created that can teach themselves to navigate dynamic environments through millions of simulation trials. The robot’s neural network adjusts itself based on rewards for good behaviour, eventually learning to respond appropriately to any situation it encounters. “What makes this exciting is that it’s still in the research phase but moving towards industry application. Within the next ten years, these self-learning robots will be used in various industries. It feels great to be part of this groundbreaking development!”

Engineering for global impact: Green Digger

“Nobleo is full of people with a passion for technology. People who live for tech and love talking about it. We get to help clients visualise what’s technically achievable and tackle projects that make a real difference,” says Bram. One such project is Green Digger, an initiative to develop autonomous electric excavators that dig ‘bunds’ – moon-shaped holes that efficiently capture rainwater in arid regions like the Sahel in Africa. Thus, helping vegetation regrowth and reversing desertification.

A challenging project, but according to Bram, who has been involved from the requirements phase through to system architecture, Nobleo doesn’t shy away from difficult. “What’s great about Nobleo is that we often have to start from scratch, allowing us to apply our full creativity to translate the client’s needs into technically feasible solutions. In this case an excavator equipped with solar panels that can autonomously navigate to designated areas and dig according to predefined patterns. It’s incredibly fulfilling to tackle a project from the ground up and help create positive impact in the world.”

Driven to improve the world

As an engineer at Nobleo, Bram dedicates himself daily to research and develop innovative and meaningful solutions, but his passion for making the world a better place runs even deeper. This drive has been ingrained in him from an early age. “I am very driven to improve the world. That is something I learned from my mother and grandmother, both real mother Theresas,” Bram explains.
That is why, in his spare time, he is fully dedicated to engineering an affordable lower body exoskeleton for people with spinal cord injuries. A project inspired by his cousin, who was born with such an injury. “I’m currently in the process of developing a mini prototype, and I am now looking for funding or people who want to help further develop this prototype into a fully-fledged product,” Bram says. “I am not doing it for the money. I don’t even care if some other company uses my idea. I just want the product to be brought to market so that people facing these challenges can have a product that significantly improves their lives. A product they can afford because the solutions currently on the market are enormously expensive.”

Company support for personal mission

What Bram particularly appreciates is Nobleo’s extraordinary support for this personal venture. “When I mentioned the project, they didn’t just offer encouragement, they offered tangible assistance. From help with grant applications to use of office space and 3D printers if needed. It feels great that my personal mission is supported by Nobleo.”

For Bram engineering isn’t just a profession. It is a way of combining his passion for technology with his desire to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. At Nobleo, he has found a place where both can flourish.

Interested in becoming a Noblean? Have a look at our career page here.