Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151

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Computers and Chemical Engineering

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

Eco-innovative design method for process engineering

Jesus Barragan Ferrer a , Stéphane Negny a,∗ , Guillermo Cortes Robles b , Jean Marc Le Lann a
a
Université de Toulouse, LGC UMR 5503 – INPT-ENSIACET, 4 allée Emile Monso, BP 44362, 31432 Toulouse Cedex 04, France
b
Instituto Technologico de Orizaba, Av Oriente No. 852, 94320 Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico

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

Article history: Due to the environmental issues, innovation is one way to challenge eco-friendly technologies, create new
Received 28 September 2011 process options which are needed to meet the increasing demands for sustainable production. To accel-
Received in revised form 16 May 2012 erate and improve eco-innovative design, there is a need for the computer aided eco-innovation tools to
Accepted 17 June 2012
support engineers in the preliminary design phase. Currently, several computer aided innovation tools
Available online 28 June 2012
with a clear focus on specific innovation tasks exist but very few of them deal with the eco-innovation
issues. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to present the development of a computer aided model based
Keywords:
preliminary design methodology focused on technological eco-innovation for chemical engineering. This
Eco-innovation design
TRIZ
methodology is based on modified tools of the structured TRIZ theory. The general systematic frame-
CSP work gives the same level of importance, to the technological and environmental requirements during
Multi contradiction the conceptual design phase. Integrating environment oriented design approach at the earliest, in the
Biomass design phase, is essential for product effectiveness and future development. The methodology employs a
decomposition based solution approach in hierarchical steps by analysing the problem faced, formulation
of the problem and the generation of possible and feasible ideas. At each step, various methods and tools
will be needed. In this paper some existing tools are adapted to chemical engineering and some tools of
the structured TRIZ theory are modified and improved to build a specific methodology oriented towards
the increasing technological complexity and environmental issues of current designs.
Undoubtedly, the selection of materials and substances for a particular generated concept, mainly
affects the structure, mechanical factors (processability and dimensions) and the environmental impact.
In order to deal with these environmental criteria, the resources and their impacts are considered in the
upstream phase of the design process and are introduced as constraints in our model.
To highlight its capabilities, the methodology is illustrated through a case study dedicated to tars and
ashes issues in biomass gasification.
© 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction generate design problems with an increasing level of complex-

ity. These requirements result in a strong need to devise new and
In the current world market evolution and industrial context, efficient methods to accelerate the generation of creative ideas
the process industries have to face several new trends. For indus- and to systematize the invention for radically new products or
tries this new context enhances the need of increasing product processes. Unfortunately, as (Srinivasan & Kraslawski, 2006) under-
and process innovation for maintaining competitive position or to lined, chemical engineering research community shows a weak
successfully penetrate into a saturated market. Generally, in chemi- interest in innovation and creativity compared to other engineering
cal engineering few technological innovations have been identified disciplines. Indeed the industrial short term strategies, for instance,
over the past twenty years compared to other engineering domains. a reduced time to market, short return on invests or rapid profits,
But currently, most significant developments are taking place, for force the chemical process engineers to continue to develop ideas
instance with the advent of process intensification. that are based on existing or similar product or process, i.e. use of
Notaro (2001) notices (for separation technologies but it can intra-domain analogies during design. This way to proceed clearly
be extended to the whole chemical engineering domain), that to restricts the generation of new concepts, though provide incre-
meet these new challenges the knowledge base and innovative mental innovations with continuous and significant improvements
output need to expand considerably for the development of new but without real technological changes. On the contrary, disrup-
concepts and equipments. At the same time, industrial evolutions tive innovation tries to generate completely new concepts leading
to technological breakthroughs. Thus, capability to facilitate pro-
cess or product innovations in a new market becomes a crucial
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 5 34 32 36 49. advantage. As a result companies must carry both innovation
E-mail address: [email protected] (S. Negny). strategies, i.e. incremental and disruptive. With the former they

0098-1354/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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138 J.B. Ferrer et al. / Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151

does not restructure the existing process but devices are added
Nomenclature at the final stages of the process.
- Cleaner production: Approach focused on the roots of pollution.
C finite set of constraints The process is modified in order to decrease its environmental
Ck constraint k of C impact. Various eco-design tools and approaches are available,
CRe criterion for resource qualification resulting in incremental changes on the environmental impact:
Cok cost of resource k redesign modification or optimization of existing products or pro-
D finite set of domains cesses; reducing process discharges, decrease of material used,
Di domain of possible values for variable Xi saving energy, efficient resource use, substitution of materials.
E solution space - Life cycling thinking: New proactive approaches in which the
EP environmental parameter environmental considerations are beyond the boundaries of the
Loi localization estimation of resource k production process to the whole value chain. Life cycle assess-
Nres number of resources ment is one of the most widely used tools. The concept of green
Pj space covered by parameter j supply chain management has also emerged from this thinking.
Qlk quality qualification for resource k - Closed loop production: Raw materials that are existing in the
Qtk quantity qualification of resource k system are recycled: remanufactured, mechanical recycling,
Rek recyclability of resource k material recycling, energy valorization, etc. The products or pro-
V finite set of variables cesses are designed with this idea in mind that, they must be
Xi Variable i of V reused in one form or another (circular production and economy).
- Industrial ecology: The extensive application of the previous pro-
duction across industries at large scale is called industrial ecology.
Eco-parks (cluster of companies that share resources) are an
retain their customers and ensure their financial health in the short example of this kind of cooperation: a waste for one company
term. But by too much focusing on incremental innovation, they can be used as raw materials for another one.
are exposed to the market arrival of a new competing product or
process. Consequently, they must initiate a deeper research pro-
gram focused on radically new technological solutions with the Now a need arises for methods specifically oriented towards
eventuality that they may render obsolete existing solutions. Some the technical innovation that takes into account the environ-
companies are reluctant to take the risks associated with disrup- mental issues during the preliminary design phase in order to
tive innovation and prefer to work for the satisfaction of customer generate innovative and eco-friendly products or processes, i.e.
requirements only, that undermines sustainability over the long eco-innovation (Jones & Harrison, 2000) gave the following defi-
term (Christensen, 2003). nition of the eco-innovative: “Eco-innovation aims to develop new
Furthermore, the topic of innovation is of vital interest for products, processes and services that are not based on redesign
chemical companies not only to improve competiveness and or incremental changes to the existing product but rather in pro-
increase benefits but also to reshape their product portfolio (Klatt viding the consumer with the function that they require in the
& Marquardt, 2009) and to account for the new challenges of most eco-efficient way.” The industry and research communities
sustainable production. Indeed, for a long time the design phase had developed several approaches to answer to the challenge of
was widely guided by technological and economical developments eco-innovation for sustainable products or processes, but they
which did not lead to products or processes innovations that take are dedicated to estimate the merits of new product (Brezet,
into account these environmental concerns. Even if the “environ- 1996; Fussler & James, 1996) or they are directed towards strat-
mental image” was a great value for companies both internally egy (Cramer & Stevels, 1997). Very few of them are focused
and externally, they preferred the novelty and economic crite- on the development and deployment of reliable methods and
ria of their innovative products rather than a strategy oriented software to support process engineers generating eco-innovative
towards sustainable production. In recent years, the expansion of technical solutions. As Chang (2005) underlined, the designers
companies’ activities has been accompanied by growing environ- need faster and systematic methods to develop eco-innovative
mental concerns: climate change, energy security and resources solutions, especially in the conceptual design phase. The goal
scarcity. This environmental sensitiveness can give crucial compet- of our article is to propose an approach for eco-innovation
itive and economic advantage, provided that products or processes based on improvements of some TRIZ tools in order to avoid
satisfying the customers’ requirements. Hence, there is a growing four of its principal drawbacks when dealing with eco-invention,
trend to voluntarily improve their environmental performances i.e. integration of eco-inventive aspects, evolution to deal with
in order to increase profitability, efficiency, and competitive- the growing complexity of current design, decreasing the level
ness but also imposed by legislation like on gas emission. But of abstraction of the proposed solution and the integration of
the incremental progresses are far from meeting the efficiency a resources oriented search to ensure a better use of them
required by this pressing challenge. Even if the chemical indus- (Table 1).
tries have the potential to become a driving force for eco-friendly The remainder of this article is structured as follow: the sec-
production, this challenge must be coupled with the econom- ond part presents and discusses the existing computer aided
ical reality of the current market. Innovation is one possible innovation tools and the current approaches to deal with eco-
answer to this issue, provided introducing the environmental con- innovative design. It also discusses the TRIZ theory used in the
straints in the earliest phase of the design process, and also by proposed approach. The subsequent part presents the workflow
increasing their weight in the decision process. In its report, the of our approach with some explanations on the tools specifically
Organization for Economic Co-operation Development – OECD created. The fourth part proposes a case study related to biomass
(2009) describes and details the gradual evolution of the industrial gasification and more precisely to tar and ash withdrawal, to illus-
initiatives: trate the main concepts of the methodology. The following part
deals with a discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of the
- Pollution control and treatment: Technological improvements in methodology. Finally, in part six, a conclusion is drawn and future
order to reduce wastes and contaminants in outlet streams. It perspectives are discussed.
 J.B. Ferrer et al. / Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151 139

Table 1
Parameters to calculate resources qualification criterion.

Qtk Q1k C0k L0k Rek

Missing 0 Waste, harmful, toxic 0.3 Very expensive 0.3 Super system 0.3 Non recyclable 0
Insufficient 0.6 Useless neutral 0.6 Expensive 0.6 Sub systems 0.6 Energy valorization 0.3
Sufficient 1 Useful, easy to recycle 1 Free 1 System 1 Material valorization 0.7
Functional reuse 1

2. Methods and tools for innovation and eco-innovation this category as a method for technology forecasting (besides the
first software tools that are at the root of the CAI were based on
2.1. Computer aided innovation TRIZ).
Srinivasan and Kraslawski (2006), Adam, Beniston, and Childs
The innovation process is undoubtedly iterative, collaborative, (2009) discuss the creativity issue respectively in chemical engi-
interactive, multi-tasks and depends on the context. Firms try to neering and biotechnology domains. Regardless of the engineering
improve their innovation capabilities to accomplish this complex domain, to reach highest innovative solutions, we must devise a
and time consuming process from idea generation to successful collaborative working environment that enables domain experts
market diffusion. To reduce significantly the development time, to share their vision of the peculiar problem requirements, to
new methods and tools to support innovation activities are cre- exchange ideas in order to generate unexpected solutions. The
ated. In the software field, there is an emerging issue to support generation of very innovative concepts requires cross and trans dis-
firms’ innovation process not only on the activity of the technolog- ciplinary collaboration between experts in different fundamental
ical design but throughout the entire process using computer aided disciplines. Nevertheless, experts must increasingly have a T shape
innovation tools (CAI). Despite a growing research community, cur- profile: a wide field of knowledge in order to be an innovator and
rent CAI tools focus on specific aspect of the innovation process by definition a sharp knowledge in their field of competence. This
(Hüsig & Kohn, 2009) proposed a categorization scheme of CAI, contradiction in term of human skills was resolved with trans disci-
illustrated in Fig. 1. The first category of CAI helps innovation man- plinary methods that deal with creativity and give access to a huge
ager to deal with strategic issues with business intelligence tools for set of knowledge.
example. The Idea Management category starts from idea genera- The several specific methods dealing with creativity can be clas-
tion to idea evaluation. The last category focuses on patents because sified into two main categories: analytical or intuitive methods,
they have a crucial role in the innovation process: to protect firms’ (Srinivasan & Kraslawski, 2006). The latter searches solutions with
inventions and to initiate idea generation. According to Hüsig and a random process because they do not have a formalized logical
Kohn (2009), the potential benefits of CAI tools can be summed structure among them; brainstorming, lateral thinking, mind map-
up as follows: efficiency, effectiveness, competence, and creativity ping. In these methods the creativity process is composed of two
enhancing. In this paper, we focus our attention to the idea gen- successive logics of actions: divergence then convergence. During
eration and idea collection sub-items. Many software tools exist the divergent part, engineers generate randomly as many ideas
in this category but we propose to go further in order to include as possible along many directions. The convergent part tries to
environmental issue at this stage and to improve the processing manage them by merging some solutions or eliminating the less
of current problem complexity. Among the existing tools, different promising ones thanks to a multicriteria decision but with the
creativity and idea generation techniques (mind mapping, synec- strong risk to loose very promising concepts. On the contrary ana-
tics, brainstorming. . .) have been implemented but TRIZ dominates lytical methods partially removes the previous issue by proposing
well-structured methods like morphological analysis or TRIZ. In
TRIZ, the creativity process is solely converging because it pos-
tulates that no matter the number of concepts generated quality
Idea Idea prevailing, i.e. viability of the concepts.
Classifi- Porolio Idea TRIZ is the Russian acronym for theory of inventive problem
Idea caon solving. TRIZ operates through generic models i.e. patterns of prob-
Collecon Analysis
lems and solutions and not by spontaneous creativity of individual
Idea Idea groups. To create TRIZ, Altshuller (1996) had conducted scientific
generaon Evaluaon observations and a huge analysis of invariants of problem reso-
lution during past innovation and scientific discoveries. He found
Patent out that inventive solutions were the result of certain regulari-
Scenario
manage- Porolio ties, repeatability, predictability which govern the creative process
Mgt rather than a process out of human control. He collected and orga-
ment Holisc
m

nized information on past inventions and tried to reformulate the

Soluons problem in order to identify which technical conflict was solved
Patent
Porolio and how it was solved. Then he built methods and tools that are
Evaluaon
manage- independent of the field of discovery in order to facilitate trans
ment
Patent disciplinary knowledge transfer. As a consequence TRIZ operates
Admini- through the reformulation of a concrete problem into an abstract
Project
manage-
P straon one. Its methods and tools allow to find a generic solution to
ment Patent this abstract problem. This generic solution should be adapted to
the specific initial problem according to the specific conditions
Business Invenon Search
Intelligence Report and constraints. These inter-domain analogies allow to reach solu-
tions with a higher level of innovation. TRIZ does not guarantee
the systematic generation of creative solutions but provides assis-
Fig. 1. Detail CAI software categories (Hüsig & Kohn, 2009). tance to engineers and designers by focusing their attention on the
140 J.B. Ferrer et al. / Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151

most promising ways of solution. It allows to enhance creativity, in the literature, TRIZ is used in its original and classical form
but there is still the expression of the creativity of individuals to with some chemical engineering examples among them: heat
transform the proposed ways of solution into a concrete one. TRIZ exchanger (Busov, Mann, & Jirman, 1999), food processing equip-
encompasses various tools, but for the remainder of this article, we ment (Totobesola-Barbier, Marouzé, & Giroux, 2002), fluidized bed
only detail the contradiction matrix. Appendix 1 describes it for a combustion (Lee, Lee, & Oh, 2002), clogging of a multi-drum fil-
better understanding of the TRIZ processing and of our approach. ter (Carr, 1999), computer aided software (Braunschweig & Irons,
2002). In their general paper, Poppe and Gras (2002) had described
2.2. Eco-innovation approaches how TRIZ can be successfully applied on specific problems of the
process industry.
Concerning eco innovative design, most of the studies published But because of its high abstract level, chemical engineers have
in the literature explained how useful TRIZ is for design and high- experienced some difficulties. They required refining the generic
light, how it can be applied efficiently for this research subject. principles and enriching them with specific domain knowledge.
Fresner, Jantschgi, Birkel, Barnthaler, and Krenn (2010) applied Hence, some researchers had adapted the TRIZ matrix into a nar-
it in cleaner production to have a more rational use of materials row field of expertise (Li, Rong, & Kraslawski, 2001; Li, Rong, &
and energy to reduce waste and emissions in industrial activities. Kraslawski, 2002; Li, Rong, Kraslawski, & Nyström, 2003; Srinivasan
Chang and Chen (2004) conceived a five steps process based on & Kraslawski, 2006). With these attempts the abstract level is lower
the technical contradiction of TRIZ that covers a part of the eco- resulting in more operational tools but at a loss of generality leading
inventive design process, from the problem formulation to the to less inventive solutions in another hand. Indeed, as we explain in
choice of the first design parameters. Some studies had coupled the previous part, the most innovative solutions arise with repro-
TRIZ with other methods such as FMEA (Yen & Chen, 2005), design ducible solution archetypes across technical domains and not in a
for X tools and life cycle analysis (Grote, Jones, Blount, Goodyer, narrow field. Consequently, such matrices do not correspond to the
and Shayler, 2007). Various approaches tried to couple TRIZ and original logic of TRIZ. This high abstract level is the main issue of
quality function deployment (Chen & Liu, 2003; Kobayashi, 2006; TRIZ resulting in difficulties in its application, and particularly for
Sakeo, 2007). Kobayashi (2006) proposed a four steps method the contradiction matrix. Usually, without practice it is very diffi-
based on the TRIZ contradiction matrix to improve the ratio: prod- cult to reach the contradiction and to adapt generic guidelines of
uct value/environmental impact. Sakeo (2007) presented another the principles into concrete solutions.
approach coupling TRIZ and QFD but by adding life cycle analysis. Nevertheless the contradiction matrix has a special place among
Cascini, Rissone, Rotini, and Russo (2011) aimed to bridge system- the TRIZ tools, due to its conceptual simplicity. Unfortunately, it is
atic invention practice with product lifecycle management systems also the source of many disappointments because of unsuccessful
by integrating TRIZ principles within a computer aided design sys- attempts. Indeed, for our purpose, nothing was done for including
tem. eco-design issues and for dealing with the increasing complexity
More recently, Yang and Chen (2011) presented an approach of current problems. It becomes difficult to reduce the problem-
based on the coupling between TRIZ, case based reasoning and life atic situation to one and only one contradiction. Unfortunately, the
cycle analysis. Their solving tool is based on the coupling between current contradiction matrix cannot afford to solve simultaneously
the TRIZ contradiction matrix and the seven eco-efficiency axes all the remaining contradictions, they must be treated sequen-
proposed by the World Business Council of Sustainable Develop- tially. But in a more satisfactory approach this solving step must be
ment (WBCSD). Samet, Ledoux, and Nadeau (2010) conducted a improved for considering them together to propose more coherent
research on another way to integrate the WBSCD axis in the eco- and integrated solutions. Furthermore there is a lack of approach
innovation process and they presented an evolution of their design for the initial analysis to clearly identify and extract the contradic-
tool to support innovation (based on TRIZ tools) to deal with eco- tion, and then to transpose it with the engineering parameters. The
innovation problems. All these approaches and methods extended user places its hopes (often disappointed) on the robustness of the
TRIZ capabilities with the support of other approaches but none of tool to bring her/him back to the right principles despite an incor-
them tried to modify and adapt its tools to deal with eco design con- rect contradiction. This is the goal of the next section to propose
tradictions. Chen and Liu (2001) develop an eco-innovative method a framework to improve problem analysis, to decrease the level of
based on the inventive principles but without requiring contra- abstraction, and to deal with eco-innovation and complexity issues.
diction formulation. Even if they illustrated the capability of their
proposed method, there is a lack of a deep initial analysis on the
3. Design methodology for eco-innovative problem
problematic situation leading to uncertainties in the problem for-
mulation.
The design of systems is a creative activity starting from require-
Furthermore, all these eco-innovative approaches focused on
ments, needs and existing knowledge until the definition of a
product design and not on process design, and operated at a high
system, industrially feasible, and satisfying the needs. During the
level of abstraction (not concrete enough). Indeed, they gave only
design process imprecision decreases monotonically, Giachetti,
ways or guidelines to explore in order to find an inventive solution,
Young, Roggatz, Eversheim, and Perrone (1997) showed it graph-
which are often too abstract and hard to translate into a concrete
ically in Fig. 2. The different steps of the design process require
inventive concept.
specific knowledge representation methods. The design process
starts from abstract models of the system to reach detailed models
2.3. Strengths and weaknesses of TRIZ
at the end of the process. This work is focused on the conceptual
design steps and has to deal with specific methods to handle the
Despite significant achievements, numerous success stories and
high level of the models and the linguistic variables.
real technological breakthroughs in several companies for instance
in automotive, aeronautic, electronic industries, TRIZ is still not well
established in chemical engineering. However, TRIZ has several 3.1. Workflow of the methodology
capabilities to offer concrete contributions and future perspectives
on research in industrial innovation practice. Among these capabil- The workflow of the proposed eco-innovative methodology
ities, all of its structuring, scientific background and technological decomposes the problem into three principal steps as illustrated
roots have already been mentioned. In most of the applications in Fig. 3. Each step is subdivided into several sub-steps where the
 J.B. Ferrer et al. / Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151 141

Clarification Conceptual Embodiment Detailed resources constraints. Thanks to a deep analysis of the problem,
of Task Design Design Design the requirements and specifications are reduced to the principal
bottlenecks and then the principal contradictions. This first step is
broken down into six sub-steps.
Level of Stochastic uncertainty
imprecision or (i.e. the production 3.2.1. Sub-step 1: Objective to reach
Fuzziness process variation)
A system is designed in order to realize one (or several) action(s)
or function(s). Indeed, it is composed of subsystems which trans-
Design progression form or convert inlet fluxes (energy and/or mass) into the desired
action. Based on the functional analysis, this vision allows to define
the desired function with action verbs: to separate, to disperse,
Linguistic Variables
to diffuse, to exchange, etc. In this step, the user selects action
Fuzzy Numbers verb(s) which represents its design goal to reach. The next steps
Real Numbers of the methodology consist of the transformation of the specified
functional requirements into design parameters.
Fig. 2. Design Stages versus imprecision and type of variables (Giachetti et al., 1997).
3.2.2. Sub-step 2: Define the design bottlenecks
user adds information on the problem description, constraints or Cavallucci, Khomenko, and Morel (2005) and Khomenko and De
makes some decisions to proceed to the next step or sub-step. To Guio (2007) proposed a new formalism of representation to assist
support his actions, existing or specifically created tools and algo- designer during the analysis of the problematic situation. This for-
rithms are used. The workflow containing all the sub-steps and the malism is especially dedicated to innovative design and it is called
link between them is detailed in the next sections of this part. OTSM method. The first result of their research is a graphical for-
malization of the problems. This network of problems is a semantic
3.2. Problem definition and oriented graph. In a first stage, a list of the most awkward prob-
lems is established and a hierarchical ranking is driven according
The goal of this step is to define the technological problem by time and space localization of problems. If some partial solutions
establishing: the objective of the design, the bottlenecks, and the appear, they are included and linked to their initiatory sub prob-
lems. Then the network is built, leading to a clear picture of the
whole problematic situation: goal to achieve, sub problems, partial
solution and connections between them. The last stage consists of
identifying the major bottlenecks in the network with the idea that
behind each ones there is a contradiction hidden.

