How to cultivate creativity? And how to educate future engineers to be successful in times of rapid technological change? In this interview, researcher Zdeněk Hadaš reflects on the importance of multidisciplinarity, openness to new ideas and innovative thinking.
You have recently changed your home institute, you´re in a new field, but your work has long been very multidisciplinary. How big a change was that for you? And is such flexibility the norm in science today?
Flexibility is key. I've always been interested in new technologies. Even during my PhD, I was involved in aerospace technologies, specifically the generation of electrical energy from vibrations, which naturally led to the topics of wireless sensing, communication, piezoelectric elements or structures that change their shape. This approach has also gradually led me to digitalisation – from collecting data on aircraft system behaviour to applications in other areas such as rail transport and Industry 4.0. I was never the best student – and that's to my advantage, because I wasn't afraid to try things that others had been taught "couldn't be done". That's why I try to be open to new technologies and ideas.
With AI being a trend, technological developments are literally moving at a breakneck pace. How fast is technology evolving in the areas you are involved in?
The development is extremely fast here as well. For example, we started using 3D printing at the BUT in 2005, when it was new. Today it is widely available even in primary schools. We are currently moving towards printing with more materials, for example, a combination of metal and ceramics, e.g. piezoelectric elements. Similarly, in digitalization – smart sensors, signal processing, machine learning or AI are changing literally every week. It's important for us as researchers to teach students the fundamentals and engineering mindset, because the specific technologies we teach today may not be relevant seven years from now.
How can we teach students to build an engineering mindset?
It's a big challenge. I try to show students real-world examples where we combine fundamental physics with modern technologies such as sensors, digitalisation or AI. For example, maniulators and robotics – even though we use advanced technology, we still work with the basic laws of physics such as Newton´s laws. But then we have sensors, signal processing – and that in turn is rapidly changing. It's about students understanding the context and being able to apply it in practice so they can be prepared for the future.
And what do you see as the future of mechanical engineering in the era of AI?
AI can be a huge asset. For example, in our cyber-physical systems research, we use AI to design new structures or analyse data. AI allows us to cross traditional boundaries between disciplines. It can help mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, programmers... The future will be about how effectively we can integrate AI into the engineering process. Of course, we also need to be cautious; we all hear stories of failure from time to time, such as using AI for unethical purposes. It's a challenge.
However, not only AI but also humans have great potential to think "out-of-the-box"...
Exactly, out-of-the-box thinking must be encouraged from school. As a techaer, I try to give students the freedom to explore and go beyond the curriculum. If we only give them clearly defined tasks, we won't get innovative ideas from them. On the other hand, when we allow students to push the boundaries in their education, it pushes the whole team as well. I've seen that happen many times.
Of course, not everyone necessarily has an innovative mindset; it's partly an innate talent, but it can be cultivated. I think the main thing is not to limit students. I give them the freedom to choose the topics they enjoy, especially in their bachelor's or master´s theses. Those who have the drive will move on. And if I see someone who needs guidance, I set clear boundaries for them.
What was the biggest "aha moment" in your scientific career?
I experience them more in teaching than in research. When I'm explaining something to students, I suddenly get a new context. I've been teaching for years, but these moments keep coming. In science, they're more like gradual discoveries – ideas that come from trying and experimenting.
The word "openness" has come up many times during the interview. How can we cultivate our own openness and creativity?
Scientists need to go to conferences to get new impulses and to see what is happening in the world. Unfortunately, this is not so common in the Czech Republic today. The evaluation of science focuses on efficiency but ignores the need of sharing ideas. Sitting in your office, there is a big risk that you won't come up with anything new. You have to be around people, listen, seek inspiration and not be afraid to go outside the established frameworks.
For example, I really liked when I sat down with my BAANG colleague Blanka Marušincová, who has coaching training. A lot of things came to me then, some of them I do sort of subconsciously and intuitively.
| Director of the Institute of Automation and Computer Science FME. His scientific research is Energy Harvesting and Modelling and simulation of mechatronics systems. He is involved in a number of large international projects such as BAANG and MEBioSys. |