Bio-inspired Design Methodology

The necessity to be competitive in the market pushes companies to increase the degree of innovation and at the same time to think about new products in terms of durability and efficiency. New product development is part of a strategic process called product lifecycle management, which starts with the idea generation phase. Considering this first step, for the reasons of the great impact in reduction of costs and the potential high return of investment, the goal of this research is to formulate a methodology which might be used during the idea generation phase to create innovative concepts. This methodology focuses on geometrical definition and problem solving. It takes its inspiration from biological systems to maximize durability and efficiency, and from technical systems to drive innovation. It can be used in virtual and shared environments to support designers, innovators and process developers.