Internship | AI for visual highway inspection

Internship | AI for Visual Highway Inspection

About this position

TNO’s Intelligent Imaging department works on a large variety of computer vision solutions, including the automated inspection of the Dutch highways. Our algorithms are used to monitor the state of the road and to indicate when sections need to be repaired or replaced. Every year, a high-resolution 3D scan is recorded of all Dutch highways (approximately 15,000 km worth of highway lanes). Our task is to extract as much information as possible from this extremely large amount of data. During your project, you will research new AI algorithms that will help to keep the Dutch highways well maintained and safe.

What will be your role?

There are many possibilities for a research project in AI for road inspection. A number of potential research directions are listed below to give you a better understanding of what your internship/graduation project could look like. The exact topic of your project will be determined based on your interests and background.

Research direction examples:

• Anomaly classification: Across the whole Dutch highway system there is a large variety of anomalies within the data. To monitor the condition of the road it is important that we accurately classify these anomalies, separating damage from other outliers. Currently, different categories of anomalies are already automatically detected such as cracks or raveling (stone loss). However, it is still challenging to accurately classify structures that have similar visual features, such as cracks in the asphalt from local repairs, pavement joints, road markings, or long stretches of raveling. You will continue research into state-of-the-art AI solutions to improve the automatic detection and classification of such anomalies.
• Asphalt type classification: Different types of asphalt are used to pave the Dutch highways. It is difficult to accurately estimate the road condition accurately without knowing the exact asphalt type. A coarse porous type of asphalt might look damaged if you would think it was a fine, dense asphalt. During this project, you will develop an algorithm to classify different types of asphalt, or even estimate the approximate stone-size distribution within the asphalt.

You will perform this assignment within TNO’s Intelligent Imaging department. The Intelligent Imaging department is a passionate, creative, and dedicated team of professionals (60 people) specialized in developing groundbreaking applications in the field of computer vision. Our team members have diverse backgrounds, ranging from the medical field to artificial intelligence. Intelligent Imaging is a young and growing department which has built up a lot of expertise over the past years in AI and deep learning.

What we expect from you

You are in the final stages of your master’s degree in artificial intelligence, computer science, mathematics or a similar degree and you are looking for a full-time internship or graduation project as part of your studies. You have experience in programming (Python and/or Matlab) and preferably have some prior experience with deep learning, computer vision and/or image processing algorithms.

Please include the following practical information in your cover letter:

• whether you are looking for an internship or a graduation project,
• the preferred duration of your project (flexible in the range of 6 to 12 months),
• your desired start date (flexible, but due to the required security screening the earliest possible start date is three months after submitting your application).

What you'll get in return

You want an internship opportunity on the precursor of your career; an internship gives you an opportunity to take a good look at your prospective future employer. TNO goes a step further. It’s not just looking that interests us; you and your knowledge are essential to our innovation. That’s why we attach a great deal of value to your personal and professional development. You will, of course, be properly supervised during your work placement and be given the scope for you to get the best out of yourself. Furthermore, we provide:

• A highly professional, innovative internship environment, within a team of top experts.
• A suitable internship allowance (615 euro for wo-, hbo- and mbo-students, for a full-time internship).
• Possibility of eight hours of free leave per internship month (for a full-time internship).
• A free membership of Jong TNO, where you can meet other TNO professionals and join several activities, such as sports activities, (work-related) courses or the yearly ski-trip.
• Use of a laptop.
• An allowance for travel expenses in case you don’t receive an OV-card.

TNO as an employer

At TNO, we innovate for a healthier, safer and more sustainable life. And for a strong economy. Since 1932, we have been making knowledge and technology available for the common good. We find each other in wonder and ingenuity. We are driven to push boundaries. There is all the space and support for your talent and ambition. You work with people who will challenge you: who inspire you and want to learn from you. Our state-of-the-art facilities are there to realize your vision. What you do at TNO matters: impact makes the difference. Because with every innovation you contribute to tomorrow’s world.

At TNO we encourage an inclusive work environment, where you can be yourself. Whatever your story and whatever unique qualities you bring to the table. It is by combining our unique strengths and perspectives that we are able to develop innovations that make a real difference in society.