Human-artificial intelligent (AI) - assisted teaming is becoming a strategy for coalescing the complementary strengths of humans and computers to solve difficult tasks. Yet, there is still much to learn regarding how the integration of humans with AI agents into a team affects human behavior. Accordingly, this work begins to inform this research gap by focusing specifically on how the communication structure and interaction changes within AI-assisted human teams. The underlying discourse data for this work originates from a prior research study in which teams solve an interdisciplinary drone design and path-planning problem. Several metrics are employed in this work to study team discourse, including count, diversity, content richness, and semantic coherence. Results show significant differences in communication behavior in AI-assisted teams including more diversity and frequency in communication, more exchange of information regarding principal design parameters and problem-solving strategies, and more cohesion. Overall, this work takes meaningful steps towards understanding the effects of AI agents on human behavior in teams, critical for fully building effective human-AI hybrid teams in the future.

In this paper, we present the results of a survey of new product development practitioners regarding their design review experiences. We surveyed 128 product development professionals on their experience and preferences in design reviews. We found that the goals and type (location / synchronicity) of design reviews change over the course of a product development project. We found that the majority of design review meetings continue to be held as co-located, live, in-person meetings. For reviewing 3D models, we found that a native CAD package (rather than a viewer, or fixed views, or a physical prototype) is the most commonly used tool. We found a difference between Designers (more likely to be product engineers) and Non-Designers and their access to CAD software, as well as their preference for which tool to use at the design review for 3D model evaluation. We hope that our findings spark future work related to better understanding design reviews and design reviewers in context. Design reviews are an important part of industrial product development processes, so we believe future studies have a large potential to improve these design activities

In design engineering, the early consideration of tolerance chains contributes to robust design. For this, a link of design and tolerancing domains is essential. This paper presents a combination of the graph-based tolerancing approach and the Contact and Channel approach to link these domains. The combined approach is applied at a coinage machine. Here it provides detailed insights into state-dependent relations of embodiment and functions, which can improve robustness evaluation of the concept. This approach shows a possibility to bridge the gap between design and tolerancing domains.

The new development of cyber-physical product families currently lacks a methodically supported modularisation approach. This paper provides an approach for module-based mechatronic development, which provides design for future product variety. The state of the art in terms of mechatronic system design and modular product architecture design is presented. A modified V-model is then shown that integrates initial product architecture design and life phase modularisation. The method is applied and evaluated for the development of product family generations of robot units in a teaching course.

The dynamics of design teams play a critical role in product development, mainly in the early phases of the process. This paper presents a conceptual framework of a computational model about how cognitive and social features of a design team affect the quality of the produced design outcomes. The framework is based on various cognitive and social theories grounded in literature. Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) is used as a tool to evaluate the impact of design process organization and team dynamics on the design outcome. The model describes key research parameters, including dependent, independent, and intermediates. The independent parameters include: duration of a session, number of times a session is repeated, design task and team characteristics such as size, structure, old and new members. Intermediates include: features of team members (experience, learning abilities, and importance in the team) and social influence. The dependent parameter is the task outcome, represented by creativity and accuracy. The paper aims at laying the computational foundations for validating the proposed model in the future.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes had an extensively and substantially technological growth over the past years that directly influences the continuously increased and manifold possibilities for processing new and innovative products. However, additively manufactured products mostly are still fabricated with only small adaptions compared to conventional parts, and thus waste many design potentials although specific design guidelines have been widely developed to restrict geometrical deficiencies or suggest improvements in component design.

As a result, this contribution furtherly aims to systematically consider AM potentials already on the functional level of product development offering significant but until now still not or just insufficiently exploited potentials. Therefore, the presented approach uses the already proven Design Pattern Matrix (DPM) approach for conventional technologies extended by a concurrent selection of materials and processes specifically for AM. Here, the DPM derives information about the manufacturing process in form of design elements and links them to the function carriers of the product including a methodological determination of requirements.