3.2.3. Sub-step 3: Contradictions identification

In this sub-step the previous network of problems is turned into
a network of contradictions. Here again, this sub-step is based on a
semantic tree of the OTSM method that transforms the bottlenecks
into technical contradictions. Then this network is pruned to reduce
it to the most challenging contradictions towards which mutual
interests converge. Its goal is to decrease the complexity by reduc-
ing the number of contradictions. Three reduction modes were
identified: center of importance, evolution and resource oriented.
We use these previous two networks for our problem formaliza-
tion because thanks to their strengths and complementarities they
allow to manage the complexity on the one hand. They also create
a collaborative working environment where experts with different
technical skills can easily have interaction, understand problem and
propose shared representation of the problems on the other hand.

3.2.4. Sub-step 4: Contradictions formulation

Of course, this phase must be always largely guided by techno-
logical and market development. Consequently, the contradiction
formulation with the classical TRIZ engineering parameters is pre-
served. But, as our approach proposes to develop an eco-innovative
method, we must enlarge them in order to formulate specific
contradictions dedicated to environmental constraints. The World
Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has devel-
oped seven eco-friendly elements that can be used by engineers
as eco innovative target for new design. They are used in order to
reduce the environmental impact of products or processes: mate-
rial intensity, energy intensity, dispersion of materials or waves,
recyclability, use of renewable resources, durability, and service
intensity.
These elements gather the principal categories of impacts com-
ing from materials and energy. The first three clearly expressed
Fig. 3. General workflow of the methodology. a decreased of environmental impact resulting from resources
142 J.B. Ferrer et al. / Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151

consumption or rejects. Contrariwise, the last four elements give information feature gathers all these important details. The term
actions and design guidelines that allow to indirectly avoid negative system specifies the new functions or properties created by modify-
environmental impact. This macroscopic vision of the environmen- ing the links between sub systems or by new ways to arrange them.
tal aspect gives an exhaustive and global approach of all the impacts The resource localization enlarges the possibility to reach new solu-
to support eco-innovation design. This high level of abstraction tions, and the vision of the problem in order to optimize resources
makes the eco-friendly elements compatible with TRIZ engineering exploitation or to propose more integrated solutions. A resource
parameters. necessary in one place of the process but is available at another
With a further definition the eco-friendly elements are consid- place, leads to question the coupling or the merging between both
ered as engineering parameters (we called them eco-engineering parts. To ensure the desired functions, resources must interact.
parameters), with the following definitions:
3.2.6. Sub-step 6: Resources characterization
• EP1-material intensity: it refers to the impact of materials or sub- The identification of resources must be accompanied with a
stances but also the choice of them and the wastes generated by characterization useful to improve the performance and the envi-
the system. ronmental impact factor of the system designed. Consequently,
• EP2-energy intensity: it refers to the energetic efficiency or con- these interactions have to be qualified in terms of quantity, qual-
sumption. ity. They are also characterized according the following features:
• EP3-dispersion of materials or waves: it refers to dispersion or use toxicity, cost and recyclability. Based on these features, it can be
of toxic substances but it can be extended to the limitation of possible to calculate a criterion to evaluate the potentiality of each
substances in a system. effect according a resource point of view:
• EP4-recyclability: it refers to the recyclability of substances con-
sidered in its broader sense: functional reuse, material recycling, 
Nres

mechanical recycling, energetic valorization and so on. CRe = Qlk × Qtk × Cok × Lok × Rek (estimated with Table 1) (1)
• EP-5 use of renewable resources: it refers not only to renewable k=1

resources but also to the use of resources available in the system To map and gather all these information on the resources, we
and its vicinity. built a tool based on the multi-screens analysis of TRIZ, shown in
• EP6-durability: it refers to the lifetime of a system. Fig. 4. Each rectangle is composed of a table for resource qualifica-
• EP7-service intensity: it refers to the services associated with the tion. Furthermore, its system vision is well appropriated to address
system. the complexity of problems. Indeed, the multi screens view tool
considers the interdependence of systems (and also sub systems or
Thus, they are added to the classical engineering parame- super systems) and fluxes between them both in time and space
ters to formulate contradictions. We can notice that these seven scales. This approach is also interesting in order to ensure coherent
eco-parameters undoubtedly overlap some initial engineering and well-structured solutions.
parameters. EP2 is the most obvious because it is formed through
the combination of the engineering parameters; 19 energy spent by 3.3. Problem formulation
a moving object, 20 energy spent by a none moving object, and 22
waste of energy. Chen and Liu (2001) established the relationships The goal of this step is to formulate the problem with a
between both types of parameters. Nevertheless, a detailed anal- mathematical model. After the problem analysis, all the data and
ysis of the initial parameters reveals that overlaps exist also, but requirements must be traduced as constraints. Furthermore we
it was decided that it is far more efficient to provide some spe- have to define what will be a solution to a problem. Indeed we
cific parameters to clearly identify a contradiction. EP2 falls into could use the TRIZ principles but as previously mentioned in Sec-
this category of meta-parameters because it gathers some existing tion 2.3, they are too abstract. Consequently the definition domain
ones but it has also a broader definition. It can be used when uncer- of the variables of the model must be specified.
tainty still remains or when the system does not correspond to any
engineering parameters. 3.3.1. Sub-step 1: Constraints formulation
As explained before TRIZ has a convergent process guided by two
3.2.5. Sub-step 5: Resources identification categories of constraints: contradictions and specific conditions of
Physical, technological and functional aspects of the problem are the problem. The interest of a convergent design process is to focus
modelled with contradictions. But in eco design (innovative or not) on the acquisition of critical data for solving the problem. In addi-
the resources play a primordial role because of their strong influ- tion, reducing the search area, by taking into account the specific
ence on the solution and its environmental impact. Consequently conditions, allows the integration of the constraints imposed by the
they must be integrated as an important element of the preliminary system development and thus to ensure the viability of concepts
design stage. The goal of this introduction is not only to optimize generated.
the use of resources already present in the system or its vicinity, Once the problem formalized and pruned to the most impor-
but also to evaluate in the early steps of design the environmental tant contradictions with the OTSM networks, they are considered
profile of a product or process to reach more eco-friendly solutions. as constraints in our model. By considering the contradictions as
Here the term resource is taken in its broadest sense. Obvi- constraints we limit the research area to the most promising ways
ously it refers to the chemical or materials substances and their by taking advantage of the knowledge gathered in the eco-matrix
associated state, the physical fields (e.g. chemical, mechanical. . .), (presented in sub-step 3).
time, space but also to additional information on the studied sys- In our approach, the specific conditions are linked to the
tems. Table in Fig. 4 details the characterization of resources in our research of environmental friendly solution on the one hand and
approach. The time allows not only to synthesize the time range to the goals to reach (function and action) on the other hand. The
before, during and after the realization of the various desired func- latter give, the actions or functionalities to achieve by the solution.
tion, but also to list the waiting time planned or not. The space refers Consequently, they allow to select the most promising solutions.
to void, available or free areas that can be exploited. Chemical reac- The former encompasses all the resources available in the system
tions are examples of useful information on a system because it can and in its vicinity (the list of resources dawn up with the devel-
lead to new species (desired or not), new fields (e.g. thermal). This oped multi-screens tool). In accordance with the most important
 J.B. Ferrer et al. / Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151 143

Fig. 4. Enlarged multi screens approach for resource analysis.

pattern of evolution, the system must evolve towards ideality, i.e. efforts to transcribe and adapt the proposed way of solution into
maximizing its functionalities and in the same time minimizing the field of application. On the other hand, substances-fields anal-
the waste and harmful functions. This law advises us to restrict the ysis requires a more detailed analysis of the problem and a more
introduction of new resources. Consequently, the list of available sophisticated understanding of the modelling approach but it is
resources reduces the list of possible solutions. For instance, when based on more concrete knowledge bases, i.e. standards and effects
a conceivable solution needs too much additional resources (fixed which are closer to practical solutions. It is interesting to combine
by the designer but lower than 3) which are not available in the sys- the conceptual simplicity of the contradiction matrix with the real-
tem or in its vicinity, or when it needs resources with high toxicity ity proximity of effects. By this association, we could create a link
or low recyclability, the potential solution is withdrawn from the between these TRIZ tools, nonexistent until now.
list. Moreover, some specific constraints on operating parameters Because of the previous reasons, each domain could not be
can be added, e.g. on pressure, temperature, flow rate etc. After the defined with the 40 principles. Besides, to treat the multi contra-
problem resolution (Step 3), if no solution satisfies all the problem dictions problems (complexity), the number of principles shared
constraints, the designer can interact with the tool to relax some of by any two contradictions is very small. Worse, the interpretation
those constraints. of each principle depends on the contradiction, the goal to reach
The model is composed with four classes of constraints: and the specific conditions. Consequently, this domain definition
seems inappropriate.
- Objective: action verb. At the first time, the level of abstraction of each principle must
- Contradictions: technical and eco-contradictions. be decreased. However, the principles do not form a mathematical
- Resources: characteristics. partition of the solutions space. The principles were detailed but not
- Specific constraints: operational, structural, etc. too refined because a narrow definition should restrict or inhibit
creativity. The search for common zones between principles has
3.3.2. Sub-step 2: Domains definition also a great interest for solving a single contradiction. Indeed, if a
Fig. 5 illustrates the different possible models and the associated common zone exits between some principles gathered in a same
knowledge bases offered through TRIZ. Depending on the available cell, it is one preferred direction to explore during the search of
knowledge on the problem and the expertise of the designer, TRIZ a concept. The generated concepts coming from these identified
proposes models with different levels of abstraction. Technical con- zones often have a higher level of inventiveness because these are
tradictions are situated at the highest level of abstraction, followed the result of a combination of several principles.
by physical contradictions and substances-fields analysis. Next to After a deep and detailed analysis, each principle was broken
these models, the solving methods and tools are based on more down into several clusters; each one consists of translating a search
and more concrete knowledge bases: matrix and the principles direction into a concrete solution for practice. This is done through
for technical contradictions, separation methods for contradictions the use of physical, biological, chemical or geometrical phenomena
and finally standards and effects for the substances-fields analysis. or effects which transform the system and its actions. These scien-
On the one hand the contradictions and the resolution matrix pro- tific effects are at the heart of all the transfer phenomena, material
vide a tool conceptually simple, easy to use as a first approach. But conversion, technological accomplishment and technical break-
it remains at a high level of abstraction, resulting in substantial throughs consequently they form our solution first search domain.
144 J.B. Ferrer et al. / Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151

Fig. 5. Model and data knowledge of TRIZ.

Several thousands of effects are registered across all the scientific to identify which inventive principle possesses high priority with
domains with less than 400 usually applied in industries (more- respect to the new possible contradictions. To ensure the eco inno-
over in a specific domain an expert knows less than 100 effects). vation vision in the extended matrix, we had analyzed patents
The introduction of new scientific effects or the use of known ones dedicated to current eco-innovative designed products, some of
in another context (enlarging its potential applications) leads to them come from the World and European patents data bases, the
propose new inventive ideas. Thus, with our approach, each prin- others from the WBCSD web-site. The data search strategy consists
ciple is interpreted according to its original contradiction, and it is of identifying the eco-design contradiction and then assessing the
attached with a list of possible effects or phenomena that could be principles most commonly used for each new contradiction, shown
applied to solve that specific contradiction. in Fig. 6.
A database of effects or phenomena was created. This database Finally, the model can be summed up as follows:
needs an efficient structure of the knowledge and inference engine Constraints: Solution space:
to search and store effects from different points of view. As a con- - Objective Data base of effects or phenomena (chemical,
sequence, the effects and phenomena are not stored by name but biological, physical, and geometrical)
- Contradictions
the architecture is established from function accomplished and the
- Resources
resources characteristics to implement it. - Specific constraints

3.3.3. Sub-step 3: Model formulation 3.4. Problem resolution

Before to formulate the model, we have to present how we can
include the new eco-engineering parameters in the classical TRIZ The objective of this step is to identify the best ideas by solving
matrix. Chen and Liu (2001) examined how these seven elements a Constraint Programming problem with respect to all the con-
and the 39 engineering parameters of the contradiction matrix are straints (operational, technical, structural). Each effect leads to an
related. Thanks to their relation table, designer can select related idea, that once developed will be translated into a promising pro-
engineering parameters under a certain eco-friendly elements. cess option which encompasses a category of process equipment
After this selection the matrix is used in its original form. One of the that can be used, modified or improved to establish the effect or
main difficulties of their approach is to find the engineering param- phenomena. Subsequently, the final solution needs further design,
eter which is coherent with the eco-friendly element and the design i.e. detailed design and needs to be validated through experiments.
purpose. Furthermore, the links between eco-friendly elements and
the engineering parameters are not exhaustive and not always jus- 3.4.1. Sub-step 1: Resolution method parameterization
tified. Indeed, they assume that in the initial matrix, the inventive Once formulated, the problem is solved with a constraint pro-
principle which appears often by rows and by columns indicated gramming (CP) method. Several studies such as Nemati, Steiger,
that their use would lead to a higher success rate. Consequently, Iyer, and Herschel (2002) have demonstrated that this kind of
association between principles and engineering parameters with a methods could be used in design-aided tools where the general or
statistical analysis (frequency of association between each princi- expert knowledge can be extracted, explicated and formalized. This
ple and each engineering parameter) leads to principles that are
never used (e.g. equipotentiality) but they can guide designers
towards eco-friendly solutions. The main reason of this drawback is
that the frequency of association is not based on an eco-innovative
vision. Among the principles “artificially” added in the cells, some
have been proved to be inefficient or even irrelevant for solving
the contradiction, even if they are statistically relevant to improve
the parameter or to avoid the damage of the other one. Besides,
the idea of performing their statistical analysis sounds inappro-
priate because the same inventive principle should be interpreted
differently according to the specific contradiction identified.
In our approach, the eco-parameters are added to the classi-
cal technical contradiction matrix leading to a 46 × 46 eco-design
matrix, Fig. 6. Next, with the widening of the matrix, new cells
are created, and have to be filled with inventive principles. The 40
inventive principles map the whole solution space consequently
they are sufficient enough, there is no need to create new ones,
confirmed by a new patent analysis (Mann et al., 2003). We have Fig. 6. New eco-contradiction matrix.
 J.B. Ferrer et al. / Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151 145

implies that the knowledge can be traduced with an element in C or for each ones advises and information in the way to successfully
several ones in the triplet (V: variables, D: domains, C: constraints). implement the effect or phenomena in the unit operation and on
CP methods are very useful for the conceptual phase of the the limitations or bottlenecks to avoid.
design process due to:
4. Biomass gasification case study
- Its formalism for attainment, representation and structuration of
knowledge which contribute to perpetuate the design activity.
4.1. Problem statement
- Its capability to take into account imprecision which is expressed
first by linguistic variables then by fuzzy ones (Giachetti et al.,
With the recent price fluctuations and dwindling fossil fuels
1997).
resources, there has been a trend towards use of alternative energy
- Its ability to consider miscellaneous and heterogeneous require-
sources. Nowadays, biomass is the energy source with the highest
ments on the system that allows to consider them simultaneously
potential in response to the requirements in strategies to reduce
and thus avoiding iterations along the design process.
greenhouse gas emissions. The synthesis gas (syngas) produced by
- Its possibility to state that a problem has no solution or to find all
biomass transformations can be used in several applications such as
the possible solutions, i.e. all the design alternatives in our case.
second generation biofuels (methanol, dimethylether, and Fisher-
- Its ability to preserve the initial problem structure instead to
Tropsch diesel) (Van Rossu, Potic, Kersten, & Van Swaaij, 2009),
translate it in another form avoiding loss of information.
renewable hydrogen production (Florin & Harris, 2007), fuel cells
(Xuan, Leung, Leung, & Ni, 2009), cogeneration: heat and electricity.
These methods (detailed in Appendix 2) combine filtering tech-
Biomass solid fuels can be converted into energy via various
niques to reduce the definition domains by using the constraints
biological and thermo chemical processes. Depending on the appli-
with tree search algorithm to find solutions. The performances
cation of the syngas, several thermo chemical conversion methods
of the method strongly depend on the filtering technique imple-
are available: combustion, pyrolysis, and gasification. Biomass gasi-
mented and the order with which the variables and constraints are
fication gathers several endothermic reactions between carbon and
taken into account. At this last point, some heuristics are integrated
reacting gas resulting in production of several gases such as: carbon
into a CP solver: “select first the more constrained variable”, “select
monoxide, hydrogen and traces of methane. Fig. 7 shows schemat-
first the variable with the smallest definition domain”, “select first
ically the distinct mechanisms that take place in the process.
the constraint which encompasses the largest number of variables”
There are two main types of gasifier technologies; fixed beds
etc. Furthermore a CP solver was developed to add functionalities,
classified according to the way air or oxygen are introduced and
e.g. choice between several arc consistency algorithms. Before to
fluidized beds depending on the gas superficial velocity. The choice
start the resolution, the user can parameter the methods by choos-
from one technology to another depends on many parameters such
ing some of the previous options (heuristics and arc consistency
as the range of expected power, the final use of the syngas, the
algorithms). After resolution, if it is stated that the faced prob-
biomass properties. Fluidized bed reactors are considered to be
lem has no solution, the user goes back to sub-steps 1 or 3 of the
the most advanced technology with several reactor configurations
‘Problem Formulation’ to release some constraints.
proposed in the literature. From the industrial point of view the
circulating fluidized bed is the more established with processes in
3.4.2. Sub-step 2: Generation of feasible concepts
Austria, Sweden and Finland, consequently we are interested to
The current inventive problem solving methods require long
improve this technology.
time to reach solution because each new design starts from scratch.
The two major constraints to the biomass gasification develop-
The goal of this sub-step is to propose rapidly an initial feasible
ment are the diversity of biomass and the presence of pollutants in
solution without restarting the whole creative and design pro-
the syngas. The former gives different properties to the biomass
cesses. At the end of this sub-step a list of possible chemical process
resulting in a strong influence on the operating conditions and
equipment is generated in order to operate the effect found in the
on the composition of the pollutants in the syngas. For the lat-
preceding sub-step. In order to achieve this, a case base is filled with
ter, after the pyrolysis stage, hydrocarbon compounds, namely tars
previous equipment obtained from past solutions found with the
are created and are harmful to the future use of the syngas: foul-
methodology or patented solutions (analysis of some patents to fill
ing, problems of maintenance. The tars content is directly linked
the base). Then a case based reasoning (CBR) system was created
to the quality of biomass and the gasification process retained.
to retrieve a list of candidate unit operations which could involve
Indeed, through their design some processes decrease the presence
the proposed effect or phenomena.
of these tars, it is particularly the case for the circulating fluidized
The CBR is used to structure the information and the knowledge
bed. Unfortunately, they are not completely removed, thus their
gathered in the case base but also thanks to its ability to exploit in
elimination requires important investment and maintenance costs.
an efficient and flexible way the knowledge developed during past
With tars, ashes are also generated by inorganics involved. So, they
designs. CBR is a five steps method to exploit, maintain and update
cannot be reduced except by improving biomass quality to have
a knowledge base. After the presentation of the faced problem (1st
lower ash biomass.
Step), the CBR system retrieves (2nd Step) the most similar problem
The circulating fluidized bed is schematized on the right part of
in the case base and tries to reuse (3rd Step) and revise (4th Step) its
Fig. 7. Among its strengths we can underline its: good temperature
solution to propose a solution to the initial problem. Once solved,
and kinetics control, high flexibility towards fuel (type and size),
the new problem and its solution can be stored (5th Step) in order
moderate tars content and high conversion rate. On the other side,
to enlarge the case base. The CBR brings several more complex sub-
it has also some weaknesses like its high concentration of particles,
processes explained in Pal and Shiu (2004) with further details for
its pressure drop because of ashes and it difficulty to operate with
chemical engineering design given in Negny and Le Lann (2008).
biomass having a percentage of moisture greater than 20%.
In the CBR system of the methodology, to describe the prob-
lem faced the user needs: the effect or phenomena to operate or
enhance, data on the resources needed (description of streams, 4.2. Application of the method
state, characteristics, etc.), data on energy (heat exchange, heat gen-
erated, energy lower or upper bounds (if necessary)). As a solution The detailed results of each step of the previous workflow are
the CBR system gives not only a list of process equipment but also given with supplementary precisions on the tools used.
146 J.B. Ferrer et al. / Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151

Fig. 7. Mechanisms involved in the gasifier and circulating fluidized bed.

