The BME Children’s University returned again in the summer of 2025, offering exciting lectures and activities for curious minds aged 8 to 14. One of the most popular sessions this year was a presentation by Dr. Zsolt Szalay, Head of the Department of Automotive Technologies and leader of the BME Automated Drive research group. His engaging and interactive lecture explored the evolution and future of self-driving vehicles.

From the very beginning, the young audience was visibly captivated. The combination of technological insights, visual demonstrations, and real-world examples sparked genuine curiosity among the children. After the lecture, many gathered around Dr. Szalay to ask questions—some of which reflected surprisingly mature thinking about topics such as the future of mobility, artificial intelligence, and the reliability of autonomous systems.

“For me, this is a true source of inspiration every year. It’s amazing to see how much talent and openness is present in this age group. These moments always reaffirm my belief in the importance of engaging with the youngest generation,” said Dr. Zsolt Szalay.

This was not Dr. Szalay’s first appearance at the Children’s University—he has been a regular contributor for years and is personally committed to introducing engineering and science to children from an early age. Based on the feedback, this year’s participants also left with new ideas, inspiration—and perhaps their very first impressions of university life.

We hope that many of them will one day return to the halls of BME as university students—perhaps even as members of the Department of Automotive Technologies.

Each year, the finals of the Safety First! competition offer a unique meeting point: young engineering students present their ideas and projects to experts working at the forefront of the automotive industry. This year, several of our industry partners accepted our invitation to join the jury – including Réka Jenei, a cybersecurity expert at Robert Bosch Kft., who participated in the competition for the second time.
In the first article of our two-part series, we share her impressions of the finals and her thoughts on the potential she sees in the next generation of engineers.

Fresh Ideas for Real Challenges

“This year’s competition, just like last year’s, was of a very high standard – both in terms of organization and the quality of the work presented,” Réka began. She was particularly pleased to see multiple projects offering innovative solutions in the field of cybersecurity – a topic of both professional and personal relevance to her.

The topics and approaches presented in the finals reflected the current state of the automotive industry well:
“The projects responded clearly to real-world challenges and gaps in the industry, and in many cases pointed to opportunities for improvement or optimization.”

More Than a Competition – A Real Learning Experience

From an industrial perspective, Réka sees the competition as a valuable learning opportunity. Participants need to conduct active research, understand standards and technical constraints, and be able to present their ideas clearly and convincingly. This presentation format closely mirrors the dynamics of pitching to corporate investors – making the competition a highly realistic training ground for students.

“The competition provides multiple avenues for growth – skills that participants can take with them into their future careers,” Réka emphasized.

Remarkable Commitment

We were also curious whether there was a student she could imagine working with in the future, or a project that she found particularly inspiring. Her answer was thoughtful:
“In my view, it’s already remarkable when someone decides to take part in a competition like this. It’s not a required part of the curriculum – it’s an additional challenge that takes time, effort, and genuine commitment.”

The projects that reached the finals, Réka noted, all stood on a foundation of real intent, interest, and hard work – and that alone sets the competitors apart.
“I would gladly work with any one of them in the future.”

A Word of Advice for Next Year’s Competitors

Her advice to future participants: don’t hesitate to apply – every project has value. At the same time, she highlighted the importance of how a project is presented:
“As jury members, we pay attention to both the content and the form – the way a project is documented and presented also plays a big role in how convincing it is.”

A Bridge Between Industry and Academia

For Réka, being part of the jury was not just a professional responsibility but a source of inspiration:
“It was an honor to serve on the jury again this year. It gave me the opportunity to meet talented young engineers and gain insight into new, innovative directions in both safety and security.”

She believes that involving industry players in academic competitions is key to helping higher education better respond to real market challenges:
“Collaborations like this help build a bridge between industry and academia – where both sides can learn from each other.”

The Autonomous Systems National Laboratory at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) recently brought the latest results of autonomous vehicle research closer to high school students through an online educational resource and an associated knowledge-based quiz competition. The top-performing students of the nationwide quiz were invited to a unique experience day on campus, where they got a glimpse into the underlying technologies, laboratories, and ways of thinking behind future mobility. Interviews conducted throughout the day reveal that it was not only the live demonstrations that captivated students, but also the depth of knowledge and the authenticity of the expert speakers that left a lasting impact.

“It’s important that kids hear about these technologies from credible sources”

Csilla Petrohainé Rostás, a teacher from Padányi Catholic School in Veszprém, shared her impressions after the event, speaking about the students’ curiosity and the pedagogical challenges of the digital future.

“There is a huge interest in autonomous vehicles,” she began. “We had already discussed the content with the students after the teacher briefing, and the materials clearly made a strong impression on them.” She noted that the students found the online content and the quiz game engaging, particularly the fact that sometimes there wasn’t a single correct answer—something that sparked real thinking.

Many students from her school took the test, and three of them were invited to the event. “They were thrilled, because they could feel this was a meaningful invitation, a real opportunity.”

