TRIZ Forum: Conference Report (16)


Personal Report of
ETRIA "TRIZ Future 2006" Conference

Held by European TRIZ Association (ETRIA)
on Oct. 9 - 11, 2006, at Kortrijk, Belgium
Toru Nakagawa (Osaka Gakuin Univ., Japan), 
Dec. 31, 2006
[Posted on Jan. 7, 2007] 

For going back to Japanese pages, press buttons.  Japanese translation of this page is not scheduled.

Editor's Note (Toru Nakagawa, Dec. 31, 2006)

This is a personal report of ETRIA TRIZ Future 2006 Conference held on October 9-11, 2006 in Belgium (See ETRIA Official Web site ). As you might already know in ETRIA Web site or in this Web site, I have been writing this kind of 'Personal Report' for all the ETRIA TFCs , TRIZCONs , and Japan TRIZ Symposia since 1998.  The intentions and purposes of writing such reports are to introduce the contents of these conferences to people who are interested in TRIZ but were not able to attend the conference.  Reports written from personal views can have unique role of conveying vivid information with some evaluation, which neither official 'fair' reports nor authors' 'original' papers can have. However, personal reports need to be written in a delicate balance of personal interests and evaluation vs. fairness, under the limitation of reporter's understanding of the papers and presentations (see some more description in my last year report ).

The present Personal Report was, I feel, the most difficult one for me to write among 16 similar ones I wrote so far.  Partly because I was so busy to write the report of Japan TRIZ Symposium until early November, partly because there are as many as 50 papers, partly because I could attend at less-than-half of the presentations due to double- or triple-track sessions, etc., etc.   I started writing this report on Nov. 11, wrote little by little in parallel to reading the papers, and have almost finished writing it on Dec. 29.  Maybe I will need some more brushing this up, making links, getting permissions from authors for citing their figures, translating into Japanese partly, and preparation for posting, etc.  I hope I will be able to post this on Jan. 7, 2007.

I wish to express my sincere thanks to all the people who organized this TFC 2006 Conference and contributed and participated to it for making it successful (See the Official Report by Dr. Gaetano Cascini, the ETRIA President ).  I also wish to thank all the authors who gave me permission of citing their figures in this report.  The paragraphs (or sentences) starting with '***' and the inserts enclosed in [ ] show my personal comments. If you (especially the authors of the conference papers) find any mistake or misunderstanding in this report, please notify me via email.

Contents:
1. Outline of the Conference
2.  Agenda of the Conference
3.  Methodologies in TRIZ
4. Foundation/Comparison/Integration of TRIZ with Other Methodologies
5. Case Studies in Industry
6. TRIZ and Quality
7. Promotion of TRIZ in Industries
8. Usage of TRIZ in Academia
9. Patent Studies
10. Applications to Software Development and Business Areas
11. Miscellaneous and No-Presentation Papers
12. Concluding Remarks

List of Papers Published in the "Proceedings of the ETRIA TRIZ Future Conference 2006"

 

Top of this page 1. Outline 2. Agenda 3. TRIZ Methodologies 4. Foundation/ Integration 5. Case Studies in Industry 6. TRIZ & Quality 7. Promotion 8. In Academia
9. Patent Studies 10. Software Development and Business Application 11. Papers not Presneted 12. Concluding Remarks List of Papers ETRIA TFC 2006 Official page ETRIA Official site ETRIA TFC2005 Nakagawa's Personal Report Japanese page

 


1. Outline of the Conference

Name of the conference: The ETRIA TRIZ Future Conference 2006 (plus Quality Conference)
Date: Oct. 9 , 2006 (Mon.) 10:00 -- Oct. 11, 2006 (Wed.) 15:00 (2 days and half)
Location: Ondernemers-Centrum (Entrepreneurs Center), Auditorium Fortis, and ING Auditorium
Kortrijk, Belgium
(Three buildings in the old city center of Kortrijk.)
Held by:

ETRIA (European TRIZ Association)

Participants: About 120 (plus about 80 participants to Quality Conference only)
Presentations: 5 Keynote Speeches, 45 Oral Presentations (in double/triple tracks)
Proceedings: Volume 1: Scientific Contributions.  (18 papers, 145 pages in total)
Volume 2: Practitioners Contributions  (37 papers, 275 pages in total)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Sixth "TRIZ Future Conference" held by ETRIA.  You can see my Personal Reports of the previous conferences in Bath, UK (2001), in Strasbourg, France (2002), in Aachen, Germany (2003), in Florence, Italy (2004), and in Graz, Austria (2005).  This year it was held in Kortrijk, Belgium, a city having its long history over thousand years and now active in design and innovation.

The Conference was organized by the collaboration of Belgium organizations (besides ETRIA), including CREAX (Simon Dewulf as Hosting ETRIA member, and Nele Dekeyser as the Secretary), University of Leuven (Professor Joost Duflou as Academic Host), Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen (Lode De Geyter as Organizational Host), Flemish Quality Management Center, and City of Kortrijk. We thank all those who made this conference possible and fruitful. 

The theme of the Conference was "Creativity, Quality and Efficiency -- Building an Innovation Culture". On the second day of ETRIA Conference, the Flemish Quality Management Center held its 19th Annual Quality Conference as a joint meeting with the aim at "Collaboration between Quality and TRIZ".  The papers presented at the Quality Conference are published together in the Proceedings of the ETRIA Conference.

It is the first time that the Proceedings have two volumes with the titles of "Vol. 1. Scientific Contributions" and "Vol. 2.  Practitioners Contributions", even though the criteria of this classification are not clear for me.  Anyway ETRIA has been trying to promote/encourage scientific research in TRIZ and to build scientific foundations of TRIZ in (Western) academic research communities.  It was announced that the present Conference received 90-plus abstracts and the Program Committee (having 21 international scientific members for Vol. 1, and 13 international reviewing members for Vol. 2) decided by peer reviewing to accept 50 of them.

Because of the unexpected delay in the reconstruction of the planned venue, The Entrepreneur Center of Kortrijk, the Conference had to use three separate buildings adjacent each other in the old city center of Kortrijk. Since the building names were not announced beforehand in the Web site, I (and many other people) went to the city center anyway and looked around for the buildings in the evening before and in the morning of the first day, and found big posters of the Conference on the street in front of the three buildings.

The agenda of the Conference (with Author names and Titles) was announced in the Web only 3 weeks beforehand for the first time, and was revised 2 weeks beforehand. The abstracts of the papers were not made publicly known in the Web beforehand.  This situation was unusual as an international conference, I think.  (Since I knew that the Conference Secretary was too busy in preparing everything, I thought it bothering her to request such information.)  The Conference had missed to obtain not-a-small number of people as participants, I suppose. 

Since I had no chance of reading the Abstracts beforehand, it was difficult for me to select important presentations among the parallel tracks.  Oral presentations were given only 30 minutes each including Q&A, and no intermissions were planned between 3-4 sequential presentations.  Thus, my choices of attendance in parallel sessions was not well planned, resulting in probably missing some interesting/important presentations. 

Under these situations, I now [i.e., on Nov. 12] feel more difficulty in writing this Personal Report than those I wrote so far.  I am not confident whether I have really understood the papers just by reading the Proceedings.  Verbal information given by the Authors in the talk is often more helpful to understand the essence of their work.  So please excuse me if I miss to understand well and to describe properly the real essence and its importance of the presentations. 

It should be noted that at the end of November all the papers published in the Proceedings and several files of presentation slides have been posted in the ETRIA Web site so as to be accessible only for the ETRIA Members. Such postings have been done since the first ETRIA Conference in 2001.

2. Agenda of the Conference

At the bottom of this Personal Report, all the papers are listed in the order appearing in the Proceedings. 

Agenda of the Conference is outlined in the following tables.  The titles and the authors are sometimes abbreviated; see the List of Papers for more detail.  It should be noticed that the first Keynote by Aleksey Pinyayev is missing in the Proceedings (a relevant but different paper is shown in [48]) and that the second Keynote by Professor Stephen Lu appears only as an extended abstract in the Proceedings.  [Pinyayev kindly supplied me his file of presentation slides, and Lu posted his slides in the ETRIA Web site (for ETRIA Members only).]  The* marks in these tables represents Nakagawa's attendance at the presentation.

Agenda of ETRIA TRIZ Future Conference 2006 and Quality Conference

Oct. 9, 2006 (Monday)

Morning:
Tutorials

[O1, 2]

Basic Tutorial:
Classical TRIZ Fundamentals -- New Fields of Application
    Jack Hipple
Advanced Tutorial:
ARIZ 85 and Its Logic
   Valery Krasnoslobodtsev

Afternoon:
Plenary
[F]

Opening TRIZ Future 2006
Keynote: The Evolution of Altshuller's Principles
    Aleksey Pinyayev [xx]

Parallel

[O1; O2]

Scientific Contributions:
On the Complementarity of TRIZ and Axiomatic Design
    Joost Duflou [1] *

TRIZ & Methodology:
TRIZ in Business
   Valeri Souchkov [23]
Using TRIZ in the Forecasting of the Computer RP Games Evolution
    Pascal Crubleau [2] *
On the Potentiality of TRIZ in MOT Field
   Manabu Sawaguchi [24]
Directed Variation
    Simon Dewulf [3] *
PRIZM: TRIZ and Transformation
   Anja-Karina Pahl [25]

Parallel

[O1, O2]

Towards a Rhetoric of TRIZ
    Conall O' Cathain [4]
Applying the Law of Completeness of a Technological System
   Joe Miller et al. [26] *
Fractality of Knowledge and TRIZ
    Victor Berdonosov [5]
Reinventing TRIZ Thinking Tools
   Iouri Belski [27] *
OTSM-TRIZ Problem Network Technique
   Nikolai Khomenko [6]
Three Set Method as the Modification of ARIZ
   Anna Boratynska [28] *
Practice-based Methodology for Effectively Modeling
  Roberto Nani [7]
A New Paradigm for Creative Problem Solving
    Toru Nakagawa [29] *
Evening Short City Walking Tour
Opening Reception   [Museum 1302] *

 

Oct. 10, 2006 (Tuesday)

Morning:   Quality Conference:
   Opening

Keynote
[Ing, Fortis]

Scientific Foundation of TRIZ for Innovative Engineering Design
  Stephen C-Y. Lu [19] *
An Integration of Innovation and Quality Technology
  Larry Smith [20]

Parallel
Sessions

[O1, O2;
Fortis]

Scientific Contribution:
Systematic Design through the Integration of TRIZ and Optimization Tools
  Gaetano Cascini [8]
TRIZ & Education:
Can You Count on TRIZ?
  Markus Wellensiek [30] *
TRIZ & Quality:
The Development of a Creative Climate in Organizations
  Marcus Geers [50]
TRIZ Based Tool Management in Supply Networks
  Roberto Teti [9] *
Effectiveness of Symbiotic Systems Thinking and TRIZ
  Mitsuo Morihisa [31]
Creating Flow Using 5S & TRIZ
  Ives De Saeger [51]
Using TRIZ and Human-Centered Design
  Jonathan Hey [10] *
TRIZ as an Instrument for Development Students' Creative Thinking
   Nikolay Sluchaninov [32]
  --
Lunch &
Afternoon
Company Visits  *

Afternoon:

Parallel
Session

[O1, O2; Fortis]

TRIZ Cases and Research:
LED-professional.com: A New Portal Using TRIZ Knowledge
   Siegfried Luger [33]
TRIZ & Future Prediction:
Scenarios of Future Home Living
  Yung-Chin Hsiao [35] *
TRIZ & Quality:
Six Sigma and TRIZ
    Johan Batsleer [52]
Modeling for Solving Physical Contradictions
  Valery Krasnoslobodtsev [34]
TRIZ Predicts Major Shift in Information Technology
  Filip Verhaeghe [36] *
Our Journey in Innovation
  Ben Barbe [53]
Parallel
Session

[O1, O2; Fortis]
TRIZ & Material:
TRIZ to Improve Material Efficiency and Energy Efficiency
  Johannes Fresner [37] *
TRIZ & Quality:
TRIZ and Six Sigma Applied in the Pharmaceutical Industry
    Edgardo C. Lopez [39]
TRIZ & Quality:
Ideas, Creativity and Web 2.0
   Marc Heleven [54]
Function Synthesis
   Naum Feygenson [38] *
The Pro-active Use of TRIZ in Consumer Product Design and Market Research
    Jack Hipple [40]
Innovation Programme
   Serge Lapointe [55]
Keynote
[Ing, Fortis]
High Speed Train Concept
  Geert Tanghe [21] *
Transformation of an Organization
   Jos Borremans [22]
Dinner Conference Dinner [at Museum 1302] *  --

Oct. 11, 2006 (Wednesday)