4.2.1. Step 1: Problem definition partial solution has a direct impact on the heat recovery between
Sub-step 1: The minimization of the tars and ashes in the outlet combustion and gasification chambers.
stream of the circulating fluidized bed is used as our goal. Conse- Sub-step 3: The network of contradictions is composed of var-
quently the action verb “To eliminate” is selected. Another purpose ious types of parameters and relations between them, as shown
of the design is “To increase energy efficiency” in table in Fig. 9. The contradictions are represented by symbols
Sub-step 2: In Fig. 8, a small part of the OTSM network of prob- as illustrated in Fig. 9; the two outlet arrows express the opposi-
lems is shown for the improvement of biomass power plant. The tion between two parameters. To prune the macro network into
pollutants generate two major categories of problem; process plant the most challenging contradictions, Cavallucci et al. (2005) had
efficiency on the one side and regular maintenance and cleaning established some rules to use in order to restrict the set of contra-
on the other side. In theses conditions, it is necessary to reduce dictions to the key ones, problems towards which converge mutual
their presence or to remove them before the use of the syngas interests.
because they generate important operating and maintenance costs. Concerning the tars, the main way of purification is carried out at
This economic obstacle is the major bottleneck to the expansion high temperature between 950 ◦ C and 1100 ◦ C. Unfortunately, the
of biomass as energy source. Two possible ways of solution could output gasification temperature is around 850 ◦ C. This temperature
be used: to produce clean syngas at the outlet stream of the gasi- has an upper limit due to the balance between the temperature of
fication chamber or to clean it after production and before use. the combustion part, the endothermic reaction, and with the ther-
Another possible solution for regular maintenance could be to stop mal losses. One possible solution to increase temperature in the
the process periodically to make the cleaning operations, but with gasification chamber is to enhance the temperature in the com-
economical consequences and control issues regarding the start bustion one. But the latter (approximately 1000 ◦ C) is constrained
up phases. This way of solution is unforeseen because it is out on the one hand by the melting point of ashes and on the other hand
of the scope of our study. Khomenko, De Guio, Lelait, and Kaikov by the cash return of the process. Indeed, increasing the tempera-
(2007) present another vision of the network of problem for the ture means a greater consumption of biomass in this operation and
biomass issue, e.g. they analyzed deeply the previous partial solu- as a result a lower production of syngas. Another available solution
tion “periodically cleaning”. Obviously there are similar problems was to increase heat exchange between both previous chambers by
and solutions between both presentations but each one has its own increasing the gas residence time in the combustion chamber. As a
specificity, for instance a more general point of view is given in consequence it should be necessary to enhance the size of the com-
Khomenko, De Guio, Lelait, and Kaikov (2007) and more chemical bustion chamber and thus the thermal losses. Moreover, the more
engineering oriented vision by us. the residence time is increased, the more the energy flux towards
In Fig. 8, the sub network arising from the partial solution “Pro- the gasification chamber is reduced.
duce Clean Syngas”, we can underline that currently, it is difficult Another feasible branch of solution for the pollution of syngas is
to explain the root causes of tars formation. Indeed there is still a to clean it before use. In these conditions, the syngas also requires a
poor scientific knowledge concerning their formation mechanisms. process of purification for removing solid particles of ashes stripped
This complicates the design of a process in order to try to limit in the output flow and for eliminating tars. Currently, to mini-
their formations. In this context, we focus on the cleaning branch mize ashes and tars, the syngas undergoes a succession of two
of the network. The problematic situation can be decomposed into types of complex treatments: furnace, scrubber and heat exchang-
two sub problems: the reduction of tars and ashes. Ashes are car- ers for tars and filtering for ashes. Unfortunately, the presence of
ried out by the gas stream of the fluidized bed; therefore another tars and ashes causes plugs that foul the ducts, requiring regular
technological apparatus could be imagined to avoid gas flow. This cleaning, and deposition of tars in the turbines when the syngas
 J.B. Ferrer et al. / Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151 147

Sub Problem Pollutants in

the Syngas

Partial Process Regular Maintenance

Solution Efficiency of apparatus

Produce clean Clean syngas after

syngas production

How syngas Tars

pollutants arise ? elimination

Poor scientific knowledge Temperature not Ashes stripped in the Solid particles Scrubber to Thermal device: Prevent or avoid
on tars formation high enough outlet flow withdrawal wash syngas furnaces tars deposition

Increase heat exchange Increase temperature in Produce clean Specific New energy Electrical energy Energy
between chambers combustion chamber syngas filters source needed consumption consumption

Thermal Heat Ash Melting Cash Energy recovery Smal particles Rgular Cost
looses recovery point return between chambers still present cleaning efficiency

Coagulation

New device
and cost

Fig. 8. Network of problems.

is used for cogeneration (engine breakage). It is therefore essen- effective, this solution requires a rise in temperature by combustion
tial to reduce the costs of cleaning equipment, or even to remove of a larger fraction of biomass and therefore a loss of production
one (or more) step(s) of gas post treatment. In the syngas output of syngas. The contradiction of this problem can be expressed as
stream to deal with the problem of tars specific filters or a coag- follow: the elimination of a substance decreases the productivity.
ulation device can be added to the process. Both solutions lead to Using the 46 parameters it is modelled by:
additional prohibitive costs. Khomenko et al. (2007) had studied
more deeply the filter branch but with cost considerations it can amount of substance (26) vs. productivity (39)
be quickly dropped out. Finally, Fig. 9 illustrates the two remaining
contradictions concerning the cleaning issues of the syngas leaving
the combustion chambers. Each contradiction refers to one of the 4.2.1.2. Ash. The elimination of the solid particles requires addi-
pollutants to eliminate. tional equipment (specific filter for example) which complicates
Sub-step 4: The previous contradictions represent the concrete the process. For this problem, the contradiction is formalized
problem. In this step the problem is reformulated at a higher level using the following parameters:dispersion of materials or waves
of abstraction with the parameters of the eco-matrix. (EP3) vs. complexity (36)
Sub-step 5: The resources used in the process are listed thanks
to the tool presented in Fig. 3. All the resources are considered, all
4.2.1.1. Tars. The energy necessary to reduce the tars can be the chemical compounds and their states, e.g. solid olivine (used
brought through a heat recovery from the combustion part, thus to recovery between chambers), air, moisture, but also heat fields,
avoiding additional and expensive equipment. In order to be mechanical fields, pressure field, information on reaction, void

Evaluaon Parameter X
Posive influence of A
.
Purity Purity
Acve Subsequence
.
Parameter
High present
.
Evaluaon Parameter Y
Link point between two Posive influence of Ā
acve parameters
Temper ature Separaon

Active Parameter Parameter whose values can change but controlled by designer
Low Absent
Evaluation Parameter Parameter influenced by changes of Active parameter(s)
Influence Influence of a parameter
Producvity Process Complexity
Value A (and opp osite Ā) Limit values of a parameter
Parameters contradiction Relationship between an active parameter and the two
evaluations parameters influenced by its opposite values
Sub sequence Influence between two evaluations parameters

Fig. 9. Contradictions formulation (Cavallucci et al., 2005), application to biomass gasification.

148 J.B. Ferrer et al. / Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151

space inside the chambers, etc. We limit the resources analysis to

the system and sub-systems. We do not voluntarily give the exhaus-
tive list of the resource because it is too long and not fundamental
for the remainder of the article.
Sub-step 6: Once the list of resources established, they are qual-
ified thanks to formula (1) and Table 1. For the same reasons as the
previous sub-steps, this one is not detailed.

4.2.2. Step 2: Problem formulation

The three sub-steps of step 2 lead to problem formulation. Sub-
Fig. 10. New intensified heat exchanger.
steps 2 and 3 are not detailed in this example because they put in
highlight the tools to model a problem and prepare the resolution
step: effects data base and new eco-matrix with its new cells. For pressure (thermal cracking) with the potential use of a catalyst. Cat-
the biomass gasification case study the model can be sum up with alytic cracking allows to operate under much less severe conditions.
the following constraints: As explained before, the major difficulty is that cracking must be
carried out at high temperature. But during the resources drawing
Objectives: “To eliminate”
“To increase energy efficiency” up, a thermal field that enables to reach the required temperature
Contradictions: Amount of substance vs. productivity has been identified in the combustion chamber.
Dispersion of materials or waves vs. complexity Fig. 10 gives a mere schematic representation of the patented
Resources: Partial description given in Sub-step 5 solution (EP1840191A1, 2007). The device set-up consists of flow-
Specific constraints: Temperature in the combustion chamber <1000 ◦ C
Decrease the size of the devices (compared to current
ing the syngas through a siphon filled with liquid. In the inlet
design) part, the syngas flows inside a bundle of small channels in order
Decrease the biomass consumption in the combustion to increase its temperature to reach 950 ◦ C, and then it is injected
chamber into the liquid in the form of bubbles. The liquid should remain at
high temperature but also to have a catalytic effect with respect to
4.2.3. Step 3: Problem resolution the reaction of cracking, if possible. For example molten metals or
Sub-step 1: The discrete constraint satisfaction Problem was molten salts with a melting point lower than 900 ◦ C can be used:
solved with the common AC3 algorithm coupled with the heuris- sodium, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, lithium carbon-
tic “Select first variables with the smallest definition domain”. Then ate, sodium carbonate, etc. Deflectors are arranged in the bottom
the remaining available effects are ranked according to the resource part in order to increase the residence time of bubbles in the right of
criteria. Fig. 10 and consequently the contact time because bubble rise too
The geometrical effect “Put a system inside another” and the quickly in the ascending part. This gas–liquid contact also caused
physical one “Gravitation” are the two principal effects proposed by the suspension of ashes in the liquid thanks to lift forces. With the
the model. The first effect leads to the idea to put a device inside the gravitational effect ashes can be cleaned by a simple and not very
combustion chamber in order to beneficiate of its high temperature expensive scraper. Another great interest of this solution is that
and its void space. the two pollutants are eliminated in the same device. The effec-
In an ideal configuration, the combustion chamber must be tiveness of this system is enhanced by improving the heat transfer
directly in contact with the gasification chamber to improve the by increasing the exchange surface thanks to mechanical devices:
exchanges by thermal conduction and thus decreasing the temper- extending the length of multiple channels, adding fins between the
ature difference between both chambers. compartment containing the liquid and the surroundings environ-
To go further with the geometrical effect, the combustion cham- ment.
ber could be placed inside the gasification chamber to increase the
exchange surface and thus the thermal transfer. In turn, the gasi- 5. Discussion about methodology
fication chamber could be situated within the storage enclosure in
order to not isolate it from the outside in one hand and to dry the The initial version of the methodology has two major limita-
biomass before gasification. Indeed the heat from the gasification tions: the method and tools to analyze and solve the problem, and
could also be used to remove water from biomass. However the the lack of criteria to drive the decision for choosing between alter-
temperature in the storage tank does not be greater than 150 ◦ C to natives.
avoid risk of ignition of the biomass. With the high temperature First, the following stand-alone methods and tools are discussed
of the gasification chamber compared to the desired temperature multi contradictions resolution, effect database and CBR system
for storage an insulation layer should be interposed between both. on equipments. The evolution of classical TRIZ methods for the
This solution with successive overlapping similar as nested dolls resolution of problem expressed with several simultaneous con-
will increase the energetic performance of the process. For the cir- tradictions is one of the principal strength of our method. But
culating fluidized bed, with this solution the limitation due to the after some tests, the method cannot solve problems formulated
percentage of biomass moisture is avoided, this device could be with more than five simultaneous contradictions. Consequently,
used with biomass with a threshold higher than 20% as it is dried. the analysis step with OTSM is still very important because it
Sub-step 2: After the retrieve step, the case based reasoning sys- allows to keep the principal sub-problems. But with the increas-
tem proposes several devices with this recommended order of use: ing complexity of current problems this limitation could reduce the
heat exchanger, bubble reactor, coagulation device, etc. The first performances of the presented framework. Nevertheless, it permits
two are more specific to eliminate tars, the latter to withdraw ashes. to manage complexity of process alternatives.
Based on a combination of the previous equipment a new one was Moreover, technical contradiction remains difficult to identify
proposed to satisfy the two major requirements and to beneficiate and formulate because there is fuzziness during the transition
of the controlled temperature in the circulating fluidized bed. In from concrete contradiction to the contradiction formulated with
these conditions a new intensified heat exchanger was developed engineering parameters (Mann, Dewulf, & Zlotin, 2003). The ideal
for tars cracking as the level of temperature is high enough to break solution is that users of any technical skills will describe the prob-
heavy hydrocarbon into lighter ones by application of heat and lem in their own language and ontology. Then, a semantic tool
 J.B. Ferrer et al. / Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151 149

will analyze the problem description and provide the most suitable concrete solutions, and a case based reasoning system to exploit
inventive principle. a knowledge base gathering process equipment. The methodol-
Another idea is that the process improvements can be obtained ogy has been successfully applied to a case study improving the
at the phenomena level. Thanks to the methodology and the effect cleaning of pollutants in the syngas outlet stream of the circulating
database, the key phenomena or effects for eliminating the process fluidized bed for biomass gasification.
bottlenecks and enhancing the process performance can be iden- In part five, the paper has pointed out some issues of the cur-
tified. The current database must be enlarged because it gathers rent methodology that can be addressed in future works in order
effects or phenomena in the domain or the neighboring domain of to improve the existing methods and tools but also the whole
the chemical engineering. But to support inventions with higher methodology. Another perspective will be to include modules for
level of inventiveness, the knowledge base of effects or mecha- anticipating and requiring market opportunities and requirement,
nisms must include new ones coming from other technical domain. for transforming eco-invention into eco-innovation but also for
Indeed we must address to new way to raise bottlenecks of the capitalizing and managing the knowledge deployed during design
chemical engineering design issues as on micro-unit operation for in order to accelerate the innovative design process in order to build
example. a complete CAEI.
In step 3, the CBR is based on past designs. On the one hand it
accelerates the design process but on the other hand it limits the
creativity. Indeed, it guides the thinking towards existing equip- Appendix 1. Classical TRIZ contradiction matrix
ment, but to synthesize new devices the user must overcome the
inertia. For example in the case study, the solution combines several After its large patent studies, Altshuller (1996) listed some spe-
device options to develop feasible technical equipment. Conse- cific recommendations in order to overcome contradictions. He
quently, the proposed equipment must be considered as a starting selected the most often occurring strong solutions and finally had
point to generate new ideas and not as an initial solution. This extracted 40 universal principles to eradicate them. Each principle
sub-step demands an important abstraction effort to be creative. is a generic suggestion, a guideline which recommends a certain
The second great limitation concerns the choice to select method for solving inventively a particular problem. It is impor-
between solution options. A multiobjective decision support sys- tant to underline that the proposed principles do not give concrete
tem must be created. Obviously an economic criterion must be solutions but they limit the research domain by giving a direction
coupled with sustainability criteria. These criteria will be important to explore before letting the expression of the designer creativity.
in several sub-steps of the methodology to progressively reduce The contradiction matrix is a TRIZ tool that maps the most
the search space and to compare with different options. We must promising principles to use, i.e. link between technical contra-
address the sustainability criteria with respect to the aim of the diction and the 40 inventive principles identified by their label
methodology. In the conceptual design phase life cycle assessment number, Fig. A1. First the designer matches the meaning of its con-
cannot be used because too many uncertainties remain. Indeed, tradiction with two appropriated parameters. During the patent
LCA is very sensitive to minor change in design, e.g. a new species analysis, Altshuller (1996) identified 39 most common engineering
even in small quantity can result in an important on the metrics. parameters encountered in technical systems that generate tech-
For this reason, we aim to develop some specific criteria based on nical contradictions. Technical engineering parameters are things
the LCA ones and the sustainability metrics proposed by Institution that engineers and scientists have to take into consideration when
of Chemical Engineers. they are designing a solution; weight, length, speed, power, etc.
Any contradiction is formalized by a pair of contradictory engineer-
6. Conclusion ing parameters; the first parameter for the improved feature and
the other one for the damaged feature. For example “Length of a
Computer aided eco-innovation (CAEI) is an emerging field stationary object’ vs. “Loss of substance’ (Fig. A1). To use the contra-
in the scope of computer aided tools. The goals of CAEI is to diction matrix, you have to select the parameter to be improved in
support firms during the whole eco-innovation process from per- the first column and the worsening one in the top row. The numbers
ceiving and anticipating market opportunities and demands, to the in the crossing cell refer to the 3 or 4 most suitable inventive prin-
help to engineers for transforming their eco-invention into eco- ciples ranked in the recommended order of use (statistical result
innovation. In this process there is a stage for supporting designers of the patent analysis). These principles were successfully used by
for developing more rapidly eco-inventions. This paper presents a other designers to eliminate that specific contradiction. Through
computer-aided tool focused on this last stage of a CAEI. the contradiction matrix, TRIZ opens up the world patents bases
It has been shown that eco-innovation can help to improve for identifying principles that may lead to possible solutions. We
existing processes and is needed to lead to sustainable produc- can sum up the elimination of a technical contradiction with a five
tion in chemical engineering industries. A systematic methodology steps method (Fig. A1):
is developed that provides a framework to find feasible process
options based on; a deep analysis of the problem faced, a careful Step 1: Translate the problem in the contradiction between two
collection and analyze of available data in the preliminary design parameters.
phase, and on effects knowledge bases and process equipment. The Step 2: Identify both parameters among the 39.
stepwise approach determines and integrates the different con- Step 3: Use the matrix.
straints on a process design: objectives, resources, technological. Step 4: Identify the principle to use.
The methodology needs a number of methods and tools at different Step 5: Traduce the principle in an operational solution (expression
sub-steps. Some of these come directly from the literature but most of the creativity).
of these were specially created for the purpose of the methodology.
Indeed, current methods dealing with eco-innovation or innova-
tion work at a high level of abstraction, often too far from the level Appendix 2. Constraint programming
required for the implementation of concrete solution. The impor-
tant tools of the methodology are the eco innovation contradiction Constraint programming (CP) is a set of problem solving meth-
matrix (based on the contradiction matrix of the classical TRIZ the- ods based on a declarative description of a problem as a set of
ory), an effects or phenomena databases to propose feasible and decision variables with their domains, and a set of constraints
150 J.B. Ferrer et al. / Computers and Chemical Engineering 45 (2012) 137–151

Fig. A1. Five steps method to eradicate a contradiction.

restricting the combinations of values. It is defined by a triplet (V, if a problem has one, several or no solution. The search is com-
D, C) with: monly performed with a tree search algorithm. The goal of the
search is to go through the tree till a solution is found while the
• V a finite set of variables V = (X1 ,. . ., Xn ). filtering consists of pruning this tree by eliminating local incon-
• D a finite set of domains of validity D = (D1 ,. . ., Dn ). Each variable stancies. The tree search algorithm can be decomposed into two
Xi of V has an associated domain Di in D. main parts: the sequence of decision variables (i.e. the way to
• C the network of constraints C = (C1 ,. . ., Cm ). Each constraint Cj explore forward the tree) and the definition of the backtracking
describes the combinations of variables values to authorize or to strategy. The latter explains how the algorithm shall behave when
rule out. The type of constraints determines the classes of the CP an inconstancy is detected. The most commonly backtracking algo-
and therefore the solving strategies. In the scope of our study, the rithm (used here) is depth first chronological backtracking but more
problems faced are restricted to discrete constraints (besides, in complex algorithm can be performed. Forward consistency checks
design problems the discrete domains are generally finite). combine backtracking with nodes consistency while look ahead
checks use arc consistency. The mathematical aspect of CP is more
complicated (important research community in this domain), for
The question to be answered for this method is whether there instance, the resolution strongly depends on the type of variables:
exists an assignment of values to variables such that all the con- discrete or continuous. All these aspects are out of the scope of this
straints are satisfied. Compared to optimization techniques, CP is paper, but more details can be found in Apt (2003).
characterized by a reduction of domains of the variables during
resolution. They are used to make deductions on the problem by
detecting partial assignments that are locally or totally inconsistent
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 Methodology Development and Real
Success Story for application of TRIZ in
IT/SW field
Kim SungCheol*, Korea; Sergey Antonov, Russia;
Vassili Leniashin, Russia; Song MiJeong, Korea
* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract: It is not so easy to do transformation from initial

situation to problem statement for IT/SW stumbling block.
Moreover, sometimes it is very different from all
recommendation of classical TRIZ. We consider in our article
some aspects of TRIZ application in IT/SW field for system
design and algorithm design. As the result, some elements of
customized TRIZ methodology were developed for IT/SW
designing through the TRIZ activities performed in Samsung
Advanced Institute of Technology(SAIT).

1. Introduction

Information Technology(IT) is defined as a total of means of

technologies of hardware(HW) and software(SW) for
constructing the information-technical system, and including
technical device and general information system, the
information-technical system is defined as the technical
system for acquiring, processing, storing and transferring the
information to a person. In other words, the information-
technical system can be also defined as the system that
achieves technological purpose that senses, processes, stores,
transfers, and represents the information by using laws of
natural science and information technology(information theory,
communication theory, etc) to offer beneficial functions to
human through information.

-1-
IT/SW technology has the special properties as follow.

1. SW technology corresponds to Control part in technical

system of Figure 1. (A)

2. SW technology plays an important role on representing the

analog world into the digital world. (B)

A. From the TRIZ viewpoint, the technical system[1] is

represented as Figure 1. the technical system is defined as
system that achieves technological purpose by using laws of
natural science to offer beneficial functions to human.

Figure 1: general technical system and control explosion

Since the early year of 1980, SW technology has grown up

explosively. So control part in technical system has become
bigger and bigger, and the complexity of control part itself
made the technical system more complex and dynamic
because of control explosion. Therefore we need to redefine
the technical system into the functional system.

The features of control part, especially IT/SW are classified

into time and context.

-2-
Time feature means that IT/SW is working time-dependently
and represents the timing flow. And,

Context feature means that IT/SW treats the situations

surrounding the information.

B. SW technology used in transforming the analog world into

digital world is mostly intangible and invisible. So, we can not
treat the digital objects such as RF signal and bit data, visibly
and easily. In the domain of IT/SW, the measurement system
functions to convert the invisible object to visible object.
Therefore, we need to develop the tool for converting the
invisible and intangible object to visible and tangible object in
order to change the object more easily through TRIZ thinking.