In order to meet an increasing internal variety, a solution can be the modularization of products. To motivate modularization projects throughout all phases of life, different effects of modular product families were collected in previous works on a literature basis. In this paper, a validation concept is presented, which will investigate these effects by using statements directly from industry representatives. In particular, the industry background is included in the evaluation to generate a more differentiated overall picture of impacts of modular product families.

The article stems from the main informative gaps of Design for Sustainable Behaviour and discusses the paramount role of a data-driven approach to inform design. The article stresses how quantitative data can address global sustainability, determine behaviours to modify, measure the impact of new learned sustainable behaviours as well as support the definition of behaviour change strategies, widening the spatial and temporal scales to communities and longitudinal studies and reducing unpredictable biases coming from tacit knowledge externalization and interpretation.

Aluminum foam sandwich (AFS) is an innovative sandwich material for designing lighter products and has many advantages such as high stiffness and high mechanical-energy absorption capacity. Although AFS is ready for series production, the number of use cases is low. A survey was carried out in order to identify the obstacles in the application of aluminum foam sandwich. This paper presents the results of the survey, derives the demand for a support method for designing with aluminum foam sandwich and shows various support options to simplify the application of the material.

Analysing verbal data produced during the design activity is helpful to gain a better understanding of design creativity. To understand exchange of information in terms of creative outcomes, a semantic analysis approach was used to measure the semantic content of communications between students and teachers. The goal was to use this tool to analyse design conversations, and to investigate their relation to design creativity, assessed in terms of originality, usability, feasibility, aesthetics, elaboration, overall value and overall creativity. Abstraction, Polysemy, Information Content and Semantic Similarity were employed to explore 35 design conversations from the DTRS10 dataset. Main findings suggest that a significant relationship exists between Information Content and Originality, and between Information Content and Overall creativity of the produced design outcomes. Significant relations were also found between Abstraction, Polysemy, Information Content, and Feasibility, as well as between Semantic Similarity and Overall Value of the outcomes. Implications for the use of semantic measures for encouraging creativity in the design studio are discussed.

The prosperity of any megacities heavily depends on smooth transport systems. In India, however, most cities are failing to keep in step with the growing demands. With new technologies, such as passenger drones, an alternate mode of intra-city transportation seems within reach. For successful development of passenger drones in a diverse country like India, understanding users’ needs are vital. This paper presents the results from a survey of potential users of passenger drones from across India. These are then used to derive concrete recommendations for passenger drones design parameters.

Product Service Systems (PSS) are increasingly complex and collaborative. For instance, manufacturing companies, service providers, and other companies collaborate and jointly develop and operate a PSS (ex: smart grid), where its constituent elements are managed and operated independently. Managerial independence and operational independence are commonly considered key characteristics of a System of Systems (SoS). Hence, a collaborative PSS exhibits System of Systems (SoSs) characteristics. These systems have previously been introduced as Product Service Systems of Systems (PSSoSs). In this paper, we propose to identify relevant uncertainties in the PSSoS design process. For this purpose, we go beyond the PSSoS concept definition and propose a comprehensive framework for PSS and PSSoS characterization. Moreover, based on both a literature review and an industrial diagnosis, we identify PSSoSs-specific design uncertainties.

By means of additive manufacturing, especially laser powder bed fusion, particle dampers can be integrated locally into structural components and thus significantly reduce component vibrations. However, detailed design recommendations for additively manufactured particle dampers do not yet exist. The research question in this paper is: How can the effect of particle damping be described as a function of excitation force, cavity width and cavity length? For beams made of AlSi10Mg, it is shown that a powder-filled cavity of 2.5% to 5% is sufficient to increase the damping by more than x10.