Morning:
Parallel Session
[O1, O2]
Scientific Contributions:
Structuring Knowledge in Inventive Design of Complex Problems
  Denis Cavallucci [11] *
TRIZ & Automated Systems:

xx [41]
TRIZ for Systems Architecting
  Maarten Bonnema [12] *
Computer Assisted Problem Analysis via Semantically Extracted Experience
   Ian Mitchell [42]
TRIZ for Software Architecture
  Daniel Kluender [13] *
Directed Evolution as the Main Instrument of Innovation for the Information Era
  Alla Zusman (Presented by Karel Blockmans ?) [43]
Parallel Session
[O1, O2]
Conceptual Design Using Axiomatic Design in a TRIZ Framework
  Madara Ogot [17]

TRIZ Cases:
Using TRIZ to Develop New Corrosion Protection in Shipbuilding
  Jan Waitzenbock [44] *

Innovation and Creativity on Logistics besides TRIZ Methodology
  Odair Farias [15]
Paste Type Adhesive Printing Process Improvement
  Joon-Mo Seo [45] *
Contributions of TRIZ and Axiomatic Design to Leanness in Design
  Rohan Shirwaiker [16]
New Motor and TRIZ Evaluation
  Bohuslav Busov [46] *
Afternoon [O1] Meeting ETRIA Board  *

In the Agenda the presentations were arranged in the categories of topics.  In the present Report, however, I am going to classify them in an slightly different way as follows: 

3.  Methodologies in TRIZ
4. Foundation/Comparison/Integration of TRIZ with Other Methodologies
5. Case Studies in Industry
6. TRIZ and Quality
7. Promotion of TRIZ in Industries
8. Usage of TRIZ in Academia
9. Patent Studies
10. Applications to Software Development and Business Areas
11. Miscellaneous and No-Presentation Papers


3. Methodologies in TRIZ

Just after the Opening of the Conference, Aleksey Pinyayev (Procter & Gamble, USA) gave a Keynote Lecture with the title of "The Evolution of Altshuller's Principles".  This lecture gives a historical review of the evolution of Altshuller's Inventive Principles up to his work of "Functional Clues" [48] published in the Proceedings.  The following figure shows his summary of the Evolution of Principles. 

The Author's main interests in reviewing these works are the following four 'Key questions behind the use of Principles' [note: the words in [ ] are inserted by Nakagawa]:

Q1:  How [the set of "principles"] to be comprehensive and [yet] specific?
Q2:  How to find a right one [for the user's specific problem]?
Q3:  How to understand [the "principles"]?
Q4:  How to translate from "principles" [into specific solutions to the user's specific problem]?

The Author briefly reviewed all the works illustrated in the above figure and summarized them in terms of the answers to the four questions.  Such answers written by the Author are summarized in the following table for the sake of brevity.  Let me assume that many of the readers are more or less familiar with the first four theories. 

Theory (1) Technical Contradiction Matrix (2) Matrix 2003 (3) System of Operators (4) Physical Contradiction Resolution Groups
Authors G. Altshuller D. Mann et al. B. Zlotin, A. Zusman S. Litvin
Q1: How to be comprehensive and specific? Trade-off (40 principles for all technology) Trade-off (40 +37 principles for all technology) Better trade-off (400 operators for all technology) Trade-off (40 principles for all technology)
Q2: How to find a right one? Contradiction Matrix New Contradiction Matrix By the typical problem and a group -- hypertext By the type of physical contradiction resolution
Q3: How to understand? Examples Examples Examples Examples
Q4: How to translate from "principles"? Practice Practice Practice Practice

The Author introduces his own two theories, with illustrative brief case studies.  On the 'Principles as Functional Resources Approach', the Author writes the key points are to define the function before looking for a Principle, and to use principle's function as a guide to the right principle. 

Next on the 'Functional Clues Approach', the following two figures shown by the Author are most illustrative.  The Functional Clue in this example is written as "Split Subject into two parts, Subject 1 and Subject 2, such that Subject 1 is optimized for the Action 1 and Subject 2 is optimized for the Action 2".  This general description can be applied directly to the specific functional relationship diagram as shown in the bottom figure. 

Functional Clue

-- General
Functional Clue

-- Specific

The Author shows 14 'Typical Functional Models' as the cases of application conditions.  For each case of application condition, multiple, often many recommendations are actually accumulated; thus there are hundreds of Functional Clues, the Author says.

The Author summarizes his two approaches as shown in the following table.

Theory (5) Principles as Functional Resources (6) Functional Clues
Authors A. Pinyayev A. Pinyayev
Q1: How to be comprehensive and specific? Trade-off (40 Principles for all technology) Better trade-off (hundreds of principles)
Q2: How to find a right one? By the principle's function By the functional model, typical objects and actions
Q3: How to understand? Examples Immediate understanding -- no examples needed
Q4: How to translate from "principles"? Practice No "principles": Clue speaks the language of the problem

***  I am much interested in Pinyayev's way of viewing Principles.  The USIT Operators , i.e., a hierarchical system of solution generation methods in USIT, are worthy of being examined in this framework.  Toru Nakagawa et al. (2002)  obtained the operator system by re-organizing all the TRIZ solution generation tools (including Inventive Principles, Inventive Standards, Trends of Technical System Evolution, and Sickafus' Heuristics).  They are classified into 5 methods with 32 sub-methods in total.  The five USIT main Operators are applicable directly to Objects, Attributes, Functions (i.e., the elements in Function/Attribute model), Solution Pairs, and Solutions, respectively, without assuming any pattern of application conditions (in the sense of Pinyayev). The 32 USIT Operators have their recommendations in general terms, which are easily interpretable in the specific terms.  Thus we may summarize the USIT Operators in the following way:

Theory (7) USIT Operators
Authors T. Nakagawa et al.
Q1: How to be comprehensive and specific? Hierarchical (5 general operators and 32 Operators)
Q2: How to find a right one? Apply any directly (onto Objects, Attributes, Functions, Solution Pairs, and Solutions) and evaluate the resultant solutions later
Q3: How to understand? Immediate understanding, but examples are helpful
Q4: How to translate from "principles"? Directly; any backward mapping is unnecessary

 

 Naum Feygenson (Research Center Algorithm, Russia)  [38] gave a presentation on "Function Synthesis: New Methodological Tool and Case Studies".  The main goal of Function Synthesis is to create a more efficient variant for the realization of the main function of Engineering System. The Author proposes the following steps:

(1)  Select two essential functions with inadequate level of performance, by using the function and diagnostic analysis.
(2)  Formulate the synthesis problem: "How to perform the selected functions using one subject?"
(3) Formulate the search pattern for a subject of the selected functions.
(4) Perform Function-Oriented Search (FOS) of idea of the solution.  [Ref. S. Litvin, ETRIA TFC 2004  ]
(5) Formulate and solve the adaptation and/or secondary problems.

The method is demonstrated with three simple case studies.

Joe A. Miller and Ellen Domb (PQR Group, USA) [26] gave a presentation with the title of "Applying the Law of the Completeness of a Technological System to Formulate a Problem".  The Authors write: "This is a report on how we are extending our experiences with over 400 students, using a classical method of TRIZ in a non-classical way, to make it easier for beginners to get started quickly using TRIZ".  They have shown the usage of Completeness of Technological Systems (CTS) for understanding the problems, realizing the essence in novel solutions and the patterns of evolution.  A case of Truss-Trailer is used.  The photo below is shown to the students as the 'current system', i.e., the Pratt Truss-Trailer, where groups of trusses slide down on the rollers in the trailer body made into a slope with a lift.

 

An example of student analysis of the 5 elements of the CTS for the three generations of the Truss-Trailer is shown in the table below.

 

Iouri Belski (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia) [27] gave a paper on "Reinventing TRIZ Thinking Tools: Substance-Field Analysis".  After many years of attempt to teach the original 77 Standards of Substance-Field Analysis to Australian engineers, the Author found the results disappointing and started to simplify and systematize its solution procedure.  The new way of Substance-Field Analysis has five steps, where steps 3 and 4 are repeated five times with simple rules Rule 1 to 5, respectively, as illustrated in the following figure:

Steps 1 and 2 are for modeling the problem situation with substances and fields.  Step 3 is to examine the conflict triads identified in Step 2, by applying each of the five rules, and then Step 4 is to generate ideas.  For illustrating the five Rules, the Rule 5 is shown diagrammatically as follows:

This Rule is also stated as: "In order to improve the insufficient interaction between the two substances, to eliminate harmful interaction between the two or simply to get rid of inconsistencies with the interaction between the substance-object S1 and the substance-subject S2, it is necessary to add an extra field F2, interacting with both original substances S1 and S2 in such a way that the required outcome is achieved fully (by enhancing the insufficient interaction, by removing the harmful effect or by wiping out the inconsistency)."  The solutions may be generated by using as F2 the fields of MATCHEMIB (Mechanical, Acoustic, Thermal, Chemical, Electric, Magnetic, Intermolecular, and Biological fields). 

Even though the Rules are not explained in the paper, possibly due to the shortage of the given pages (6 pages only), the Author says that the new procedure have been successfully taught for these 7 years to diverse audiences in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.  *** It should be nice to have a paper explaining the method fully.

 

Simon Dewulf (CREAX, Belgium) [3] gave a presentation with the title of "Directed Variation: Variation of Properties for New or Improved Function Product DNA, A Base for 'Connect and Develop' ".  I should better quote the Author's abstract first:

This paper builds up a procedure to connect previously unrelated domains in order to transfer existing knowledge to a given guest domain.  The connections are based on properties (what is or has) and functions (what does or undergoes).  The abstraction of any system in its property-function strings reveals a system or 'product DNA' a base for charting out innovation directions as described in Directed Variation.  Based on product DNA, related domains and/or products can be identified that act as a source for knowledge transfer.  Combining the strengths of language technology and directed variation, the process can largely be automated.  The process brings a new capability of TRIZ-based methodologies; the theory behind it is explored in this paper.

Author's explanations seem to me rather abrupt and seeking for exploring his world of insights.  The basic terms of his theory, named 'Directed Variation', are summarized in his Fig. 2 as follows:

X: the product, the process or service, the system, things or article subject to study;
mainly expressed in a noun.
Examples: table, pen, car, bank, restaurant.
function: the purpose of X, its useful action, what X does or undergoes;
mainly expressed in verbs and related to the technologies.
Examples: joining, cleaning, wearing, measuring
property: a variable; X's attributes, what X is or has;
mainly expressed in adjectives and related to the sciences.
Examples: hollow, smooth, transparent, strong, flexible.
spectrum: property spectrum, the variety, the range or scale in which a property is variable.
Examples: porosity, surface, flexibility, strength

One of he Author's observations is that any (specific) property of a product X implies a function which is related to the property.  For example, a 'jointed' ruler is a ruler intended to be flexible, such that it folds.  Thus, the property 'jointed' implies the function 'folding'.

In these terms, the Author recognizes the essence of TRIZ tools in the following way:

Trends of Evolution: Has revealed the paths of changing property.
Example:  solid - hollow - porous - capillary - (active capillary)
Inventive Principles: Recommend to change a property.
Contradiction Tools: Resolve conflicting properties by changing a property.
Function database: Classifies knowledge by function.  To achieve a function, a property needs changing.
Substance-Fields: Suggests changing a property of substance, adding a substance exhibiting different properties, adding a field (state change), or completing the necessary properties for the required function. 

The Author also recognizes the fact that the relation between a property and a function is solid and independent of products.  Thus, for example, we can replace the word 'PRODUCT' in the following texts (named as 'Idea generation matrix texts') with any product of our concern:

'Your porous PRODUCT is easier to transport, as it reduces the weight.'
'A protruded surface on your PRODUCT gives more surface area which can provide better heat transfer of grip.'

The 'Product DNA' is a new term introduced by the Author to represent the whole properties of any product.  Such representation is an abstraction of the product, and can be used for comparing the properties of quite different things, or products, thus giving possibilities of stimulating new ideas. 

*** Please read the paper for some more extension of such usage. This paper, a nice extension of the Author's last-year paper (see in my Personal Report of ETRIA TFC2005  ), seems to hold a lot of insights for further extensions in the near future.

 

Valery Krasnoslobodtsev and Richard Langevin (Technical Innovation Center, USA) [34] gave a presentation with the title of "Modeling for Solving Physical Contradictions".  Since this paper was presented earlier in The Second TRIZ Symposium in Japan, please see my review in 'Personal Report of Japan TRIZ Symposium, 2006' .        

