Quote:
Originally Posted by alb4h
I love how you state this - the value of ignorant thought.
I totally agree with you. It doesn't mean that you don't do research when the time is right, but scouring the internet for examples of how it's been done is not engineering or inventing. Invention is hard work and you have to be willing generate wacky ideas and try things out and fail. When I see the 'design and build in 3 days' and cad and build a chassis in a day efforts during the build season I have a lot of mixed feelings. Seeing how professional engineers quickly go through a process is not a substitute for doing it yourself and I believe is a hindrance to that design process for many students.
Ann
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Researching, looking for, and finding examples of prior art is definitely part of engineering. Not doing so leaves you open to losing a lot of wasted time and, in the real world, a whole host of legal issues. This does not mean that one should not make an effort to fully understand and improve upon the ideas you find.
To paraphrase a famous quote, often the best way to a goal is to stand upon the shoulders of giants.