The most existing studies[2,3,4] for application of TRIZ in

IT/SW have suggested the approach of adding the examples of
IT to the 40 inventive principles rather than the approach of
considering the special properties of IT/SW technology. They
had limitations on providing the practical help to the engineers
of IT/SW field. Just the examples of 40 inventive principle
related to IT/SW does not give good guide to the user for
better applying TRIZ, because it is not so easy to do
transformation from initial situation to problem statement for
IT/SW stumbling block. Moreover, sometimes it is very
different from the recommendation of classical TRIZ.

This paper presents the practical method for applying the TRIZ
to IT/SW field, especially algorithm concept design and system
architecture design. This paper suggests some of the results
achieved through research and development period from 2004
to 2006 in SAIT.

According to the cognitive psychology and organizational

psychology[5], the three elements such as technology, person
and skill should be equipped harmonically in order to improve
the productivity of research and development. Here,
productivity means efficiency or effectiveness.

-3-
In other words, the domain knowledge for IT/SW technology,
the creative research methodology and the internal motivation
of person are the requisites for maximization of creative
research productivity.

These three elements interact with each other to work

harmonically. The usability between person of IT/SW field and
skill(TRIZ), the efficiency between skill(TRIZ) and IT/SW
technology, the specialized knowledge between person of
IT/SW field and IT/SW technology (Figure 2).

Figure 2: relationship between skill, technology and

person

When we support the IT/SW engineers using TRIZ, we found

that TRIZ was weak and insufficient for usability and efficiency
(or effectiveness). It should respond the characteristics of
IT/SW technology.

We need the analysis of TRIZ from viewpoint of IT/SW

technology, rather than the analysis of IT/SW technology from
viewpoint of TRIZ.

2. Development procedure and method

-4-
For developing the methodology customized for IT/SW, we use
procedure like the development cycle of 3 step such as
research step, consulting step and education step(Figure3).

While we execute the development cycle, we apply the case

study research based on action research[6].

Figure 3: development cycle through action research

3. Methodology development

Seen from result of action research, the weak points of TRIZ

from viewpoint of the IT/SW technology follow as:

(Problem 1) The expression of problem in IT/SW technology is

difficult. TRIZ tool is not relevant and effective to express the
timing flow of algorithm. In addition, the cause of technical
problem is tightly linked with each other, and the technical
contradiction is also connectively linked. So, it should be
expressed.

(Problem 2) Engineering parameters are so abstract and treat

only the higher level of contradiction to apply it to the
-5-
characteristics of IT/SW technology. So, it is difficult to reveal
the lower level of core problem using them.

(Solution direction for problem 1)

-The tool should have the type of problem relevant to IT/SW

technology.

-The tool should have the method for expressing the problem
according to the type of problem.

-The tool should have the method for manipulating the

expressed problem.

-The transformation of scales and resolution between systems

should be flexible and

expressible systematically.

-The tool should express the fundamental core problem that

S/W technology has.

(Solution direction for problem 2)

-The tool should have the implementation method of higher

concept.

-the process from initial situation to concept generation should

be improved.

This paper also presents the method to express the property of

algorithm when designing algorithm. The algorithm consists of
many functional elements. and those functional elements are
tightly connected with each other and time-dependent. The
algorithm which the engineer designs has the property of
Useful Effect Chain(UEC).

By the way, if the higher specification and new requirements

are needed, the algorithm needs the higher efficiency or new
function. In this case, the specific functional block of the
-6-
algorithm has the harmful capability. So, it causes the harmful
effect to the adjacent and connected functional block. If we
trace the connected harmful effects according to the each
functional block, we obtain the Harmful Effect Chain(HEC) of
algorithm. Through this logic, we analyze the algorithm.

In summary, the following 3 terms are the basic concepts to

represent the developed methodology customized for IT/SW
field.

1) Ideal Output Image

Ideal Final Result in TRIZ is defined as the solution which

satisfies both two characteristics from viewpoint of technical
contradiction. But, the algorithm has many functional blocks. It
has sometimes the multiple connected technical contradictions.
So we introduce the concept of the Ideal Output Image. In
practice, this concept helps the IT/SW engineer to formulate
the ideal concept and analyze the algorithm. While applying
the ideal output image, IT/SW engineer becomes to use
visualization technique.

2) Objective law

The objective law is the law dominating the natural world

whichever we recognize or not. This methodology includes the
intended laws dominating the information-technical system to
expand the concept of existing objective law. In practice, the
many engineers know the special rule and law to implement
the system. But, they suppose that hypothesis is right. So they
feel difficult in identifying what they know and they don’t
know, and in addition, they feel difficult in what element they
change to generate the new system concept. As we already
know, the objective law is not only the barrier to block the

-7-
problem-solving colliding with the needs. But also it is the key
to solve the problem through the overcome of psychological
inertia.

3) Analogy

As author mentioned before, SW technology plays an

important role on representing the analog world into the digital
world. So the SW engineer makes use of the structure of the
analog world to implement the architecture of digital world. In
order to understand the SW technology, we need to think
metaphorically. Through the metaphorical thinking, especially
analogical thinking, we can see and manipulate the invisible or
intangible object such as RF signal and Context consisting of
bits. Through analogy skill, IT/SW engineer can make use of
technologies of other fields more easily and effectively without
big gap. It means that the applicability of the classical TRIZ by
IT/SW engineer improves much more than before. In practice,
many people could understand TRIZ concept and use it.

4. Real success story

Table 1 depicts the list of successful IT/SW field’s TRIZ project

performed in SAIT.

Actually, the many solutions were created by the creative

effort as referred method. The important thing is to use the
other field’s technology into my field’s technology. Analysis of
result shows that successful 27 projects are classified into 4
kinds of types and 3 levels of scope (Figure 4). As years go on,
the larger projects from small unit to large unit were
performed through TRIZ activity, and the type of project was
transited from neck problem solving with trade-off into
-8-
algorithm design, system architecture design and technology
prediction.

Table 1: list of successful projects related to IT/SW

field

Figure 4: analysis of distribution of successful projects

5. Conclusion

-9-
The developed method provides good efficiency and usability
to IT/SW engineer intending to apply TRIZ to IT/SW field. The
useful methodology including Ideal Output Image with
visualization, Objective Law and Analogy was utilized. Also
IT/SW engineers in SAIT apply TRIZ to their R&D activities.

References [top]

[1] Semyon D. Savransky. Engineering of Creativity:

Introduction to TRIZ methodology of inventive problem
solving. CRC press LLC, 2000.

[2] Kevin C. Rea. TRIZ and Software - 40 Principle Analogies,

Parts 1 and 2. The TRIZ Journal, September 2001

[3] Kevin C. Rea. Applying TRIZ to Software Problems –

Creatively Bridging Academia and Practice in Computing, The
TRIZ Journal, October 2002

[4] Gennady Retseptor. 40 Principles in Microelectronics. The

TRIZ Journal, August 2002.

[5] John R. Anderson. Cognitive Psychology and Its

Implications. Fourth Edition, W.H. Freedom and Company,
2005

[6] Yin Robert K. Case Study Research: design and methods.

Sage Publications, 1994

-10-
 TRIZ POWER TOOLS
Skill # 3 Idealizing Useful Functions
April 2012 Edition

Removing, Replacing and Adding Functions

 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

The Algorithm
(Table of Contents)

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
L1-Idealize Useful Functions.......................................................................................................... 3
L2-The Ideal Product ............................................................................................................... 5
L3-Consider only the Product and the Modification ...................................................... 5
L3-Modification Not Required ....................................................................................... 6
L3-Remove Transmission or Transformation Elements ................................................. 8
L3-Remove the Product .................................................................................................. 9
L3-Comes with Modification ........................................................................................ 10
L3-Modify Minimum Part ............................................................................................ 11
L3-Different Product ..................................................................................................... 11
L3-Natural Groupings ................................................................................................... 12
L2-The Ideal Modification ..................................................................................................... 15
L3-Describe a Variety of Ideal Modifications .............................................................. 16
L3-Consider an Ideal Inverse Modification .................................................................. 18
L3-What is the Ideal Level of Modification? ............................................................... 19
L3-What is the Ideal Sequence of the Function? .......................................................... 20
L3-What is the Ideal Duration?..................................................................................... 23
L3-What is the Ideal Duty Cycle? ................................................................................ 24
L3-What is the Ideal Adjustability and Continuity of Adjustment? ............................. 25
L3-What is the Ideal Use of Energy ............................................................................. 26
L3-Turning Function Burden to Blessing ..................................................................... 27
L3-When Should It Be Excluded? (The Zero Function) ............................................. 28
L2-Potential Physical Phenomena .......................................................................................... 29
L3-(Switch?)—Review the Evolutionary History ........................................................ 32

v
TR IZ P ower T oo ls

L3-(Switch?)—Plot the Course of Disruptive Technologies ........................................ 33

L3-(Switch?)—Determine the System Maturity from Patents ..................................... 34
L3-(Switch?)—Is it Time to Switch to a New Physical Phenomenon? ........................ 34
L3-(Switch?)—Can Line of Evolution be Used Instead? ............................................. 36
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Analogous Products—Patents Outside Your Industry ....... 37
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Analogous Products—Mega Trend .................................... 38
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Identify the Competitive Alternative through Observation
and Questioning ............................................................................................................ 39
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Internet Product Search ...................................................... 40
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Observe Existing Products.................................................. 41
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Use a Known Disruptive Technology ................................ 42
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Patent Searching and Study ................................................ 44
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Evolution of Field Phenomena ........................................... 47
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Library of Effects................................................................ 48
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Analogous Products—Bio-mimicry ................................... 49
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Transition to Use of Bulk Properties? ................................ 50
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Hybrid or Stand-Alone Phenomena? .................................. 50
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Merge or Interact With Multiplied Tools ........................... 52
L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Chaining Physical Phenomena ........................................... 53
L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Intelligent Little People ............................................. 53
L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Drive Measurement and Detection to the Extreme ... 54
L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Bio-Mimicry .............................................................. 55
L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Analogous Phenomenon ............................................ 55
L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Drive Fields to the Extreme ...................................... 56
L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Drive Order to the Extreme ....................................... 56
L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Drive Attributes to the Extreme ................................ 57
L2-Tool Resources ................................................................................................................. 59
L3-List of Resources ..................................................................................................... 59
L3-Use of Cheap Abundant Substances ....................................................................... 60

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L3-Self- Service ............................................................................................................ 61

L3-Already Poorly Performed by Native Fields ........................................................... 62
L3-Abundant Native Fields........................................................................................... 63
L3-Nearby Similar Tool................................................................................................ 64
L3-Simplified Copy of the Current Tool ...................................................................... 65
L3-Merge with the Super-System ................................................................................. 65
L2-Ideal Tool(s) ..................................................................................................................... 67

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Introduction
(If you are reading the PDF format—navigate the algorithms with the “Bookmarks” to the
left. L1, L2, L3 correspond to levels of the algorithm. The levels are hierarchical; you can
go as deeply as required to resolve your problem. Lower levels (L1, L2) have consolidated
methods. If you are using the book then use the Table of Contents for the Algorithm)
All of the books in the TRIZ Power Tools book series are designed to be used as algorithms. Each algorithm can be
as detailed or simple as required. This is done by going up or down in the hierarchy of the process steps. The top
level (L1) of the bookmarks is the highest level. If more detail is required, the user can go to deeper levels (L2 and
L3). .

Where the Book Materials Come From

Much of the material for this book was inspired by the thought leaders referenced. The original intent was to codify
the insights of these thought leaders, but the exercise of codification ultimately led to the synthesis of other
experimental processes. This is because codification required recognizing patterns of similarity of tools. Once this
was achieved, the various tools were grouped with key decisions. Decisions require and create information which
flows to the next decisions. Patterns and gaps became visible during this formative process. Experimental methods
were inserted into the gaps. The proof of these experimental methods is whether they actually help the reader to
identify product or process characteristics that will delight the market.

Idealizing Functions
In the website introduction (www.opensourcetriz.com) to this series of books, the concept of a Hierarchy of
Decisions was introduced. One part of this hierarchy is repeated over and over, the idealization of functions.
Whether we are creating a system, overhauling a system or fixing a problem with the system, we use tools to focus
in on one function at a time. When we create a system, we add a function at a time. When we overhaul the system,
we identify burdensome functions that must be changed. In each case, we are focusing on a function which we
would like to make as ideal as possible.
Functions state changes that occur in time or results. If we use a function to describe the final state of an object’s
attributes, then we are describing a “result”. If we are describing an ideal result, then we are describing an idealized
function. Just as a method can be proposed to work the bucket problem backward, so a path is proposed to work
backwards from the ideal final state of an inventive situation. This is effectively accomplished in the following steps
for idealizing a useful function:
Step 1: Identify an ideal product.
Step 2: Identify an ideal modification (Step 1 and 2 give the ideal result. The
path to this result is stated in the next two steps).
Step 3: Identify potential ideal physical phenomena to deliver the function.
Step 4: Identify an ideal tool to deliver the physical phenomena. (This completes
the traditional IFR by stating a means to the ideal result.)
Step 5: Indentify resources (object attributes) that we will use to control the
functioning of the system.

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Step 6: Idealize the Attributes of the Objects and Fields. (Now we start to
consider the ideal attributes of new objects. When we added objects for the
product and tool, we created mental models of these parts of the system. This
added problems that now need to be addressed.)
Step 7: Resolve the resulting contradictions. (This step considers the ideal
distribution of the properties of the object, further solidifying mental images of
the system into more ideal states).
These steps are for working with useful functions. The order is changed slightly for working with informing and
harmful functions.
It is notable that many of the Solution Standards and other TRIZ tools were already stated in functional language.
Suggestions for how we might find a more ideal functional part come from a restructuring and reinterpretation of the
parts of the Solution Standards that deal with eliminating, redefining or replacing system parts (object resources).
Idealizing Functions is the convergence the Ideal Final Result, Function Analysis, and the Solution Standards. Thus,
there was a ready supply of approaches to describe the final state.
.

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L1-Idealize Useful Functions

The first step to idealizing a useful function is to identify and isolate the final ideal state in functional terms. We
start by considering useful functions first, because informing functions are actually a special case of useful functions
and one major path of idealizing harmful functions is to turn them into useful functions. Once they are turned into
useful functions, they may be idealized using the steps shown in this book
One might ask “Why idealize something that is already useful?” We idealize useful functions, because there are so
many options to either avoid performing the function or to eliminate elements from our system. When we eliminate
the need for an element, we also remove the need for auxiliary functions which support this function.

Progression of Possibilities from Most to Least Ideal

As we go down the list of possibilities, we will generally start with the most ideal possibilities and proceed to the
least ideal. The most desirable is that there is no modification required. In this case, no tool is required and hence,
no supporting elements are required. . The least desirable is that the modification is required and a tool in the
system must be required to perform the modification. In this case, supporting elements may be required to perform
the function or mitigate its bad effects. (Remember that each element brings its own set of problems. Every
element adds its burden to the system). In between these two extremes are all gradations of ideality. Let’s look at
the range of possibilities.

L1-Method
Step 1: Identify and Isolate the main modification
Step 2: Brainstorm the Ideal Product. Look for ways to not require the product in the
first place. For instance, if a waste component is being modified, find a way that the
waste component is not required. Find out why the product is needed. Remove the need
for the product. Look for ways to have the product come with the function already
performed
Step 3: Brainstorm the Ideal Modification of the Product. Find a way to avoid needing
the offending parts by reversing the situation. For instance, make moving parts
stationary and stationary parts moving. Consider harmonizing when things happen so
that you get the most good out of them.
Step 4: Brainstorm the Ideal Physical Phenomenon to deliver the Modification.
Consider using a different physical phenomenon that does not require the offending parts
and is more abundant. Consider using a hybrid of the existing physical phenomenon and
a new phenomenon without the problems of the existing system.
Step 5: Brainstorm the Ideal Tool to Deliver the Phenomenon. Find out why the tool is
needed in the first place and remove the need for the tool. Consider simply removing the
tool and allowing other elements of the system or the surrounding system to take over
their useful function.

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L2-The Ideal Product

Regardless of whether the function already exists, we want to identify the most ideal
embodiment of the element that is being modified. Let’s say that we are trying to come up
with a way for the police to stop a speeding car without harming the occupants or other Stop
motorists. If we know a way to do this, for the moment, we will ignore this and concentrate on
only two elements: the product and the modification that we are trying to achieve.
Car
The product is the “car” and the modification is “stop”. Now we begin setting up the IFR.
Knowing only these two parts of the function allows us to ask the important question: What is
the ideal product? The answer is surprising. The most ideal product is one that does not exist. (The car should not
exist), hence the tool and all attending auxiliary functions are not required. Thus we come very close to the
realization of the ideal machine. We may not require the product for a variety of reasons. It may be a transmission
element that we can bypass. (Is the car a transmission element? Not really.) It may be a waste element that does not
require existence in the first place. (Is the car considered waste? Not really.) A slight modification of the product
may make the modification unnecessary. (If the car could be easily tracked, then I might not require stopping it) or
the product may already come with the modification performed. (By the time that the police reach the car, the driver
is compelled to not want it anymore and it is already stopped).
If the product is required, then we ask the question: What minimum part must be modified. (Is it the car that we
want to stop? Maybe we only want to stop a part of the car such as the engine or the occupant). If only a small part
requires modification then the resources required to perform the modification can also be minimized.
Finally, if the product is required, how can we get the most value for our effort? Let’s make the modification as far
reaching as possible. If the product comes in natural groupings, let’s modify the whole group. If other objects
nearby require the same modification then let’s modify as many things as possible. This increases the value that the
user derives from performing the function. (Perhaps the police signal all cars on the road to slowly decelerate thus
making the situation safer for everyone)

L2-Method
Step1: Write the product and the modification
Step 2: Consider what change of the product would make it so that the modification is
not required. Could it come with the modification already done?
Step 3: If the product is a transmission element, consider bypassing it.
Step 4: What is the minimum part of the product that requires modification?
Step 5: Consider modifying natural groupings of like and unlike elements

L3-Consider only the Product and the Modification

If a system is being simplified, the function may already come with a tool. If a new
function is being created, the tool is not yet evident. We do not need the tool. It is a burden
to our reasoning. We take nothing for granted and start with just the modification. For the
moment, this is the most ideal form of the final result that we know. However, this will
soon change as we consider other more desirable results.

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For the moment, we must be unencumbered with a tool to perform the function. The tool almost always comes with
undesirable functions or features. It may even be harmful to the product or other elements in the system. For now,
we will forget it and just talk about what we want to happen.

Method
Tool
Write the function without the tool
Mod Mod

Product Product

Example—Pet Feeding
System Feeding
System
Write the function without the tool
Stops Stops
I am interested in some sort of pet feeding
system that protects the food from ants, Insects Insects
roaches, birds and bacteria Birds & Birds &
Bacteria Bacteria

L3-Modification Not Required

All useful functions can be thought of in a remedial or preventative context. This may
not seem intuitive at first, but let us consider a couple of cases. A lawn mower cuts
grass. Is this a remedial action? Yes, because it remedies the height of the grass. One Slight
could reason that if the grass were doing its job better, it would grow to an even height Change
and then stop. While this may seem obsessive, it is nevertheless a very useful way to
look at a situation from a new point of view. In order to accomplish this result a slight
modification of the product is usually required. We might know why a modification is required if we have taken
pains in our causal analysis to determine the need. Recall that we did this by considering the need for existence of
objects. Objects are required to modify other objects. Once we understand why an object is required, then we also
understand why the modification is required. The questioning of existence of objects usually begins an alternative
problem path in the causal analysis diagram. When we consider non-existence of elements in the system (in the
side-by-side box), we begin an alternative problem path which leads us to understand why an element was originally
required in the system. It is possible to remove the need for the troublesome element and often other elements by
resolving a problem elsewhere in the system.
Recall that the non-existence of a function element is depicted in the causal analysis as a function box showing a
function which has no tool. The tool was required to perform a function which no longer is performed because the
tool is missing. One solution of the alternative problem path is to find a new way to perform the function of the
missing object. This often leads to the consideration of how the function might be performed by existing elements,
thus simplifying the system.

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Method
Step 1: Why is the Function Required? What does it prevent? What does it fix? What
does it make up for? Does it counter something? Follow this reasoning back through the
causal relationships.
Step 2: A slight change to an object in the system (often the object that we are serving)
removes the requirement for the main function and hence the objects that deliver the
function. In other words, if something did its job better, then our system wouldn’t be
needed.

Example—the Scaling of Fish

Step 1: Why is the Function Required? What does it prevent? What
does it fix? What does it make up for? Does it counter something?
Scaling removes scales and underlying tissue that may change the flavor during cooking
and are also disgusting to certain cultures to eat. This is a remedial action.
Step 2: A slight change to an object in the system (often the object that we
are serving) removes the requirement for the main function and hence the
objects that deliver the function. In other words, if something did its job
better, then our system wouldn’t be needed
Consider changes to cooking methods that make scales a delicacy— Now
the function of scaling is no longer required.

Example—Dog Food Bowl

Step 1: Why is the Function Required? What does it prevent? What does it fix? What
does it make up for? Does it counter something?
Containing the food is required to keep it from getting dirty or wet.
Step 2: A slight change to an object in the system (often the object that we are serving)
removes the requirement for the main function and hence the objects that deliver the
function. In other words, if something did its job better, then our system wouldn’t be
needed
The dog food requires no container because it
does not come in independent pieces. For Contains
instance, the food is linked together or comes as
one piece. Perhaps it just hangs on a roll.