Toru Nakagawa (Osaka Gakuin University, Japan) [29] gave a presentation with the title of "A New Paradigm for Creative Problem Solving: Six-Box Scheme in USIT".  I would like to cite the Abstract of the paper:

The 'Four-Box Scheme' of problem solving has long been regarded as a standard in TRIZ and science and technologies in general. Now that a huge number of models and knowledge bases have been accumulated, the Scheme has been found lacking in the meaningful general description of the contents of the four boxes. The present author has proposed the 'Six-Box Scheme of Creative Problem Solving' on the basis of detailed description of the overall structure of the USIT methodology. The procedure for performing the Scheme is already well established in the form of USIT. Implications of the 'Six-Box Scheme' with USIT are discussed in comparison with the 'Four-Box Scheme' with traditional TRIZ.

The paper and the presentation slides have already been posted in my Web site, together with those of my paper presented in Japan TRIZ Symposium, 2006 .  The two papers are complementary; i.e., they are similar in their first halves but different in their latter halves.  While that paper demonstrates two every-day life case studies, this paper discusses the implications of the new paradigm in contrast with the traditional paradigm. In the present report, I would like to show you the figures in my presentation slides for contrasting the two paradigms. 

  Paradigm with traditional TRIZ New Paradigm with USIT
Basic Scheme
Overall Procedure
Abstraction
Idea generation
Solution space
Relation to the Real World
Ideal expert
Basis of capability

4.  Foundation/Comparison/Integration of TRIZ with Other Methodologies

Stephen C-Y. Lu (University of Southern California, USA) [19] gave a Keynote Lecture on the second-day morning with the title of "Scientific Foundations of TRIZ for Innovative Engineering Design".  His Extended Abstract published in the Proceedings begins with the paragraph as follows:

TRIZ was originally developed as an inventive problem-solving method with successful track records.  Due to its ingenious powers and the growing demands for creative design, TRIZ has also been used as an innovative engineering design technique in recent years, however with some mixed results.  Questions arise in terms of the suitability of TRIZ to support engineering design in addition to problem solving, and whether it is also capable of facilitating innovation besides invention.  This keynote presentation attempts to address these two basic questions by examining the scientific foundations of TRIZ in view of relevant researches in human psychology, design theory and methodology, and technological innovation.  Our objective is to promote intellectual deliberations and systematic investigations of TRIZ, so that it can be developed into a rigorously understood discipline by scholars, rather than merely stays as an acquired art by practitioners, for innovative engineering design in the future.  

After defining the key terms of invention vs. innovation and problem-solving and engineering-design, the Author introduces the essences of TRIZ, Activity Theory (AT), and Axiomatic Design (AD).  He has examined the relationship among them to find good matching and possibility of smooth combination.  In conclusion, he has shown the following two figures for the integrated use of TRIZ in the innovative engineering design combined with AT and AD:

 

In University of Southern California, Professor Lu has been teaching a course which covers (a) Functional innovation principles (from AT), (b) Axiomatic Design for conceptualization, and (c) TRIZ to improve design innovativeness.

*** This is a nice lecture as a keynote for discussing the position of TRIZ in the wider perspective of innovation and engineering; we will see several more related presentations by other contributors in the present Conference.  The figures shown above, especially the first one, seem to match well with my Six-Box Scheme, when the figure is rotated by 90 degrees clock-wise.  The strength of TRIZ/USIT lies in the inventive problem solving which analyzes the difficulties in the Real World to find ideal solution and to find out (or generate) essence of new ideas.  After getting a new idea, we should build conceptual solutions and then specific solutions; in these latter processes the TRIZ/USIT methodology does not have clear guidelines and has to depend on the technology in the specific field.  Thus it is reasonable to utilize AD as a general guiding principle in this phase of engineering design.  Nevertheless the contribution of TRIZ should be understood not in the way as drawn above but in the way, I think.      

 

Madara Ogot (Pennsylvania State University, USA) [17] gave a presentation with the title of "Conceptual Design Using Axiomatic Design in a TRIZ Framework". This is a complementary extension of his work presented earlier in TRIZCON2006 , where TRIZ and his EMS (Energy-Material-Signal) Model were used in the framework of AD.  In conclusion of the present paper he proposes the following scheme of using AD and the EMS Model in the framework of TRIZ.  The flowchart of gray boxes represents a simplified TRIZ procedure, and the blue boxes of AD processes are inserted. 

     

Usage of this integrated procedure has been demonstrated with the case study of computer hard disk drive.  The problem is related to the protection of a hard disk against an external shock while the computer is off.  If the disk head is knocked off from its rest position, it will damage the disk.  The head is typically held in the rest position  by a permanent magnet (PM), and when the computer is powered on the head arm is released from the latch with the power from an electric magnet (EM) and is moved to the read/write position floating on the air flow produced by the spinning disk.  If the PM is made stronger for protecting the disk from the external shock, the EM needs to be made more powerful as well, but it causes that the heavier EM prevents from easier motion of the head arm. 

This problem situation can be described in the following AD formula of [FRs] = [DM] [DPs], where FR: Functional Requirement, DM: Design Matrix, and DP: Design Parameter, with an abbreviated notation of |FRs||DM|DPs|.

The arrow in the figure shows the recommendation by the axioms in AD.  Since there are 3 FRs to be performed, we need 3 DPs.  The ? and ?? marks represent that the existing relationship or DP can be changed and a new one can be established where absent.  This AD recommendation can be reflected in limiting the choice of TRIZ 76 standard solutions (or 27 Condensed Standards proposed by the Author), the Author says.

According to the suggestion by AD, solution concepts of introducing something as a third DP were sought.  Two of them are shown below.  The first solution is to place the arm controller on a spring-loaded limited-motion rotating stage, which is newly introduced.  The second solution is to replace the PM latch with an improved pin and latch mechanism where the spring-loaded pin is activated by an electromagnet.

As shown above in the formula, both solutions satisfy the AD recommendation of (at least) decoupled Design Matrix.  The Information Axiom of AD further suggests that the second solution with three DPs working in concert is better than the first one where DP3 is working to overcome a negative effect of DP1.

*** This presentation clearly shows the usefulness of AD axioms in the evaluation of solution ideas generated by TRIZ.  In this case TRIZ gives the framework of generating solutions for engineering designs.

 

Rohan A. Shirwaiker and Gul E. Okudan (Pennsylvania State University,USA) [16] gave a presentation on "Contributions of TRIZ and Axiomatic Design to Leanness in Design: an Investigation".  I would like to just quote their Abstract below.

Lean applications, which focus mostly on manufacturing, are deemed important contributors to industrial success.  Today companies are striving for leanness in other functional areas such as product design and development.  In this paper, we review the state of the art on lean design, and the appropriateness of two tools for lean design applications: Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) and Axiomatic Design (AD).  The literature review section reveals the need and scope for more research on lean design.  We also enunciate how the lean design approach fits within the traditional product design and development process, and then evaluate TRIZ and AD for their contributions to leanness.  Our evaluation reveals a close correlation between these tools and the lean design metrics.  The paper concludes by proposing the use of a synergistic problem solving approach based on TRIZ and AD to increase efficiency and quality of the process while also helping to achieve lean design goals for a company. 

 

Joost R Duflou and Wim Dewulf (Katholic University of Leuven, Belgium) [1] gave a presentation "On the Complementarity of TRIZ and Axiomatic Design: From Decoupling Objective to Contradiction Identification".  Their Abstract is quoted below:

Axiomatic Design (AD) has been recognized as a technique for enhancing the analytical capabilities in iterative design procedures, and as such can compliment the synthesis support offered by TRIZ.  Identification of deficiencies in an existing design through AD, however, does not result in the straight forward formulation of contradictions between engineering parameters as a starting point for problem solving. Translating identified conflicts from the coupled design parameters, as identified by means of AD matrix analysis, to engineering parameter contradictions, often requires an intermediate step of abstraction. In this article this observation is illustrated by means of a case study dedicated to heavy duty laser cutting with reactive gas support.  A systematic mapping of design specific, feature related, independent design parameters to dependent, concept related engineering parameters is proposed as a means to integrate both methodologies.

The mechanism of the laser cutting and its process parameters are illustrated in the following figures:

The problem in the case is that the supply of the reactive gas (i.e., oxygen) work for enhancing the melting of plate by exothermic reaction and also for expulsion of the molten metal and hence sometimes melt the plate in undesirably wide areas.  Thus, in the AD view, the two Functional Requirements, i.e. localized melting and melt expulsion, are controlled by two Design Parameters, i.e. laser intensity and gas supply, in an uncoupled way.

The Authors have examined the method for converting this AD view into a TRIZ representation by using the parameters for the TRIZ Contradiction Matrix.  The following tabular scheme is the Authors' result.  As shown by the arrows in this scheme, the AD Design Parameters are converted step by step towards the TRIZ Engineering Parameters which are more closely related to the AD Functional Requirement.  In the conversion process, the one-to-one mapping is sometimes achievable (1) but not some other times (2), and hence conflicts appear in the stages (3) and (4).  Thus the two TRIZ parameters in (4) can be used to supply for the Contradiction Matrix to obtain TRIZ recommendations.

The Authors write that the conversion process depicted above is not yet general enough to explain and need to be studied further.

 

G. Maarten Bonnema (University of Twente, The Netherlands) [12] gave a paper on "TRIZ for Systems Architecting".  This paper intends to apply TRIZ early in the systems architecting stage.  The Author uses a method using Functions and Key Drivers (thus named 'FunKey Method'). Key drivers are generalized requirement that express the customers' interest, and may be associated with the TRIZ parameters in the Contradiction Matrix. The FunKey scheme, similar to QFD, is illustrated below:

One of the two brief examples shown in the paper is the case study of the Personal Urban Transport (PUT).  The table showing the Coupling matrix are shown below together with the Authors explanation.

A PUT is a small, safe and economical vehicle for commuting.  Based on an initial analysis of the system, several functions have been assigned to the PUT.  In table 4 part of the FunKey table is filled with +es and -es.

We can associate key driver $/km with TRIZ parameter 19: use of energy by moving object, safety with 30: object affected harmful factors, and convenience with 33: ease of operation. For the function maintain posture the contradiction between parameter 30 and 19 is identified, leading to innovative principle 24: mediator.  This leads to an airbag around the user, to be used when he is about to lose his posture (= fall over).  For the contradiction between parameter 30 and 33 for steer, one of the TRIZ principles is 25:self-service.  This leads to using the edge of the road to steer the PUT .

 

Alan Van Pelt and Jonathan Hey (University of California, Berkeley, USA) [10] gave a presentation on "Using TRIZ and Human-Centered Design for Consumer Product Development".  This paper is a useful introduction to HCD (Human-Centered Design) (for TRIZ practitioners).  The following is the Abstract by the Authors:

TRIZ is increasingly being applied to consumer product development, in which products have to solve more than just technical problems, they have to provide compelling solutions to consumer needs.  This paper discusses the use of TRIZ together with Human-Centered Design (HCD), a design methodology evolved for consumer product development.  Using a case study, we illustrate why understanding user needs in consumer product development is particularly important, and then compare TRIZ and HCD methodologies.  To better understand the appropriate use of TRIZ in consumer product development, we present a framework of Use, Usability and Meaning.  Design situations where the emphasis is on a product's Use stand to benefit most from TRIZ methods, whereas for product areas with strong Meaning attached, HCD methods provide the most guidance.  We finish by presenting some opportunities for successful integration of the two methodologies. 

The followings are some excerpts of the paper mentioning about HCD:

- HCD is a design methodology emphasizing a deep understanding of users, a prototype often, and a fail-early-to-succeed sooner mentality. Its "enlightened trial and error" approach contrasts with TRIZ's emphasis on careful analysis to solve the right problem.
- HCD requires that stakeholders be studied at a very deep level.  We aim to understand their particular activities, beliefs, preferences, emotions, motivations, troubles, and environments.
- The primary research method of HCD is Ethnography. ... The point is to learn what consumers do in their natural context, what matters to them, and why.

The following table shows the key differences between TRIZ and HCD, taken from the paper:

TRIZ           
HCD (Human-Centered Design)
Focus on functionality and technical side Focus on human needs
Leverage prior technical success Leverage anthropological techniques
Emphasizes abstraction Emphasizes context
Highly structured approach Loosely structured approach
Prescribes what and how Describes why

The Authors explain the terms of Use, Usability and Meaning as follows:

- 'Use' refers to what users can do with a product and the main functional benefits it provides. Synonymous with 'function' in TRIZ.
- 'Usability' refers to the ways and ease with which users interact with a product. It is more than just how easy a product is to use, but also the senses that are engaged, the contexts in which engagement occurs, and the affordances the product provides.
- 'Meaning' is the most esoteric of the three.   A consumer product is more than the sum of the functions it performs; in addition to buying the functionality of a product, users are purchasing a system of meanings either intentionally embedded in the product, or associated by the individual through happenstance.  Meaning is created through a product's context of use and usability, as well as through advertising and branding.  But for a product to hold meaning requires that the user create internal associations between the product and personal experiences or widely-held cultural beliefs.

