Design and Creativity
Lijun Wang
Biological Engineering Program
North Carolina A & T State University
January 20th , 2010
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Outline of Today’s Lecture
1. What can we design as a biological
engineer?
2. Creativity in product and system
design
3. Different steps of a design process
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What is design?
Engineering design is a systematic
process by which solutions to the
needs of humankind are obtained.
Specifically, design is to (1) pull
together something new or (2) arrange
existing things in a new way to satisfy a
recognized need (of society).
(Synthesis)
In engineering a design typically provides
a new product, process or system. 3
Difference among Design, Discovery and
Invention
[Link] is to pull together something new
or arrange existing things in a new way to
satisfy a recognized need. Design is the
product of planning and work; (NEW)
[Link] is getting the first sight of, or
the first knowledge of something; (FIRST)
[Link] is a way of doing a particular
thing that no one else has thought of
(FIRST)
A design may or may not involve invention!
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Examples of Bioprocess Engineering Design
Biofuels Biopplastics Biochemicals
Biopharmceuticals
and dietary
supplements
Food Products 5
Examples of Processing Systems
- Fuel Cell Power Generation System
Power station
(CHP)
Heating value of
hydrogen: 140
Rocket MJ/kg
Vs
Petroleum: 45
MJ/kg
Fuel Cell 6
Electronics Hydrogen car
Hydrogen Production from Lignocelluloses
- Process Overview
Catalysis Hydrogen
Catalysis
Aq refor
tion
eac s
f t r - ga
ueo mi
shi ter
us- ng
Wa
ph
ase
Natural gas, Syngas Bio-oil Ethanol,
biogas, etc. (H2, CO, CH4, CO2)
biodiesel, etc.
Gasification Pyrolysis
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Lingnocellulosic Biomass
Examples of Natural Resource Engineering Design
-Green Buildings
How can we make a building green? 8
Examples of Natural Resource Engineering Design
- Rainwater Harvesting System
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Examples of Natural Resource Engineering Design
-Grey Water Reusing System
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Examples of Natural Resource Engineering Design
- Potable Water Treatment System
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Major Decisions of a Design Project
Performance (activities): Generate satisfactory
specifications to test the performance of
prototypes and production units.
Time: Estimate the length of time required;
Scheduling to ensure that sufficient time is
available.
Cost: Keeping cost and resources within approved
limits.
Risk: Risk are inherent in anything new; Establish
acceptable levels of risk. 12
Product Development Costs and Time
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What is engineering design?
Engineering design is a systematic
process by which solutions to the
needs of humankind are obtained.
Specifically, design is to pull together
something new or arrange existing
things in a new way to satisfy a
recognized need (of society).
(Synthesis)
In engineering a design typically provides
a new product, process or system. 14
Requirements for Design
Four C’s of Design
1. Creativity-Requires creation of something that
has not existed before or not existed in the
designer’s mind before
2. Complexity-Requires decisions on many
variables and parameters
3. Choice-Requires making choices between many
possible solutions at all levels, from basic
concepts to smallest detail of shape
4. Compromise-Requires balancing multiple and
sometimes conflicting requirement
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What is the creativity?
Your definition of the lack of creativity will tell
you what creativity is.
Creativity is relative. It does not have to be at a
world record.
Creativity is the opposite to:
Routine?
Boring?
Not interesting?
Old fashioned?
The same?
Useless? 16
How to make an individual creative?-A
Creativity is a function of the brain. Mental
barriers prevent the creativity. Those mental
barriers include:
1. False assumptions and nonexistent
limitation
Example: What is half of thirteen?
2. Typical solutions
Example: How to find the height of a building?
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How to make an individual creative?-B
3. Making things more difficult than they are:
being overwhelmed
Example: A 1-gallon cylindrical bucket filled
with water is given to you along with
another cylindrical empty 3-quart bucket.
Using no other tools, how would you divide
the water between the two buckets exactly
half and half?
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How to make an individual creative?-C
4. Incomplete or partial information
Example: Three blind individuals who have
never seen an elephant but have a chance
to touch the elephant and describe it.
5. Information and sensory saturation
Example: All eyes look the same but
different.
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How to make an individual creative?-D
6. Associative thinking
Example: Associating meaning of one thing
with another thing can limit the way we
think about solutions.
7. Misunderstanding
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How to make an individual creative?-E
8. Inability to communicate properly
Example:
For Sale: An antique desk suitable for ladies
with thick legs and large drawers
9. Emotions-, culture and environment-related
barriers
Example: Fear is one of the strongest of
emotional barriers.
10. Orderly vs. chaotic
Example: analysis (particular solution can be
found) vs design (no single answer) 21
How to make an individual creative?-F
11. Falling in love with an idea
Example: “I have an idea” can be a
dangerous statement.
12. Improper methods of solution
Example: Different professionals prefer to
use different methods to solve problems.
14. Overabundance of resources
Example: when resources become scarce
and people use what is available more
creatively. 22
Steps of a Design Process
We will discuss in details:
• Needs identification and
problem definition
• Search: Ideas collection
• Decision: Ideas selection
• Specification: Product
manufacture
In this course, we will discuss ways to
design better. However, we will not be able
to present methods on how to design a
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specific product or system!
Summary of Today’s Lecture
1. Biological Engineering Design and
examples
2. Creativity in design
3. Different steps of a design process
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