Towards "inventiveness-oriented" CAI tools

Abstract

The emergence of a new category of tools baptised CAI (Computer Aided Innovation) is taking shape as industrial demand becomes more pressing. One category of tools in particular stands out as being a break from the usual trends in CAD, i.e. where the software structure is partially inspired by TRIZ. While the aim of such tools is to assist the designer in his creative act upstream of the act of designing, the link between the list of concepts these tools offer and the input required to build an object model is not ensured to date. The aim of this article is to clarify the essential factors characterizing an act of designing/redesigning inspired by the fundamental aspects of TRIZ. This should help bridge the gap between the traditional knowledge (see Yoshikawa H., 1989) which contributed to the development of current CAD tools and the approach which makes TRIZ a theory totally in line with current trends in search of efficient inventiveness in terms of the design act. © 2004 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.