As catalysts for product innovation and product development, different approaches for biologically inspired design (BID) are exciting options. However, while general BID theory require a focus on single functions, real world products are characterized by performing multiple functions. The development of an anterior eye-chamber model is used to showcase the issue.In a systematic literature review (SLR), state-of-the-art methodologies, methods and tools BID practice are discovered and the current state of multi-functionality in BID are assessed.The SLR revealed 18 contributions with 8 BID methodologies and 12 stage-specific BID tools (of which 50% addressed the solution search phase) in addition to 5 papers addressing multi-functionality in BID. At present multi-functionality in BID is only treated in a limited set of papers. While designers interested in BID are advised to discover multi-functional analogies, the present approach to handling multi-functional problems in BID suggest functional decomposition and multiple BID efforts. Therefore, the development of design support for handling multi-functional problems, including tools for problem analysis are needed.
The acknowledgement of designers' appreciation of conceptualization approaches rooted in functional decomposition and morphological synthesis in addition to the criticism regarding sub functional focus and limited innovation facilitation ability of these approaches, is the theoretical starting point of this article. Inspired by the multi-functionality of fascinating principles found in nature (e.g. 'the skin' of some organisms containing, protecting and camouflaging), this article explores how multi-functionality is handled in engineering design to: Study the way inspiration can be found, thus improving innovation capabilities (1) and improve the way products are analysed, thus removing sub functional focus (2). The topic is explored by interviewing and literature studying as research methods. Using a multi-functional case, a pairwise pattern of function types appeared suggesting searching for multi-functional solution principles should be further investigated. Furthermore, with minor changes to the FM-tree, designers are guided in assessing a product's degree of complexity, informing decisions on which functions to disscover a multi-functional biological analogy corresonding to.
Research in biologically-inspired design (BID) practice often focus on team composition or ideation based on an already discovered fascinating biological solution principle. However, how are the outcome of the early design phases affecting BID projects' quality?In this study, historical data from 91 reports from student teams documenting their BID efforts from a 3-week course constitute the data source. Thus, the relationship between design problem types, function types, functions descriptions and BID projects' quality is addressed.The study show that especially design problem types and function descriptions affect the BID projects' quality. For instance, BID projects dealing with open-ended problems yield better results than redesign problems with existing solutions operating in a very domain-limited solution space. Next, BID projects obtain the best results when using functions as drivers for analogy searching rather than properties. Finally, BID projects with certain function types seem to have more complicated conceptualization phases.
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