Then the Authors illustrate the different emphases of TRIZ and HCD in the following simple diagram, and concluded as follows:

We recommend that care be taken when using TRIZ methods alone for consumer product development, as TRIZ does not provide tools to understand and learn from consumers, who may have complicated, beneath the surface needs beyond that of simple functionality, particularly with regard to systems of meanings.  We believe TRIZ and HCD methods complement each other well and have suggested a means of evaluating the appropriateness of each through the framework of Use, Usability, and Meaning, but believe there is still much opportunity for research in adapting the specific tools and processes of each for the other.

 

Denis Cavallucci and Thomas Eltzer (INSA Strasbourg, France) [11] gave a presentation with the title of "Structuring Knowledge in Inventive Design of Complex Problems".  The Abstract writes:

Current Research and Development activities in enterprises built on research findings of design engineering studies postulate that complex systems need to be decomposed for an - a priori- useful complexity reduction.  However, this assumption and some engaged work have not answered to the problematic of linking problem formulation, problem resolving stages and existing knowledge.  In response to this concern, we postulate that in a context aiming at assuming inventive challenges, specific knowledge decomposition and structuring has to be organized for an appropriate and efficient problem solving process to be engaged.  This article focuses in particular on the gathering stage of a generic framework for knowledge representation and reorganization.  These representations use several grounding hypothesis of TRIZ and OTSM-TRIZ combined with acknowledged rules of artificial intelligence and graph theory.  Furthermore, a procedure aiming at conducting the gathering stage of a complex situation's investigation is described. 

The following figure illustrates their scheme of representing documents and company's know-how in the four layers, composed of Problem domain, Partial solution domain, Contradiction domain, and Parameter domain.  The Authors are going to built a software tool for supporting the knowledge management in this scheme.

 

Gaetano Cascini, Paolo Rissone, Federico Rotini, and Davide Russo (University of Florence, Italy) [8] gave a presentation on "Systematic Design through the Integration of the TRIZ and Optimization Tools".   After discussing methods for using CAD/CAE tools in combination with TRIZ physical/technical contradiction methods, the Authors show an example of application to a sheet-metal snips.  I will quote their description in the paper:

According to this problem situation two initial optimization problems can be defined; as a result two opposite directions are suggested: the shear length should be small in order to maximize the lever arm (minimizing the requested effort), but the shear length should be high in order to cut a long piece of metal with just one operation.  Such a physical contradiction can be overcome by means of a separation in time (e.g. with a ratchet mechanism) or be a separation in space (e.g. separating the lever arm, i.e. the distance between the shear edge and the fulcrum, from the shear length).

The last guideline led the authors to two conceptual solutions:
-  moving to another dimension, i.e. designing the snips with a shear edge orthogonal to the lever arm;
-  increasing the curvature of the edge, i.e. building a circular blade like a can opener.
An exemplary embodiment of the first concept is shown in figure 1 (right), obtained at the end of a second optimization problem where the functional surfaces have been defined according to the separation in space/another dimension principle (figure 1, left).

  

Fig. 1.  Design space of a redefined optimization task (left); optimized design of a sheet metal snips (right).

*** I am not convinced that this solution makes the requested effort small. 

5. Case Studies in Industry

Geert Tanghe (GTi-Quadrat, Belgium) [21] gave a Keynote Speech on the second day afternoon with the title of "High Speed Train Concept".  This was a nice innovative case study applied to the project of High Speed Train for Europe Bid.  The Abstract of the paper is cited below:

How to innovate the concept on a safety critical and publicly important product as a High Speed Train?  The answer is the combination of the highest quality design methodology and TRIZ.  The case was developed in the frame of the High Speed Train for Europe Bid and it resulted into a worldwide patent application WO2005049400, published in October 2004 for the first time.
The design for Six Sigma methodology was appealed to start improvements on existing solutions, in order to come up with something fresh.  After analysis of the most critical areas for improvement, it was clear that entitlement was reached.  That was the perfect trigger to start involving TRIZ as the truly innovating methodology with a structured path.  However, in a business where Penalties from Train Operators are much feared and Risk Management is from crucial importance, innovation was experienced more as a thread than as an opportunity to win a Bid.  So TRIZ was experimentally built in the Design for Six Sigma methodology without mandate.  Customer analysis showed that mainly accessibility was a problem to appeal travelers.  Trends of Evolution, Contradictions of involved parameters and Trends mapped clearly the opportunities to develop innovations in that area.

The case highlighted the innovation in the articulation of cars and the structure of vestibule (i.e. an access area).  After the analysis with TRIZ Contradiction Matrix, the Author obtained a new solution presented as the 'Intermediate Car Module (ICM)'. 

*** Since the figures shown in the slides are missing in the paper, it is unfortunate that I cannot reproduce the ICM structure from the texts.  

 

Nikolai Khomenko (INSA Strasbourg, France and EIfEr, Karlsruhe, Germany), Eric Schenk (INSA Strasbourg, France), Igor Kaikov (EIfEr, Karlsruhe, Germany) [6] gave a presentation on "OTSM-TRIZ Problem Network Technique: Application to the History of German High-Speed Trains".  This paper describes a method for making an overview of a large-scale problem by using network diagrams of Problems.  On such a diagram, one can see missed problems, indications of contradictions, bottlenecks forming a circular relationship of sub-problems, and bottlenecks causing several super-problems, etc.  The paper mentions about the history of German High-Speed Trains project, but no diagram of 'Networks of Problems' of the project is shown in the paper.        

 

Jan R. Weitzenbock and Stefan Marion (Det Norske Veritas,Norway) [44] gave a presentation with the title of "Using TRIZ to Develop New Corrosion Protection Concepts in Shipbuilding -- A Case Study".  This paper seems to be a report of in-company workshop on the specific topic by using TRIZ in the way of Darrell Mann's textbook, "Hands-On Systematic Innovation" .  The Abstract is quoted below:

Accidents involving ships that carry environmentally dangerous cargo, such as oil tankers, can have severe consequences for the environment.  In many accidents, the ship structure had been weakened by corrosion.  The aim of this paper is to look at possible improvements to today's corrosion protection systems.  The initial approach was to use the TRIZ Problem Explorer, Function and Attribute analysis and IFR to help define the problem.  We identified possible paths for further development.  The initial methods chosen for the TRIZ solution were Trends of Evolution and Knowledge/Effects.  The results of these workshops were reported in form of road maps.  The paper discusses the main results and outlines possible new corrosion protection approaches. 

They selected three focus areas to study: (a) selection of material of shipbuilding, (b) application of coating, and (c) monitoring and detection of corrosion.  The paper reports topics (a) and (b) in parallel, but only (b) is described in the present review, for the sake of brevity.  The problem, especially topic (b), has been defined as follows by using Mann's format of Problem Explorer:

Then the Function and Attribute Analysis is applied.  The main aim was to capture how corrosion affects the surfaces over time, the Authors say.  Thus, the figures below show the state that the coating has just been applied, in the left, and the state of coated surface after several years, in the right.  Positive functions are shown in blue arrows, while negative functions in red arrows.

Trends of Evolution were further applied one after another to examine possible ways of improving the present situation.  The following figure illustrates the results in the form of 'Evolution Potential Radar Chart'.

Finally the Authors showed a roadmap as shown below, in the area of surface modification and coatings.  The time frames indicate when technologies might become available for industrial application. 

The Authors write as follows on this road map:

The meaning of these diagrams [i.e. road maps -- Nakagawa] is not to predict the future but to show possible trends and highlight the need to prepare for them e.g. by initiating relevant research projects and recruiting and training of personnel.  Furthermore, it facilitates discussion and dialogue between different stakeholders.  A first initiative emerging from this study is the MarFilm project. This project will investigate the possibility of using polymer film for corrosion protection to replace coating for ship superstructures and the hull, above and possible below the waterline. 

*** This report is a sound case study of applying TRIZ to real industrial problems.  I agree with the Authors' conclusion saying "TRIZ proved to be an extremely useful tool in analyzing and pointing out possible solutions for corrosion protection of ships and marine structures.  It gave us new insights into an old problem and helped define new direction for future research."

 

Joon-Mo Seo, Goo-Yun Chung, Jae-Hoon Kim, Byoung-Un Kang, Soon-Young Hyun, and Young-Ju Kang (LS Cable, Korea) [45] gave a presentation on "Paste Type Adhesive Printing Process Improvement in LS Cable".  The problem is related to the process of printing a paste-type adhesive on the PCB (Printed Circuit Board), by using a system illustrated below:

      

The paste is printed with the thickness of 40-70 micrometers according to the pattern of the metal mask.  Irregularity in paste thickness sometimes occurs and causes problems when circuit components are set, as shown in the following figure.

The Authors applied VE + TRIZ tools, i.e., Process analysis, Component analysis, Functional & Structural analysis, Substance-Field model, and Inventive Principles, etc.   They have generated 6 solution methods and experimented four of them: (a) A roller is used to print paste before printing by a squeegee; (b) A spacer is applied to the hole of the mask; (c) The squeegee is coated by Teflon to reduce adhesive force between squeegee and paste; and (d) A silk mesh is applied on the metal mask to cut interaction between paste and extra paste.  The experiments showed the ideas (a)(b) and (d) effective in reducing the irregularity of paste and that (a) seemed to be most preferable. *** The description of reasoning in this case study looks somewhat not clear.

 

Johannes Fresner (STENUM GmbH, Austria) and Juergen Jantschghi (University of Leoben, Austria) [37] reported with the title of "TRIZ to Improve Material Efficiency and Energy Efficiency of Industrial Production Processes".  The latter half of their Abstract is quoted below:

Although Cleaner Production has been around for more that 15 years, until now only encyclopedic checklists are available to assist in the identification of improvement options.  Still focused expert knowledge is necessary to locate the potential areas for improvement.  TRIZ offers very strong tools for process improvement.  The authors have found from their research, that especially the concept of the Ideal Final Result, and the Patterns of Evolution form a conceptual framework which can be aid effectively in the identification of improvement options in a systematic way.

As a case study, the Authors selected the problem of reducing the water consumption of galvanization processes.  The task is to reduce the consumption of rinsing water used to dilute the film of dragged out chemicals on the surface of the parts.  They first built a function model of the galvanizing process including the rinsing process, and then defined the Ideal Final Result.  Together with a group of subject matter experts, they posed questions for back casting from Ideal Final Result and made a brainstorming discussions.  It should be noted that the back casting questions are universal, can readily be interpreted in the functional framework of the specific problem, and hence have induced a lot of solution ideas, as summarized below in a tabular form.

The Authors write in their conclusion as:

This approach looks much more powerful than the mere application of the above quoted CP [Cleaner Production -- Nakagawa] strategies, because of pointing at a concrete function, which is not performed in the best possible way.  This again leads to the search for physical and chemical effects which improve the situation and links the problem to the super system thus allowing for radical changes .

 

Vratislav Perna (PERNA Motors, Czech Republic), Bohuslav Busov (The Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic), and Pavel Jirman (The Technical University of Liberec, Czech Republic) [46] gave an amazing presentation with the title of "New Motor and TRIZ Evaluation".  This is an introduction to a novel motor, which may be difficult for readers to imagine without seeing animated models, and the evaluation and extension of the idea from the TRIZ views.  The motor is a whole family of 'a set of nonlinear screws' having the functions of air (or any gas or liquid) compression and expansion.  The invention was patented as US Patent 20030012675 A1.  Anyway, look at the schematic arrangement of the new motor in the figure below, and then read the Abstract written by the Inventor (the top Author) and the TRIZ experts (the second and third Authors):   

 

The article presents use of TRIZ methodology for understanding and evaluation of significant invention.  New solution of a motor presented in the article -- based on invention of the nonlinear rotating screw mechanism -- can be characterized from a TRIZ point of view:
  - as an interesting combination of preferences and partial elimination of weak points of the two alternative systems (piston motor and a gas turbine),
  - as a combination of the system and the anti-system (compressor and expander),
  - as a system, bi-system and poly-system (motor with one, two, three, or more shafts),
  - as a case of total nonlinearity of shapes (lines, surfaces, spaces)
  - as a case of trimming (of classical combustion engine),
  - as a case of radical innovations, etc.
Generally, the new motor is a complex invention with numerous variable applications and a good case of increasing ideality of the system. For example the propeller is one of the possible applications of the base invention -- the screw mechanism. This could also be a challenge for students and teachers to observe and study use of TRIZ tools in one specific invention.

The principle of the new motor is illustrated in the figures below.  Suction with compression is performed in the left part of the motor, ignition in the middle, and expansion with exhaust in the right part.

Volume (solid curve) and pressure (broken curve) change along the course.  Air is suctioned and compressed in the left part, and then ignited with the fuel introduced in the middle part, causing the sudden rise in pressure which turns the screw while expanding and being exhausted.