Food

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L3-Remove Transmission or Transformation Elements

This tool comes from the Laws of Development of Systems and in its original form was called the
Law of Energy Conductivity. 1 :
A necessary condition for the life capability in principle of a technical system is
the unhindered passage of energy throughout all parts of the system.
It follows that:
—Transmission paths are shortened and eventually eliminated
—Energy transformations are reduced and finally eliminated.
—Muscle and control elements use the same field.
Shortened or
When applying this law to the ideal product, it means that we should consider Eliminated
bypassing traditional or existing transmission/transformation elements and go
directly to the object that requires modification. If the product of the function that
we are considering is a transmission element, then we should consider whether it
is required or if we can find some way to bypass it altogether or avoid the
transformation of energy and use the energy more directly. Some elements
masquerade as important functioning elements but are
transmission/transformation elements instead.

Method
Step 1: Is the product a transmission/transformation element? (Does the product
transmit, transform or convert energy?)
Step 2: Bypass the element.

Example—Linkage Operated System

Many systems require rotary movement. Of these systems, a large number convert linear
motion to rotary motion through a linkage. The actuators in these systems do not act
directly on the working element.
Step 1: Is the product a transmission/transformation element? (Does the
product transmit, transform or convert energy?)
The current system operated on a linkage assembly to turn an object.
Step 2: Bypass the element.
The new system directly rotates the element with a rotary actuator. The
actuator works directly on the element of interest without the need for a
transmission.

1 Creativity as an Exact Science—the Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems, G.S Altshuller, Gordon and Breach, page 225 Some modern TRIZ theorists have expanded
this Law and given it other names.

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L3-Remove the Product

A product that does not exist does not need to be modified. If the product performs a useful function then that
function must be performed by something else. The product can often be removed if it performs an auxiliary
function. It is easy to lose track of whether the product is required in the first place. If the product is harmful or
even a waste product (such as sawdust or leaves) wouldn’t it make more sense to not have it around in the first
place?

Method
Step 1: Does the product perform an auxiliary function or is it ever harmful or waste?
Step 2: Eliminate the product through the following methods:
--Method 1: Directly eliminate the product.
--Method 2: Eliminate the sources of the product.
--Method 3: Eliminate the path that the product moves to get to the location.
--Method 4: Absorb the product so that it is not harmful or wasteful any more. Consider
using absorbent materials such as fabrics, powder or batting.

Example—the Collection of Leaves

The collection of leaves is a common problem.
Step 1: Does the product perform an auxiliary function or is Gather
it ever harmful or waste?
Leaves
Unfortunately, it is considered waste in many areas.
(Actually, it is nature’s way of revitalizing itself. But, for Waste
this problem, we will consider it waste.)
Step 2: Eliminate the product through the following methods:
Method 1: Directly eliminate the product.
The leaves simply don’t exist. Since we may not know how this occurs directly, it
creates a contradiction: The leaves must and must not exist.
Method 2: Eliminate the sources of the product
Remove the tree. This may be a solution in certain cases. Again, it may

lead to a contradiction: the tree exists and doesn’t exist.

Method 3: Eliminate the path that the product moves to get to the
location.
Remove the path to the ground.
Method 4: Absorb the product so that it is not harmful or wasteful any more. Consider
using absorbent materials such as fabrics, powder or batting.
Something below the tree absorbs the leaves or at least hides them.
Ground cover is often a good way to do this.

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L3-Comes with Modification

In certain situations, a modification can be performed upstream by the provider of the elements more
conveniently than later. The product may be in a much more convenient form to perform the function.
This is often true in a manufacturing environment such as during assembly. Pre-coated or pre-assembled
parts can be more conveniently assembled. Forming and cutting operations can be more conveniently
done when the material is in a more convenient form. Pre-modifying the product often leads to a
contradiction. The modification must and must not be made.

Method
The product does not require the modification because it is already incorporated.

Example—Pipe Forming Machine

Pipe forming machines feed a flat
ribbon into a forming machine that
rolls the ribbon into a tube and welds Cutting tool
it. The tubes are cut to length by a moves with
saw that moves with the formed tube the tube
while it is cutting to reduce the time
to cut.
Faster and faster forming rates require the cutter to return more rapidly.
This results in many additional problems. Consider the ideal product. The tube must be
cut before it is formed. This slows production (compared to a single ribbon) so the tube
must be cut and not cut.
The product does not require the modification because it is
already incorporated.
The tube is partially cut by stamping the tube before rolling.
A hard twist fully cuts the tube.

Example—Pet Food Bowl

The product does not require the modification because it is
already incorporated.
Contains
The food comes already contained. It matters not if the food is
poured directly upon the ground. Neither the dog nor the food
will sustain any injury.
Food

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L3-Modify Minimum Part

If we have concluded that it is not possible to avoid the requirement for the modification, then we should consider
modifying the least amount of the product as possible.

Method
Modify only
What minimum part of the product must be modified?
Part
Produce a list of alternative products which are a minimized
subset of the main product. Consider all subsets of the
original product down to the molecular level.

Example—Stopping a Speeding Car

Every year innocent people are hurt or killed during high
speed chasses. About 40 percent of high speed chases end
in crashes. How can the car be stopped?
What minimum part of the product must be
modified? Produce a list of alternative products What minimum
which are a minimized subset of the main product. Stop part of the car
Consider all subsets of the original product down can be stopped?
to the molecular level.
Car
What if we only stop the driver, the tires, the drive
shaft, the engine computer or carburetor, the tire, the electrical ignition spark?

L3-Different Product
Here we consider the possibility that the modification should be performed on something different. This could also
spark the possibility that there is a better modification than the given one as well.

Method
Is the modification being performed on the ideal product?
Would something else be better?

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L3-Natural Groupings
The seed for this tool comes from the standards involving multiple system elements. 2 3 4 5 However, there is a twist
to the idea. Simply increasing the number of product elements that are acted on is definitely an improvement over
performing the functions on single product elements, but it is yet more useful when the products come in natural
groupings. Such groupings often are dictated by nature or commonly accepted manufacturing conditions.

Multiple Products
If we have concluded that the function is required, then let us get the most out of it that we can.
Here we consider extending the function to as many elements as possible by looking for natural
groupings. The evolutionary tendency of performing functions on multiple objects is to perform
them in parallel. This can involve performing the function simultaneously on a grouping of objects,
especially if these groups are natural groups such as a flock of geese, a mouthful of teeth, a pallet of
objects, or a box of cereal. Extending the function to more of the same elements at the same time
can reduce the overall amount of resources required. However, there are no guarantees that modifying the whole
natural group will require fewer resources. At this point, we may not know how we may accomplish this feat, but
we continue in hope of finding a physical phenomenon that can do this.

Biased Products
Biased products are products that are alike in function and other material ways, but in less
significant ways different from each other. Nails come in different sizes. If a hammer can
effectively drive a tiny nail and a large framing nail, it is more valuable to the user. A natural
grouping of nails might be related to a certain type of construction job that requires a variety of
nails. During this manufacture, it is desirable to perform the function on this group, at the same
time or serially with the same system.

Diverse Products
Diverse products are products that are so different that, while they are
associated with the same function, they are typically not associated with
the same tool. Natural groupings of diverse products are objects that
require the same function and are found together during a task or job. If
possible we would like to perform this function on all diverse objects at
the same time.

2 STANDARD 3-1-1. System efficiency at any stage of its evolution can be improved by combining the system with another system (or systems) to form a bi- or poly-system.
Notes: For a simple formation of bi- and poly-systems, two and more components are combined. Components to be combined may be substances, fields, substance- field pairs and
whole SFMs. Example: To process sides of thin glass plates, several plates are put together to prevent glass from breaking.

3 STANDARD 3-1-2. Efficiency of bi- and poly-systems can be improved by developing links between system elements. Notes: Links between elements of a bi- and poly-system
may be made either more rigid or more dynamic. Example: To synchronize a process of lifting a very heavy part by three cranes, it is proposed to use a rigid triangle
synchronizing the cranes moving parts.

4 Inventive Principle #7—Nesting (Matrioshka): One object is placed inside another. That object is placed inside a third one. And so on. An object passes through a cavity in
another object. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

5 STANDARD 3-1-3. Efficiency of bi- and poly-systems can be improved by increasing the difference between system components. The following line of evolution is
recommended: similar components (pencils of the same color) –->components with biased characteristics (pencils of different colors) –->different components (set of drawing
instruments) –->combinations of the "component + component with opposite function” (pencil with rubber)

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Method
Step 1: Do the subjects that require the same function come in natural batches or
groups? Do they come in large groups or in groups that are hard to separate? The
subjects may be identical, similar in some aspect or completely different. The important
question is whether they require the same measurement.
Step 2: Is it more ideal (or easier) to perform the function on the group simultaneously?

Example—Shelling Nuts
Step 1: Do the subjects that require the same function come in natural batches or
groups? Do they come in large groups or in groups that are hard to separate? The
subjects may be identical, similar in some aspect or completely different. The important
question is whether they require the same measurement.
The nuts come in a bag.
Step 2: Is it more ideal (or easier) to perform the function on the
group simultaneously?
In this case, it would much more ideal to shell the whole bag of nuts at once.

Example—Picking Fruit
In orchards, the fruit is often picked by hand. If this is
automated, there is a problem. The whole tree should be picked
at once, but there is a wide variety of fruit that must be picked.
Some come off easier than others and they are at different levels
of maturity.
Step 1: Do the subjects that require the same function come in natural batches or
groups? Do they come in large groups or in groups that are hard to separate? The
subjects may be identical, similar in some aspect or completely different. The important
question is whether they require the same measurement.
The fruit is at different levels of maturity and cling to the tree with different degrees of
attachment. Also, there are a variety of fruit that might be picked.
Step 2: Is it more ideal (or easier) to perform the function on the group simultaneously?
There is a large variety of fruit that this would apply to and the variation in attachment to
the trees is also quite high. The ability to pick whole trees (a natural grouping) and the
ability to apply this to fruit with a high variability of attachment strengths would be very
useful in large orchards.

Example—Cooking Bacon
Step 1: Do the subjects that require the same function come in natural
batches or groups? Do they come in large groups or in groups that are
hard to separate? The subjects may be identical, similar in some aspect or completely
different. The important question is whether they require the same
measurement.
Eggs are generally associated with bacon.

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Step 2: Is it more ideal (or easier) to perform the function on the group simultaneously?
Yes, Eggs can be included. The heat is there, but usually there is an over abundance of
bacon fat. Remember that we have only considered the possibility of doing these
together. In some cases, finding the means to do this is simple.

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L2-The Ideal Modification

The Ideal Modification for Useful Functions
After focusing on the ideal product, the second part is the ideal modification. We ask “What do we really want to
have happen and what are the attributes of the ideal modification?”
Since we have not yet decided what will deliver these idealized modifications to the product, we are actually
composing a wish-list of what the ideal modification will look like. When we add real elements to deliver the
modification, these elements often bring undesirable characteristics with them.
Since we are dealing with functions that are already useful, we would like to do the most good possible. It is easy to
assume that because a useful function exists, that there is not a replacement function that is even better or that we
might want to reverse things and perform the opposite function. The question is: What do we really want to have
happen?

How do We Identify the Ideal Modification?

Let’s refer back to the concept that Altshuller proposed for solving problems that require guesswork. Remember
that a mathematical problem was proposed. How can we return with exactly six gallons of water if we have only a
four and nine gallon bucket? Mathematical problems that normally require guesswork when solved forward are
often more rapidly solved by starting with the solution and then working backwards. Altshuller proposed that, since
solving inventive problems also requires guesswork, the solution will be more rapid and satisfying if we start with
the ideal solution.
Altshuller proposed another, more important, reason for solving backwards. Solutions that start with mental pictures
of existing machines are usually variations on these structures and end up more complex than they need to be. We
must free our minds of these structures by starting afresh with an ideal solution. Altshuller called this preferred end
state or solution the ideal machine.
The process of identifying the Ideal Final Result was begun when we considered the ideal product. Now we must
consider what must ideally happen to this ideal product, given that it still is required. Since the final result is
actually a modification to the product, we can continue to write about the ideal machine in functional terms.
At this stage, we will put together several versions of the ideal machine by describing the modification in ideal
terms. We must remove our inhibitions and let it magically happen. Since there may be many ways to describe the
modification that will give new insights, we consider a variety of ways to think of the modification that allow us to
make better use of resources.
In the process of looking for the ideal machine, we will also consider the reverse modification 6. It is easy to become
locked into thinking of the function in the way that we always have. By asking what we are performing the function
relative to, we see that there are other possibilities.
As a matter of practicality, the function should be described correctly in order to achieve the most good. Please
refer to the chapter on writing functions if there are questions on how to write functions or deal with confusing
functions.

Setting the Bar for How Well the Modification Must be Performed

6 Inventive Principle #13—Do It in Reverse: Instead of the direct action dictated by a problem, implement an opposite action (i.e., cooling instead of heating). Make the movable
part of an object, or outside environment, stationary and stationary part moveable. Turn an object upside-down. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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The next set of tools help us to decide the attributes of the ideal modification. At this stage, we continue our quest to
identify several ideal modifications. If I could snap my fingers, how much modification do I really want? How
well, how long, etc.
Since it is possible to overdo a modification causing other problems, we may need to constrain ourselves by asking
this in a slightly different way. What level of modification will give us a long-lasting solution? By doing this, we
recognize a truth: eventually the system will evolve to a point that it must be improved again. In the mean time, it
will not be necessary to change this parameter or even consider it very much. This is different than the common
way of changing systems where a parameter is just improved enough to get by. This leads to legacy problems that
continue to crop up with the next version of a product.
It is important to note that insights derived at this stage have the ability to influence each other. Insights gained
during one activity may be upset by insights gained in other activities. Consequently, it may be necessary to jump
back and forth between tools.

L2-Method
Step 1: Write the modification in a variety of ways to see if any way is more ideal.
Step 2: Consider the inverse modification. Look at what the modification is being
performed relative to and modify that instead.
Step 3: What is the ideal level of the modification? What is the ideal sequence? What is
the ideal duty cycle? What is the ideal adjustability? What is the ideal use of energy?
When should the modification be excluded?
Step 4: If the function carries a burden, consider how that burden can be turned into a
useful function.

L3-Describe a Variety of Ideal Modifications

What are ideal final results? Describe this in a variety of ways.
What would I want to happen if I could do it magically by
Mod 1 Control the
snapping my fingers? We would like to consider several ways
because each way may lead to a different physical phenomenon Mod 2 speed
to accomplish the function (depending on abundance of system Mod 3 Control the
resources). Some of these ways may be more ideal than others. momentum

Method
Step 1: Are we changing or controlling? Which makes the most sense?
Step 2: Work backward by imagining several ideal final states. Using the longhand form
of the modification, consider different ways to describe the modification. Consider
moving from the macro world to the micro world (atomic level and beyond).

Example—Stopping a Speeding Car

Step 1: Are we changing or controlling? Which makes the
most sense?
In this case, we want to control the speed of the car to a set speed. This speed may not be
zero and in fact, it might be dangerous to stop a car in the middle of fast traffic.

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Step 2: Work backward by imagining several ideal final

states. Using the longhand form of the modification,
Control the speed
consider different ways to describe the modification.
Consider moving from the macro world to the micro world Control the momentum
(atomic level and beyond).
Car
The different possibilities are shown in the figure to the
right.

Example—Blade Loss of a Fanjet Engine

A jet engine fan loses some fan blades. This is sometimes referred to a
blade-out condition. It can be caused when an object is ingested into the
engine such as a bird. Each of the blades carries a tremendous amount of
kinetic energy. When one blade goes, it often takes out other blades. The
effect is explosive.
Step 1: Are we changing or controlling? Which makes the most sense?
In this case, we are changing. The blades start in one state and we must move to another.
Step 2: Work backward by imagining several
ideal final states. Using the longhand form Change the level of energy (zero)
of the modification, consider different ways to Change the blade direction
describe the modification. Consider moving
from the macro world to the micro world
Blades
(atomic level and beyond).
The different possibilities are shown in the figure to the right.

Example—Heating a Gas
How can we describe the heating of a gas?
Step 1: Are we changing or controlling?
We have already described this as a change of state, thus we are
changing rather than controlling.
Step 2: Work backward by imagining
several ideal final states. Using the Change the temperature
longhand form of the modification, Change the average random velocity
consider different ways to describe the
Change the velocity distribution
modification. Consider moving from the
macro world to the micro world (atomic
level and beyond). Gas
The different possibilities are shown in the figure to the right.

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L3-Consider an Ideal Inverse Modification

Sometimes it is more ideal to do the reverse of the required
action 7 or modification. For instance, it may actually
require fewer resources to move a person relative to a work
object than it is to change the height of a heavy work object.
In order to consider reversing a modification, it is necessary to consider what the action
or modification is relative to. If two objects are moving relative to each other, it is
usually easy to determine what the modification is relative to. With other modifications,
it may take more thought.

Method
Step 1: What object is the modification performed relative to?
Step 2: Invert the problem by modifying the relative object. (Make it the product).
Step 3: Go back and describe this in a variety of ideal ways.

Example—Pouring Hot Syrup into

a Chocolate Container
Step 1: What object is the modification performed Pour
relative to?
The pouring is relative to the stationary chocolate form
Step 2: Invert the problem by modifying the relative
object. (Make it the product).

Syrup
Thus, instead of pouring the syrup relative to Spread
the stationary chocolate form, we spread the
chocolate relative to a stationary syrup form
Chocolate
which has been frozen. Spread the chocolate
onto the syrup.

Step 3: Go back and describe this in a variety of ideal

ways. Change the thickness
Note that the variety of descriptions does not add a Change the position
great deal to the understanding of how this function can
be accomplished in this case.
Chocolate

7 Inventive Principle #13—Do It in Reverse: Instead of the direct action dictated by a problem, implement an opposite action (i.e., cooling instead of heating). Make the movable
part of an object, or outside environment, stationary and stationary part moveable. Turn an object upside-down Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.
.

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Example—Stopping a Speeding Car

Step 1: What object is the modification performed
relative to?

The slowing is relative to the road.

Step 2: Invert the problem by modifying the relative object.
Control the Speed
(Make it the product).
Thus, instead of stopping the car, we speed up the road so
Road
that the car and road are moving at the same velocity.

Step 3: Go back and describe this in a variety of

ideal ways.
Note that this tends to describe some fashion of Control the speed
lubrication between the road and the tires which was
Control the surface speed
not previously considered.

Road
Example—Pet Food Container
Step 1: What object is the modification performed relative to?
The pet food is contained relative to the
surrounding environment. Controls Position--
Distance between pieces
Step 2: Invert the problem by modifying the
relative object. (Make it the product).
The food is positioned relative to the
surrounding environment. Can we adjust the
Food
surroundings to accept scattered food?
Step 3: Go back and describe this in a variety of
ideal ways.
If the food is scattered nobody cares because it just blends in with the surrounding.

L3-What is the Ideal Level of Modification?

Determine the actual level of the ideal modification. This level usually involves a metric of
some sort. As we begin to adjust the levels of the modification, we start to chip away at
psychological inertia and gain insights. Perhaps what we are doing is not the correct function.
Perhaps there are functions which are more ideal. (Note that these will give more knobs in
causal analysis).

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Method
If I could snap my fingers, what would the ideal level be?

Example—Blade Loss of a Fanjet Engine

We continue our consideration of the loss of blades for a Fanjet Engine.
We will only consider one of the ideal modifications that were named
which is to change the energy level of the blade.
If I could snap my fingers, what would the ideal level be?
The energy should dissipate low enough as to never reach the cabin. Essentially, the
blades have zero kinetic energy relative to the aircraft.

Example—Stopping a Speeding Car

If I could snap my fingers, what would the ideal level be?
Continuing with the example of a police officer stopping a
speeding car, we realize that bringing the car to a complete stop may not be required or
even desirable. It may be more desirable to control the maximum speed of the car. This
allows us to control the situation better. For instance, if the car is already stopped, then
we may want to guarantee that it is stopped for good. On the other hand, if the car is
moving at a high rate of speed on a busy freeway, stopping the car might be dangerous to
other cars. It may be better if the car were gradually slowed rather than stopped.

L3-What is the Ideal Sequence of the Function?

This method comes from considerations of harmonizing functions 8 or actions in a system.
The law of harmonizing the rhythms of parts of the system. An essential
condition for the living viability in principle of a technical system is the
harmonization of the rhythms (frequencies of vibration, periodicity) of all parts
of the system.
Considering the ideal sequence will continue to give us more insights into the ideal modification. As we consider
when it should occur, it may affect what we believe the ideal modification should be. A powerful tool for
investigating this is the process map. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including a storyboard or
simply words in sequence. However it is done, it is nice to show the possibility of functions performed in parallel as
this will be one of the considerations that we make.

Method
Create a process map of the sequence of functions. The subject function should show up
as a block in the process map.
Step 2: Consider performing the function in different sequences. Move it earlier or later
than currently performed. Try moving it so far forward that it is no longer during the

8 Creativity as an Exact Science—the Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems, G.S Altshuller, Gordon and Breach, page 226.

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normal process sequence. Consider moving it so far backward that it is no longer part of
the ordinary sequence.
Step 3: Can the function be performed in parallel with other functions? Can the function
be performed during other functions such as during transportation or while queued or
waiting?. Can setup be performed at the same time as the operation? Rapid setup often
implies the use of a previously placed tool. Could other tools help out at another time or
sequence?
Step 4: Create a process map of the desired function and break it down into finer detail.
Step 5: Can the modification be broken into two (or more) stages? Does this allow for
parallel processes to accomplish the main function, or does it allow for a more optimum
sequencing of functions?

Example—Stopping a Speeding Car

Step 1: Create a process map of the sequence of functions. The subject function should
show up as a block in the process map.

