Electronics & Hardware Engineer - Intern / Student Job - Defence

About Touchwaves

Touchwaves is a TNO spin-off building the next generation of human–machine interfaces for environments where failure is not an option. We develop wearable systems that operate at the intersection of performance, reliability, and human limits — integrating sensing, embedded intelligence, and haptic actuation directly into garments and equipment used by defence and security professionals.

Most wearables today are incremental. We are not interested in incremental. Our embodied haptics technology connects human physiology with intelligent systems, enabling operators — from drone pilots to field personnel — to maintain situational awareness and perform at their best under extreme conditions.

You will be working directly with defence partners, drone operators, and other customers in operational environments. Your work will be seen, used, and tested in the real world — not in a drawer.

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Your Role

We are looking for a hands-on Electronics & Hardware Engineering student to join us part-time and contribute directly to the development of our wearable prototypes. You will help build, test, and iterate on hardware that our customers — including drone operators and defence professionals — interact with in the real world.

This is not a desk job. You will solder, debug, prototype, and present. If your mindset is do → fail → learn → iterate → do better, you will feel right at home here.​

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What You Will Do

Prototyping & Hardware Development

• Design and build functional wearable prototypes for customer demonstrations and field trials

• Iterate rapidly from concept to working prototype, prioritising speed and learnability over perfection

• Support demo preparation for drone operator use cases and other defence applications

• Assist in the integration of hardware into wearable garments and body-worn platforms

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PCB & Schematic Design

• Contribute to schematic capture and PCB layout for custom wearable electronics

• Support hardware bring-up of new PCB designs and troubleshoot issues at the board level

• Assist in selecting and evaluating components for power, size, and performance constraints

• Use bench equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analysers, multimeters) to validate hardware designs

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Embedded Firmware (C/C++)

• Write and test embedded firmware in C/C++ for microcontroller-based wearable systems

• Integrate peripheral drivers (I2C, SPI, UART) for sensors and actuation modules

• Debug hardware–software interactions at the register and signal level

• Support integration of real-time logic for haptic feedback and communication protocols

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Sensor Integration

• Integrate and validate biosensors, IMUs, environmental sensors, and motion sensing modules

• Support calibration and data quality validation pipelines for body-worn sensing systems

• Work with both commercial off-the-shelf and custom sensor solutions

• Analyse sensor output data to identify and resolve signal quality issues​

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What We Are Looking For

Must-Have

• Currently enrolled in Electrical Engineering, Embedded Systems, Mechatronics, or a related technical programme (HBO or WO)

• Hands-on experience with microcontrollers (Arduino, STM32, Nordic nRF, ESP32, or similar)

• Working knowledge of C or C++ for embedded systems

• Familiarity with standard communication interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART)

• Comfortable working with bench tools: oscilloscope, multimeter, soldering iron

• Eager to learn in a fast-paced, early-stage deep-tech environment

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Nice-to-Have

• Experience with PCB design tools (KiCad, Altium, or Eagle)

• Exposure to RTOS concepts (FreeRTOS, Zephyr) or bare-metal real-time programming

• Python scripting for data analysis, testing, or rapid prototyping

• Interest or experience in wearables, IoT, or body-worn systems

• Affinity with defence, aviation, robotics, or high-reliability systems

• Basic 3D printing or mechanical prototyping experience

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Who You Are

• You build things to learn — not just to finish assignments

• You are comfortable with ambiguity and enjoy finding your way through a poorly defined problem

• You care about quality but know when to ship a working prototype over a perfect one

• You want to see your work used by real people in real conditions — not sit in a lab indefinitely

• You are motivated by technology that has genuine impact in high-stakes environments

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What We Offer

• A hands-on role building prototypes that are demonstrated to real customers in defence and drone operations

• Direct mentorship from experienced engineers in embedded systems, wearables, and haptics

• Flexible part-time hours that fit around your study schedule

• Access to a well-equipped hardware lab at High Tech Campus Eindhoven

• Collaboration with world-class experts in wearables, human performance, and applied engineering

• Competitive student compensation based on your level and contribution

• A culture that rewards ambition, curiosity, and ownership — even as a student

• Potential to grow into a larger role as you progress through your studies

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How to Apply

Interested? Send your CV and a short note on why this role excites you to: hello@touchwaves.io

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Curious but not sure if you are the right fit? Reach out anyway — we would love to explore your profile and interests.