From 11-14 February, the Highlight Festival transforms Delft into a hub of art and technology. We spoke with Aart Rozendaal, a TU Delft alumnus who bridged the gap between Embedded Systems Engineering and Industrial Design. He will be showcasing the result at the -Robo Creature Petting Zooduring the festival.
--You shouldn-t have a Plan B. As long as that safe alternative exists, you-ll likely take it. You need to have just one option and go for it.-
That piece of advice, given to me during a random conversation when I was hesitating about my future, stuck with me. It was the final push I needed to combine a Master-s in Embedded Systems with Industrial Design. It wasn’t a standard path; in fact, it was a nightmare to arrange. But I missed the human element in pure engineering. I didn’t just want to build complex hardware; I wanted to understand why we build it and how people actually experience it.
Where Engineering Meets Experience, that intersection is where my work lives now. At the - Robo Creature Petting Zoo - I-ll be presenting my robot, Flip , alongside other cool projects such as a robot fish, a swarm of tiny flying robots, a moving plant robot, and many more.
Robots You Can Relate To
There is often fear surrounding robotics, largely driven by science fiction. We see hyper-intelligent, human-like machines which trigger the -Uncanny Valley- effect. I deliberately went in the opposite direction. Think of evolution: nature started with simple bacteria and insects, not complex mammals. My robots follow that same logic. Flip doesn’t use AI to learn your face; he uses simple sensors to react to sound and proximity. He might actually tremble or scoot away if you get too close.
My goal for the festival? I want visitors to feel something. Whether it’s curiosity, joy, or even hesitation, the emotional response is what matters. I want to show that robots don’t have to be scary or dominate the world. They can be simple, distinct entities that fit into our society in a positive way. It’s about introducing robots bottom-up, allowing people to get used to them, rather than forcing technology top-down.
Learning by Doing
Looking back at my time at TU Delft, the most valuable lesson I learned wasn’t in a textbook. It was the realisation that you don’t need to be a genius to build something incredible; you just need to try. I realised that -expertsare often just people who weren’t afraid to figure it out as they went along. That mindset is what allowed me to build Flip. I didn’t know everything when I started, but I knew I could learn it along the way.
I hope people will come and meet him at the festival. It’s a chance to see how we can shape a future where technology and humanity playfully coexist. And for the students reading this: my professors, Jordan Boyle and Chris Verhoeven , are still looking for enthusiasts to take projects like Flip further. The evolution continues!-
Special Alumni Offer
TU Delft alumni receive a 30% discount on day tickets on Wednesday and Thursday for the Highlight Delft Festival with the discount code from our portal. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience Flip and other playful robots up close!