Officer Both Cars Officer Occupant Officer

Identifies Occupant
Gets Scared Pull Over Walks Speeds Returns to
Car to Pull and Stop toward Car Away Car
Over

Occupant Officer
Gets Scared Requests
Help

Officers Occupant Officer

Car Stops Limit Increases Pursues
Options Speed

Officers
“Bumps”
Car (Very
Dangerous)

Car Strikes
Object
(Very
Dangerous)

Stop

Car

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If we start at the beginning of a typical car chase, the car has just been pulled over and the
officer is walking to the other car. This is the most likely time for the occupant to
become scared and to speed away or “bolt”. Notice in the following process map that we
could have used functional language throughout. Also, the ideal function is located
wherever psychological inertia places it. That is fine to begin with.
Step 2: Consider performing the function in different sequences. Move it earlier or later
than currently performed. Try moving it so far forward that it is no longer during the
normal process sequence. Consider moving it so far backward that it is no longer part of
the ordinary sequence.
In this case, it probably does not make sense to stop the car until it has had a chance to
pull over. In the less likely event that the car begins speeding away when the officer
flags it down, then there may be a need to stop it at that moment. Now remember, it is
possible to consider the more ideal situation where the occupant is not scared, etc. This
all presupposes that we have already determined these other functions and are idealizing
them on other paths. It also presupposes that we have considered other more ideal
modifications and products and are working on this one specifically. The question that
we are answering here is where is the most ideal place to put the function of stopping the
car.

Officer Officer Both Cars Officer Officer

Identifies Flags down Pull Over Walks Performs
Car to Pull the Car and Stop toward Car Duty
Over

Stop

Occupant
Gets Scared

Another possibility is that the car bolts and the officer does not pursue at all! The car will
be stopped later when it is safer, or the occupant will stop the car. The occupant can see
that the officer is simply standing there and not pursuing. This allows for a less panicked
state which keeps speeds lower. Perhaps the fact that officers will no longer pursue has
become well publicized. And it becomes common knowledge that the car is being
tracked by a high observer such as a surveillance craft or satellite. The occupant then has
to pursue another strategy which usually involves abandoning the car. This puts the
function of stopping the car far later than normal.
Step 3: Can the function be performed in parallel with other functions? Can the function
be performed during other functions such as during transportation or while queued or
waiting. Can setup be performed at the same time as the operation? Rapid setup often
implies the use of a previously placed tool. Could other tools help out at another time or
sequence?

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This creates new possibilities, for instance, the car can be disabled while it is already
stopping for a traffic light or stop sign. If this can be done safely, before the occupant is
aware of what is happening. This precludes the problem of speeding away, but now this
raises other problems such as how other drivers will react when a car is stopped.

Officer Officer Officer Officer

Identifies Waits for Walks Performs
Stop
Car to Pull Car to Stop toward Car Duty
Over

Occupant
Gets Scared

There are also many people who would never consider speeding away and this becomes a
needless embarrassment for them. It is also necessary to stop the car in such a way that
the occupants and the car are out of harm’s way. Such may not be the case if the car is
stopped on a busy street. This highlights the fact that idealizing the system may cause
other problems which can be avoided now (by choosing a different sequence) or later, by
fixing the system.
Step 4: Create a process map of the desired function and break it down into finer detail.

Some
Feature of Car Car Comes
Slows to Full Stop
Car is
Down
Disabled

Step 5: Can the modification be broken into two (or more) stages? Does this allow for
parallel processes to accomplish the main function, or does it allow for a more optimum
sequencing of functions?
It may be that the car is not stopped, but first limited in speed to 25 mph. The car can
now pull over and remove itself from traffic with the officer following. This brings up
the idea that the more ideal possibility is to be able to limit the maximum speed of the car
at a distance in such a way that the driver cannot tell the difference between this and a
“malfunctioning” car.

L3-What is the Ideal Duration?

The ideal sequence is strongly influenced by the duration of the function. Likewise, duration of
the function is strongly influenced by the sequence of the function.

Method
Step 1: If the modification were performed very rapidly, would other
harmful functions be precluded?
Step 2: How much time do we have after it is normally performed that it would be
allowable to continue performing the function? If the modification were performed very

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slowly (hours, days, weeks, months, years) would this be harmful or could this actually
help in the performance of other functions?

Example—Stopping a Speeding Car

Step 1: If the modification were performed very rapidly, would other harmful functions be
precluded?
Yes, if the car could be stopped instantly, before it was able to get out into traffic, many
dangerous or harmful functions could be avoided.
Step 2: How much time do we have after it is normally performed that it would be
allowable to continue performing the function? If the modification were performed very
slowly (hours, days, weeks, months, years) would this be harmful or could this actually
help in the performance of other functions?
Stopping the car permanently could be viewed as a punishment for trying to speed away.
This might serve as a deterrent.

L3-What is the Ideal Duty Cycle?

Ideality requires that all objects perform as many functions as possible, as much of the time as possible. Systems
that idle waste valuable resources. Consequently, it is important to consider idealizing the function by requiring the
system to work all of the time.

Method
Step 1: Are there opportunities for the system to run all the time? Is this even desirable
considering the current product? Ideally, objects in the system will be at full capacity 9.
Step 2: Are there other objects in the job that require the function? Should the function
be reframed to consider these other objects?
Step 3: Should the modification be performed along the entire path, both coming and
going? This usually applies to machines which have repetitive motions.
Step 4: Should dummy runs and downtimes be allowed?

Example—Stopping Speeding Cars

Continuing with our example of stopping speeding cars, we ask whether the stopping
system can be in operation at all times. Since the need to stop cars is not continuous, it
would be necessary to re-describe the function in terms that can apply to objects other
than cars.
Step 1: Are there opportunities for the system to run all the time? Is this even desirable
considering the current product? Ideally, objects in the system will be at full capacity.
In the case of stopping speeding cars, there is no requirement to stop cars continuously.

9 Inventive Principle #20—Continuity of Useful Action: Carry out an action without a break. All parts of the objects should constantly operated at full capacity. Remove idle and
intermediate motion. Replace "back-and-forth" motion with a rotating one. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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Step 2: Are there other objects in the job that

require the function? Should the function be
reframed to consider these other objects?
Yes, it would be desirable to stop a human Car Fleeing
that abandons the car. If we redefine the Occupant Occupant
problem as stopping the car occupants,
whether they are moving or in a car, the
system becomes much more ideal.
Step 3: Should the modification be performed along the entire path, both coming and
going? This usually applies to machines which have repetitive motions.
In this case it probably does not apply except to say that the function of stopping the car’s
occupants should be possible regardless of which direction they are moving, even in
reverse.
Step 4: Should dummy runs and downtimes be allowed?
I suppose that down times are allowed if all we are stopping are the occupants. It should
not be necessary to have a test run before it is used each time to stop a car.

L3-What is the Ideal Adjustability and Continuity of

Adjustment?
If we haven’t already touched on this in some way, then we will deal with the subject of variability here.
Lines of evolution suggest that the control of functions become more and more adjustable 10. At first, the
process is fixed. Next it becomes adjustable to at least discrete levels. Next, the adjustment must become
continuous. Next, some form of control scheme is used to adjust the function for changing conditions. The
first form of control often turns the function on or off. This is often referred to as “bang-bang” control.
The next form of control is referred to as open-loop control. This means that a change is sensed
somewhere and the mechanism that controls the function is given a set command that hopefully puts the
output in the required realm. The next form of control uses feedback which continuously or discretely controls the
function. Each level of adjustment and control increases the complexity of the system. It is important here to not go
overboard in assigning an ideal level of adjustability. We can over-constrain the system. This sounds too much like
a compromise, but here we will consider only an acceptable level of adjustment that will allow this system to
operate for a long time without change. This is not much of a compromise.

Method
Step 1: Consider different and perhaps extreme operating environments. Decide whether
or not it must be capable of adapting to these different environments.
Step 2: Consider adjustability to a variety of products. How much variation can we stand
in the product? Consider biased products (objects which are of the same type, but have
some differences in an important attribute like nails of various sizes or roses of different

10 Inventive Principle #15—Dynamicity: Characteristics of an object or outside environment, must be altered to provide optimal performance at each stage of an operation. If an
object is immobile, make it mobile. Make it interchangeable. Divide an object into elements capable of changing their position relative to each other. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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shades). Consider objects with much greater differences such as the difference between
edible plants.
Step 3 What granularity of adjustment is necessary? Can the adjustment be discrete? If
so, what is the discrete step size?
Step 4: Does the adjustment need to be continuous or should it require continuous
feedback 11?

Example—Stopping a Speeding Car

Step 1: Consider different and perhaps extreme operating environments. Decide whether
or not it must be capable of adapting to these different environments.
The car must be stopped in difficult weather conditions such as rain, snow, high heat, at
night or day. The occupant must be stopped regardless of the position that they are in,
either running or crouching low in the car. It must be capable of stopping the occupant
regardless of obstacles that they hide behind such as seats, windows, car walls or trees
and rocks once the occupant leaves the vehicle.
Step 2: Consider adjustability to a variety of products. How much variation can we stand
in the product? Consider biased products (objects which are of the same type, but have
some differences in an important attribute like nails of various sizes or roses of different
shades). Consider objects with much greater differences such as the difference between
edible plants.
The method of stopping must work regardless of the gender or size of the occupant. It
must also work regardless of the equipment that they might be operating or carrying.
Step 3 What granularity of adjustment is necessary? Can the adjustment be discrete? If
so, what is the discrete step size?
In this case, the adjustment could be fairly granular. We would like to limit the occupant
or former occupant to a variety of speeds.
Step 4: Does the adjustment need to be continuous or should it require continuous
feedback?
The adjustment could use some form of open-loop control if the officer provides the
feedback. Some form of feedback may be necessary, however to reduce the concentration
burden of the officer.

L3-What is the Ideal Use of Energy

Move
Many modern conveniences save time at the expense of energy waste. We almost always use
more energy than is required because energy is cheap. The unfortunate consequence is the
cumulative energy and its costs. Considering the least energy that is required to perform the
function will give the innovator a very different idea of what the ideal function is. Leaves

11 Inventive Principle #23—Feedback: Introduce feedback. If feedback already exists, change it. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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Method
Consider the least energy required to perform the function.

Example—Leaf Blower
Consider the least
energy required to
perform the function. 20 ft
20 ft
In this case, the debris
must be moved a
horizontal distance of
20 feet and up 5 feet to
be placed in a garbage
can or storage receptacle. The least energy that is required to perform this function is the
potential energy change. (Weight times the height). It is very small (and certainly much
smaller than the energy which will be expended with a leaf blower).

L3-Turning Function Burden to Blessing

Usually, we do not think of a raw function as having burdens. This usually occurs when the tool of the function is
added. Unfortunately, there are burdens that are almost unavoidable. When we stop a car, the energy must be
extracted. Regardless of the way that we do this, the energy must leave the car. This is a burden. We can turn this
burden into a blessing 12 by using this energy to perform another function. Without deciding yet how this is going to
happen, we are setting ourselves up to identify a physical phenomenon that can perform a second useful function
with the energy that is removed from the car.

Method
Car Accelerate
Step 1: Identify unavoidable burdens which
come with a useful function.
Step 2: Identify a second function which uses
the burden to perform a useful function. Car Car

Example—Stopping a Car
Step 1: Identify unavoidable burdens which come with a function.
Energy loss comes with stopping any car.
Step 2: Identify a second function which uses the burden to perform a useful function.
This energy can be used to accelerate the same or a second car.

12 Inventive Principle #22—Convert Harm Into Benefit: Utilize harmful factors - especially environmental to obtain a positive effect. Remove one harmful factor by combining it
with another harmful factor. Increase the degree of harmful action to such an extent that it ceases to be harmful. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288. The use
of this principle is somewhat different here because we have to see past the useful function to the burdens that the useful function carries to find the harm.

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L3-When Should It Be Excluded? (The Zero Function)

The zero function 13 is the intended absence of a function under certain conditions. We should have full control over
the function when its existence would be dangerous or otherwise harmful.

Method
Step 1: Identify times when the primary functions are harmful.
Step 2: Consider providing the zero function and means for detecting and controlling the
function during these times.

Example—A Safer Gun

Many are killed due to accidental handgun accidents. Children, in
particular, are susceptible. Additionally, law enforcement officers
sometimes become the victims of their own weapons.
Step 1: Identify times when the primary functions are harmful.
Harmful functions are most likely to occur when the gun is not in the hands of the owner.
If a police officer is not in possession of his weapon, and a suspect has it, this is
potentially very harmful.
Step 2: Consider providing the zero function and means for detecting and controlling the
function during these times.
The Gun cannot shoot unless it is being held by the correct person.

Example—Stopping a Speeding Car

Is there a chance that we want to disable the possibility of stopping or controlling a
speeding car?
Step 1: Identify times when the primary functions are harmful.
It may be harmful if the device can be used on a law enforcement vehicle. If the device is
harmful to adults, children may be very susceptible to harm. Perhaps it cannot be used
when children are present.
Step 2: Consider providing the zero function and means for detecting and controlling the
function during these times.
The function will not be provided with children or law enforcement vehicles present.

13 Greg Yezersky, General Theory of Innovation Feb 2006

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L2-Potential Physical Phenomena

The Ideal Physical Phenomenon for Useful Functions
Now that we know what we want to do, we are prepared to talk about how we are going to deliver the function. We
deliver functions with physical phenomena which are in turn delivered by the tool. The tool and the physical
phenomena often come together, but for our purposes we will consider them separately as potential physical
phenomena.
As taught in school, physical phenomena are a human abstract of fields and substances arranged in special
architectures that do something recognizable. When we talk about buoyancy as a physical phenomenon, we are
talking about several substances and several fields that interact to cause objects to float in their surrounding fluid.
We recognize that this works in water and in the air. Buoyancy can be used to do things. It is a means to an end if
we want. It is rare that only one substance and/or field is involved. For those who have learned physics, they
recognize that the study of physics is primarily the study of physical phenomena. This is fortunate because it helps
the user to understand how to calculate the effects of the associated parameters.
The decision of what physical phenomena to use to deliver a function is often ignored or taken for granted.
Whenever we ignore or take for granted, we are assuming. Whenever we assume, we are subject to psychological
inertia. We may not recognize that there are more ideal physical phenomena that can be used to deliver our
modification to the tool. We may be ignoring free resources in the environment or in the job that can be used to
simplify the system.
Even though, a physical phenomenon may not be ideal, we need to additionally consider whether the timing is right
to change it. This decision should not be taken lightly as changing to a new physical phenomenon can lead to a lot
of headaches. If it is not time to change, this whole section can be skipped.
There are many avenues for identifying physical phenomena. Many of physical phenomena are already in-use to
perform the function. Some need to be transported from other industries. Once we have them, we need to sort
through them to find the most ideal.
In the event that we cannot identify a good physical phenomenon to meet our needs, there is always the option to go
searching for new phenomena. This should only be done if absolutely necessary as it requires the heart and soul of
the researcher. Means are given to look for new phenomena. This is a new area for TRIZ and the methods are
experimental.

Is it Time to Switch to a Different (more Ideal) Physical Phenomenon?

This decision has ramifications on the amount of work that will be required to make your product or service work.
When you change to a new physical phenomenon, there are many unknowns. Perhaps you are lucky and you are
involved with someone that is experienced in the new phenomenon. This makes the possibility of bridging to the
new phenomenon much easier. Remember that the new product or service must compete with one that has been
polished for many years. Changing to a new physical phenomenon can increase the required work substantially.

The Ideal Physical Phenomenon for Useful Functions

In this step, we consider which physical phenomena can perform the modification to the product that we desire. The
decision of which physical phenomenon to use will come after seeing what resources are available. So, we are not
making a decision at this point, but rather identifying potential physical phenomena. We create a fertile situation so
that when the right tool is presented, we can see its merit. In effect, we are sensitizing our minds for the next step in

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which we consider the substance, object and field resources around us. Armed with the knowledge of what is
possible, it will be easier to identify the value of a resource when we see it.
Some of the phenomena that we consider in this stage may seem a little wild or too weak to perform the function.
Remember that there are ways to tame wild phenomena. Weak phenomena can often be boosted in latter stages of
the algorithm. Therefore, it is important to keep an open mind to the possibilities.

The Ideal Physical Phenomena Must Have a Chance to Compete

The ideal resource is capable of holding its own. It must be abundant and capable of providing as many functions as
possible. In the final set of tools, we consider which potential phenomena would be the most ideal. We “filter” for
certain characteristics. What we have left over are the most likely candidates.

Discovering Completely New Physical Phenomena

The discipline of invention would be incomplete without the consideration of discovering new physical phenomena.
These discoveries, while taking much longer to break through, have had profound impacts on all of technology.
Discoveries such as the lasers, lithographic processes, and ultrasonic phenomena have transformed our lives.
A physical phenomenon is a unique combination of fields and substances which allows for the delivery of a
function. The term “physical phenomena” is a human convention which allows us to create order from chaos. We
classify what we are seeing in order to repeat it and use it for our purposes. Even the concept of a “field” (as used in
the above definition) is a human convention. One might argue that 99% of all interactions in nature are the result of
electron to electron interactions. Such a narrow definition of field limits classifications greatly. Here, we will
consider fields to include the ones that we studied in physics courses.
Let’s say that we were the first to discover capillary action. Perhaps we were the first to construct a glass tube and
place it into a liquid. We might have seen the liquid move up the tube to a position higher than the liquid in the
vessel that contains it. The liquid was modified. It changed its shape, height or relationship relative to the glass, etc.
In other words, it performed a function because it modified one of the attributes of the liquid. The value of a
physical phenomenon is that it is the means of delivering functions. In this context, the search for new physical
phenomena is actually the search for new ways to deliver functions. (This logic is not perfect in that we may find a
new way to deliver a function which involves an existing physical phenomenon.)
This search often begins with the thinking “If only I could find a way to…”. Perhaps we search existing Libraries of
Effects and physical phenomena as well as an exhaustive search of the internet. If nothing turns up and we are
particularly serious about delivering this function in a new way, we may do something radical. We may begin an
innovative quest….
The search ideally looks like this:
--I need to deliver a known function.
--I go and look in my own and other industries to search for a physical
phenomenon to deliver the function and find that the available physical
phenomena are not capable.
--I look for new phenomena that have not been used to deliver such a function.
(Can’t find any)
--I form a hypothesis for a new way to manipulate substances and fields that
might deliver this function.
--I perform crude experiments that confirm (at least don’t disprove) the
hypothesis.

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--I apply the new phenomenon to deliver the function and begin the process of
working out the bugs—resolving contradictions, etc. Because this is a newly
applied phenomenon, there are a lot of new problems to be solved which take a
lot of time.
What often happens is different:
In the process of solving one problem (this problem may not be related to
delivering a function), I may set things up (usually in an extreme way) that
creates the conditions to discover a new phenomenon.
An unusual phenomenon is discovered.
This new phenomenon may not solve the problem that I am dealing with, so I
now have a quandary: Do I continue working on the existing problem, or do I
allow myself to divert to the new phenomena?
If I decide to divert to the new phenomena, what do I do with it? I could report
it out in a technical journal for all to use. This is probably a good idea. I or
someone else might recognize that there is a need for this new physical
phenomenon. This is a classical solution in search of a problem. It is necessary
to find potential functions that this phenomenon can deliver.
Methods are given which outline conditions under which new phenomena are often found. Some of these methods
are directed towards discovering a new phenomena which can be applied to deliver the function of interest. Other
methods merely create the environment in which a new phenomenon may be discovered.

Method
Step 1: Consider whether it is time to switch to a new physical phenomenon to deliver
the function? Has the point of diminishing returns been reached? Do you see signs of
extensive feedback in the main function?
Step 2: Consider physical phenomena from industries that perform similar modifications
a lot. Look at the patent data base to see different physical phenomena. Consider how
nature does it.
Step 3: Use the library of effects at: http://function.creax.com/
Step 4: Look at how nature does it at: http://asknature.org/
Step 5: Consider using a hybrid of the existing and a new phenomenon.
Step 6: Consider chaining physical phenomena.
Step 7: If a new phenomenon is required, then consider making the object of intelligent
little people. What would they do to provide the modification?
Step 8: If a new physical phenomenon is required, then consider driving fields, order or
other attributes to the extreme.
Step 9: Choose the most ideal phenomenon: one that makes use of abundant resources:
requires the least contact or one that can provide multiple functions.

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L3-(Switch?)—Review the Evolutionary History

Knowing the history of a product 14 helps to understand the main evolutionary trends. Each product has a main
evolutionary tendency. The tendency of a system to stall along this evolutionary path is largely a function of the
technical problems that directly conflict with this evolutionary tendency. You have already conducted a patent
search within your industry so you have a lot of information about the history. This step can take a lot of time, but
the information is extremely valuable from the viewpoint of continued steps. The inventor is becoming a true expert
in this field.

Method
Step 1: From patents and literature, study the history of the functions that are typically
involved in the job. What functions have been added over time? What main physical
parameters have improved?
Step 2: From patents and literature, study the history of the technologies (physical
phenomena) that typically deliver these functions. How have these technologies
changed?

Example—Postal Services
Consider the transport of objects for pay such as postal services.
Step 1: From patents and literature, study the history of the functions that are typically
involved in the job. What functions have been added
over time? What main physical parameters have
improved?
Things improved with postal services: The
purchasing of service; delivery of object to point of
use; the protection of objects (container movement);
the tracking of objects and informing customer; the
speed of movement of objects.
Step 2: From patents and literature, study the history of the technologies (physical
phenomena) that typically deliver these functions. How have these technologies
changed?
If we look at the actual physical means of delivering objects we see a continual transition
to the fastest modes of general transportation: RunnersÆ HorsesÆ CarriagesÆ
WagonsÆ Trains or BoatsÆ TrucksÆ Planes. With these transitions other
improvements came in the form of speed, protection from damage and knowledge of
object location.