As a teacher, she found the day equally inspiring. “It was fascinating to gain insight from first-hand experience, to see exactly where this field currently stands.”

The professional level of the event also reinforced her teaching philosophy. “It was motivating, because it confirmed that I’m on the right track when I talk to my students about the digital future. But I also see how much more teamwork, information, and inspiration they need, because their knowledge in this area is still quite limited.”

She emphasized the importance of credible sources. “There is a lot of sensationalist content in the media, but students only get a truly meaningful picture from events like this. That’s why it would be great if these programs were held more regularly.”

She also highlighted that autonomous vehicle development is not only for engineers. “It’s important for students to see that if someone is interested in law, they don’t only have to become a lawyer—they could work on the legal aspects of autonomous systems. I’d love to see more attention given to these interdisciplinary paths in education.”

Social acceptance, too, is a key issue. “How does society handle the idea that not all vehicles are driven by humans anymore? This is an exciting area for both psychology and sociology.”

Closing her remarks, she thanked the organizers and offered suggestions: “It would be amazing if students had more opportunities to meet credible professionals who not only give presentations but offer real insight into what skills are needed. These moments also help teachers better understand how to motivate students. If we had a clearer idea of where incoming university students tend to struggle, we could better support them.”

“The quiz was great, and now we’re even considering trying out some form of Scientific Student Research Projects (TDK) ourselves.”

A Glimpse into the Near Future: Students Reflect on the ARNL Knowledge Challenge

The quiz competition organized by the Autonomous Systems National Laboratory at BME was more than just an online knowledge test: it was an opportunity for the top-performing students to experience firsthand what it means to work on the automotive technologies of the future. Interviews from the event reveal that students were not only amazed by live demonstrations but also deeply inspired by the expertise and authenticity of the speakers.

Márton Marton-Bódi (Szent Mór School Center, Pécs) joined the quiz out of a general interest in electronics and engineering. “I was already curious about autonomous driving and AI, but I had never seen these systems explained in such detail before.” By the end of the day, he was enthusiastically talking about AI functionality and vehicle architecture.

Zsombor Bánhelyi (Ady Endre High School) found the program “inspiring.” “I especially liked the sensor explanations in the presentations. I understood details I had never seen before.” He hadn’t expected to be invited but was delighted to attend.

András Vincze-Pál (Budapest Fasori Evangelical High School) already has his sights set on BME. For him, both the content and the environment were impactful. “The level of research and presence of technology were really impressive. It’s clear that the future is being built here.”

Kristóf Bognár and Gergely Mendrei-Benkő from the Bánki Donát Technical School received the quiz as an assignment during online learning. For both of them, artificial intelligence was the highlight: “We got a peek into the future,” said Kristóf.

Csongor Csevrenka and Patrik Pardi from Gyula Catholic High School especially remembered Dr. Tamás Bécsi’s lecture: “It was simple, easy to understand, and still exciting.” They also appreciated the lab visits and the presentation about the ZalaZONE proving ground, which Csongor described as “an amazing experience.”

Students Ármin Hegedűs and Benedek Dunajcsik (Padányi Catholic School, Veszprém) most enjoyed the presentations and seeing the real technologies up close. “We saw how the LIDAR works and how systems connect,” they shared.

Angéla Balogh (Csokonai V. Mihály High School, Debrecen) was invited after her chemistry teacher forwarded the quiz. “I didn’t expect it to be this interesting. I learned so much about AI and autonomous vehicles. And it was great to see everything up close, not just in pictures.”

Marcell Kozsda, who learned about the event through his mother, a BME staff member, especially appreciated the amount of information. “There was a lot to process, but it was incredibly interesting. Especially the monitoring systems that feed data to AI. I had no idea how complex that process is.”

The students’ responses clearly show: this event offered not just information, but motivation, guidance, and inspiration. Many of them are still exploring their paths, but one thing is certain: on that day, they moved closer to a future we are only beginning to imagine.

The Vehicle Safety and Security Research Group from the Department of Automotive Technologies at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics recently participated in the Cognitive Mobility 2024 Conference, held at the Bosch Budapest Innovation Campus. The team presented their newly developed test framework, which highlights a breakthrough approach to safe driving operations.

During the presentation, the research group demonstrated how, in situations where conventional environmental sensors fail to provide the necessary information for safe driving, radio communication technologies can offer a reliable alternative. They showcased a scenario where even with degraded radio communication quality, their innovative control concept enabled the system to maintain safe driving operations by adapting to the communication parameters.

This test framework represents a significant advancement in vehicle safety technology, illustrating the potential of radio communication as a complementary solution to traditional sensors. The group’s work not only addresses current challenges in autonomous driving but also opens new possibilities for the development of more resilient and adaptable vehicle safety systems.

The Department of Automotive Technologies is proud of the team’s achievements and their ongoing contribution to the advancement of intelligent mobility solutions.