Mechanism and Machine Theory 125 (2018) 94–100

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Mechanism and Machine Theory

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/mechmachtheory

Short communication

Innovation challenges for Mechanism Design

Marco Ceccarelli
LARM: Laboratory of Robotics and Mechatronics, University of Cassino and South Latium, Cassino, Italy

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Professor Bernard Roth has been a pioneer in Robot Design as based on Mechanism and
Received 24 October 2017 Machine Science and as in honour for his 85th birthday this paper wants to highlight how
Revised 16 November 2017
much Mechanism Design is influential in further developments of modern systems. In this
Accepted 28 November 2017
paper challenges are discussed in terms of Innovation issues and Mechanism Design as
Available online 14 December 2017
they were and still are fundamental for technological transfer from Mechanism and Ma-
Keywords: chine Science into novel successful mechanical designs of modern systems.
Mechanism and Machine Science © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Design
Innovation
Mechanism Design

1. Introduction

Everywhere is asked for innovation in technological developments.

But what does innovation mean? What does innovation mean in MMS (Mechanism and Machine Science)?
In today modern society Innovation is understood as a multidisciplinary activity that is asked to produce technological
developments with practical implementations for benefits both of their producers and users. In the last decades Science
achievements have made possible new engineering developments (and vice versa!) in many fields with evolutions that have
been faster than in the past. This continuous request/expectation has also produced a certain obsession for innovations and
has produced even competition in developing solutions with characters that are believed to be fundamental for further
developments even within well-structured frames. Aspects and trends of innovation multidisciplinary activity are today dis-
cussed and solicited from many viewpoints of the multidisciplinary content of Innovation and sometimes some aspects are
overestimated with respect to other ones as due to specific experience and expertise of the innovation actors.
A rich literature is available even from each aspect of the innovation activity. References are not included in this paper
as per its general character and as based on a personal experience of the author.
However, it is remarkable to note that also within the IFToMM community great attention has been devoted to the matter
since its beginning in 1969 by indicating the IFToMM activity with Constitution prescriptions for searching new directions
and research trends. For example, the work [1] is a short thoughtful discussion on what is required for innovation as coming
from different actions but with a background of the author’s expertise in MMS. Prof Bernard Roth (born on 28 May 1933)
has dedicated most of his activity both in research and teaching looking on how to achieve and stimulate Innovation within
the fields of mechanical engineering and his very recent book ‘The achievement Habit’, [2], is a handbook summary with
autobiographical notes that is devoted to facilitating creativity independently of the level of expertise.
MMS achievements are developed in theoretical, numerical, and design works so that once implemented in engineering
practice or in science applications they contribute to innovation or even they are innovation themselves. In this paper a

E-mail address: [email protected]

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2017.11.026
0094-114X/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 M. Ceccarelli / Mechanism and Machine Theory 125 (2018) 94–100 95

data &
Scientists, Designers requirements
& Inventors
novel
design system
novel design
design

IP defence
market enterprise enterprise
valorization exploitation production
exploitation

market
Entrepreneures valorization
Users & users’
acceptance
Public & Manufacturers
a) b)
Fig. 1. Conceptual schemes for innovation: (a) for a general understanding; (b) in MMS areas.

synthetic presentation is attempted to clarify innovation mainly as related to technical aspects that are linked to MMS and
IFToMM community.

2. Activities for innovation and challenges in MMS

In general, activity for innovation can be understood as a transfer of knowledge and corresponding solutions into market
products for large public fruition. Fig. 1(a) summarizes the concept of innovation as related to multi-disciplinary activities by
several actors. Innovation is achieved not only with novel ideas but mainly when the knowledge transfer reaches successfully
the public world with users’ acceptance. This complex of activities includes a variety of skills and when just one is weak or
fails, the whole transfer process will fail. Innovation can be started when a technical idea or solution has potential contents
of implementation. Thus, initiators of innovation are designers or scientists with engineering skills through their action
as inventors, but in general the main exploiters are business experts and enterprise leaders, who develop and produce
an innovation idea at proper levels for market valorisation and users’ acceptance. It is to note that not only new solutions
make innovation with new products, but very often it is the exploitation plan that produces innovation with new sale offers,
like for example when a product reaches the market sales with no other competitors. Therefore, the success of innovation
requires a full understanding of what can be transferred with enterprise perspectives into market sales toward properly
solicited / identified users. Summarizing: Science and Technology are the fundamentals, but Economics and Administration
are the motors, and Education and Publicity are final tools of Innovation. Education, likewise Publicity, can help potential
users to understand the novelties and their practical features. Thus, University frames can be involved both in fundamentals
and final tools when referring to technical contents. Indeed, Education and Formation are essential areas both for conceiving
new ideas and preparing users to the acceptance of those new ideas.
Activities for innovation can be planned from different perspectives but requiring