14 The Innovation Algorithm by Genrich Altshuller page 215—While Altshuller’s life was a study of the history of systems, this particular chapter shows the various stages of a
technology. Altshuller made it a point to take an existing system and determine the evolutionary history of that particular system.

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L3-(Switch?)—Plot the Course of Disruptive Technologies

We have already discussed disruptive technologies 15 in some
depth. If you feel that a disruptive technology is threatening you, it #1 Capability
may be wise to look at how rapid this encroachment is occurring.
This analysis takes a great deal of time, so it is usually not useful
Speed
unless an imminent threat is detected. #2 Capability
#1 Market (Job)
Method
Step 1: Each recognized market (job) is
focused on a competitive parameter.
Determine the competitive parameter. Time
The progression of competitive
parameters is as follows:
—Performance of the main parameter (speed, power, etc)
—Reliability
—Convenience
—Cost
Step 2: Plot this main competitive parameter for the most advanced leaders with respect
to time for each market (job). This gives the capability curve.
Step 3: Plot the average of the competitive parameter for all products for that market.
This gives the demand curve for each market.
Step 4: If the capability of the lower performing market appears to be on a course to
cross the demand line of the market with the upper capability, then it is imperative that
you find a way to switch to the phenomenon used by the encroaching market. It may be
necessary to spin off an independent group which is given proper resources and
incentives to market this new technology. This may be difficult since the new market is
likely to have developed new delivery channels. The more likely approach to overcoming
a disruptive technology is to use a hybrid of the new and old physical phenomenon.

15 The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen—Harper Business Essentials

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L3-(Switch?)—Determine the System Maturity from Patents

The maturity of systems can be determined by several means. One means is by the study of patents 16. This involves
understanding the increase in performance of the main technical parameter related to main technical function, the
level of invention and the number of patents over time. The
method shown is very time consuming and should only be applied
Technical
if other methods prove ineffective in showing the importance of Maturity
Parameter Stagnation
switching to a new physical phenomenon.
Related to the Rapid growth
Method for Examining Infancy
Main Function
System Maturity
Level of
Step 1: Identify the technical parameter
related to the main function. Quantify Invention
how this has improved over time.
Step 2: Identify how the level of
invention has changed over time. The Number
level of invention is typically high when
Of Patents
changing to a new physical
phenomenon. It peaks again during the Per year
period of rapid growth as resources are
made available from sales.
Later, it levels off as system resources are exhausted.
The levels of invention are as follows:
1. No resolution of contradiction.
2. Resolves contradiction with small change.
3. Resolves contradictions with a major change. Uses a technology from the same field.
4. Resolves a contradiction. Complete change in physical phenomenon. This is usually a
technology from another field.
5. New Physical Phenomenon. Has ability to change the super-system to which it
belongs.
Step 3: Quantify the number of patents per year.

L3-(Switch?)—Is it Time to Switch to a New Physical

Phenomenon?
The main reason that we would like to know the system maturity is because it is particularly important to determine
whether there is a need to change to a new physical phenomenon to perform the main modification of the system
product. A new physical phenomenon typically brings fresh resources which allow continued evolution of the

16 Creativity as an Exact Science-The Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems by G.S. Altshuller. Gordon and Breach. Page 207

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function or the job that is being performed. Unfortunately, it typically involves unknown risks and unfamiliarity of
the side effects of the new phenomenon. An additional shortcoming of going to a new physical phenomenon is that
the customer has come to accept certain levels of performance which will almost certainly not be achieved unless
the transition is brought about through the use of hybrid phenomena which will be described later.

Required Conditions for a New Phenomenon

If several of the below conditions are present then consider a new physical phenomenon
to deliver the main modification.
Condition 1: The super-system has become very specialized.
In the beginning, row boats were very crude and usually
created from single trunks of trees. As time went on, they
evolved to specialized uses including fishing, transportation
of goods and conducting warfare. These variations became very specialized with
warships having multiple levels of oars.
Condition 2: The super-system has reached the point of diminishing
return. Are the main technical parameters improving very slowly?
An example of a system that has reached the point of diminished
return is the fanjet engine. The amount of fuel burned per unit of
thrust is improving in the single digit range. This is largely due to the
high degree of regulation in the airline industry for the sake of safety. Improvements are
absorbed slowly so as to ensure that unintended effects are minimized.
Condition 3: Automatic feedback is used to perform the main super-system
function 17. By the point that systems are using extensive feedback, we can
usually assume that the system is running out of resources. This is
because the use of feedback is costly, and indicates that costly
improvements are required to bring minor changes to performance.
A fanjet engine is again a good example of feedback which is employed in almost every
major function on the engine.
Condition 4: Multiple conflicts must be resolved for large
improvements. (Many rocks appear when we begin to drain the
pond). It is typical that products and services will be filled with
compromise “solutions”. Between major improvements in the product, there is a
tendency to ignore risks and to live with compromises. As time goes on and the product
becomes specialized, these compromises mount up until changes in the operating
environment expose multiple compromises.
Going back to our example of the aircraft engine, temperatures are always increasing
within the engine to increase engine efficiency. This increase in temperature exposes the
weakness of multiple components.

17 17 SECRETS OF AN INVENTIVE MIND: HOW TO CONCEIVE WORLD CLASS PRODUCTS RAPIDLY USING TRIZ AND OTHER LEADING EDGE CREATIVE
TOOLS by James Kowalick

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L3-(Switch?)—Can Line of Evolution be Used Instead?

Until you have reached the end of a line of evolution, it is hard to know if you have more unused resources.

Method
Review Lines of evolution below to see if there are still unused resources.
Path: LinearÆ Curved in planeÆ Curved out of plane
Structure: 1-DimÆ 2-DimÆ 3-Dim
Segmentation: MonolithÆ PartsÆ Powder or MistÆ Mixed Media
Voids: MonolithÆ CavityÆ VoidsÆ Porous 18 or CapillariesÆ Structured
CapillariesÆ Dynamized 19 Voids
Surface Structure: SmoothÆ ProtrusionsÆ RoughÆ Activated Surface
State: SolidÆ LiquidÆ GasÆ PlasmaÆ Rarified GasÆ Vacuum
Degrees of Freedom: FixedÆ JointÆ Multiple JointsÆ Flexible
Adjustability 20: FixedÆ AdjustableÆ Continuously AdjustableÆ Feedback 21
Continuity of Adjustment: InvariableÆ Stepwise VariableÆ Continuously Variable
Oscillation 22: ContinuousÆPulsedÆOscillatingÆResonatingÆStanding Wave

18 Inventive Principle #31—Porous Material: Make an object porous, or use supplementary porous elements ( inserts, covers, etc.). If an object is already porous, fill poured in
advance with some substance. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 289.

19 Inventive Principle #15—Dynamicity: Characteristics of an object or outside environment, must be altered to provide optimal performance at each stage of an operation. If an
object is immobile, make it mobile. Make it interchangeable. Divide an object into elements capable of changing their position relative to each other. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 288.

20 Inventive Principle #15—Dynamicity: Characteristics of an object or outside environment, must be altered to provide optimal performance at each stage of an operation. If an
object is immobile, make it mobile. Make it interchangeable. Divide an object into elements capable of changing their position relative to each other. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 288.

21 Inventive Principle #23—Feedback: Introduce feedback. If feedback already exists, change it. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

22 Inventive Principle #18—Mechanical Vibration: Utilize oscillation. If oscillation exists, increase its frequency to ultrasonic. Use the frequency of resonance. Replace
mechanical vibrations with Piezo-vibrations. Use ultrasonic vibrations in conjunction with an electromagnetic field. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Analogous Products—Patents

Outside Your Industry
An analogous phenomenon 23 produces the same result that we want on other objects. This can be transferred to our
situation with satisfying results. We look at analogous products first because we will soon be looking at existing
products and patent searching and we would like to cover the range of analogue products when we do that. In other
words, we would like to perform the product and patent searches once and use the information that we gather there
for further steps.

Method
Step 1: Identify an analogous product. What other types of objects require the same
modification?
Step 2: Identify the common tool for modifying this product and the minimum feature
required for the modification. Search for patents related to the modification of this
analogous product.
Step 3: Transfer this feature to the new situation. Consider combining this with the
existing tool or transferring the minimum amount of the tool.

Example—Removing a Sliver Extract

We would like to identify a new physical phenomenon for
extracting slivers. Sliver
Step 1: Identify an analogous product. What other types of objects
require the same modification?
A nail is analogous to a sliver.
Step 2: Identify the common tool for modifying this product and =
the minimum feature required for the modification. Search for
patents related to the modification of this analogous product.
A crowbar is used to extract nails. The feature that performs this
modification is the claw.
Step 3: Transfer this feature to the new situation.
Consider combining this with the existing tool or
transferring the minimum amount of the tool.
Removes
A mini-crowbar is created for extracting slivers.
Sliver

23 No specific reference is given for this tool. The author has heard rumor that there might be a table of analogous phenomena in existence somewhere in the world. It is not
necessary to have a table to use this method, but would be helpful if such a table existed.

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L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Analogous Products—Mega Trend

If we look in industries that perform a function on a massive scale 24, we can often discover the evolutionary trend
for this function along with physical phenomena which are used to accomplish it. It is even possible to identify
physical phenomena by using the patent database.

Method
Step 1: Identify analogous products in leading industries. These are objects which
require the same function that you are considering. It may be necessary to think about
the modification differently.
Step 2: Identify trends for performing the function where a large amount of this product
requires the same modification? Consider looking at patents for this analogous product.
Can you identify the evolutionary trend?
Step 3: Apply this to the product that you are considering.

Example—Moving Large Amounts of Packaged

Materials
We would like to move sacks from a truck shipment
to a location on the factory floor. Typically, this is Move
done by hand, unloading one at a time.
Step 1: Identify analogous products in leading Cans
industries. These are objects which require the same
function that you are considering. It may be necessary to think about
the modification differently.
Cans
Cans are an analogous product.

24 The Innovation Algorithm by G.S. Altshuller, Technical Innovation center. First Edition 1999 page 174. Used as part of ARIZ 71. “Compare the by-pass problem with a
tendency (a direction of evolution) in a leading industry.”

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Step 2: Identify trends for performing the function where a large

amount of this product requires the same modification? Consider
looking at patents for this analogous product. Can you identify the
evolutionary trend?
The Cans are moved on pallets as large groups. As more and more
things are moved, they seem to be moved in Trolley /
large groups rather than one-by-one. Pallet
Step 3: Apply this to the product that you are Move
considering.
Sacks

L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Identify the Competitive Alternative

through Observation and Questioning
Here we learn about potential physical phenomena from competitive alternatives. Competitive alternatives are any
systems that can potentially compete with the system that you are simplifying or creating. A newspaper is
competition for the television. Car or truck transportation is competition for airline travel.
The competitive alternative is what people currently use and what they would use if they didn’t have what they are
currently using. Remember that this is not necessarily what you would consider to be direct business competition.
For a pet watering bowl, the competitive alternative might be a large bucket. In the early stages, Southwest Airlines
did not compete against other airlines; they were in competition with traveling by car.
It is very tempting to go on personal experience to answer this question, but this is a trap. Often, inventors assume
that they are like everyone else. There is wisdom in going to the battle to see how it is really being waged. There is
no substitute for this. Don’t be satisfied with talking to a few people.

Method
Step 1: Observe what the target market currently does to satisfy this function. If possible,
go and watch before talking. By observing you get to the truth. What people do and
what they say that they do are often two different things.
Step 2: Ask how they satisfy this function and what they would do if they didn’t have what
they currently use. This may give some valuable information into the history of the
function. They will often offer what they did way back when...
Step 3: Identify what “extreme users” currently do to satisfy this function and what they
would do if they weren’t using their current means. Extreme users often have a range of
experience with uncommon ways to satisfy a function.
Step 4: Ask everyone that you interview where they go for the source of items and
products that they need to do these jobs. This will set you up for the next step.

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L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Internet Product Search

Learn from the competitive alternatives (Remember that these may not be direct competitors).
What jobs do they do? What functions do they perform? What Physical Phenomena delivers the
functions? If you are searching for an unrecognized market and you find a major competitor then
go back to the drawing board.

Method
Step 1: Use an internet search-engine to determine what products are offered.
Step 2: Refine the search by noting and using nomenclature and names that are common
to the industry.
Step 3: Consider cheap competitive alternatives.

Example—Stopping a Speeding Car

Step 1: Use an internet search-engine to determine what products are offered.
“Stop-Sticks” are found on police equipment websites. They are a triangular shaped
device that cost $380 per set and can be deployed by throwing them into the road way.
The occupant has little time to react and often rolls over them. The sticks can
immediately be pulled back to allowing pursuing law enforcement cars to pass unharmed.
As an added feature, the stop sticks are replaced if damaged for up to 4 years.
It takes a fair amount of training to use them. If they are thrown too early, the occupant
has time to swerve, potentially into the officers throwing them. A “marker” is used on
the side of the road to time the throw. When the fleeing car passes the marker, the stop
sticks are thrown out. One tricky feature is that the officer needs to be close enough to
throw the sticks, which may put them into a dangerous situation. They come with 80 ft
of cord to pull them out of the path or into the path of cars. This does not mean that the
officer can be 80 feet away when throwing the stop sticks. An interesting feature of these
stop sticks is the number of police officers killed while deploying them. The most
common fatalities have to do with drivers swerving to avoid the sticks and striking
officers. Others have been killed while trying to retrieve them. Sadly, they are
sometimes killed by the pursuing police car. They may try to retrieve them to keep
pursuing law enforcement cars from also running over the stop sticks.
Another tricky feature is that pursuing officers are often very close behind the speeding
car. It is difficult to convey at what point the sticks may be thrown out. The police car
may also try to swerve to avoid them which endanger officers trying to deploy them.
Another problem reported is the use of stop sticks on people that were not breaking the
law.
Another competitive alternative is tire spikes—these range from $400 to $800. These
spikes spread out to as long as 25 ft. They are capable of piercing truck tires. The tines
can be replaced in seconds should they become damaged. The spikes enter the tires and
break free from the retainer. They are hollow and slowly deflate the tire to avoid
dangerous blowouts.
Another competitive alternative is the X-Net. This is a netting covered with spikes. The
spikes attach to the wheels and the net is wound onto the wheel thus stopping it. It is
purported to be capable of stopping vehicles in excess of 10,000 lbs.

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Step 2: Refine the search by noting and using nomenclature and names that are common
to the industry.
Stop Tech Ltd. is the company that makes Stop Sticks.
Step 3: Consider cheap competitive alternatives.
I could not detect any cheap alternatives. Big rocks would be too dangerous, especially
for pursuing police officers.

L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Observe Existing Products

With an internet product search under your belt, you may be able to identify local products that you can observe
first-hand. While competitive alternatives can be anything that others would use if they were not using our system,
there may be obvious competitors in the market place. Let’s go to the store to see what these products and services
are.

Method
Step 1: Go to a store that would sell products that deliver the required modification.
Step 2: Note brands and producers. Do the producers sell more than one product? Who
are the main producers?
Step 3: Look for product trends.
Step 4: Read the labels. What do they claim?

Example—Pet Food Container

Step 1: Go to a store that would sell products that deliver the required
modification.
I am interested in containers that serve pet food, so I go to a pet store or the pet section of
a department or grocery store.
Step 2: Note brands and producers. Do the producers sell more than one product? Who
are the main producers?
I note that there are three main manufacturers that sell products in the
category that I am interested in.
Step 3: Look for product trends.
The trend is to combine the food bowls with large storage containers
and to keep the food at a level that is comfortable for the pet.
Step 4: Read the labels. What do they claim?
One claims to slow down bugs.

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L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Use a Known Disruptive Technology

This tool is especially important to consider when targeting a market segment that is already consuming and in
which you are trying to sustain the momentum.
It is easy to get caught up in calling any great innovation a disruptive technology, but be careful how this term is
used. Disruptive technologies 25 are products and services that are typically disruptive to a business practice.
Ultimately, they are so disruptive that many great businesses can no longer compete.
The ones that you typically have to be concerned with are those that may disrupt your
business. For instance, they do not give the margins that you have come to expect. They
do not intersect your supply chain. They do not satisfy the same levels of performance
that your main customers have become accustomed to. They require new vendors. Often,
a disruptive technology will require a whole new business model. This is the most
disruptive of all. As management considers these technologies, they will seem distasteful
and will reject them because they feel that they are doing this in the best interest of their
company. Remember, they are held captive by their largest customers. Few resources
are left over for other customers and disruptive technologies.
These disruptive offerings are generally initiated in industries that are not your own, but may be closely adjacent.
They satisfy someone that is not currently purchasing from you, so they seem innocent. They usually do not
perform at sufficient levels to attract the attention of your main customers. This is because they are designed to
perform the same functions that your products perform, only for other markets. As these offerings increase in
performance, eventually, they will have the capability of satisfying low-end customers in your market. Again, this
seems innocent as these low end customers are not important to your business as you move up-market to gain higher
and higher margins. Slowly, these offerings will gain in performance as they are fueled by the cash coming into
these markets until you find that they are cutting into your mainline customers. Often, it is too late at this point
because of the resources required to change over. Developing a whole new supply chain is very impractical.
History has shown that it is nearly impossible to copy a disruptive technology at this point. Vendors are often
locked up while supplying the new supply chain. Consumers have loyalty to the early products.
You might ask why we are not intent upon creating technologies which are disruptive to
our main competitors. While it is possible to create technologies that are disruptive to
other’s businesses, this strategy can only work if your company is open to destructive
creation of products and to the creation of new business models, usually in completely
separate business units than your legacy products. In order to disrupt existing
competition, you will ultimately cannibalize yourself. Remember that these are your
competitors and you are competing for the same market. If the market of your competitor
begins to move to your new product, they must also stop buying your legacy product.
Most companies will find that it is usually better to try to satisfy a market that will not
likely compete with your market. If you pick a non-consuming market to satisfy, there are
many opportunities to create new offerings. The need to compete is virtually eliminated.
You would only do this out of spite for the competitor which is not really a good business
practice and will generally take you nowhere.
If you are still determined to create a disruptive business for your competitor, there are more hurdles. This
disruptive technology will need to compete against your biggest customers for resources. It will also be necessary to

25 The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen—Harper Business Essentials

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change long-held company values at the highest levels of the business. It is hard to admit that your business strategy
and company values are wrong. In order to make this kind of change a lot of people have to be aligned and
committed. If they are not convinced, they will likely revolt in passive ways that are hard to detect and counter. A
better approach than directly disrupting your business would be to start a new business built on a learning approach
with its own resources. This business will create its own business model and supply train from scratch.
Finally, if you are still determined to create a disruptive technology within an existing business, you must recognize
that, the business needs to have an offering which can stand on its own in some market. This is a large challenge on
its own as most offerings fail due to all of the market conditions.
In summary, it is usually not a good practice to try to create a disruptive technology
(disruptive to you) within an existing business and customer base. The more likely place
to create disruptive technologies is with new business startups. These have the ability to
recognize market segments that are not being served.
The reason for considering this step here is that others may be encroaching on your
market and it is necessary to consider the physical phenomena that this disruptive
technology is using. We do this because there is a way out of this trap and that is hybrid
phenomena. Hybrid phenomena are the combination of two phenomena in such a way
that the performance gained by one phenomenon compliments the other. In this way, the
new phenomena can be used to better satisfy the existing market. This would be difficult
to do if we made a sudden jump to the new phenomenon. When this occurs the
performance is usually less than what the existing market expects. According to
evolution of systems, when we move between physical phenomena, there is usually a
transitional state through hybrid phenomena. A recent example of this is hybrid electric
and petrol fueled vehicles.
Checking for disruptive technologies amounts to looking for analogous functions in closely adjacent markets and
then looking for how those functions are delivered. There are usually people in the business that have seen
technologies that they would like to bring into the business. They may sense that these technologies will one day
compete with them or that they could be exploited with current customers, but there is little support within the
businesses. History has shown that many toppled businesses have seen these disruptors coming but were unable to
respond adequately. The typical response is to try to force these disruptive technologies into existing markets with
disastrous results. The new phenomenon is not capable of delivering the performance that the existing market has
come to expect. As mentioned, the strategy that typically works is to strive for a hybrid technology that enhances
the current technology. Once established, the new phenomenon will begin to take over from the existing
phenomenon, all the while satisfying existing customers.

Method
Step 1: Identify technologies that exist in adjacent markets that seem to be threatening
the existing business. These may be low cost alternatives or alternatives that use a
different physical phenomenon to deliver the function.
Step 2: Identify the physical phenomenon that is used to deliver the function. It is likely
that this will later be considered for a hybrid physical phenomenon to satisfy the target
market.

