Design by DNAan analogical approach to design

Damian Rogers

What is Design by DNA? Method to design the functional form of a

product IE: the characteristics a product must have in

order to describe its function in relation with requirements (do 0-60 in 3s)

There is also the aesthetic form (be aesthetically pleasing)

Uses an analogy to biological DNA Promotes faster “cookie-cutter” design Allows a more direct approach to novel designs

Why an analogy? Engineering design problems are

becoming increasingly complex Need a way to lower the complexity

into easier to handle portions Analogies lower problem complexity

relates a problem to something that is familiar or well-known

Why a DNA analogy? The “building blocks of life” – building

blocks of artefacts Nature uses DNA to preserve information

for organisms Humans tend to throw away this same

information and/or do not update it with advances Operations manual covered by countless

layers of dust Keeping information helps create

products more efficiently and with better results Lets us see what worked/did not work before

Nature is inherently sustainable, so then a design process based off nature should also be sustainable

Analogous Processes Designed products and biological

entities share many common phenomena Lifecycle processes, evolution, natural

selection, mutation, etc

Evolution – why laptops are like giraffes

Both evolved for specific reasons Giraffe evolved a

long neck to have no competition to eat the food from high branches

The “toughbook” laptop evolved into a product which is more rugged to protect against accidental drops

Products Evolving Products evolve over

time Evolve through

external influences Internally, through

genetic mutation or inter-breeding

Through scientific advances

Light pen on hard

specialized monitor

Touch sensitive

kiosk screen

PDA with touch screen

Mobile phone with

touch screen

Natural Selection We use “natural selection” for

artifacts I term it ‘anthropogenic’ selection Consider “Beta” and “HD DVD”

Selection is partly in/out of our control Factors like:

Environment Media Market analysis Economy Current affairs

Mutation Permanent change to the genetic

structure Spontaneous or induced, beneficial or

harmful Occurs in artefacts too

Manufacturing defects On-site changes Part replacement Technology change Design decision

Analogous Structures Living things have a DNA profile, containing genes that

describe the functional (and sometimes physical) characteristics.

Similarly, when we design a product, we start by creating a list of characteristics/functions we wish the final product to have.

Designs can be described by a DNA profile, made up of a set of genes, which describes the form Sometimes referred to as embodiments

A gene is expressed as a certain performance characteristic, feature or function

Each gene then has a subset of 'gene options', which are possible outcomes of that gene

DbD Process Phase 1: DNA sequencing for a

product line Phase 2: Using the genome to design

a new product in that line

Product DNA Sequencing Must find the genetic structure for a

product before we can use it use DNA sequencing/gene mapping analysis of existing artifacts of a

specified type and creation of the “genome” of that artifact type

Ideally, we’d want to map out the genome for every product IE: pen, kettle, bicycle, etc

A First Step Towards DNA

Analyze a sample group of some existing product, in order to break it down into its DNA analogous components (genes) Effectively; data mining Stats, product history, marketing, media, etc

Must take into account that the genes are context dependent ie: genes for the structure of a house will not

be the same in different regions (Nunavut vs. Florida)

Mobile phone charger

Creating Genes Once the characteristic genes for an artefact are

identified and classified, they have to be made into usable forms

Each gene will be expressed through use of a pattern a pattern describes a process, method, or activities

related to creating the artefact which they describe Each gene has genetic options

Gene for exterior cladding may have options for: brick, stucco, vinyl siding, etc

Each option contains performance characteristics The stucco gene option has information on things like:

lifetime, wear, thermal resistivity, air penetration rating, carbon footprint, etc

The gene pattern shows a designer how/when/where to use that gene/gene option

Gene patterns include a measure of sustainability The patterns are linked via a pattern language

An Artificial Genome A collection of gene patterns is analogous

to a genome for an organism. One or more genes can define a chromosome One or more chromosomes defines a full

genome This collection of artificial genetic

information is the ‘artificial genome’. The genome then contains enough

information to reproduce an artefact, given certain contextual parameters Contextual parameters are usually in the

customer requirements These define what expectations and conditions

an artefact must meet Require the role of the designer

Using DNA to Create an Artefact

How do we use DbD? Similar or same opening steps as other methods Problem analysis

usage scenario situation brainstorming product requirements specification requirements validation/voice of the customer

System architecture System/subsystem identification System diagram interface specs product architecture specs system validation

How do we use DbD? – cont’d

Concept design Ideation Generation Evaluation Selection Refinement Product concept specification Concept validation

Ideation - 1 For each chromosome (subsystem) in the

genome (system), there exists a set of genes (sub-subsystems or parts)

For each gene, there exists a set of known and/or commonly found gene options (embodiments) As with biology, there could be options we haven’t

discovered yet or that haven’t been applied to this product

We wish to pick the most suitable gene option for our given requirements and environment

Ideation - 2 For each identified gene:

Observe the gene options Assess how each option interacts and performs

with the given requirements and contextual environment

Given the above, choose the best option for that gene

A rating scheme is useful to help make your choice

Rate options against the input variables (req’s/env.) Repeat for all genes of the product

Ideation - 3 Innovation and novelty can occur at this point

Inter-breeding of gene options from similar genes in other products

Mutation of genes into new forms (changing a gene changes its functions/characteristics)

Incandescent bulbs to CFL’s Pen example

What is the function of a pen? To create a contrast on a given medium which is

distinguishable to the human eye Currently: mechanical movement of a nib Doesn’t a printer have the same function? And a monitor? Inter-breeding of pen with printer = new concept!

