Evaluation of prototype in study setting, emphasizing exploration of advanced technologies and user-oriented innovation.

Emerging Technology Design

Become an industrial design engineer who can create products and solutions using the latest technological possibilities.

One of the main tasks of an industrial design engineer is making technology available for people. In many research disciplines, certain technologies are invented and developed, but how do you bring these emerging, state-of-the-art technologies to the consumer market, instead of using it for a single, specific product? That’s what the specialisation in Emerging Technology Design (ETD) is all about.  

Engineers are better by Design. Emerging technology design students embody this completely. They are creators and enablers specialising in applying science-based theory to the implementation of technological advances for future product development.

Dr. Dave Matthews
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Track Coordinator of Emerging Technology Design
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About this specialisation

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What to expect? 

You will acquire knowledge of the latest theoretical breakthroughs in fields like virtual reality, structural dynamics or advanced materials, and learn how to apply these emerging technologies in creating new products or reinventing existing ones. You will be trained to become a technology-oriented industrial design engineer, able to integrate technology and design and by doing so, reduce the gap between research environments and markets. 

Learn to design with the latest technology 

In this specialisation, you will learn how to make an expensive technology with a limited field of applicability more suitable for the mass market. Or you might use a new, advanced technology to modify an existing consumer product, making it more economical or creating greater diversity.  

You don't just learn to apply the new technologies to the actual product, but also to the development process. For example, new technologies can make it possible to produce in a cheaper way (fewer parts due to friction stir welding) or more advanced (fuel cells, reduced sound). 

Examples of (elective) courses you can follow during this specialisation:

  • The course 3D Printing: Processes and Use provides you with the skills and knowledge to understand and use additive manufacturing processes for industrial design. 
  • Do you want to use advanced engineering technology to influence the perception of products? The course Surface Engineering for Look and Feel teaches you how.  
  • Have an impact in future healthcare technology by learning how to design products that solve medical problems in the course Integrative Design of Biomedical Products.  

Technology directions

You will become skilled in capitalising on the latest research findings, in a field of your choice. This specialisation covers six different fields of emerging technologies. Other than in the other two IDE specialisations, you get to choose a prefixed set of courses related to these technology directions. You will also complete your Master’s assignment in this direction. The defined technology directions are: 

  • Advanced Materials Engineering 
  • Biomedical Product Design 
  • Product and Surfaces 
  • Smart Environments & Virtual Reality 
  • Sustainable Technology for Product Development 

What will you learn? 

As a graduate of this specialisation, you have acquired specific, scientific knowledge, skills and values, which you can put to good use in your future job. 

Knowledge

After completing this specialisation, you: 

  • have contemporary knowledge in the field of design, engineering and product development and the technological innovations within this field;
  • have a thorough understanding of innovation processes and methods of products with a dominant technology component;
  • have an understanding of the importance of the ‘look and feel’ of a product and know how to modify surface properties to make the product suit the user’s needs and desires better.
Skills

After successfully finishing this specialisation, you: 

  • are able to realise new or modified products, services or systems, based on technological innovations;
  • can convert the latest research findings in emerging technologies into marketable knowledge and solutions;
  • are able to reason, reflect and form a judgement on a product’s design and on development cycles.
Value

After completing this specialisation, you: 

  • have the aim to create value for society with technology;
  • maintain a critical attitude towards technological innovation and its added value to society;
  • have developed your own unique identity as a designer.

Other master’s and specialisations 

Is this specialisation not exactly what you are looking for? Maybe another IDE-specialisation suits you better, or take a look at these master's and their specialisations: 

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