Course of proportions.  The two screws rotate in the counter directions with each other. 
[Refer to the pictures below for the image of actual shape of the 'nonlinear pitch screws'.]

Side face forms. 

As shown in the middle figure, the fuel gas is introduced into the middle part from the side pipe and ignited continuously; thus resulting no much periodic change in the operation. 

This invention can have tremendous fields of applications, including motors (with parallel axes, with convergent or off-tracking axes of rotors, with multiple peripheral axes, etc.), screw-shaped compressors, ventilator fans, vacuum pumps, pumps, marine drive (propellers), etc. 

As a simpler application of the present invention, a model of propellers were designed and tested with good performance.  The following five figures show respectively one of the spiral shafts, schematic top view, picture of assembled screws, picture of a prototype propeller from front side, and the prototype propeller installed on the free-rotatable vertical shaft with an engine on the top and a rudder. 

       

              

This propeller demonstrated a very high ability of navigating a boat by virtue of its propelling direction of 360 degrees and its smooth power change.  The fact that the rotors are completely covered with a "stator" produces much safety and also efficiency performance.  The propeller shown above is designed to have the acceleration ratio of 1:3 between the input and output velocities of the media and the pumping volume of 2 liters per one revolution of the rotor.  Thus, in 300 revs per minute, it is possible to have outflow of the media more than 600 liter/min at the velocity of approx. 140 km/h, the Authors write.  This propeller, with counter rotating screws, also has the advantage of eliminating undesirable careenage characteristic for classic screw propellers.  The Authors also write: "The new propeller could be realized only with use of sophisticated computational and experimental methods, design tools (CAD), technological processes (Rapid Prototyping, NC machining, precise casting), materials, etc."  

The following statement written at the end of the paper is also very interesting:

Authentic Conclusion by inventor " ... even first verbal information about TRIZ methodology impressed me a lot.  As an active inventor, I was very curious, what is about, but the truth overcame my expectation. I was fairly dragged into the systematic methodology of creative work even though we used only partly for evaluating an invention (engine) and innovation (propeller).  I assured myself, that knowledge of methodic processes fastens thinking and searching procedures and reduce random steps of improper solutions.  As an author of an invention being evaluated, I must say, that my concern of the methodology is not at the end, but in the beginning because a next ideas during evaluation arised"

*** This paper reports an extremely important invention, which has a huge potential of a lot of innovations in different application fields.  This poses us a big challenge worthy of significant endeavor.  I am very happy to learn that the two TRIZ experts in Czech have introduced TRIZ to the Inventor and are collaborating for further inventions and innovations by use of the TRIZ methodology.  The Inventor is preparing for his Web site with URL: www.pernamotors.com .

 

Edgardo Cordova Lopez, Maria Guadalupe Perez Leija (Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Mexico), and Irma Estrada Patino (Instituto Technologico de Puebla, Mexico) [39] gave a presentation on "TRIZ and Six Sigma Applied in the Pharmaceutical Industry".   The paper tries to solve the problem of long cycle time in chemical analysis of raw materials in Janssen-Cilag company.  The methods of QFD, Problem formulation with CREAX Innovation Suite, Functional analysis, Contradiction Matrix to solve technical contradictions, Prioritization Matrix, etc.  *** Unfortunately, it is difficult for me to understand this paper.    

Jack Hipple (Innovation-TRIZ, USA) [40] gave a presentation with the title of "The Pro-active Use of TRIZ in Consumer Product Design and Market Research".   This paper is an extension of his paper presented at TRIZCON2006 .  I will quote his Abstract:

The use and impact of TRIZ in the engineering world is well established with many large corporations having used it to solve thousands of long standing dsign and operational contradictions.  It isfrequently integrated with enterprise tools such as Kepner-Tregoe, Six Sigma, and QD to add a problem solving component to these primarily "problem defining" methodologies.  Better design and the elimination of user contradictions is no less important in the consumer products area.  Though the problems may seem less glamorous, their solution has broad impact on the life of millions of people around the world.  The consumer products area has just begun to understand and utilize TRIZ.  This paper and presentation will review the role of RIZ in customer surveys, consumer product design, and the improvement of existing consumer products and systems.     

     Forecasting

Yung-Chin Hsiao and Ying-Tzu Lin (Industrial Technology Institute, Taiwan) [35] gave a presentation with the title of "Scenarios of Future Home Living with Evolutionary Principles from TRIZ".  This is an interim report of a government-supported research on a big and vague topic of 'the future of home living'.  The first sentences of Authors' introduction of the paper are quoted here first:

Future home has been a hot topic in industries, because it is related to trillions of dollars of products and services in the market.  Currently proposed concepts like "digital home", "smart architecture", "healthy home", and "green building" all provide different visions of our future home.  These concepts may be developed by the forecast of a group of experts, by market research, or by various forecasting methods.  In this paper, we are interested in developing these concepts using the evolutionary laws in TRIZ.

Since this topic is so large, the Authors tried to find a general framework step by step. The figure below shows the constitutive elements of the home living system (for only the top part of the hierarchy).

Evolution of the home living system depends on and is related to its supersystems, of course.  Thus the Authors show the supersystems of the home living system with their related events and evolutions affecting the home living system, in the following figure:

Functional models of the home living system are build.  A much simplified functional model is represented in the scheme as follows:

Then the Authors consider the Ideality of the home living systems as the weighted sum of degree of satisfaction for various home living needs divided by the sum of costs and harmful effects in satisfying the needs.  The following table shows the main factors affecting on the Ideality of the home living system.

 

The Authors illustrate the general trend of the Ideality in the home living system in the following figure.

*** The final schematic drawing of the Ideality may be arguable, depending on what the ordinate 'Ideality of Home Living System' actually means.  Nevertheless, this paper is very interesting as an initial approach to an important wide-scoped problem.  Similar study may be necessary in different countries and different societies.

-

6.  TRIZ and Quality

Larry Smith (GOAL/QPC, USA) [20] gave a Keynote Lecture on the second-day morning at the Quality Conference with the title of "Higher Ground: An Integration of Innovation and Quality Technology".  (I missed his lecture because of attending at a parallel TRIZ session.)  Author's Abstract is quoted below.

The current quality technology is very rich.  Solving problems and improving processes with the seven basic quality tools, and seven management and planning tools has been the heart of quality management.  Powerful, more recent methods such as lean and design for six sigma are useful for eliminating waste and preventing problems. 
The current innovation technology is also very rich. Genrich Altshuller's TRIZ provides a means to understand the evolution of systems and to systematically identify and resolve system conflicts through team-oriented innovation.
The integration of quality and innovation technology can take problem solving, process improvement, and strategic planning to a higher, much more effective level of effectiveness.  Examples will demonstrate how this concept applies for both technical and non-technical situations.

The Author summarized the Quality technology and also TRIZ.  Then he showed three examples of integrated use of Quality and Innovation technologies.  His second example, a case of process improvement, is illustrated below:

To improve ASQ's education and training system, a cross-functional team of 24 people met in Milwaukee and utilized a combination of quality and TRIZ technology.  The process was as follows [Note: Names of tools are shown in the upper case by TN]:

 The integrated use of TRIZ and quality methods resulted in a quick and efficient analysis of the system, an extraordinary number of wonderful ideas, of which the most important ideas were selected for further development. 

*** At TRIZCON2006 , a workshop on TRIZ Education was conducted with the leadership of Bob King (ASQ and GOAL/QPC) and Larry Ball in a similar (but much shorter) way with the case described above.  So I can imagine the atmosphere and its effectiveness.  It is important for any leader, who are responsible to guide a group of people in discussion and decision making, to be familiar with and skillful in using these kinds of basic tools besides TRIZ.

 

Johan Batsleer (AMELIOR, Belgium) [52] gave a presentation on "Six Sigma and TRIZ: To Mix or to Separate?". After explaining the basics of Six Sigma and of TRIZ, the Author is re-posing the question as "Could there be a synergetic effect between the two methodologies?". He finds two main points of possible synergy:  The one is the phase of problem definition in Six Sigma, where there is a strong need for a more disciplined and rigorous approach to map out the current state of the process and for determining the interrelationships of functions; the Author says.  TRIZ's problem defining tools could be satisfying this need, he says.  The second point is the 'Improve'-phase of the DMAIC-circle of Six Sigma.  TRIZ tools for finding Ideal Final Results and for solving contradictions are very effective for the needs, the Author writes.      

Ives De Saeger (  , Belgium) [51] gave a presentation with the title of "Creating Flow Using 5S & TRIZ".  5S is one of the pillars of lean manufacturing.  Keywords of 5S are summarized as follows by the Author:

1. 'Seiri' (in Japanese) or Sort (Organization)
2. 'Seiton' or Straighten (Orderliness)
3. 'Seiso' or Shine (Cleanliness)
4. 'Seiketsu' or Standardize (Adherence)
5. 'Shitsuke' or Sustain (Discipline)

The Author shows a 5S case study concerning the preparation before a bake out process, and then discusses an alternative treatment with TRIZ by maximizing functions in the preparation before a bake out process.  The Author's 'Conclusion' of the paper is quoted below:

5S helps to organize all the objects so they can be easily found by identifying, putting the objects in at a defined position in the right quantity.  TRIZ takes 5S a lean step further by looking at the functioning of the system.  The "system" is best defined with objects having an added value function (in our case, "presses").  The second step is to consider other more simplified ways to deliver this main useful (value added) function by first looking within the system and if this fails by looking at other technological systems that can provide the same function but not having the disadvantages of the first system.  The question in lean should not be how to eliminate the wastes but how to maximize the functionality of the production system.

       

7. Promotion of TRIZ in Industries

Christoph Haag and Markus Wellensiek (Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology, Germany) [30] gave a presentation with the title of "Can You Count on TRIZ?  - A Critical Review from a Practical Point of View -".  The Author's Abstract is quoted here first:

The Franhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT has carried out numerous TRIZ-based projects in the recent years. For SME as well as for large enterprises from different branches such as automotive, electronics, mechanical and plant engineering or white goods the Fraunhofer IT not only acts as a mediator between TRIZ and these companies but also as a development partner. 
Although many projects cover the entire TRIZ process, Fraunhofer IPT's application emphasis is primarily placed on early stages of the TRIZ process - including phases of problem definition and structuring, initial idea generation as well as action derivation. 
Against this background, the paper gives insight in the project work and reflects Fraunhofer IPT's learning from TRIZ application in practice. It sums up the experience made about decisive strengths, weaknesses, opportunities as well as threats of TRIZ from a practical point of view.  [Two more lines omitted.  TN]

The following two slides give the summary of the paper, i.e., Lessons Learned and SWOT of TRIZ:

      

*** I agree with most of the Lessons learned by the Authors except their comment mentioned in relation to Lesson #5:

Therefore, methods have to be applied consciously without mentioning or explanation: methodological knowledge is on moderators side, technical knowledge on customers side and what industry demands is individual and target-oriented selection and pragmatic mediation of methods.

I prefer to explain the methods (of TRIZ/USIT) in the course of training/usage.  Probably the preference depends on the underlying target of the mediator, either as a contract-based professional or as a teacher of the method.

 

Jos Borremans (Volvo Cars, Belgium) [22] gave a Keynote lecture at the Quality Conference with the title of "Transformation of an Organization: the Power of the Metaphor".  (I missed his lecture.)  He suggests, by using a number of metaphors, the transformation of an organization from the style of detecting "just do what we tell you to do" into an autonomous organization.  I would like to quote here his last metaphor of 'Employees as cathedral builders' and his summary on it:

A passenger saw someone hewing stones and asked him: "What are you doing?"  "I am hewing stones."   The walker moved forward and saw a second man hewing stones. Again he asked: "What are you doing?" This man answered: "I am a cathedral builder!"

If you are both a stonecutter and a cathedral builder you will [say]:

My mission is a cathedral.
=> I am a cathedral builder.
=> As cathedral builder I focus on hewing stones.
=> I hew cathedral stones.
=> Together we build a cathedral.

Marcus Geers (A.D. Creativity & Innovation Consulting, Belgium) [50] gave a paper on "The Development of a Creative Climate in Organizations".  From his Extended Abstract I would like to quote a few sentences first:

The most evident way for creative management is to give the example: the manager himself launches new ideas and realizes them.  But, unfortunately, in most cases this strategy seems not to work. ...
But ... there is a total different way leaders can operate to stimulate creativity in an organization: concentrate on ideas about ideas.  The efforts of a creative leader concentrate on getting the best out of the talents of the others. ...

Now we should read the Author's Abstract:

Creativity can be organized and structured.  Creative leadership is this form of leadership which gives space to a creative climate, where every body is involved on his or her level of responsibility, in close interaction with each other and connected to the aims of the organization. 
The creative competences needed are surely not exactly distributed equable over the population of people working in an organization, but they can be developed by training and practice.       