- Technical novelty, which is the first motivation of innovation as coming from new ideas and solutions.
- Production feasibility, which is related to the practical feasibility of the novelty in term of products at an availability
levels.
- Operation efficiency, which related to the practical usability with user-oriented products.
- Market exploitation, which is related to the features of a successful offer to a large public.
- Users’ acceptance, which is related to the success with potential users.

Technical aspects are often emphasized as due to design creativity and ingenuity, and the defence of intellectual property
is considered one of the main aspects of innovation value not only through patent release.
Understanding innovation can be considered fundamental for producing innovation with well aware plans and it can be
helpful also for proper plans of the design developments of new ideas and systems.
All the above considerations for understanding innovation can be also explained as specifically referring to MMS when
innovative ideas are related to machines and their operations, and users are identified not only in general users but even
in stake-holders and technique developers/promoters. Thus, the general concepts in Fig. 1(a) can be reformulated as in
Fig. 1(b) when they refer to the general modern concept of (service) machines that are aimed at helping or servicing human
operators in work tasks or diary life.
In Fig. 1(b) the traditional engineering process is synthetically indicated in the block ‘system design’ of the diagram as the
core technical activity for machine developments with technical procedures from the design up to the testing of prototypes
by considering data and requirements. The multidisciplinary aspects for Innovation can be considered very influential for the
design development of machines as coming from the many different aspects that involve also the enterprise exploitation and
market valorisation as it is indicated by two corresponding lateral blocks. Market issues as well as Production constraints
may suggest alternative or different solutions for design solutions and their performance by influencing the system final
96 M. Ceccarelli / Mechanism and Machine Theory 125 (2018) 94–100

development. The many aspects that are necessary to have a machine design as an innovation proposal will require the
collaboration of experts form many disciplines that can even thought not directly linked to the innovation design, such as
for example psychology and general education of potential users.
The activity for ‘IP defence’ (defence of Intellectual Property) can be considered as related not only to the explicit pro-
tection of Intellectual Property of the innovation through patents and legal acts, but it may be also carried out with dis-
semination of the innovation with clear paternity either by publication or publicity even toward a large public. This activity
will require the collaboration coming from different areas, even with no technological contents such as for example a legal
expertise and a financial analysis. A clear IP defence may require careful identification and explanation of the novelties so
that they may affect the design of the innovative solution and its expression for exploitation.
The ‘production’ activity is related to the processes to make a product from an innovation idea and system design at
proper levels of manufacturing results and market values so that it can be ready for a practical exploitation by the inno-
vators and for a successful fruition by a large public of users. At this stage crucial are aspects from business areas and
commercialization so that the innovation can be considered already a reality as a product properly available with proper
features for commercialization.
The final step is the proof that the potential users for whom innovation product has been targeted, can really appreciate
and use the innovation product. This last step is often the most unpredictable one of the Innovation process since it depends
on aleatory aspects and the large diversity of the public potential users.
The innovation peculiarities of MMS areas can be summarized in the above-mentioned concepts for service machines
with goals of MMS developments that are finalized to improve and/or to solve new or evolved needs in users’ activities
both in diary life and technological tasks. The significant role of Mechanism Design in modern systems can be stressed by
noting that human beings operate and interact with environment and through systems on the basis of actions of mechanical
nature and therefore a mechanical design, as core of modern systems, is an essential part of systems. In addition, todays a
continuous request is experienced to update problems and solutions in Technology since Society continuously evolves with
new and updated needs and requirements in looking for new or better products. Therefore, even mechanical systems are
asked for new and updated problems that require a continuous evolution and update of the mechanical design of modern
systems.
The challenges of Mechanism Design in terms of Innovation can be recognized in those above aspects for providing new
solutions for new problems as well as to update or improve existing solutions for new or updated requirements and tasks.
Thus, the main request is for design solutions that require ingenuity but also improvements of design procedures with
better computation algorithms and new search strategies. The ingenuity is recognized able to give solutions and ideas even
without a knowledge background or technical expertise, at least at a level of a first proposal of innovation. However, it is
more prolific and successful the innovation activity that is based on proper expertise when it is combined with ingenuity.
Within MMS this has suggested different approaches to search for new mechanisms even independently from a specific
design problem or task. The challenge of Mechanism Design has been identified in the ability to provide all the possible
solutions among which a designer/inventor or even a user can select the one that is considered proper for the need under
solution. As linked to the design problem also the analysis approaches are asked to provide proper new evaluations of the
new expected performance.

