Design of a Modular Plantar Orthosis System through the Application of TRIZ Methodology Tools

Problem-Oriented Modelling for Biomedical Engineering Systems

Technical system (TS) models are widely used for setting and solving problems for the improvement of biomedical engineering systems beyond simple parameter optimisation. They mostly focus on system elements, the change or replacement of which can provide significant technical and economic benefits. The natures of TS models and their methods of construction vary, but they all share several common features: a functional approach, a focus on the conflicting demands put on the particular elements of a system or their interactions, and the construction of models that assume the significance of those conflicts. Thus, modelling aims to visualise conflicts in a way that facilitates the setting and solving of tasks that lead to their elimination. Such modelling can be termed problem-oriented. Results of the analysis of problem-oriented models proposed by different authors have shown that they model the structure of problem functions or the structure of the TS fragments responsible for such functions. A graphic representation of these models allows for the comparison and identification of opportunities for further development and aggregation. In this paper, the joint application of several known and proposed models is suggested for efficient forecasting of biomedical engineering systems and their modernisation.

Construction and Application of Enterprise Knowledge Base for Product Innovation Design

As most of the knowledge used in industrial product design is based on data files from a previous design, it is difficult to be efficiently applied in supporting product innovation design. This paper proposes a method to construct an enterprise knowledge base (EKB) for product innovation design. A concept of the functional basis of product (FBP) is first proposed based on similar products. The function units and corresponding technical units are clustered to construct an EKB for product innovation design. A retrieval path of the knowledge is then proposed from the functional level. The prototype software is developed to retrieve the knowledge directly through function units and determine the optimal technology by searching and ranking relevant patents. The patent circumvention and Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) methods are used to solve invention problems and obtain innovative solutions. The built EKB model provides a systematic method for the innovative product design process. An underwater separator is developed in a case study to verify the proposed method.

Problem-Solving in Product Innovation Based on the Cynefin Framework-Aided TRIZ

Different problems in the process of product innovation are often caused by external environmental changes of the product. There is a lack of research on classifying the problems associated with product environment changes to aid in applying tools of the Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems (TRIZ) for problem-solving. This paper proposes a Cynefin framework to classify the problems into disorder, chaotic, complexity, complicated and simple areas according to the external environment changes. Each area of problems is then solved by corresponding design tools in TRIZ. Chaotic and complex problems are converted into complicated or simple areas by the technology evolution and effect search. Complicated or simple areas are combined considering conflicts expressed by an Element-Name-Value (ENV) model. Key conflicts are determined by simplified rules of a node conflict network. A problem-solving methodology in product innovation is proposed based on Cynefin framework-aided TRIZ. The proposed method is applied in the design of an enterprise SJL900/32 mobile bridge erecting machine.

Supporting Luxury Hotel Recovered in Times of COVID-19 by Applying TRIZ Method: A Case Study in Taiwan

The current COVID-19 pandemic, which is alarming for another global economic recession, puts the sustainable development of the tourism system under high consideration. The tourism industry is a key generator of foreign exchange across the region. However, tourism is one of the sectors most affected by the global pandemic. Through a case study in Taiwan, the objective of this study is to show how an Evergreen hotel fixed itself on existing and recovering in the hospitality business during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 using the combination of the problem hierarchy analysis (PHA) and the Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskih Zadatch (TRIZ) or the so-called theory of inventive problem-solving technique. Following PHA technique and extensive investigation, the management team determined that the most recent problems at the Evergreen hotel are in marketing and human resources. The 39 parameters and 40 principles of TRIZ were used to determine the improvement solution and create a solution strategy that simultaneously simplified critical control-point (CCP) processes and improved the correctness of tasks, increasing CCP efficiency and supporting and satisfying customer demands in the COVID-19 pandemic in the world in general and in Taiwan in particular. The results revealed that customer bookings grew over the four quarters of 2020 due to adjusting the cancellation policy, discounting, and segmenting the market from international to domestic, increasing the CCP efficiency percentage and customer rating score from 19% to 40% and 8.3 to 8.5 score, respectively. Aside from that, changing the hotel structure with a partnership with the Taixie company assisted Evergreen in reducing various cost pressures to manage the business and recover after a difficult period. This paper can be a useful reference for managers, investors, governments, and policymakers to improve the sustainability performance in the tourism industry.