Thought-Provoking Questions About the Future – Dr. Zsolt Szalay’s Lecture at BME Children’s University

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.