On (the) T at… Ruben Sommer from Avular

The series ‘Op (de) T bij….' brought us this time to.... Ruben Sommer of Avular. As one of the few mobile robotics companies, Avular is engaged daily in the (autonomous) driving and/or flying of new and existing robots, creating a platform for modular software systems.

Ultimately to contribute to solving problems such as staff shortages: deploying robots for repetitive tasks so that time is freed up for personnel for the more complex and creative challenges. Robots are capable of performing more, faster, safer and/or more efficient work than we have been able to so far. It is very varied and broad. From self-driving cleaning machines and baggage systems to chimney inspection. At StrijpT you therefore regularly come across Avular robots with which tests are carried out.

Ruben: “I have been working as a Control Engineer at Avular for 3 years. In this role I work with sensor data and software that influence a robot's behavior. You regularly see me in the drone cage testing drones or elsewhere on the site with other mobile robotics systems.

I'm really enjoying it here at Strijp-T. I travel daily by train to and from Tilburg, which literally stops right outside the door. Besides this perfect connection, Strijp-T is a fun place. A lot is organized, such as the Rooftopfestival and the Tournament. We're moving soon to the beautiful TY building, which is ideal for us to be able to work on mobile robotics to our heart's content. Just having the largest drone cage in Europe at our disposal is, of course, incredibly nice to work with.”

At whose place would you like to have us go on the T next time?

“At Sorama. Although we collaborate extensively on testing acoustic cameras in combination with mobile robotics, I'm curious what else they do.”