Ideation - 4 Given your choices of gene options:

Assess how your gene choices within a chromosome interact with each other (refer to your PAS)

Interactions within chromosomes may affect your choices for genes Re-evaluate your choices for genes given your

assessment on the interactions Sometimes, picking the optimal option within a

gene does not work out within a chromosome

Concept Generation - 1 Assemble the chromosomes together to

create a full system concept Aka: combining ideas/embodiments to form

concepts Each new combination of your chromosomes

is a new system concept It is possible that the exact same chromosomes

may interact in different ways (given your PAS) to give rise to new concepts

Try some concepts that involve the inter-breeding or mutation from your ideation

Evaluation - 1 Rank concepts to determine relative

merits Using something like a weighted

decision matrix

Evaluation - 2 Possible to encode evaluation

criteria inside the genes Allows dynamic ideation evaluation Shows evaluation for every possible

gene combination Allows computer-aided ideation

Gives designers more time to innovate!

Refinement - 1 Given evaluations, refine some concepts

Similar or the same as other methods Add entirely new concepts Take top performers and refine the weaker points Take weak performers and consider the best points Combine 2 or more concepts to create a better one

Discard poor designs Re-evaluate remaining concepts May take more than 1 iteration of refinement

Concept Winner After x iterations of refinement, pick

a clear winner Validate the winning concept against

your: Product requirements System architecture Usually requires presenting the design

to the customer for approval

Kettle Example Containment system Heating system Control system

On/off Safety off

EXTRA: DNA DNA is the inherited genetic material within an organism. Each gene is then a segment of

its DNA. The genes are the chemical units that initiate the processes of organism development and growth, that determine the organism's characteristics and the characteristics that are inherited in a successive generations, and also regulate most of the activities which take place throughout the organism's lifetime. Genes ultimately influence all aspects of an organism's structure and function. Each chromosome contains 1 or more genes that describe the functional (and sometimes physical) characteristics of the entity.

Gene characteristics can be classified as one of two different types; namely, genotypes and phenotypes. A basic definition is as follows: genotype refers to the structural composition of specific genes, whereas phenotype refers to the outward appearance of an individual, which results from both the genotype and the influence of the environment. A genotype does not result in a phenotype unless the genotype is expressed. Gene expression refers to the biochemical processes that result in an observable physical, structural, or behavioural effect in the individual. A dormant (non-expressed) gene has no impact on the individual, and its genotype can only be established via DNA profiling. Dormant genotypes can be activated by environmental effects. For example, some humans have a genetic predisposition to developing cancer; this means they have a genotype that is common to victims of cancer, but the genotype will only be triggered if subjected to some external effect – such as smoking cigarettes. Therefore, the 'form' of the DNA remains constant, though the expression of it may change from one manifestation to the next or through some trigger event.

EXTRA: Processes Evolution: Given a population of organisms, evolution proceeds based on two oppositional processes: mutation

and interbreeding, which increases genetic diversity; and natural selection, which decreases genetic diversity. Mutation and interbreeding cause new variations in genes, which render as new physical characteristics (example: a longer neck). These characteristics manifest as new behaviours of organisms in successive generations to react to their environment (example: an ability to eat leaves from high tree branches). Natural selection is the impact that those behaviours have on the ability of the organisms to reproduce; this is usually interpreted as organisms living long enough to reproduce, but can also include time for offspring to mature, quantity of offspring per reproductive cycle, and other characteristics. If a given genetic change induces a characteristic that leads to a behaviour in a given environment that allows an organism to survive and/or reproduce better/faster, then over time that genetic change will become dominant in the overall population. For example, the long necks of giraffes lets them eat leaves of tall trees, that are inaccessible to other, short-necked herbivores, thus increasing the giraffe’s ability to access food compared to other animals. Natural Selection: Natural selection, as first coined by Charles Darwin, is a process by which characteristics that increase the likelihood of an organism's survival and successful reproduction in an environment become more commonplace within a population over successive generations. As an example, an increase in humankind's cognitive ability has allowed us to thrive as a species and thus natural selection over many generations of humans has seen an increase in our overall cognitive capacity, as compared to much earlier generations. A more straightforward example is the giraffe's neck, which evolved to give the giraffe the ability to reach vegetation no other footed animal could reach, thereby increasing its ability to survive.

Mutation: A mutation is a permanent change to the underlying genetic structure of an organism. Mutations can be beneficial or harmful, depending on whether it affects the organism's survival (per natural selection) positively or negatively. Mutations can be spontaneous or induced. A spontaneous mutation occurs as the result of a variation in the chemical processes of genetics, such as molecular decay occurring spontaneously during the life of an individual?. An induced mutation occurs in response to an external stimulus or phenomenon, such as exposure to nuclear radiation, prolonged change in nutritional intake, or an intended alteration by a designer.