Ben Barbe (Janssen Pharmaceutica Belgium) [53] gave a paper on "Our Journey in Innovation".  It is difficult for me to understand, through a 3 page extended abstract, how they are promoting and achieving the innovation.  The Author's Abstract is quoted below:

This paper describes the journey in innovation undertaken by the chemical certainly not ended, and innovation needs to be taken to a higher level to face the challenges of today and tomorrow.  Many elements, such as an "Ideas for Improvement" system, "Innovation at work" to celebrate innovatives and projects, have been implemented for a long time.  Feedback from employee surveys suggest that the use of creativity to achieve business objectives can be taken to a higher level.  Also the business strategy stipulates that innovation is indispensable to achieve our long term business objectives.  One of the challenges, however, is to achieve this in a heavily regulated environment.  Strong synergies are possible between our total quality system and creativity.  We are currently exploring tools and concepts to integrate in our approach.  Our plans include to conduct an innovation climate survey and take appropriate actions based on the results.

Serge Lapointe (Centre de Recherche en Genie Logiciel (CRGL), Canada) [55] gave a paper with the title of "Innovation Programme -- Tools and Tactics".  This paper does not discuss on TRIZ directly, but rather describes know-how of successful promotion of 'Innovation Program' in general.  The paper is worthy of reading.  The Abstract is quoted here:

Organizations give the word "programme" a broad variety of meanings.  In its most common use, a programme is a collection of projects and other items of work managed coherently together as a portfolio.  It is a collection of organizational resources that are geared at accomplishing a major goal or set of goals.  Organizations often align a large portion of the workforce surrounded by a specific structure, parallel and complementary to the official organization.  Innovation is unfortunately most of the time a local effort performed by heroes.  It doesn't have the reach or the exposure required to change the organization to the level it has to change.
This article will introduce the processes and business components to take Innovation from a local initiative to a broader organization system, supporting the Culture of Innovation at the corporate level.  Our objective is to show that organization that look for the "magic bullet" have in their possession the perfect candidate for changing the organization in Innovation Programme.

8. Usage of TRIZ in Academia

Anja-Karina Pahl (University of Bath, UK) [25] gave a presentation with a title of "PRIZM: TRIZ and Transformation".  This is a report of an intensive survey of methods of creative thinking and a philosophical construction of a generalized creativity method.  (Since I missed to be present at the presentation, I am going to review her paper alone.)  I would like to quote the Author's Abstract first of all:

This paper presents information from the development of PRIZM, a new game for Design and Technology recently accredited for use in UK schools.  PRIZM is a method that combines TRIZ and a 'generic process of creating' -- the latter of which draws on and simplifies insights from an extensive review of processes in art, religion, literature, science and over 100 commercial 'creativity tools'.  The PRIZM method is simpler to use than SIT, ASIT and USIT, though it is a more complete synthesis of the apparently common foundational principles of 'creating'.  The game helps novice designers split concepts apart and recombine them in seven steps, just as its namesake prism does for white light.  The game as a whole provides a 'movie' overview of the process of creating and a basic understanding of TRIZ.  However the map can also be used on its own, as a 'snapshot' of innovation, which requires more than one viewpoint to be taken into account.  When the seven steps are summarized in three stages, the map can also help teams of stakeholders identify how to apply TRIZ concepts of contradiction and their innovation tools.  We are testing the model in Aerospace Engineering Design, for use in both project orientation and as a coaching tool for users who have bought complex TRIZ software.       

The paper focuses on finding the underlying 'theory' of TRIZ and has reviewed a large number of processes and methods as mentioned above besides TRIZ.  She writes:

Suffice to say that laying all processes side by side reveals there are some common, standard or underlying principles, languages and strengths, which are merely 'translated' somewhat differently in different contexts.  For want of a better title, we called the commonality a 'generic process of creating' [Pahl et al. 2006].
Indeed, psychologists have intuited these steps exist, since the time of Wallas [1926].  ...

The Author explains the generic process in the following manner:

The two most important stages in this generic process include a period of 'divergent' thinking or uncensored idea generation and multiplication, and a period of 'convergent' thinking or editing, criticism and evaluation [Guildford, 1950]. 

Her alternative view (called the 'snapshot scenario') of this 'Diamond of Problem-solving' is interesting, as shown in the following figure: 

Here the designer stands in the center of a 'Diamond of Creating', holding one contradictory target in each hand.  From the centre, he can face in both directions, either looking forward to the resolution not yet known or on some distant horizon in the future, or, just as importantly, back to the problem - the true nature of which is also unknown and currently unseeable, but in the past.  There are in other words, two triangles of contradiction which, placed back to back, effectively make a prism that show how ideas are split apart and recombined. 

Then the Author mentions [if I understand the paper correctly (TN)] about the third stage of 'the generic process of creating' as:

The designer sees users coming towards him with 1000+ requirements, that define his solution point.  And the designer seems to be sitting at the problem-source of the user's map.  Ideally, therefore, the user's divergent phase of thinking fulfils the functions of the designer's convergent evaluation phase of thinking and vice visa.   [One paragraph is skipped here (TN).]

... Importantly, I want to argue that it is the meeting of just two simple 'stake-holder contexts', or two contradictory, opposing 'kinds of thinking' or 'view' in a third stage, that makes innovation or invention happen, and perhaps sets the concept of 'innovation' apart from 'creativity' or stepwise creation, in the public eye.

In other words, the issue of 'designer vs. user' is one of dealing with multi-disciplinary information.  And it is clear, at this third stage, that in order to resolve our contradictory viewpoints and associated, diverging problem definitions, that there must be 'knowledge transfer' or there can be no resolution.  The contradictions of the user must be fully met by the contradictions of the engineering designer.  Ideally, they will mirror each other. 

*** This paper is written in a philosophical manner as you see.  More concrete description, suggested in the Author's Abstract, need to be referred to other publications.  Since I missed the presentation, I am interested in but I do not understand what PRIZM game looks like actually.

 

Manabu Sawaguchi (The SANNO Institute of Management, Japan) [24] gave a presentation "On the Potentiality of TRIZ in MOT (Management of Technology) Field: Through Questionnaire Survey about Technologies".  The main part of this paper is based on the questionnaire survey obtained from 100 respondents at a series of SANNO's MOT seminars in 2005.  One of the questions asked about their company's challenges, by rating 11 preset challenges with the score from 1 (very low appraisal) to 5 (very high appraisal). Then the Cause-Effect relationships of the 11 challenges in their company are asked to be represented in a matrix form (called Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM)).  Then the Author have processed the matrices by accumulating and filtering the data and have drawn in the diagram.  The "Cause-Effect Relationships" regarding the 11 challenges are shown below.

The blue boxes represent the top 3 challenges of high appraisal, while the red boxes the bottom 3 ones.  The Author interpreted this results especially for the red boxes, saying: " 'Availability of education on engineering' gives influence on 'Innovation Power', and then the latter gives influence of 'Structure of new product planning stage'.  Thus it is logical that these 3 challenges are rated low all together."  The Author also believes that this result supports the necessity and potentiality of TRIZ-based MOT (Management of Technology) Education Program.     

 

Mitsuo Morihisa, Hiroshi Kawakami, and Osamu Katai (Kyoto University, Japan) [31] gave a presentation with the title of "Effectiveness of Symbiotic Systems Thinking and TRIZ on How-to-Creatively-Invent Education".  In the Authors' laboratory, they have had the experiences of teaching TRIZ to third year undergraduate engineering students for 1.5 hr x 6 since 1998.  In the academic year of 2004 and 2005, training of writing patent specification was introduced.  Starting fall of 2006, the seminar class is going to be enhanced with TRIZ and with a doubled length of time (1.5 hr x 12). 

In the Appendix of this paper, a real invention recently made by the top author, JPO App. No. 2003-151923, is shown briefly as a part of the case study to be shown in the seminar class.  Since I feel the invention is very useful and since I knew that the inventor, Mitsuo Morihisa, started working on this topic after having a full understanding of TRIZ, I would like to quote the Appendix here:

How to "step up" the voltage of very low voltage (0-1 V) power source?

Recently, solar battery or fuel cells are becoming popular as environmental problems increase.  To utilize these lower output voltage (0.6-0.7 V) power generation units, it is inevitable that the output voltage will need to be "stepped up".  But commercially available DC-DC converters have a lower input voltage limit that seems to be due to difficulties of circuit design.  Fig. 2 shows the operation principle of a step up circuit simply composed of capacitors and switches originally developed for high voltage generation.  The universal nature of this circuit, along with careful design particularly in relation to switches have enabled the use of the same principle as the very low voltage (even near to 0 V) region.  In this sense, TRIZ thinking, especially Trends of Evolution of Technology (Table 3) and Inventive Principles (Table 4) were useful. 

        

Though I omitted here their Table 3 for the sake of brevity, I should mention that in 1975 and 1978 Mitsuo Morihisa, working for SHARP Co. at that time, invented the DC-DC stepping up circuits for low input voltage (1.5 V) and light load by use of pn-junction diode and MOS transistor-pn diode, respectively. 

 

Nikolay Sluchaninov and Alecksey Evstigneev (Komsomolsk-na-Amure State Technical University, Russia) [32] gave a paper on "TRIZ as an Instrument for Developing Student' Creative Thinking".  (Note: Most part of this paper seems to be a direct output from an automatic translation software from Russian to English.  Thus the meaning of some sentences is not clear to me.)  This paper concerns the Authors' experiences of teaching Engineering students creative way of thinking.  The Authors observed that the teaching of TRIZ to Engineering students in universities did not obtain expected results.  They think the principal causes of in efficiency are:

 The Authors believe that the training of creative thinking is possible only when teaching with materials containing real problems.  Thus, after forming some basis by teaching TRIZ in the first and second year, real problem materials are given to the third year Engineering students.  An extensive list of real technical problems are shown to the students for their choice of training materials.  Such problems are listed as a result of poll of leading experts in the region and are updated constantly.  It is important to realize that such problems are just descriptions of some negative situations, properties, etc.of objects or processes which should be changed.  Thus, because the initial data of the problems are often inconsistent and doubtful, the students have to examine the problem situations critically and have to define the task to solve.  At this stage the students already enter the creative thinking process. 

At the third and fourth years, students receive training to solve these real problems by use of TRIZ with the guidance (or coaching) by the teachers.  The Authors use the following Steps of TRIZ: The system analysis (including problem definition and cause-effect analysis), formulation of Ideal Final Result, revealing the contradiction, and resolution of contradiction by use of TRIZ tools.  The basic TRIZ tools include: Knowledge bases, Substance-Field analysis, Inventive Standards, and Psychological Inertia tools.

By using these new method of teaching, the following results were obtained, the Authors say:

In conclusion the Authors' write: "The combination of problem teaching and TRIZ helped to intensify the positive points of both methods, to improve students' creative development and to increase the effectiveness of teaching in technical university.

 

Conall O' Cathain (Queen's Univ., Belfast, UK) [4] gave a paper with the title of "Towards a Rhetoric of TRIZ".  The paper is of academic interest in the parallel nature among Aristotle's Rhetoric, design, and TRIZ.  I would like to quote the Author's Abstract.

"The function of Rhetoric, then is to deal with things about which we deliberate, but for which we have no systematic rules." (Aristotle: Rhetoric).  If we substitute the word 'Design' for the word 'Rhetoric' this statement could be the introduction to a text on design theory.  This paper puts forward the view that a parallel can be drawn between rhetoric, design and TRIZ in particular.  Aristotle taught that rhetorical communication involved three components: the speaker, the audience, and the speech itself.  The paper goes on to describe briefly the system of Aristotle's Rhetoric in order to give some insights into the parallel. A prominent part of rhetoric is Invention.  This has been variously interpreted at different times as the discovery of ways of persuading the audience of the speaker's point of view, or alternatively, the discovery of ways of improving mutual understanding between them.  There is a clear parallel with design.  The paper suggests that the conceptual and check-list structure of TRIZ may be seen to resemble some of the technical and other aspects of rhetoric, yielding what might be termed a rhetoric of TRIZ. 

 

Victor D. Berdonosov (Komsomolsk-na-Amure State Technical Univ., Russia) [5] gave a paper with the title of "Fractality of Knowledge and TRIZ".  This paper is philosophical and condensed much.  The Author recognizes the problem that increasing the volume of knowledge requires more time for mastering it. Then for solving the problem the Author distinguishes knowledge from data, and further tries to find more basic structure of knowledge.  He suggests that 'recursive structure' (i.e. fractality) found in nature may also be the template for accumulating our knowledge.  And if the structure is recursive, there need fewer basic rules for constructing the whole structure.  Thus TRIZ principles, for example, may be understood to be such basic rules.  Now the Author's Abstract is quoted below:

In the report one of the possible variants of solving contradictions "volume of knowledge -- mastering" is considered.  It is proposed the procedure of systematization knowledge on the base of its fractality.  It is proved the assumption that knowledge is also fractal as everything in nature.  There are analogues in the development of traditional nature of objects: crystals, plants, animals, and knowledge.  The procedure of systematization of applied knowledge is illustrated on the example of the development of dynamic type core storage.

