Well developed innovation processes are essential components for continued success of product and systems design throughout industry. Such processes build upon research advancements in innovation techniques and methods. To create such techniques and methods, studies are needed to examine the current state-of-the-art, as well as the corresponding teaching of such innovation processes in higher education. This paper contributes to this effort by studying a specific group of innovation researchers, teachers, and practitioners. The study was created to probe this group of leaders in the engineering design domain using technical, demographic, and short answer questions. Various analysis methods are used to obtain a fundamental view of the answers to these questions with respect to the demographics of the participant group. Two deductive analysis methods are used, in addition to an inductive approach, consisting of a correlation analysis to compare responses to questions and understand trends across the participants. Results from the analyses emphasize the current perceptions of innovation by the participants and opportunities to refine research in improving innovation practices.

The act of creating a new product, system, or process is an innovation; the result of excogitation, study and experimentation. It is an inductive and/or deductive process. The inductive process involves studying systems that exist, for example, in nature, patents and products, and inducing from the behavior of these systems elemental features for innovating novel products. The deductive process involves deducing such aspects from hypothetical concepts and situations where systems or products could exist. By the application of a combined inductive and deductive approach, this paper reports on a methodology for the creation of innovative products with a broader functional repertoire than traditional designs. This breed of innovative products is coined as transformers, transforming into different configurations or according to different states. Current design theory lacks a systematic methodology for the creation of products that have the ability to transform. This paper identifies analogies in nature, patents, and products along with hypothesizing the existence of such products in different environments and situations. Transformation design principles are extracted by studying key design features and functional elements that make up a transforming product. These principles are defined and categorized according to their roles in general transformations. The principles and categorizations are then validated and applied to conceptualize transforming products as part of an innovative design process.

Products which transform to reveal new functionality have been a source of fascination and utility for ages. Such products — transformers — have been previously designed employing ad hoc creativity rather than by pursuing any formal design methodology. By incorporating a design methodology and a concept generation tool for transformers, this research not only unearths further utility for these innovative and revolutionary products, but also aids engineers in the design of these devices with dexterity. The success and advantages of transformers result from added functionality while simultaneously using fewer resources and occupying less space. This paper elucidates the foundation of a methodology for the design of such transforming devices. Our basic research on transforming systems involves a combined inductive and deductive approach, uncovering transformation design principles and a novel method for designing transforming products. In the early stages of design, this method employs a unique process to extract customer needs by examining the requirement hierarchy of product usage scenarios. Such an approach broadens the scope of design and aids in identifying opportunities for transforming products while developing process level insights and solutions catering to these needs. During the concept generation phase of design, the method exploits the transformation design principles as a novel tool to complement and expand contemporary concept generation techniques. A unique bicycle accessory which transforms from a lock to a pump and vice versa is provided as an example of the transformational design process.

Transformers are a class of products that exhibit a change in state to facilitate new or enhanced product functionality. The historical children’s toys known as “transformers” provide a mental picture of this definition. Working examples are vertical lift aircraft that function as helicopters for take-off but transform to propeller-driven airplanes for point-topoint travel. In this paper, principles and design methodologies are introduced for the creation of transforming products. Also, an approach is demonstrated for implementing Transformer Design Principles as part of an ideation and computational design process. An application to an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV-TACMAV) illustrates the utility of the approach.

Transformers are a class of products with great potential in a number of markets and applications. These are systems that exhibit a change in state to facilitate new or enhanced product functionality. The historical children’s toys known as “transformers” provide a mental picture of this definition. Working examples are vertical lift aircraft that function as helicopters for take-offs but transform to propeller-driven airplanes for point-to-point travel. This paper builds on research into developing principles and design methodologies for the creation of transforming products. We summarize this research and demonstrate an approach for implementing Transformer Design Principles as part of an ideation and computational design process. An application to an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV-TACMAV) illustrates the utility of the approach.