Internship: Ground truth system development Maassluis • Lely

Imagine working on a system that helps our robots truly understand where they are – even when conditions become tricky. That’s exactly what you’ll do as an intern developing a ground truth system for Lely’s AGVs. Whether it’s in the barn or out in the field, robots need reliable reference points to evaluate and improve their localisation capabilities. Your work will support both development and real-world operation by offering accurate insights into robotic positioning.

During your internship, you’ll explore existing technologies, learn from previous prototypes, and design a robust, modular system that can operate across various farm environments. You’ll join a multidisciplinary team of engineers and product specialists to bring your ideas into practice and test them in the field.

Your key responsibilities:

• Analyse the barn environment and identify shared characteristics across different AGVs.
• Investigate and build upon previous internship outcomes related to ground truth systems.
• Design and develop a modular ground truth solution fit for different robots and farm layouts.
• Build and test a functional prototype under real farm conditions.
• Evaluate system performance and suggest improvements.
• Collaborate with engineers, test specialists, and other stakeholders, and document your findings.

This internship is ideal for one intern for a 6-month term or for two interns over a 3-month period.

You are a hands-on and curious technical student with a passion for robotics, sensors, and real-world problem-solving. You like tackling new challenges and aren’t afraid to dive into the practicalities of innovation.

You bring:

• HBO or WO level of education in Software Engineering, Robotics, Data Science, or a related discipline.
• Experience with cabling, network data extraction, and parsing in Python, C++, or ROS2.
• Familiarity with sensor data and visualisation tools is a plus.
• Affinity with farm environments and a practical mindset.
• An independent and creative approach to technical challenges.
• A strong motivation to prototype and test in real-life scenarios.

At Lely, we offer you an educational and dynamic internship experience at one of the most innovative organizations in the Netherlands. You’ll become part of a driven team and have plenty of opportunities to further develop your talents.

• An international working environment
• An internship allowance of €400 per month
• A student apartment if your commute is too long
• Our modern Lely Campus gives you daily access to extensive sports facilities: an indoor gym, outdoor padel courts, a basketball and volleyball court, as well as table tennis and foosball. You can join Hyrox workouts or sign up for personal training – and challenge your colleagues during an active break.
• Enjoy fresh coffee and tea from our in-house barista, made with milk straight from our farm, and a healthy, affordable company restaurant.
• A free shuttle bus takes you to and from the metro station in Maassluis, ensuring your workday starts and ends smoothly.
• We’re also proud that our dedication and vision have been recognized with the Rotterdam Entrepreneur Award 2025!

Lely, founded in 1948, is committed to a sustainable, profitable, and enjoyable future in farming. Taking the challenges of the farmer and the needs of the cow as our starting point, we develop high-quality robots and data systems that improve animal welfare, flexibility, and productivity on dairy farms. Our goal is to support sustainable food production.

For over 30 years, we have been a global leader in the sales and service of automated systems for successive generations of dairy farmers. Every day, we inspire our colleagues to offer customers innovative solutions and to be a reliable partner for long-term advice and support. With our state-of-the-art Lely Campus in Maassluis and a global network of dedicated Lely Centers for customized sales and service, Lely operates in more than fifty countries.