Universiteit Twente
At the RDW Self Driving Challenge, Team Twente brings together a unique mix of knowledge and experience. Representing the University of Twente, the team consists of seven students supported by five supervisors, all with a background in Electrical Engineering.
What sets this team apart is its diversity. With members from Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD levels, and a mix of Dutch and international students, Team Twente combines fresh perspectives with in-depth research and practical engineering skills. This allows them to approach challenges from multiple angles, from theory to real-world implementation.
Working as one integrated unit, the team has clearly defined roles in perception, control, system integration and testing. With strong support from their supervisors and the university, they are well equipped to take on the challenge.
Continuing a strong tradition
For Team Twente, participation in the challenge is part of a longer journey. The university has been involved in the competition for several years, and the team is proud to continue that tradition.
Their motivation is driven by curiosity and ambition. They want to understand how sensors, AI and control systems come together to create a fully autonomous vehicle. At the same time, the challenge offers a valuable opportunity to gain hands-on experience by building a complete system from the ground up.
For the international members, it is also a chance to experience engineering in a Dutch context and collaborate in a multicultural environment.
Where theory meets practice
What excites Team Twente most is seeing how different technologies come together in one system. From sensors that perceive the environment to algorithms that make decisions and control systems that execute them, everything must work seamlessly in real time.
For the team, the most rewarding moment is when concepts learned in the classroom actually work in practice. That connection between theory and reality is what makes autonomous driving such a compelling field.
How their system works
Their self-driving system functions much like a human driver, but powered by sensors and algorithms. Cameras, LiDAR and odometers collect data about the environment, detecting the track, traffic signs, pedestrians and other elements.
This information is processed to understand what is happening and to anticipate what might happen next. Based on that, the system makes decisions and controls steering, acceleration and braking.
Within the team, different groups focus on specific parts of the system, from data collection and analysis to perception, reasoning and control. Through continuous testing and iteration, they refine their system step by step to improve performance in real-world conditions.
Building a fully integrated system
For this challenge, Team Twente is focusing on creating a robust and well-integrated system. Their approach is built around three key elements: perception, reasoning and control.
They are working on accurately detecting the track and obstacles, processing that information to make safe decisions, and translating those decisions into precise vehicle actions. Rather than optimizing a single component, their goal is to ensure that the entire system works together smoothly and reliably.
Tackling complexity and unpredictability
One of the biggest challenges will be system integration. While individual components may perform well on their own, making them work together reliably in a dynamic, real-world environment is far more complex.
In addition, the team expects challenges related to coordination, given their different schedules and commitments, as well as the unpredictable conditions of the competition, such as changing lighting and unexpected obstacles.
Growing as engineers and as a team
Through this challenge, Team Twente aims to gain valuable hands-on experience in building and testing a complete autonomous system. They are not only developing technical skills, but also improving teamwork, project coordination and problem-solving under pressure.
Ultimately, they want to grow as engineers who can design systems that work reliably in both theory and practice.
Diverse, curious and united
If they had to describe themselves in three words, Team Twente chooses diverse, curious and united. With a strong foundation and a collaborative mindset, they are ready to take on the challenge.