The fractal model of fern is shown in the following figure, in comparison with fern in nature:

   

In the Table below, the Author summarizes his idea of fractal structures observed in nature and also in knowledge.  For defining a fractal structure we need three components: Pattern (to be reproduced), Resources (to be accumulated in the structure), and Iterative rules (to regulate how to reproduce). 

The Author show the example of systematization of knowledge by using the historical development of DRAM and SDRAM.  The example is omitted here because of taking too much space.

9. Patent Studies

Siegfried Luger, Arno Grabher-Meyer, and Jasmine Leger (Luger Research, Austria) [33] gave a presentation on "Led-professional.com: A New Portal Using TRIZ Knowledge".  I would like to quote their Abstract:

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are the new light sources of the next decades and will replace a lot of conventional light sources and lighting systems.  LED-professional.com is a new internet portal showing brand new products, technologies and patents in the field of LEDs and OLEDs (organic LEDs).  To support the worldwide community with LED know-how the initiators of the portal used a combination of classical technology information and TRIZ based analysis. 
The paper will explain the different manners how to deliver TRIZ knowledge for this new technology and how a modern technology portal can be supported with TRIZ knowledge.  Due to this information users are able to understand evolutionary trends within their specific domain.  Furthermore getting a new view how to invent next product generations. 
Since the diffusion of TRIZ into organizations is a difficult task, the idea of LED-professional.com portal tries to give one answer to this problem.

Their portal site is:  www.led-professional.com   Today (Dec. 26, 2006) I visited the portal site and found it active in posting a lot of news and articles which are grouped nicely.  In the paper they write that technical articles are going to be added the Classification Index, and basic TRIZ terms are introduced for novices.  (I could not find them in the Web site, unfortunately.)  The Article Classification Index (CI) are proposed to be, for example:

*** This Classification Index reminds me the patent analysis research conducted by CREAX and Darrell Mann since 2000.  Anyway this kind of portal site is of much interests in niche community people in every field, I suppose.

 

Ian Mitchell (Invention Machine Corporation, UK) and Stephen Brown (Invention Machine Corporation, USA) [42] gave a paper with the title of "Computer-Assisted Problem Analysis via Semantically Extracted Experience".   This paper (i.e. the one with exactly the same title, abstract, texts, and figures) was originally presented in TRIZCON2006 by Isak Bukhman and Stephen Brown as the authors, and again in Japan TRIZ Symposium 2006 by Bukhman and Brown.  It is strange in the academic standard that a different person becomes the top author of the same body of paper.  I wanted my good friend Ian Mitchell who joined to IMC recently to write his own paper from his lot of experiences.       

Roberto Nani, Daniele Regazzoni (University of Bergamo, Italy) [7] gave a presentation on "Practice-based Methodology for Effectively Modeling and Documenting Search, Protection and Innovation".  The paper proposes a method of retrieving relevant patents by using a scheme of Boolean representations. It is difficult to explain the theoretical expression of the paper.  But briefly, it uses the IPC (International Patent Classification), keywords for expressing the objects of the patents, keywords for expressing intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics, and some combination relations of the retrieved information.       

10. Applications to Software Development and Business Areas

Michal Kurela, Pascal Crubleau, and Henry Samier (Univ. of Angers, France) [2] gave a presentation on "Using TRIZ in the Forecasting of the Computer Role Playing Games Evolution".   This paper studied a class of Computer Role Playing Games (CRPG) produced between 1981 and 2003.  In the Abstract Authors write as "In conclusion it allows to state that TRIZ evolution laws are matching to many instances of CRPG subsystem evolution paths what allows to propose directions for the future developments of CRPGs".

Filip Verhaeghe (Self-Star Corporation,  ) [36] gave a presentation with the title of "TRIZ Predicts Major Shift in Information Technology".  This presentation is related to the foreseeing of evolution of Information Technology in a wide perspective by using TRIZ and has confirmed a big trend in IT as becoming a major shift.  The Author's Abstract is quoted here first:

This paper uses TRIZ to show IT will shift dramatically towards the On Demand model.  We show the model is already in the first phase of the S-curve, and highlight which TRIZ principles have made the On Demand approach possible.  Next, we focus on the TRIZ trends to show how the currently most active part of IT can be expected to change in the future.  While studying these trends, we see that the On Demand approach is best suited  to implement these trends.  Self-Star has created an On Demand solution in line with the TRIZ trends, and its R&D works to achieve the full potential of the predictions.

Business IT users today are confronted with two very different worlds of IT, the Author writes.  They are abbreviated as the "On Demand" world and and the "On Premise" world:

In case of searching for information, whereas we can search billions of pages online in less than 0.2 seconds on the Internet (by Google, i.e., On Demand), it usually takes a long time to find anything within the company (On Premise).  Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software used to be one of the key software packages that need to be run On Premise, but now Salesforce.com provide CRM On Demand on the Web.  It runs the software and the servers, and corporate users can use the solution without any local installation, integration or set up; they can use it from any Internet-connected PC. -- This is an introduction to current IT situations by the Author. 

Then the Author discusses that the On Demand IT uses many TRIZ principles in achieving its basic scheme:

The Author further goes on to discuss the On Demand IT trends in the field of Business Intelligence (BI).  BI today consists of huge data tables that can be queried along many criteria, with formulas calculating totals, averages, etc.  

***   However, I would like to stop here, partly because the paper sounds like a promotion of his company policy at the end.  Please read the original paper if you are interested in IT and TRIZ.   Anyway this is a nice overview of IT with the eyes of TRIZ.

 

Daniel Kluender (RWTH Aachen University, Germany) [13] gave a presentation on "TRIZ for Software Architecture".   Software architecture is, roughly speaking, the framework structure of a software system and should be designed or selected near the initial stage of software design.  Author's Abstract is quoted here:

A key element of designing software architectures of good quality is the systematic handling of contradicting quality requirements and the structuring principles that support them.  The theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ) by Altshuller offers tools that can be used to define such a systematic way.  This paper describes the idea and preliminary results of using inventive principles and the contradiction matrix for the resolution of contradictions in the design of software architectures.  By rearchitecting a flight simulation system these tools are analyzed and their further development is proposed.       

The Author examines the Inventive Principles and Parameters for Contradiction Matrix and tries to filter them out to find those usable in the software field.  As a result he shows the quality attributes to be used in software field in the following scheme of correspondences with the technical parameters in Contradiction Matrix.

Then the Author tries to apply TRIZ Contradiction Matrix (after filtering out some software-unrelevant rows and columns) to a textbook problem of flight simulator.  Even though the application has generated some reasonable Inventive Principles, the work is still preliminary and not at the stage of proposing a new (or remade) architecture for the problem. 

*** I think the study of software architecture and software patterns with the viewpoints of TRIZ should be fruitful.  Many people are looking forward to further study of software with TRIZ viewpoints.

Roberto Teti and Doriana D'Addona (University of Naples Federico II, Italy) [9] gave a presentation with the title of "TRIZ Based Tool Management in Supply Networks".  The main interest of this work is to construct an intelligent software system by using the Multi-Agent technology of software architecture.  A system was built to model a multiple-supplier networks where a turbine blade producer (client) requires dressing jobs on worn-out CBN grinding wheels from external tool manufacturers (suppliers).  The intelligence of this system was enhanced by a built-in 'TRIZ Software Agent', which serves to produce suggestions on the basis of the Contradiction Matrix method for solving the contradictions between production needs and cost minimization. 

*** This is a new AI approach for modeling inventive solution activities inside computers.      

 

Marc Heleven (  ,  ) [54] has sent an Abstract with the title of "Ideas, Creativity and Web 2.0".  No paper is printed in the Proceedings.  I am not sure whether this paper was actually presented at the Conference (though scheduled on the second day in a session of the Quality Conference).      

Odair Oliva de Farias and Getulio Kzue Akabane (Catholic University of Santos, Brazil) [15] gave a paper with the tiltl of "Innovation and Creativity on Logistics besides TRIZ Methodology".  The importance of the field of logistics are writen in their Abstract:

Logistics activities have been receiving special considerations from scientific management today due to the present growing demands of the global economy.  To achieve different goals among different participants of on going complexities of logistics networks, constitute the challenge facing the construction of new paradigm of 21st century.  The main initiatives on supply chain management, today, have to consider widely spread models and concepts used in the solution of contemporary logistics problems.  Logistic systems as technical systems can be identified by its original matrix of contradictions associated by similaarities to inventive principles, models and related technologies.  Solutions on this field can be rearranged in agreement with fundamental logistics variables as time, information and resources.  Most frequent logistics principles, not related to ordinary solutions, are identified in this paper as important potential for innovative and creative new solutions.  In this way, TRIZ model applicability have been confirmed here for the field of operation management, especially to the best use of logistic system resources, new models applicability and technological innovations in this area. 

The Authors describe their framework of probelm solving steps in the following way:

a) Definition of main poblem in logistics related with each one of the 39 parameters of the system, observing it as a technical system (Logistics chain).  
b) To identify tree [three] of most frequent principles used to improve each parameter in the original contradiction matrix.
c) To identify between usual solutions (technologies/models), similar solution or correlted inventive patterns.  [TN:  I cannot understand what the Auhors meant.]
d) To identify new solutions as possibilities related with two other inventive principles.
e) To consider these solutions for the capacity of protection of each parameter that can turn to be worse.   [TN: I cannot understand this.]

Then the Authors have shown a table of 'Models and technologies on logistics'.  The table has the columns representing the above mentioned information a) to e) and the rows for each of the 39 parameters in the Contradiction Matrix.  For the sake of clarity and limitation in space, five rows (the first two, and other three which are mentioned briefly in the paper) are retyped below in the original tabular form:

  Improving Feature Most frequent principles Principles analogue  description Logistic variables Innovative Logistic model Improvement opportunity
1 Weight of moving object 10, 26, 29 Pre-arrange objects or systems without losing time Resource Supercontainer - Japanese project of consolidation Copying and intangibility
2 Weight of stationary object 10, 28, 35 Preparing to the activity with anticipated results Information Simulation - To check the warehouse performance Automate operations and parameter changes
7 Volume of moving object 1, 4, 10 Divide the system into independent parts Resource Multimodality - Use of several transport means Asummetry and preliminary action
15 Duration of action of moving object 3, 19, 27 Put the system's function in most suitable conditions Information e-Commerce - To shorten the purchase cycle Periodic actions and use of inexpensive
27 Reliability 3, 10, 11 Perform the required change before it is needed. Time VMI - Vendor managed inventory Local quality and beforehand cushions

*** The information listed in the table seems to be useful for the people working in this subject field, i.e., logistics, even though not clear to myself.  If so, the research approach in this paper need to be understood some more.  Somehow this paper is not easy to read for me unfortunately.

 

Valeri Souchkov (ICG Training & Consulting, The Netherlands), Rudy Hoeboer and Mathijs Van Zutphen (Crossing Signals, The Netherlands) [23] gave a presentation with the title of "TRIZ in Business: Application of RCA+ to Identify and Solve Conflicts Related to Business Problems".  This presentation is an extension of Valeri Souchkov's paper given last year in ETRIA TFC2005 .  In the present paper the Authors show their whole procedure of problem solving in business and management field in the following figure (named Six-step Basic xTRIZ Process):

  A case study is illustrated in the paper.  A company selling a device recently developed a sophisticated software control for better maintenance of the device, but many customers do not buy the device with the software installed.  Thus the problem solving team has chosen the problem "Why do sales drop? -- We want to know all factors contributing this problem".  Then they have drawn the Root Conflict Analysis diagram as shown below (only an important part is shown, taken from a presentation slide):

The RCA diagram is made (by the discussion in the team) from top to down in order to clarify the root causes.  For some causal events, positive side (or original positive intention) of them is also presented with the + mark at the top right corner.  This reveals contradictions (formed by a triangle of events having +, -, and +- marks).  Such contradictions are solved with, say, Contradiction Matrix (for business and management by Mann) and Inventive Standards.  The paper shows some more detailed processes for making group consensus step by step.

*** This method of RCA diagram is easy to understand and compose in problem solving group.  I tried it in my semianr class with undergraduate students and found it useful in clarifying the problem situation and getting group consensus. 