3. Examples

The following examples in Figs. 2–4 clarify the above aspects of innovation meaning and values in MMS area with an
illustrated approach by referring on how an expertise in Mechanism Design can be a source of successful solutions.

3.1. Innovation in the past

Fig. 2 refers to the design of the very famous Watt mechanism that was used to increase the efficiency of steam motors
thanks to the better accuracy in piston guidance, [3]. The success led to wide application of steam motors also in the
new machines for transportation and other industrial applications. Technical novelty is related to MMS of the time and
it can be recognized in using coupler curve for motion guiding purposes. This is an emblematic example from the past
in which knowledge, expertise, and ingenuity have produced an innovation in machinery with strong impacts not only in
technological developments but in social and economic evolutions, [6]. It is to note that the technical values were exalted
by business plans and enterprise exploitations also with several versions that were developed even by others during the
Industrial Revolution.

3.2. From modern robotics

While in the past technical contents were prominent in innovation with MMS values, today the commercial exploitation
seems to reduce the merit of technical valorisation. Only partially this is limited with patent protections that help to give
proper significance to the design technical aspects even with MMS conceptions.
Fig. 3 refers to deployable mechanisms by indicating examples of the several solutions of the innovation success. The
MMS theory of deployable mechanism is still a topic of intense research activity and new design solutions are continuously
 M. Ceccarelli / Mechanism and Machine Theory 125 (2018) 94–100 97

Fig. 2. Past innovation with Watt mechanism: (a) early kinematic study of kinematic properties in the book by Lanz and Betancourt in 1808, [4]; (b)
applications for locomotives (top) and industrial plants (bottom) in the book on Composition of Machines by G.A. Borgnis in 1818, [5].

Fig. 3. Deployable mechanisms in innovative applications: (a) in toy design; (b) for space antenna structures; (c) in load lifters for civil engineering.

conceived with or without practical applications purposes, being an emblematic example of how much a technical achieve-
ment can be a complete innovation even at the level of a solution without a specific application. The examples in Fig. 3 refer
to different fields of applications of the same mechanism design with specific innovation aspects in different areas. The very
different fields of application can indicate how a mechanism design can contribute to innovation and technological achieve-
ments with different applications demonstrating the richness and indeed great potentiality of mechanisms.

3.3. Experiences at LARM

In the last two decades activity at LARM in Cassino has produced several new systems as based on mechanism de-
sign. As an example of such an experience, the Heritagebot platform is shown in Fig. 4 as the result of a design activity
that was planned to provide a solution to the request of a service system that can work in Cultural Heritage frames under
the control/supervision/command of Cultural Heritage operators, [7]. The system was conceived by using backgrounds with
LARM designs for mobile robots and by combining solutions that were suggested during cooperation with economists and
98 M. Ceccarelli / Mechanism and Machine Theory 125 (2018) 94–100

Fig. 4. the Heritagebot Platform designed at LAM in Cassino, [6]: (a) the conceptual design with modules; (b) the CAD user-oriented solution for the
mechanical design.

operators of Cultural Heritage in order to fulfil the needs of mobility and sensing in an expected large area of applications.
The design was conceived with a modular design as in Fig. 4(a) with modules for leg locomotion, drone flight, and equip-
ment for a robotic service functioning. The overall design was also studied for proper shape and size to be acceptable for the
potential users as restaurateurs with the solution in Fig. 4(b). The innovation of the design consisting mainly in combining
leg locomotion with drone flight, has required protection by patents as referring to essential activity in the project activity
for innovation in Cultural Heritage frames that has been worked out following the scheme in Fig. 1(b).

