Abstract
In today’s fast growing world, the economy — especially the field of technology and production — are developing very rapidly. Engineering design that would predict the results of this rapid development and equip the society with tools to control them, faces a big challenge. Rapidly developing technology brings many benefits to humanity and makes life easier, friendlier and more comfortable. This has been the case for thousands of years as new branches of engineering were born and came to serve society. One might say that engineers have the privilege of creating a bloodless and peaceful revolution resulting in easier and happier lives for people.
At the same time, such fast developing technology creates traps and dangers, and may cause harm. The inventions of Alfred Nobel, Samuel Colt and Eliphalet Remington, for example, or nuclear research have all brought significant technological progress to nations and societies but have also brought harms and disasters affecting both societies and individuals. The role of engineering design is to predict these harmful actions and plan to neutralize or eliminate them, or even change them from harmful into friendly. Such actions follow the way recommended by BTIPS (Brief Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) procedures [1], especially those using the Prediction module [2], [3]. When developing Prevention Engineering a system approach should be observed and hierarchy of systems established and defined. All systems should be designed in such a way that prevents harm to humans and the natural world.
Recommendations for introducing Prevention Engineering as a branch of engineering practice, and as an educational and research discipline, should be created as soon as possible, and directions for introducing courses in Prevention Engineering design and practice should also be developed [4]. For example, personal protective equipment for individuals and groups as designed by ME and MEM engineering students in their courses might be considered as Prevention Engineering developments [5].
Defining and formulating Prevention Engineering as a new branch of engineering is necessity in our times. In every step of our lives we face the challenge of preventing harms and destruction that can be done by the contemporary surrounding world. The goal of Prevention Engineering [PE] is to make the world safe. Prevention and safety are connected, prevention is an action, while safety is the condition or state that we are trying to achieve. Preventative actions can be based on the recommendations of BTIPS - Brief Theory of Inventing Problem Solving - and may use BTIPS’s approach [4], [5].
The reasons for the development of PE have already been described [6]. Each of these should be pointed out and preventative measures should be found. Adding these preventative measures to the contemporary engineering research, practice and education, and especially reflecting them in the engineering curriculum would be useful now and will also be necessary in the future [7], [8].
What can engineers learn from the past? A potential role for history in engineering education.