This paper analyses the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in a distributed product design project-based learning (PBL). The paper presents the ICT use of five international student teams during three product design phases: identification of opportunities, conceptual design, embodiment design. General results show that student teams used around 30 different ICTs for both taskwork and teamwork. Students reported that they used previously known ICTs or ICTs properly introduced to them during the initial course workshop. Results also show that team members often work individually on their tasks and use various procedures to share their results. Also, teams conduct some activities synchronously, suggesting the need for teams to have a collaborative workspace. Cloud-based collaborative ICTs (e.g. whiteboard, computer-aided design, document editor, task management) showed huge potential for individual and team tasks. Hence, educators and teams should carefully consider which ICTs to implement and learn, as it might greatly impact the execution of the product design PBL course.

In the last few years there has been a noticeable change in the development of headlamp systems in the field of vehicle lighting technology. Starting with adaptive front-lighting systems via Matrix LED systems, high-resolution headlamps will provide more safety in road traffic in the near future.

For the implementation of high-resolution headlamps various spatial light modulators and light generating technologies can be applied. The emitted light of the light source is directed via an illumination optics onto the modulator and a projection optics is applied to image the spatial light modulator into the traffic area. The formerly mechatronic systems are thus increasingly become opto- mechatronic systems. Therefore, the optic design must be taken into account in the early development phase of these systems.

In this paper we present a methodical approach to describe the optic design for optomechatronic systems. This approach can be used to develop efficient and high-intensity optomechatronic systems using various spatial light modulators and light generating technologies. Conclusively we demonstrate an exemplary application of the methodology on a high-resolution projection module.

Design thinking is a methodology that comes from the industrial design realm and is centred on culling better needs insight from users. Another popular methodology is based gaining insight on the potential of an opportunity through experimentation, testing, and iterating with users. This is commonly referred to as lean startup methods. However, from a research perspective, we still do not know the most effective way to implement these user focused design methods within the innovation process within organizations, and which aspects of the design process are the most impactful in developing new opportunities. In this research, we propose a high-level conceptual process model on how user focused design methods such as design thinking and lean startup methods can be integrated into the up-front innovation process within organizations. We review the conceptual model, associated activities, and process considerations. The article concludes with thoughts on future research.

Artificial Intelligence offers a wide variety of capabilities that can potentially address people's needs and desires in their specific contexts. This pilot study presents a collaborative method using a deck of AI cards tested with 58 production, AI, and information science students, and experts from an accessible media agency. The results suggest that, with the support of the method and AI cards, participants can ideate and reach conceptual AI solutions. Such conceptualisations can contribute to a more inclusive integration of AI solutions in society.

Design methods are seldom used in engineering design practice. The presented study aims at finding the alternative strategies for situations with a need for methodological support. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten experienced design engineers to identify causes of and strategies for those situations. Three strategy clusters could be identified: generating information, experience and method application. As the individual's and the team's experience compete with the application of methods, they are seen as reasons for a lack of method application.

Do different sustainable design methods generate different sustainable design ideas? Do they also drive different product innovation ideas? This project empirically tested three design methods: The Natural Step, Whole System Mapping, and Biomimicry. Testing involved qualitatively categorizing 1,115 design ideas from 23 workshops for over 30 companies, including consultancies and manufacturers in consumer electronics, furniture, and apparel. The categorized ideas were then counted to determine if the different design methods caused different kinds of ideas. They did. For example, The Natural Step drove more ideas on green material choice, circular end of life, and social impacts, while Biomimicry drove more durability ideas and Whole System Mapping drove more cost reduction ideas, among other differences. Overall, The Natural Step generated the highest percentage of sustainability ideas, Biomimicry generated the most innovation ideas, and Whole System Mapping generated a balance of both. These preliminary results should help designers and engineers choose design methods suited to the types of design solutions they desire.

Due to increasing sustainability demands, textiles manufacturing, an industry that uses substantial amounts of natural resources, energy and labour, are facing tough challenges in the years ahead. One of the more overlooked concepts with great potential for sustainable manufacturing is Industry 4.0. This paper addresses how the textile industry is engaging with Industry 4.0 technologies and applications in the context of sustainable manufacturing. A proposal for an implementation framework is introduced based on a literature review within this field.