Pro-active guidance for interdisciplinary artefact design : a 'feasible solution space' filtering approach framework from 'life-oriented product structure specifications'

Abstract

In artefact design, as discussed by Restrepo et al (2010), complexity is characterized by: critical decision-making; low tolerance for errors; team collaboration - individuals with a wide variety of backgrounds who may be physically and geographically apart from one another; highly specialised knowledge; highly specialised skills; and possible unforeseeable events can have catastrophic consequences. Tomiyama (2006) claims that complexity of artefacts is increasing due to: a) technological advances - that reflect customers' ever increasing needs to produce, smaller, cheaper artefacts that are capable of performing multiple functions; and b) combination of different disciplines. Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) instruments are an example of complex artefacts since they comply with the above definitions (Restrepo et al 2010). This is confirmed by Pederson and Nielsen (2008), who describe the development of medical devices as a 'complex process'. MIS instruments are different to open surgery instruments due to their miniature size since tiny end-effectors are passed through typically 5mm and 10mm trocars so that very small incisions are performed to result in benefits to the patient including less bleeding, less chance of infections, smaller scars and less chance of post-operative complications. Apart from the fact that MIS instruments have micro-scaled features, which makes them much more complex to design and manufacture since it is not just a matter of downscaling, they are also a type of interdisciplinary artefact (Grech 2010a) since they combine knowledge from more than one discipline - in this case the 'engineering related' micro manufacturing discipline and the 'non-engineering related' biomedical discipline. As stated by Tomiyama and Meijer (2006): 'Next generation product development should target more on knowledge-centered integration due to increasing importance of knowledge intensive products and product service systems that require a wide variety of product life cycle knowledge.' To be able to design such interdisciplinary artefacts from a multi-X point of view, knowledge needs to be captured from different stakeholders involved in the different life phases of the artefact (e.g. from surgeons and nurses in the use phase in the case of surgical instruments, sterilization officers in the cleaning phase, technicians in the servicing phase). However, these stakeholders are too busy to be present while the designer is designing and thus the designer needs to have access to this knowledge by some other means. [...]