4. IFToMM role in MMS innovation

Significance of MMS innovation is produced and supported by the corresponding community and particularly significant
is the role of IFToMM, [8,9], not only in international frames.
The structure of IFToMM is summarized in Fig. 5 in terms of IFToMM bodies that are established in the IFToMM consti-
tution for a worldwide flow of activities (www.iftomm.net). According to IFToMM mission as in the article 1 of the consti-
tution, IFToMM activity is finalized to provide leadership for cooperation and development of modern results in Mechanism
and Machine Sciences by assisting and enhancing international collaboration.
The bodies of IFToMM can be described as:
- General Assembly: it is the supreme body of the Federation (in 2017 there are 49 Organization Members from all the
continents) and it determines IFToMM policy.
- Executive Council: the ten-elected officers manage the affairs of the Federation between the sessions of the General
Assembly.
- Committees of the General Assembly (GACs): 3 GACs are appointed for the basic specific duty relating to GA in dealing
with Constitution, EC Nominating procedure, Honours and Awards.
- Technical Committees (TCs): 13 TCs are today active in the fields of Biomechanical Engineering, Computational Kine-
matics, Gearing and Transmissions, Linkages and Mechanical Controls, Micromachines, Multibody Dynamics, Reliability,
Robotics and Mechatronics, Rotordynamics, Sustainable Energy Systems, Transportation Machinery, Tribology, and Vibra-
tions.
- Permanent Commissions (PCs): 4 PCs are established on Communications, Publications and Archiving; Education; History
of MMS; and Standardization of Terminology.
The general goals for PCs and TCs are aimed at promoting their specific fields of interest by attracting researchers and
practitioners, including young individuals, in order:
 M. Ceccarelli / Mechanism and Machine Theory 125 (2018) 94–100 99

GA with GACs
MOs

President with
Executive Council WC

PCs TCs
SIOMMS

collaboration individuals

conferences, formation, technological

meetings, research, transfer,
tutorials design, publications,
search of editorial works,
new directions practice

Fig. 5. IFToMM bodies and activities.

• To define new directions in research and development within their technical areas;
• To establish contacts between researchers and engineers;
• To initiate and develop bases and procedures for modern problems;
• To promote the exchange of information;
• To organize national and international symposia, conferences, summer schools, and meetings.

The mission of IFToMM is ‘to promote research, development, and education in the field of Machines and Mechanisms
by using theoretical and experimental methods, along with their practical application’. This mission statement indicates the
engineering aspects but also the practical scope of implementation of the activity of the community in developments with
technological transfers for the benefit of the society with clear aims toward innovation.
Main activities can be summarized in, Fig. 5:
• conference initiatives that are organized by the bodies of IFToMM or by MO affiliated individuals (IFToMMists), both for
wide international participation and specific topic forums (the IFToMM World Congress is organized every 4 years);
• meetings of the IFToMM bodies for planning the activities and indicating new trends and initiatives; all TCs and PCs have
an annual meeting and other forums.
• publications that include proceedings of IFToMM sponsored conferences, editorial works, and textbooks (Specific atten-
tion is devoted to journal paper publications that are organized mainly but not only within the 4 IFToMM affiliated
Journals: Mechanism and Machine Theory, Open-access Mechanical Sciences, Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering,
Advances in Vibration Engineering).
• knowledge transfer that is worked out through several actions including contacts, seminars, tutorials and projects within
professional and industrial frames.
• collaborations that are executed not only within the activities of PCs and TCs but also through actions for teaching,
research and application among IFToMMists and institutions that are linked with IFToMM MOs;
• special plan for young generations that is established with SIOMMS (the student Olympiad in MMS) and Young Delegate
Program to help young researchers in participating at IFToMM sponsored activities with specific grants from IFToMM
budget.

Those activities are duties and benefits both for MOs and individuals, who are affiliated to IFToMM through a MO.
Since its foundation in 1969 IFToMM activity has grown in many aspects, as for example concerning the number of
Member Organizations (from the 13 founder organizations to the current 49 organizations), the size and scale of confer-
ence events (with many other conferences, even on specific topics, at national and international levels, in addition to the
MMS World Congress), and the number and focus of technical committees working on specific discipline areas of MMS. All
the IFToMM activities are stimulated and directed to innovation in MMS technical fields with a clear impact also in other
areas and ultimately to the society welfare. IFToMM itself can be considered an innovation result when it is recognized
as a product of new attention to a community working for technological developments of MMS. The IFToMM community
evolved in character from that of a family of a few enthusiastic pioneers/visionaries and founders into a scientific worldwide
community through the following generations:
100 M. Ceccarelli / Mechanism and Machine Theory 125 (2018) 94–100

