Wednesday, September 15, 2010

TRIZ - finding (and making) advances in technology

Important!
If you do not yet have
   - a course blog -
it is not too late.
See me to get
things going.


1. "TRIZ":
a way to get ideas
about
future technologies

. . . But why call it TRIZ?


. . . . . . because "TRIZ"
            stands for:
           Теория
           решения
           изобретательских
           задач


. . . . . . . . . (of course -
                 what else
                 could it
                 stand for?)


. . . . . . transliteration:
           Teoriya
           Resheniya
           Izobretatelskikh
           Zadatch


. . . . . . translation:
           Theory of
           Decisions about
           Inventor's
           Problems


. . . TRIZ
      tries to make
      getting new ideas
      about technology
      a systematic process


. . . TRIZ was created by
      Genrich Altshuller


















(Source: marketada.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/altshuller.bmp)


. . . . . . He registered
            his first invention
            at age 15


. . . . . . At 20 he invented
            a way to escape
            from submarines


. . . . . . . . . (This did not help
                 the crew of
                 the Kursk)


. . . . . . . . . . . . length:
                       154 meters
                        How long is that?








. . . . . . . . . . . . (just under 1/10 mile)


. . . . . . . . . . . . height:
                       four stories

                       (not sure of the
                       conversion factor
                       for stories into feet)
                       but...
                           
                       at least this building
                       wins out that way
                                                    


. . . . . . . . . . . . was the world's
                        biggest attack submarine


. . . . . . . . . . .  in 2000 a fuel explosion
                       sank the submarine.
                       Hitting the sea bottom
                       caused torpedoes
                       to explode.
                       Some crew
                       survived both explosions
                       but perished later
                       without escaping.

       Part of salvaged wreck of
               K-141 Kursk
(Source: englishrussia.com/images/kursk_submarine/1.jpg)


(Source: englishrussia.com/images/kursk_submarine/7.jpg)



A (much smaller) sub
is docked across the
river and open for
public visits

. . . . . . Altshuller worked as
            an invention inspector
            for the Soviet navy



2. TRIZ is a compendium
    of several related
    methods and approaches


. . . see e.g.
http://www.amsup.com/images/triz/triz.gif:


. . . also see
http://www.mazur.net/triz/contradi.htm
(e.g. http://www.mazur.net/triz/contra02.gif):



3. Let's look at TRIZ
- and also apply to
your topics


. . . One aspect:
the natural evolution
from doing one key task
and "branching out"


. . . . . . first pencils wrote

            then they "branched out":
            now they erase,
                            store,
                            don't need sharpening,
                            clip on, etc.


. . . . . . From keyboards
            to foldup keyboards,
            ergonomic keyboards,
            what other kinds?




. . . . . . How have
            cell phones
            branched out?



. . . . . . This also explains
            "bloatware"



. . . . . . Can you think of
            something that
            has not
            branched out much?



4. Also from TRIZ:
usability,
aesthetics
become factors later


. . . Early cars:
"you can get any color car
you want as long as it's black"


Example, anyone?





5.   TRIZ also has
         a set of 40
Principles of Invention

. . . the 40 Principles of Invention
. . . (see e.g.
      http://www.triz40.com/aff_Principles.htm)

We can think about these 
with respect to the 
evolution of any technology 


For example:
consider some relatively recent
inventions that have room to grow


        E-readers
        CFLs
        Transgenic "enviropigs"
        Robots
       

6. . . . . . "Segmentation":
break something unitary
into parts, modules, pieces, etc.


. . . . . . . . . E.g. replace large truck
                  with a
                 tractor+trailer design
                 (is that good?)

7. . . . . . "Taking out":
            remove a part


. . . . . . . . . E.g. put a
noisy air compressor
outside the building
where the air is used


. . . . . . . . . E.g. Use the
bark but not the dog
as part of a burglar alarm

8. . . . . . "Local Quality":
make something that is
uniform, nonuniform


. . . . . . . . . E.g. refrigerator with
freezer,
moist cold bin for veggies,
dry cold bin for meat, etc.


9. . . . . . "Assymetry":
make something that is symmetric, assymetric


. . . . . . . . . E.g. make a round rod have a flat part so a knob can turn it without slipping


10. . . . . . "Merging":
assemble similar objects into a larger assembly


. . . . . . . . . E.g. make a network of PCs


. . . . . . . . . E.g. 3 wheels more stable than 2 more stable than 1


. . . . . . . . . You can get emergent properties!


11. . . . . . "Universality":
make one thing do more than one thing


. . . . . . . . . E.g. pencil can erase, store, attach as well as write


12. . . . . . "Nested Doll":
(like those Russian dolls)


. . . . . . . . . E.g. set of measuring spoons


13. . . . . . "Anti-weight":
counter heaviness with flotation


. . . . . . . . . E.g. non-sinking boats; balloons; airplane wings and boat hydrofoils


14. . . . . . "Preliminary anti-action":
counter bad effects of good things somehow


. . . . . . . . . E.g. lead aprons at the dentist


. . . . . . . . . E.g. slow-release medications


15. . . . . . "Preliminary action":
do something to an object before it is needed


. . . . . . . . . E.g. put glue on paper before selling it - stickers! Tape!


