Internship: Robotics & Digital Twins – Build the Future of Autonomous Farming

Do you want to build real robots and smart environments that redefine the future of farming? At Lely, we offer an exciting group internship where you’ll work on two breakthrough innovation assignments: the development of fully functional autonomous robots and a physical scaled model of a smart dairy farm each supported by its own digital twin. These projects lay the groundwork for future research in AI, robotics, and simulation.

As part of this internship, you will specifically work with the Mirte Master robot a scaled version of our autonomous Mirte platform used to simulate realistic robot behavior within the physical farm model. This hands-on prototype interacts within the model farm’s dedicated zones (feeding, cleaning, etc.) and is digitally mirrored in a virtual twin environment.

A key component of the project is the implementation of a beamer-based projection system to visualize real-time data from sensors and the simulation directly onto the physical model. This immersive data feedback loop enhances both monitoring and system understanding.

You will work in a team of four students, collaborating closely on both physical and digital development. While it’s a group assignment, there is room for individual research within the project scope, ideal for students looking to align the internship with graduation or thesis work.

Your work will directly support our mission to create sustainable, intelligent solutions for dairy farmers worldwide. Ready to join the front lines of agricultural robotics innovation? Then this is your opportunity!

You will work on:

• Assemble physical robots based on a detailed bill of materials (BOM).
• Create a virtual twin of the robots in a 3D simulation environment (e.g., Unity3D).
• Develop a system to track the robot’s lifecycle: as designed, as built, and as maintained.
• Integrate real-time data streams into the digital model.
• (Optional) Expand the virtual environment with existing models of Mirte Pioneer robots.
• Construct a physical scaled model of a smart dairy farm with robot interaction zones (feeding, cleaning, etc.).
• Develop a digital twin of the farm, aligned with the physical layout (e.g., Unity3D).
• Implement a system to simulate and project real-time operational data onto the farm model using a beamer.
• Integrate sensor feedback and behavior data into the virtual environment for monitoring and control.