Vision and knowledge, creativity and passion are the driving force of engineering, says Ričardas Leščinskas, a graduate of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU). Currently he manages the activities of Electronics workshop at the VGTU LinkMenų fabrikas and materializes the most unique ideas. So why is engineering so fascinating?
Discovered in the childhood
R. Leščinskas says that imaginative spaceships, cars, robots from Lego bricks – these are the images that inspire dreams in a childhood. He told that when he was five years old, he used to destroy toys and then check what was inside. Later, he would collect them "improved". In this way, “the young engineer” used to dismantle and inspect, for example, an electric car, controlled by a remote control. Then he would add an additional battery which would increase the speed of that electric car.
Later, R. Leščinskas chose electronics engineering because it is a very broad and perspective field, especially when it goes with modern technologies.
His first more serious personal electronics engineering project was a transistor guitar amplifier, the so-called "cube", which was made in 2008, when he was 16 years old.
There is no room for monotony
Engineering cannot be monotonous. Science can sometimes be, yet engineering never can. Engineering is the application of fundamental knowledge in practice. In engineering, there is neither absolute zero nor infinity, but all devices work.
For example, you design a GPS tracker, then test it and it turns out that there is interference due to the nearby power supply of the laptop. Then you go back to the design, make a frequency filter, test it again until you get the result – the device is working! When it comes to engineering in modern art and advertising, there are endless challenges and surprises. For instance, to make a car running at the speed of the internet. Such a request alone raises eyebrows.
R. Leščinskas is still surprised by the projects, which are a completely new sphere for him or an untried task that is completed faster than expected. Also, he gets surprised how some projects which at first sight appear deceptively simple require so much unexpected effort. It is always easier for an engineer to surprise those around him, especially if those around know little about the science of engineering.
R. Leščinskas says that a pancake printer developed by him and his colleague Modestas Jonikas was a pleasantly spent time. And those who saw a working printer, got surprised by the originality of the idea, at the same time an unusual task – to adjust a relatively high-level engineering device to baking pancakes. Even engineers start smiling – what an interesting application of CNC (computerized machine control) technology.
A profession that does not restrict the freedom to create
There is a growing belief that engineering is one of the most important fields of human science due to the importance of modern technologies for the society. Engineering is a great medium for self-expression and an opportunity to bring about important changes by creating inventions. In engineering, it is almost impossible to feel "imprisoned" in one speciality, because there are so many overlapping areas. For example, once you start working in electronics, you can easily retrain as an electrochemist, programmer, robotics specialist, and the like. By the way, engineers are the best managers and only very rarely do managers become engineers. According to R. Leščinskas, engineering is the most open path to personal development and a journey on the path of cognition.
Engineers change people’s lives because very few products can be created without the involvement of specialists in mechanics, automation, information technology, electronics, robotics, industrial design, etc. The field of electronics is really significant in our lives, since all devices today are smart. Even toasters work via WiFi. Being a part of these developments is really pleasing. I get a lot of attention. I can design electronic upgrades in my apartment or a car. Electronics is very widely used and, most importantly, it makes people's lives easier. If you can contribute to it, you feel useful, concluded the graduate of VGTU.
Dreams become an incentive to work
R. Leščinskas admits that he is constantly thinking of the identification of the control of electronic devices with a person. So far, almost all devices are controlled by keyboards, gestures, sounds, touch screens. There are already artificial prostheses controlled by the human nervous network. But this requires re-learning to control a new foreign body that is different from the former limb. Engineers are tempted to understand how it could be connected to the human brain for immediate technology management.
R. Leščinskas is actively working in the field of electric transport. He has produced an electric skateboard, an electric scooter and a bicycle with exceptional parameters. He is planning to convert the old car into an electric one or to make a prototype of a hang-glider.