. . . . . . . . . E.g. sterilize surgical instruments for next time - autoclaves, etc.


16. . . . . . "Beforehand cushioning":
have backup systems incorporated in case of failure


. . . . . . . . . E.g. emergency parachutes, fire escapes, parking brakes


17. . . . . . "Equipotentiality":
compensate for gravity


. . . . . . . . . E.g. spring-loaded cafeteria dish dispenser


18. . . . . . "The other way round":
reverse the action; go upside down; make something fixed, movable (or the reverse)


. . . . . . . . . E.g. rotate part instead of tool; treadmills; escalators


19. . . . . . "Spheroidality":
change from flat or angular surfaces to curved


. . . . . . . . . E.g. domes and arches; ball-point pens instead of quills


20. . . . . . "Dynamics":
make it movable or flexible


. . . . . . . . . E.g. adjustable car seats; medical scopes in flexible tubes


21. . . . . . "Partial or excessive actions":
Do a little too much or too little, then fix


. . . . . . . . . E.g. put a bit too much on your plate, then leave a little; almost fill your tank, then top off


22. . . . . . "Another dimension":
use the 3rd dimension or 4th, etc.


. . . . . . . . . E.g. 3D TV; add wings to car; 2-sided screen; double toothbrush; dump truck


23. . . . . . "Mechanical vibration":
cause oscillation/vibration


. . . . . . . . . E.g. electric hedge trimmer/carving knife; gall stone destruction; ultrasonic neurostimulation


24. . . . . . "Periodic action":
keep repeating


. . . . . . . . E.g. hitting nail with hammer; warbling siren


25. . . . . . "Continuity of useful action":
eliminate breaks


. . . . . . . . . E.g. night light; auto time sharing


26. . . . . . "Skipping":
do it so fast that harm is averted


. . . . . . . . . E.g. flash freezing; heated ice cream scoop


27. . . . . . "Turn Lemons into Lemonade":
use bad effect for a good purpose


. . . . . . . . . E.g. make/save money by recycling (reuse blank side; sell cans)


28. . . . . . "Feedback": improve performance by examining the effects


. . . . . . . . . E.g. hard to spend money in late spring here; cruise control


29. . . . . . "Intermediary": link/separate 2 things with a go-between


. . . . . . . . . E.g. potholder; nailset; shuttle diplomacy


30. . . . . . "Self-service": something serves itself


. . . . . . . . . E.g. fertilize with grass clippings; pot liquor to improve flavor


31. . . . . . "Copying": save with inexpensive copies


. . . . . . . . . E.g. VR instead of reality; photos; music on CD instead of live, etc.


32. . . . . . "Cheap short-lived objects": throw it away afterwards


. . . . . . . . . E.g. paper plates; disposable diapers; anyone remember returnable bottles?


33. . . . . . "Mechanics substitution": get rid of moving parts or other objects


. . . . . . . . . E.g. CD instead of vinyl record; acoustic pet fence


34. . . . . . "Pneumatics and hydraulics": use gas and liquid instead of solid parts


. . . . . . . . . E.g. gel-filled footwear soles; propane instead of logs


35. . . . . . "Flexible shells and thin films": get rid of heavy, solid things


. . . . . . . . . E.g. paper instead of slates; balloons


36. . . . . . "Porous materials": make nonporous things, porous


. . . . . . . . . E.g. save weight by making it fluffier


37. . . . . . "Color changes": change color or transparency of object or environment


. . . . . . . . . E.g. use red light to see nocturnal critters in a zoo


. . . . . . . . . E.g. use differently colored markers for writing


38. . . . . . "Homogeneity": make interacting objects of the same material


. . . . . . . . . E.g. cut diamonds with diamond dust


. . . . . . . . . E.g. make artificial organs out of person's own cells


39. . . . . . "Discarding and recovering": it disappears or changes itself


. . . . . . . . . E.g. biodegradable plastic bags; mechanical pencils


40. . . . . . "Parameter changes": change properties of a substance


. . . . . . . . . E.g. heat food to cook/kill germs


41. . . . . . "Phase transitions":


. . . . . . . . . E.g. freeze liquid center, then dip in warm chocolate


. . . . . . . . . E.g. air conditioning works by vaporizing/condensing a liquid


42. . . . . . "Thermal expansion": things expand/contract with temperature


. . . . . . . . . E.g. make thermostats that bend and curve as temperature changes


. . . . . . . . . . . . We could do this in this class fairly easily!


43. . . . . . "Strong oxidants": use oxygen-enrichment


. . . . . . . . . E.g. medical use; match heads and rocket fuel


44. . . . . . "Inert atmosphere": use chemically inactive stuff


. . . . . . . . . E.g. store priceless artifacts in argon or nitrogen


. . . . . . . . . E.g. add filler when making pills so you can pick them up


45. . . . . . "Composite materials": use multiple materials in a substance


. . . . . . . . . E.g. fiberglass; reinforced concrete


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