Introduction to Engineering (FSI-ZUI)

Graduates will understand how a new product is created and its life cycle, while identifying themselves in terms of the role of a mechanical engineer and will be able to think about the economics of the design, the impact on the environment and the sustainability.

• Knowledge of the stages of the design process, product life cycle.
• Ability to assess various aspects of product design including economics, environmental impact and sustainability.
• Ability to perform basic level risk analysis.
• Basic knowledge of intellectual property and patent protection.
• Ability to communicate, work in a team, analyse knowledge.

High school knowledge is assumed.

The subject provides an overview of all stages of the design process, including consideration of aspects of the design in terms of taking into account the economics and the impact of the design on the environment and the sustainability. Students will realize how complex the design process is, what the product life cycle looks like, what their role is as a mechanical engineer, and they will understand what the current social challenges are, including the motivation for the creation of new products. They will verify the acquired knowledge and skills in the form of a semester project of a smaller scale, when they will analyse the selected product from different points of view in smaller teams. The subject is an essential starting point for students to realize how to integrate knowledge from individual subjects during their studies and how to approach their education.

Conditions for obtaining graded credit:

• submission and defence of the semester project in the required scope (min. 20 points out of 40),
• individual expert discussion on the subject defined in the subject card (min. 30 points out of 60).
• a total of up to 100 points can be obtained, the classification is determined according to the ECTS scale.

Lectures: attendance is compulsory and monitored by the teacher, a maximum of one excused absence is allowed.

Exercise: participation is mandatory and controlled by the teacher, a maximum of one excused absence is allowed. In case of long-term absence, compensation for missed lessons is the responsibility of the subject guarantor.

• Science and technology, division of engineering disciplines.


• Social challenges, motivation for the creation of new products.


• Mechanical engineering, design process and its stages, role of mechanical engineer.


• Product life cycle.


• Sustainability, socio-economic and environmental aspects and energy consumption of the design.


• Basics of risk analysis and business planning.


• Intellectual property, patent protection.


• Project management and team work, communication, reporting.

• Assignment of a semester project, illustration of the project solution in the form of a case study.


• Technical analysis of the product.


• Socioeconomic analysis of the product.


• Risk analysis.


• Final report and submission.

FISCHER, Ulrich. Základy strojnictví. Praha: Europa-Sobotáles, 2004. ISBN 80-867-0609-5. 

AVEN, Terje. Risk analysis. Chichester: Wiley, 2015, xi, 197 s. : il. ; 23 cm. ISBN 978-1-119-05779-6.