What is SIT essentially?
Essentially in SIT an object is teared down into its parts, one or more of its parts are manipulated in some way, all parts are then put together again and finally we look if the new object has some value.
Nature is doing this several billion years already.
Nature shows the limits and power of SIT. Nature never invented the wheel as we know. But nature innovated the human brain as it is now. SIT is capable to extract all innovations that are potentially already within the object. Innovations outside the object will not show up.
So if you want to innovate your product portfolio and keeping it recognizable, doable and controllable use SIT.
If you want to go beyond put yourself in a tree, elephant or amoeba and let them solve your design problem.
But don't be surprised if the market needs some centuries to appreciate your product.
Showing posts with label wheel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wheel. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Friday, August 27, 2010
Nature's wheel
Last spring I was driving to East Germany and talking with my brother. We saw the wheels of a truck next to us. The first thing that came up whas the inefficiency of a wheel. Only about 5% of the wheel is touching the road and bearing the truck, the other 95% is busy traveling around until it can touch the road again.
So, if we need only 5% of the wheel, why not get rid of the other 95%?
May be we need another 5% to be used immediately after the first 5% is used. When the first 5% is used up for rolling and bearing the truck it cannot be ready again immediately, so we need a second 5% to be used alternately with the first 5%.
If we would let the first 5% go around after it was used it needs to travel a long way (90%), so we may better just move it back, the distance is then only 10%.
But how should we move it back without causing resistance by touching the road? Two possibilities: 1. lowering the resistance by adding small wheels or liquid or something and 2. lifting it up a bit so it won't touch the road.
Let's consider the second possibility. If we lift it up by means of a hinge somewhere we have made a knee. Hey, that's interesting, where have we seen this before?
Oh, and if we don't need to move the 5% around the axis we have place to move up the axis which doubles the radius and therefore halves the rolling resistance! Oh, and with such a knee we can adjust for bumpy roads like rocky paths.
The round wheel has been evolved away a long, long time ago.
So, if we need only 5% of the wheel, why not get rid of the other 95%?
May be we need another 5% to be used immediately after the first 5% is used. When the first 5% is used up for rolling and bearing the truck it cannot be ready again immediately, so we need a second 5% to be used alternately with the first 5%.
If we would let the first 5% go around after it was used it needs to travel a long way (90%), so we may better just move it back, the distance is then only 10%.
But how should we move it back without causing resistance by touching the road? Two possibilities: 1. lowering the resistance by adding small wheels or liquid or something and 2. lifting it up a bit so it won't touch the road.
Let's consider the second possibility. If we lift it up by means of a hinge somewhere we have made a knee. Hey, that's interesting, where have we seen this before?
Oh, and if we don't need to move the 5% around the axis we have place to move up the axis which doubles the radius and therefore halves the rolling resistance! Oh, and with such a knee we can adjust for bumpy roads like rocky paths.
The round wheel has been evolved away a long, long time ago.
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