A triz-based cai framework to guide engineering students towards a broad-spectrum investigation of inventive technical problems

• Autores: Niccolò Becattini, Yuri Borgianni, Gaetano Cascini, Federico Rotini
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 29, no. Extra 2, 2013, págs. 318-333
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Nowadays, a growing consensus is attributed to conceptual design in the perspective of developing effective and successfulproducts; as a consequence, major efforts should be dedicated within the Computer-Aided Innovation field to correctly support this task. A particular line of evolution of these systems concern computer coaches, i.e. software applications capable to assist usersalong each step of design activities. In such perspective the authors have developed a dialogue-based system supporting a naturallanguage questioning procedure to investigate technical problems through TRIZ way of thinking. An emerging deficiency of its firstversion concerns limited capabilities in providing a broad screening of the issues and features relevant within the encounteredinventive problems. The integration of a further analysis module supporting the logic of the TRIZ System Operator has allowedthe individuation of effective resources for breaking technical conflicts inherent to the investigated systems or formalizingcontradictions in TRIZ terms. The paper provides further support about the need of developing broad thinking skills inengineering education. The new generation of Computer-Aided systems is extending its scope, by supporting the user already fromthe early design stages, where creativity and cognitive processes are of paramount importance. In such context, the authors havedeveloped a natural language dialogue-based framework capable to coach designers in investigating non-routine technical problemsthrough a TRIZ way of thinking. The first version of the questioning procedure has showed limitations in terms of the capabilityto widen the designer’s perspective, resulting in the overlooking of aspects relevant for the problem. The new version of thedialogue-based system integrates a further analysis module, here presented, supporting the logic of the TRIZ System Operator.New tests demonstrate that the modification allows to improve the quality of the analyses, especially in terms of the identificationof features to be advantageously redesigned in order to solve the addressed problems.