Method to explore technology innovation fully exploiting in-house capabilities

This paper proposes a design method to seek potential product innovation fully exploiting in-house capabilities. The method triggers scientists, designers and engineers in discovering both new instantiations of physical principles and new physical phenomena that may appear by modifying the embodiment of existing technologies. The embodiment modifications are constrained by the in-house manufacturing techniques to seek innovative solutions without the burden of heavy capital investments. The newly discovered principles and phenomena are tested for possible affordances leading to new product functions. The design method is applied in an industrial technology exploration and led to the discovery of two new technologies. (C) 2014 CIRP.