1950s–1975–First generation: founding fathers and their friend colleagues up to the 4th IFToMM World Congress in New
Castle upon Tyne in 1975 with Prof. Leonard Maunder as Congress Chair.
1976–1995–Second Generation: pupils and people, who were educated in TMM by founding fathers and their friend
colleagues; up to the 9th World Congress in Milan in 1995 with Prof. Alberto Rovetta (Bianchi’s pupil) as Congress Chair.
1996–2011–Third Generation: educated people with MMS activity in the frames of IFToMM and within IFToMM activity
with 48 national organizations as IFToMM members, up to the 13th World Congress in 2011 in Guanajuato, Mexico with
Prof. Carlos Lopez–Cajùn as Congress Chair.
2011–Today–Fourth Generation: educated people working in frames that are linked to IFToMM and within IFToMM ac-
tivity.
IFToMM community works for innovation in MMS through developments and applications of mechanical systems by
means of actions of leadership and coordination of activities and trends in worldwide international frames. Significant ex-
amples of contributions of IFToMM with innovation contents can be summarized both in community aggregation and iden-
tification as well as in specific activities such as:
• TCs for new research subjects of large interest.
• New forums and publication frames.
• New demands for formation in research and profession.

Innovation can be focused in new research subjects that in IFToMM can be motivation for establishing new TCs with
suitable groups of interested persons and institutions in order to focus and coordinate trends and developments. In addition,
in each of the existing TCs, activities are continuously worked out to stimulate new trends and challenges together with the
usual activities of meetings, conferences, and information flows. Innovation in IFToMM is stimulated and also disseminated
through publications in international frames that can be considered themselves innovation. Even innovation on formation
with advanced issues is of great interest since the early days of IFToMM. New results can be considered the planning of
several teaching subjects and specific tutorials, mainly as Summer schools by TCs and even the student Olympiad.
Beside the above community aspects, innovation of MMS is obtained in IFToMM through specific results in new theories,
designs, and applications that are developed for new solutions.

5. Conclusions

This paper is part of the special issue celebrating prof Bernard (Bernie) Roth in his 85th birthday by recognizing his
pioneer and mentoring activities in technical fields (mainly in Kinematics and Robotics) and in the worldwide IFToMM
community.
Challenges and activities in Mechanism Design are discussed to indicate the possibility of Innovation with technological
transfer from mechanism design solutions to new improved systems for a large public fruition and market appreciation.
Achievements and solutions in MMS as well as the corresponding IFToMM community, can be considered important bases
for innovation with technical contents and backgrounds, without which no innovation is yet possible in the modern machine
area and even in more fields. But a full modern innovation exploitation up to users’ satisfaction requires a community
with more multi-disciplinary skills, even from Business and Administration areas and IFToMM community works such an
influential role in stimulating/guiding innovation activity since it was established with vision of international frames for
collaboration purposes in the growth of MMS with impacts and application of technological developments for the benefits
of the society.

Supplementary materials

Supplementary material associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.
2017.11.026.

References

[1] B. Roth, The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life, Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 2015.
[2] N.J. Nieto, And You… Will You Innovate or Abdicate?, Editorial Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Valencia, 2012 in Spanish.
[3] G.R. Pennock, James Watt (1736-1819); in, in: M. Ceccarelli (Ed.), Distinguished Figures in Mechanism and Machine Science, - Part 1, Springer, Dordrecht,
2007, pp. 337–370.
[4] J.M. Lanz, A. Betancourt, Essai Sur La Composition Des Machines, 1808.
[5] G.A Borgnis, De La Composition Des Machines, Bachelier, Paris, 1818.
[6] M. Ceccarelli, D. Cafolla, M. Russo, G. Carbone, et al., Prototype and testing of heritagebot platform for service in cultural heritage, in: M. Ceccarelli,
et al. (Eds.), New Activities for Cultural Heritage, Springer International Publishing AG 2017, 2017, pp. 104–112.
[7] M. Ceccarelli, Figures and achievements in MMS as landmarks in history of MMS for inspiration of IFToMM activity, Mech. Mach. Theory 105 (2016)
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[8] M. Ceccarelli, A short account of History of IFToMM and its role in MMS, Mech. Mach. Theory 89 (2015) 75–91.
[9] V.I. Goldfarb, E.G. Krylov, T.S. Serova, IFToMM contribution to attraction of youth to MMS development and promotion, Mech. Mach. Theory 100 (2016)
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