Our goal is to make biological information available for engineers via a ‘biological patents’ database in TRIZ. However, biological functions need to be co‐ordinated simultaneously at many levels of organization – from cell organelle to population to ecosystem. Each function has links with other functions on different organizational levels. To account for this, we made auxiliary 5D ‘conflict’ matrices for biological structures and environments, and for causes and limits of actions; these allow us to resolve data about organisms into engineering‐like chunks of information and cover the primary TRIZ constituents of ‘function’, ‘effect’ and ‘conflict’. In this way we can also provide a framework for the rationalization and quantification of bionics.

No abstract

No abstract

This paper explores how the Engineering Design process might balance conflicting constraints of technical product design and the social demands of users. Building on a generic 2D map for innovation in design from the author's previous work, a prototype 3D Diamond Model is presented to help structure conversations between Designers and Users -or indeed any other group with apparently opposing aims. In theory, the model draws on the structure of Buddhism (in particular the Mandala of the Five Buddha Families) and managerial cybernetics (in particular Beer's Viable System Model and his Team Syntegrity protocol), to establish how one's worldview might evolve and how a common worldview for two teams can be determined. In practise, a Facilitator or Researcher helps Designers and Users achieve their respective aims, and develop a common one. When a common worldview is achieved, conversations and activities can become mutually informing, coevolving and emotionally satisfactory at both the individual and team levels.

No abstract