 


11.  Miscellaneous and No-Presentation Papers

At the lunch time on the second day, company visits were conducted with the cooperation by five industries around Kortijk.  The industries include: Barco (in Kurne), Picanol (in Ieper), Bekaert (in Zwevegem), Balta (in Sint-Baafs-Vijve), and Proferro (in Ieper).  Conference participants made their choices of one of these and enjoyed a bus tour to their sites and conpany's presentations and demonstrations, etc.  I enjoyed much at Barco sitting in a flight simulator cockpit and operated the virtual plane at my will.  We are thankful to the industries for their generous cooperation and presentations, and to the conference organizers for preparing such nice events.

Several papers published in the Proceedings were not presented actually, because of the absence of the authors for some reasons.  They include:

Because of time & space limitations, I will not review these papers here.  You see a number of TRIZ Masters and TRIZ leaders in this list.  We missed their absence.  And it is a pity that the Conference is apt to be evaluated low by the absence of such leading peole in TRIZ.

The following photo was taken by Valery Krasnoslobodtsev (Tech. Innovation Center, USA).  It is the Broel Towers, the symbol of Kortrijk, located two blocks away from the Conference place in the old city center.  Thanks to Valery for his kind permission of posting it here.

12. Concluding Remarks

By writing these reviews of papers pesented at ETRIA "TRIZ Future 2006" Conference, I feel I have learned a lot.  There are a number of important and interesting papers.  The followings are remarks for conclusion:

(1)  Finding/forming the basis of the TRIZ methodology in scientific context is one of the main interests of the organizers of the present Conference.  The position of TRIZ in the design engineering has been discussed much in relation to Professor Stephen C-Y. Lu's keynote paper [19].  Relationships of TRIZ with AD (Axiomatic Design), QFD (Quality Function Deployment), HCD (Human-Centered Design), KM (Knowledge Management), Lean Engineering, various Quality methods, etc. are discussed. 

(2) The Methodology of TRIZ has been extended further and learned/practiced in a more compact manners.  General views by Aleksey Pinyanev in his Keynote paper [48], by Simon Dewulf [3], and by Anja-Karina Pahl [25] are interesting, perhaps besides by Toru Nakagawa [29].

(3) Industrial case studies have also been reported in Bohuslav Busov et al. [46], Jan Weithenbock et al. [44], Geert Tanghe [21], and others.

(4) Application of TRIZ have been extended to wider fields, such as Logistics [15], IT technology projection [36], business [23], future home living [35], etc. 

(5) The promotion and penetration of TRIZ into industries and academia are reported.  There seem to be still much difficulties in wider penetration.  Simpler and unified ways of understanding and applying the essence of TRIZ are posed by some people including myself.

Anyway, a lot of significant works have been reported in the Conference.  We can learn them and use them for our own future work.  Thanking again for all the people who made this Conference possible and fruitful, I wish this Personal Report convey information and messages of TRIZ to many people all over the world.

ETRIA Executive Board has already announced that the next Conference, "TRIZ Future 2007", will be held in Frankfurt, Germany, on Nov. 6-8, 2007.  The due date of Abstract submission is Feb. 15, 2007.

Please note also: 

TRIZCON2007: to be held by the Altshuller Institute for TRIZ Studies on Apr. 23-25, 2007 at Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

The Third TRIZ Symposium in Japan: to be held by Japan TRIZ CB on Aug. 30 - Sept. 1, 2007 at Yokohama, Japan.  Call for Papers will be announced around Feb. 20, Abstract submission due is May 14, 2007.


List of Papers Published in the "Proceedings of the ETRIA TRIZ Future Conference 2006"

Volume 1.  Scientific Contributions

[1] On the Complementarity of TRIZ and Axiomatic Design: From Decoupling Objective to Contradiction Identification
       Joost R Duflou and Wim Dewulf (Katholic University of Leuven, Belgium)

[2] Using TRIZ in the Forecasting of the Computer Role Playing Games Evolution
      Michal Kurela, Pascal Crubleau, and Henry Samier (Univ. of Angers, France)

[3] Directed Variation: Variation of Properties for New or Improved Function Product DNA, A Base for 'Connect and Develop'
      Simon Dewulf (CREAX, Belgium)

[4] Towards a Rhetoric of TRIZ
      Conall O' Cathain (Queen's Univ., Belfast, UK)

[5] Fractality of Knowledge and TRIZ
      Victor D. Berdonosov (Komsomolsk-na-Amure State Technical Univ., Russia)

[6] OTSM-TRIZ Problem Network Technique: Application to the History of German High-Speed Trains
      Nikolai Khomenko (INSA Strasbourg, France and EIfEr, Karlsruhe, Germany), Eric Schenk (INSA Strasbourg, France), Igor Kaikov (EIfEr, Karlsruhe, Germany)

[7] Practice-based Methodology for Effectively Modeling and Documenting Search, Protection and Innovation
      Roberto Nani, Daniele Regazzoni (University of Bergamo, Italy)

[8] Systematic Design through the Integration of the TRIZ and Optimization Tools
      Gaetano Cascini, Paolo Rissone, Federico Rotini, and Davide Russo (University of Florence, Italy)

[9] TRIZ Based Tool Management in Supply Networks
      Roberto Teti and Doriana D'Addona (University of Naples Federico II, Italy)

[10] Using TRIZ and Human-Centered Design for Consumer Product Development
      Alan Van Pelt and Jonathan Hey (University of California, Berkeley, USA)

[11] Structuring Knowledge in Inventive Design of Complex Problems
      Denis Cavallucci and Thomas Eltzer (INSA Strasbourg, France)

[12] TRIZ for Systems Architecting
      G. Maarten Bonnema (University of Twente, The Netherlands)

[13] TRIZ for Software Architecture
      Daniel Kluender (RWTH Aachen University, Germany)

[14] Natural World Contradiction Matrix: How Biological Systems Resolve Trade-offs and Compromises
      Darrell Mann (Systematic Innovation, UK)

[15] Innovation and Creativity on Logistics besides TRIZ Methodology
      Odair Oliva de Farias and Getulio Kzue Akabane (Catholic University of Santos, Brazil)

[16] Contributions of TRIZ and Axiomatic Design to Leanness in Design: an Investigation
      Rohan A. Shirwaiker and Gul E. Okudan (Pennsylvania State University,USA)

[17] Conceptual Design Using Axiomatic Design in a TRIZ Framework
      Madara Ogot (Pennsylvania State University, USA)

[18] Law - Antilaw
      Vladimir Petrov (The TRIZ Association of Israel, Israel)

Volume 2: Practitioners Contributions

Keynotes

[19] Scientific Foundations of TRIZ for Innovative Engineering Design
      Stephen C-Y. Lu (University of Southern California, USA)

[20] Higher Ground: An Integration of Innovation and Quality Technology
      Larry Smith (GOAL/QPC, USA)

[21] High Speed Train Concept
      Geert Tanghe (Gti-Quadrat, Belgium)

[22] Transformation of an Organization: the Power of the Metaphor
      Jos Borremans (Volvo Cars, Belgium)

Contributed Papers

[23] TRIZ in Business: Application of RCA+ to Identify and Solve Conflicts Related to Business Problems
      Valeri Souchkov (ICG Training & Consulting, The Netherlands), Rudy Hoeboer and Mathijs Van Zutphen (Crossing Signals, The Netherlands)

[24] On the Potentiality of TRIZ in MOT (Management of Technology) Field: Through Questionnaire Survey about Technologies
      Manabu Sawaguchi (The SANNO Institute of Management, Japan)

[25] PRIZM: TRIZ and Transformation
       Anja-Karina Pahl (University of Bath, UK)

[26] Applying the Law of the Completeness of a Technological System to Formulate a Problem
      Joe A. Miller and Ellen Domb (PQR Group, USA)

[27] Reinventing TRIZ Thinking Tools: Substance-Field Analysis
      Iouri Belski (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia)

[28] Three Set Method as the modification of ARIZ
      Anna Boratynska-Sala (Cracow University of Technology, Poland)

[29] A New Paradigm for Creative Problem Solving: Six-Box Scheme in USIT
      Toru Nakagawa (Osaka Gakuin University, Japan)

[30] Can You Count on TRIZ?  - A Critical Review from a Pactical Point of View -
      Christoph Haag and Markus Wellensiek (Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology, Germany)

[31] Effectiveness of Symbiotic Systems Thinking and TRIZ on How-to-Creatively-Invent Education
      Mitsuo Morihisa, Hiroshi Kawakami, and Osamu Katai (Kyoto University, Japan)

[32] TRIZ as an Instrument for Developing Student' Creative Thinking
      Nikolay Sluchaninov and Alecksey Evstigneev (Komsomolsk-na-Amure State Technical University, Russia)

[33] Led-professional.com: A New Portal Using TRIZ Knowledge
      Siegfried Luger, Arno Grabher-Meyer, and Jasmine Leger (Luger Research, Austria)

[34] Modeling for Solving Physical Contradictions
      Valery Krasnoslobodtsev and Richard Langevin (Technical Innovation Center, USA)

[35] Scenarios of Future Home Living with Evolutionary Principles from TRIZ
      Yung-Chin Hsiao and Ying-Tzu Lin (Industrial Technology Institute, Taiwan)

[36] TRIZ Predicts Major Shift in Information Technology
      Filip Verhaeghe (Self-Star Corporation,  )

[37] TRIZ to Improve Material Efficiency and Energy Efficiency of Industrial Production Processes
      Johannes Fresner (STENUM GmbH, Austria) and Juergen Jantschghi (University of Leoben, Austria)

[38] Function Synthesis: New Methodological Tool and Case Studies
      Naum Feygenson (Research Center Algorithm, Russia)

[39] TRIZ and Six Sigma Applied in the Pharmaceutical Industry
      Edgardo Cordova Lopez, Maria Guadalupe Perez Leija (Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Mexico), and Irma Estrada Patino (Instituto Technologico de Puebla, Mexico)

[40] The Pro-active Use of TRIZ in Consumer Product Design and Market Research
      Jack Hipple (Innovation-TRIZ, USA)

[41] Patent Practices of Addressing Doctrine of Equivalents and its Substitutes with G3:ID/TRIZ
      Sergei Ikovenko and Sam Kogan (GEN3 Partners, USA)

[42] Computer-Assisted Problem Analysis via Semantically Extracted Experience
      Ian Mitchell (Invention Machine Corporation, UK) and Stephen Brown (Invention Machine Corporation, USA)

[43] Directed Evolution as the Main Instrument of Innovation for the Informational Era
      Boris Zlotin and Alla Zusman (Ideation International Inc., USA)

[44] Using TRIZ to Develop New Corrosion Protection Concepts in Shipbuilding -- A Case Study
      Jan R. Weitzenbock and Stefan Marion (Det Norske Veritas,Norway)

[45] Paste Type Adhesive Printing Process Improvement in LS Cable
      Joon-Mo Seo, Goo-Yun Chung, Jae-Hoon Kim, Byoung-Un Kang, Soon-Young Hyun, and Young-Ju Kang (LS Cable, Korea)

[46] New Motor and TRIZ Evaluation
      Vratislav Perna (PERNA Motors, Czech Republic), Bohuslav Busov (The Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic), and Pavel Jirman (The Technical University of Liberec, Czech Republic)

[47] Express-Analysis of Systems and New Systems Synthesis Based on Interactions Causality Scheme: Unified Approach to Designs and Technologies
      Boris Axelrod (Algorithm, Russia)

[48] Functional Clues
      Aleksey Pinyayev (Procter & Gamble, USA)

[49] Case Study of Innovative Project of Shoe Drying Acceleration
      Valery Pavlov (Research Center "Algorithm", Russia)

Quality Conference

[50] The Development of a Creative Climate in Organizations
      Marcus Geers (A.D. Creativity & Innovation Consulting, Belgium)

[51] Creating Flow Using 5S & TRIZ
      Ives De Saeger (  , Belgium)

[52] Six Sigma and TRIZ: To Mix or to Separate ?
      Johan Batsleer (AMELIOR, Belgium)

[53] Our Journey in Innovation
      Ben Barbe (Janssen Pharmaceutica Belgium)

[54] Ideas, Creativity and Web 2.0
      Marc Heleven (  ,  )

[55] Innovation Programme -- Tools and Tactics
      Serge Lapointe (Centre de Recherche en Genie Logiciel (CRGL), Canada)

-------

[56] Keynote: The Evolution of Altshuller's Principles
      Aleksey Pinyayev (Procter & Gamble, USA)

 

Top of this page 1. Outline 2. Agenda 3. TRIZ Methodologies 4. Foundation/ Integration 5. Case Studies in Industry 6. TRIZ & Quality 7. Promotion 8. In Academia
9. Patent Studies 10. Software Development and Business Application 11. Papers not Presneted 12. Concluding Remarks List of Papers ETRIA TFC 2006 Official page ETRIA Official site ETRIA TFC2005 Nakagawa's Personal Report Japanese page

 

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Last updated on Jan 7, 2007.     Access point:  Editor: nakagawa@utc.osaka-gu.ac.jp