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L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Patent Searching and Study

One of the best times for performing a patent search is when you are searching
for physical phenomena to deliver a function. During this particular step, we 6,543,345
will be considering searching for physical phenomena inside the given industry. 5,678,432
Later, we will be searching for patents outside the industry as we identify
3,234,211
analogous situations. Not only will we better understand the possible physical
phenomena that can be used, it is inevitable that other types of valuable
information will be gathered along the way.
Most people wait too long in the inventive process to perform a patent search. It is usually done after much time and
expense to develop their invention. Often they find that someone has already patented their idea or that more useful
and elegant concepts are available. This can be quite a blow! Waiting too long occurs for a variety of reasons:
First, people get excited about an idea and they want to develop it without delay. It is easy to get very excited about
what the future will bring. Wealth and fame are at your fingertips! There is no time to waste! The idea must put on
the market before someone steals it or you lose your drive! This fear is usually unfounded and based on the idea
that if we had the idea then the conditions are ripe for someone else to have it. Be patient, there are many inventions
to be had if this one doesn’t pan out.
Secondly, considering a patent search can invoke fear. It is like knowing that you should see the doctor while
fearing that he will give you bad news. It is easy to this put off, but, like going to the doctor, the time investment is
small compared to the time that can be wasted by not acting. It typically takes a Saturday morning to do a thorough
patent search which is a small investment compared to the typical development time for an invention. Even though
the resulting information can be somewhat deflating, it is better to start with a realistic view.
Thirdly, a patent search can appear to be beyond our capabilities. After all, people are employed full time to do
patent searches! Again, this fear is unfounded. It is important to remember that you have several advantages that
professional patent searchers do not have. You are motivated by the prospects of your idea. (A patent examiner is
employed for money and is obligated to perform to certain minimum standards). You are not constrained by time
and can afford to search to the bitter end. (Not all patent examiners are thorough and there may be time constraints
on some examiners). You are more familiar with the technology than they are. (They do not have the time to
become expert at the technologies that you are interested in). With a little practice, this overwhelming task can
become natural and commonplace.
Forth, understanding patents is difficult. Admittedly, patents have their own language. In this language, there is no
legal prohibition to making up words! Patents can seem very stiff and…legal. Remember that it is in the favor of
the legal profession that they look this way. We can easily convince ourselves that only patent attorneys can read
patents. On the contrary, anyone can thoroughly understand a patent if they are willing to take the time. They have a
repeatable structure, so you can learn the parts of the patent that you need to go to for specific information.
Remember that it is much easier to learn to read patents when you are motivated by an idea. This will force you into
the patent. Read it, digest it, and diagram it. Soon, you will be speaking “patenteze”. Reading and understanding
your first patent may take you a half day, but the next patent will go much faster.
Fifth, some feel that seeing what others have done will keep them from looking “outside
the box”. Sure, there is a possibility that this can temporarily happen, but remember that
this whole book is about making us uncomfortable inside the box. There are multiple
opportunities to kick ourselves outside. Also, lots of additional information is learned
along the way that strengthens our general understanding of physics. Understanding a
broad spectrum of physical phenomena will make you a better inventor! Where we get

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into trouble is by studying only certain areas of physics deeply. Remaining “specialists”
can have a constraining effect on our imagination.
It is ok that you do not understand everything about patents when you begin your search. True, like first time car
drivers, it is impossible to know what you do not know, but you have to start somewhere. If you make mistakes,
remember that there is a world of potential inventions out there. Dive in and you will find that you have more
capacity than you thought!
There is a wealth of information in patents that is often overlooked. Patents are structured so that others can
duplicate the results of an invention. Consequently, it is necessary to give away many details. Most patents begin
with a description of the typical approaches that are already available. This sets the stage for why their idea is an
improvement. It usually gives the history of the problem (and sometimes the industry) and also a look at alternative
physical phenomena that have been used. Following this section is a description of the invention and why it is an
improvement. This gives details into new physical phenomena that may have been used. It may describe how
various object attributes affect the operation of the product. You may also be able to detect how the inventor
overcame various contradictions. Clearly articulating the contradiction that was solved helps an inventor explain
why their invention is “non-obvious to those experienced in the art”. This is the main hurdle that is required to get a
patent. Next is a detailed description of the architecture of the invention. This gives valuable clues concerning the
details of the physics. Finally, the claims section gives an idea of the scope of what the patent examiner thought was
allowable to claim for the invention.
Unless you are having problems with your computer, it takes about two hours to prepare for your first patent search.
Mostly, this involves setting up links in your browser and a patent viewer. The patent viewer is important because
looking at pictures conveys information much more rapidly than reading patenteze. Here is how to setup your
computer browser with the necessary bookmarks to do a basic patent search:
Step 1: Go to www.uspto.gov. This is the official patent website for the US government. If you take the time to
familiarize yourself with this site, you will discover that a lot of effort has been made to make patent search and
application easier for individuals. All of the forms are available for self-application. There seems to be a bias
towards helping individuals over corporations. You will particularly notice this if you submit a patent for
consideration (this is called prosecuting a patent). People at the patent office sometimes bend over backward to help
individuals, especially ones that have never been through the process before.
Step 2: On the home page, go to “Patents”. You will find this on the left-hand side. If you click on this, a drop
down will show you several links. “Search Patents” is down the list a little. Go to this and bookmark it with a
memorable name. You can also find this at http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html. This page is the main page for
beginning patent searches. It allows for a variety of patent search formats.
Step 3: Download the patent viewer for viewing patent drawings. As mentioned, viewing the patents will really help
in understanding them. To access the viewer, go to http://www.uspto.gov/patft/help/images.htm. The program that
you download for viewing patents is dependent upon the operating system and internet browser that you use. Follow
the instructions and links for your particular operating system. If you are like most people and use the windows
operating system and Internet Explorer for your browser, you can go to http://www.alternatiff.com/install/ to directly
download the viewer. Remember to bookmark this page in case you need to reload the patent viewer for some
reason. You will know that you have succeeded when the text appears at the bottom of the page informing you that
it is installed.
Step 4: Bookmark the definition of classifications and give it a memorable name. It is located at:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/selectnumwithtitle.htm. Each patent is assigned a patent
classification. Having a link to the classifications helps the searcher delineate between classifications. When you
get to this page, you will notice that there is a numbering system which starts with items such as “apparel”.

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Remember that this is a very old system of classifying patents that was based upon products that were available
when it was started. Scroll through this list and look for more modern classifications to appear. Click on any one of
the definitions. This will take you to sub-classifications. Patents are usually assigned a classification and at least
one sub-classification. When you select one of the classification numbers, you finally arrive at the definitions.
Step 5: Bookmark the index of classifications and give it a memorable name. It is located at:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/uspcindex/indextouspc.htm. When you have an invention with a
common name, you can find the classification by going to this index. Everything is listed in alphabetical order. For
instance, if you are working on an improvement for hand shovels, you can go to shovels and find that there are a
variety of objects which are referred to as shovels. There are hand shovels, power shovels, crane shovels, loading
shovels, plow shovels, etc. This is important to know because many of these systems provide exactly the same
function as the one that you are considering. In effect, they provide analogous functions in different industries. It is
possible that they use physical phenomena and lines of evolution that are different from your industry. These can be
put to work in your situation. Also, when you later identify other analogous products, you can readily find the
patents for these products by using this index.
Step 6: Bookmark the Advanced Search page and study the examples for Boolean searches. (Note that you can
search for phrases in parentheses.)
Now you are ready to perform the actual patent search.

Method
Step 1: Search for patents directly related to the modification that you would like to
perform
Step 2: Using Advanced Search, search for key words in the abstract or body of the
patents.
Step 3: When you finally find a patent which is close to the intended subject, identify the
classification.
Step 4: Search by classification, making use of the Definitions and Index of
Classifications. Make sure that classification includes possible patents that cover the
field that you are interested in.
Step 5: When you find good representative patents, note and view all patents cited.
Step 6: Now search these patents and continue the process until no new patents
regarding your area of interest show up.
Step 7: Search patents for physical phenomena that are unusual to your industry.

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L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Evolution of Field Phenomena

Examine the Table of Fields shown in orange. Note that the top fields are the most abundant fields and the bottom
fields are typically the least abundant. In general, systems tend to use the top fields first for muscle and then the
lower fields for sensing and control. Later, the lower fields may become more abundant. When they are both
abundant and controllable it makes sense that systems evolve toward the bottom fields. By examining the fields
currently being used
by your system, or Elastic Stress Gravity Friction Adhesion
similar systems, you
Buoyant Force Hydrostatic Pressure Jet Pressure Surface Tension
can guess the fields
that might be used Centrifugal Force Inertial Force Coriolis Force
next. Standard
Solutions includes the Oder & Taste Diffusion Osmosis Chemical Fields
replacement of poorly
controlled fields with Sound Vibrations & Oscillations Ultrasound Waves
more easily controlled
fields. 26
The Thermal Heating or Cooling Thermal Shocks Information
Inventive Principles
Corona Discharge Current Eddie Currents Particle Beams Nuclear Forces
suggest the
replacement of Electrostatic Fields Magnetic Fields Electromagnetic Fields
mechanical systems 27
with systems that use Radio Waves Micro Waves Infrared Visible Light Ultraviolet X-Ray Cosmic
other than mechanical
fields.

Method
Step 1: What fields are currently being used to deliver this function?
Step 2: What are the next fields that will likely be used?

Example—Lawn Mower
Step 1: What fields are currently being used to deliver this function?
Currently, the blade is cut by a mechanical high-pressure field that makes use
of the grass’s inertia.

26 STANDARD 2-2-1. Efficiency of a SFM can be improved by replacing an uncontrolled (or poorly controlled) field with a well-controlled field, e.g. by replacing a gravitation
field with mechanical field, mechanical field with an electric, etc. Notes: In certain situations, controllability of a field may be improved not only by replacing a given field with
another one, but also by modifying the present field along the following line: Permanent field -> monotonically changing one -> pulsed one -> variable one -> variable in
frequency and amplitude -> etc. Example: Instead of a metal blade for non-uniform metal cutting, a water jet can be used.

27 Inventive Principle #28—Replacement of Mechanical System: Replace a mechanical system with an optical, acoustical, thermal or olfactory system. Use an electric, magnetic
or electromagnetic field to interact with an object. Replace fields that are Stationary with mobile. Fixed with changing in time. Random with structured. Use fields in
conjunction with ferromagnetic particles. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 289.

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Step 2: What are the next fields that will likely be used?

Oscillations.
Jet pressure

L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Library of Effects

The Library of Effects 28 is a table of physical phenomena that can be used to deliver functions. Once we know the
modification that we desire, we can find a similar function in the table. Usually, this is a generalization of the
desired function. The table usually gives many physical phenomena that can deliver the desired modification to the
product.

Method
Step 1: Convert given function to a Generalized Function.
Step 2: Find phenomena in the Library of Effects. Go to one of the sources for the
library of effects. Some commercial software have this library. A scaled-down version
can be found at: http://function.creax.com/
Step 3: Locate the generalized function and then consider all of the physical phenomena
that can be used.

Example—Clothes Dryer Evaporate

The function of the air in the dryer is to evaporate water.
Water
Step 1: Convert given function to a Generalized Function.

The generalized function is to move a liquid.

Move
Step 2: Find phenomena in the Library of Effects. Go to one of the
sources for the library of effects.
Liquid

Fabric
(Capillary
action)

Step 3: Locate the generalized function and then consider all of Move
the physical phenomena that can be used.
Liquid

28 A Library of Effects is one way to describe a table of physical phenomena. In Creativity as an Exact Science—the Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems, G.S
Altshuller, Gordon and Breach, page 309, a table is introduced called THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN PHYSICAL EFFECTS AND PHENOMENA IN THE SOLUTION OF
INVENTIVE PROBLEMS. This table is now referred to in a number of ways, but is generally a table describing physical phenomena that can be used to deliver a desired
function.

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L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Analogous Products—Bio-mimicry

Nature has developed many analogous phenomena that can be employed to perform functions. The name for this
search is commonly referred to as bio-mimicry 29. The concept of analogous phenomena starts with an analogous
product. Identifying objects in nature that require the same function will begin
to lead the seeker to new physical phenomena.

Method
Step 1: Identify analogous products in nature. What
objects in nature require or have this same function
imposed? You might have to consider variants of this Natural Product = ?
function. (Look for primitive natural analogies).
Step 2: Identify the natural Tool/ Effect.
Step 3: Transfer the Effect/Tool to the new situation.
Step 4: Consult the website-- http://asknature.org/ with a specific function.

Example—Catching Chips
Constrains
When we grind an object, small chips are ejected. We would
like to constrain these chips.
Chips
Step 1: Identify analogous products in nature. What objects in
nature require or have this same function imposed? You might have to consider variants
of this function. (Look for primitive natural analogies).
Flying Insects are often caught in webs.

Sticky
Step 2: Identify the natural Tool/ Effect. filament

Constrains

As stated, the insects are often caught in webs. Flying

Insects

Step 3: Transfer the Effect/Tool to the new

situation. Sticky
filament
A sticky filament will catch the flying chips.
Constrains
Step 4: Consult the website--
http://asknature.org/ with a specific function.
Flying
We are looking for the function: “capture”. Chips
Here are just a few of the following ways that
nature does this.
--Wiry tangles capture fog: lichens

29 Otto Schmitt, is credited with creating the term bio-mimicry.

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--Bristles and barbs capture minute foods: Calanoid copepods

--Bio-inspired adhesive tape
--Elaborate stigmas capture pollen grains: grasses

L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Transition to Use of Bulk

Properties?
Systems may transition to a new physical phenomenon by moving to the micro-level. 30 In other words, the bulk
properties of the material are mobilized to provide the required functions.

Method
Step 1: Can the bulk properties of the materials be used to perform the required
functions?

L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Hybrid or Stand-Alone Phenomena?

Trying to satisfy an entrenched sustaining market will be unlikely with a completely new physical
phenomenon as some very important competitive parameter will almost certainly be compromised. The
sustaining market will demand that we not depart from the performance that they are used to, although
the s-curve of performance is flattening. New markets will be much more forgiving and may even
welcome the weaknesses of the new physical phenomenon as strength. The new Phenomenon will
gather strength as a hybrid and eventually replace the old phenomenon or it will gather strength as a
stand-alone phenomenon in the new market. Clayton Introduction
Christensen 31 points out, it is possible that the new of Hybrid
stand-alone phenomenon will develop along its own s-
curve and eventually become a disruptive technology,
taking away market share from the existing sustaining Competitive
markets. Also, if the existing phenomenon is in the Parameter
rapid growth part of the S-Curve, it will be difficult to Introduction of Stand-alone
catch up. Greater resources will keep the performance Physical Phenomenon
ahead of the new phenomena. (Potentially Disruptive)
Instead of jumping to the new phenomena entirely, it is

30 STANDARD 3-2-1. Efficiency of a system at any stage of its evolution can be improved by transition from a macro-level to a micro-level: the system or its part is replaced by a
substance capable of delivering the required function when interacting with a field. Notes: There is a multitude of micro-level states of a substance (domains, crystal lattice,
molecules, ions, domains, atoms, fundamental particles, fields, etc.). Therefore, various options of transition to a micro-level and various options of transition from one micro-level
to another, lower one, should be considered when solving a problem. Example: Instead of a micro-screw, a microscopic table can be positioned by fixing it on a metal rod that is
subjected to a thermal field. The rod expands and contracts relatively the value of the temperature due to the effect of thermal expansion.

31 The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen—Harper Business Essentials

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possible to gain the rapidly developing advantages of the new phenomena or technology by creating a hybrid 32 of
the new and old phenomenon. This tool if extremely useful when you are working with a demanding sustaining
market and the resources of the current phenomenon are becoming limited. This is a way to move to the new
physical phenomena while increasing (rather than sacrificing) performance, as is often the case when jumping to a
new effect.

Method
Step 1: If the market is a recognized and mature market then consider a hybrid of the old
and new phenomenon.
Step 2: Begin with a common physical phenomenon that is normally used to deliver the
modification.
Step 3: Identify another phenomenon which performs the same modification.
Step 4: What is the feature of the new tool which would extend the capability of the first
tool?
Step 5: Identify the cheap tool which should deliver most of the function.
Step 6: Combine both phenomena into a hybrid. A new capability should emerge. Try
combining both as whole tools. Try transferring just the desirable feature. Consider
having the two physical phenomena interact with each other.
Step 7: If the market is an emerging or unrecognized market then consider using a
completely new physical phenomena in which the native weaknesses of the physical
phenomena are considered to be a strength.

Example—Transition to Electric Car

It is time to transition to a new phenomena for car propulsion.
Step 1: If the market is a recognized and mature market then
consider a hybrid of the old and new phenomenon.
Jumping entirely to a fully electric car would sacrifice too much with
a mature market. Consequently, the decision is made to consider a hybrid car—Gas and
Electric.
Step 2: Begin with a common physical Moves
phenomenon that is normally used to deliver the
modification.
Internal Combustion Engine
Step 3: Identify another phenomenon which performs the same
modification.
Electric Motor

32 STANDARD 3-1-3. Efficiency of bi- and poly-systems can be improved by increasing the difference between system components. The following line of evolution is
recommended: similar components (pencils of the same color) –->components with biased characteristics (pencils of different colors) –->different components (set of drawing
instruments) –->combinations of the "component + component with opposite function” (pencil with rubber)

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Step 4: What is the feature of the new tool which would extend the capability of the first
tool?
Torque at low speeds
Step 5: Identify the cheap tool which should deliver most of the function.
The Internal Combustion Engine
Step 6: Combine both phenomena into a hybrid. A new capability should emerge. Try
combining both as whole tools. Try
transferring just the desirable feature. Hybrid
Consider having the two physical Engine
phenomena interact with each other. Moves

The electric motor is coupled to the Drive

driveshaft of the internal combustion Train
engine.
Step 7: If the market is an emerging or unrecognized market then consider using a
completely new physical phenomena in which the native weaknesses of the physical
phenomena are considered to be a strength.
Imagine that the market is not a mature market. This means that
it is still small. Let’s consider an Electric Car for Teen Drivers
— Extremely safe enclosure
— Limited speeds
— Restricted driving range
— Full entertainment system

L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Merge or Interact With Multiplied

Tools
If you are aware of a physical phenomena which can perform the function there is a possibility that a completely
new physical phenomenon can be identified by multiplying the common tools and then making the multiplied tools
interact with each other.

Method
Step 1: Identify an object related to a physical phenomenon that is similar to the one
required.
Step 2: Multiply the system. Start with two.
Step 3: Can these tools be merged or interact together to create an unexpected
capability? Try different orientations.

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Step 4: Consolidate 33 Elements if Possible

Example—Common Knife
Step 1: Identify an object related to a physical phenomenon that is
similar to the one required.
Consider a knife.
Step 2: Multiply the system. Start with two.
Now we have two knives.

Step 3: Can these tools be merged or interact together to create an

unexpected capability? Try different orientations.
Try merging the knives. The knives become scissors.
Step 4: Consolidate Elements if Possible

L3-(Ideal Phenomenon)—Chaining Physical Phenomena

As a fallback to creating a completely new physical phenomenon, consider the possibility of chaining physical
phenomena 34 to deliver the function. This is especially true if substances and fields can be consolidated 35.

Method
Step 1: Some software is capable of chaining physical phenomena to deliver a function.
Step 2: If software is not available, chain a final and starting physical phenomenon
together with connecting phenomena. This may be done by trial and error.

L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Intelligent Little People

One of the most important tools of investigation is empathy. This is the ability to become a part of the system that
we are investigating and to see it from this unique perspective. The principle of empathy is very powerful, but has a
few limitations. First, we provide only one perspective from which to view the problem. Secondly, we must exist
in order to view the problem. In other words, we cannot dissolve or disappear. Third, there is just one of us to

33 Inventive Principle #5—Consolidation: Consolidate in space homogeneous objects, or objects destined for contiguous operations. Consolidate in time homogeneous or
contiguous operations. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

34 Invention Machine Software provides for chaining physical phenomena or Effects to deliver the desired function. This ability is added to their library of effects (physical
phenomena).

35 Inventive Principle #5—Consolidation: Consolidate in space homogeneous objects, or objects destined for contiguous operations. Consolidate in time homogeneous or
contiguous operations. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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interact with the system. If there were more of us to interact, this would open up new possibilities. These difficulties
are largely overcome by using the principle of little intelligent people 36.

Method
Step 1: Envision the system as composed of intelligent little people who can work
together. They also have the capability to disappear and reappear if necessary. What do
they do to accomplish the desired result? How do they intelligently act together?
Step 2: Consider possible physical phenomena that can accomplish this cooperation.

Example—Self cleaning air filter

Step 1: Envision the system as composed of intelligent little people who can work
together. They also have the capability to disappear and reappear if necessary. What do
they do to accomplish the desired result? How do they intelligently act together?
The little people pass the particulates from one to the next
while allowing air to flow.
Step 2: Consider possible physical phenomena that can
accomplish this cooperation.
A separate liquid moves along the surface due to a mechanical action. The liquid acts to
trap and carry the particles. Lungs clean themselves using this same action.

L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Drive Measurement and

Detection to the Extreme
One might argue that “new” physical phenomena are going on around us all the time. Unfortunately, we are not
capable of detecting it, because it is beyond the normal range of human sensing. For example, without special
filters, it would be impossible to detect the polarization of a ray of light.
In order to see what is going on around us, we must look with a new perspective; we must use tools which are
capable of detecting modifications to substances and fields in places and under circumstances that are extreme.
Extreme circumstances would include extremely small, extremely hot, extremely cold…
Whenever you drive anything to the extreme, you will likely see or experience new phenomena. Being able to see
smaller things or further into space, or probe areas of the micro and macro universe or into extremely unusual
environments will likely uncover unusual physical phenomena.

Method
Step 1: Identify an attribute that you would like to detect to the extreme.
Step 2: Create a measurement system that can detect to this level (see measurement and
detections).
Step 3: Measure to the extreme and see if what is observed matches theory.

36 Creativity as an Exact Science-The Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems by G.S. Altshuller. Gordon and Breach page 104

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L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Bio-Mimicry
The biological kingdom performs countless functions at large scales and small. The diversity of functions and
physical phenomenon are great. What if we could train ourselves to see things in a new way and ask ourselves hard
questions? Why are eagle claws always sharp? How do bird feathers hold their shape? How can a bumble bee fly?
When we are searching for new ways to deliver functions, we can look to nature to see how it delivers these
functions and duplicate what it does. Nature has developed many analogous phenomena that can be employed to
perform functions. The study of nature to determine how its secrets can be used to deliver useful human functions is
called Bio-mimicry 37.

Method
Step 1: Identify analogous products in nature? (Look for primitive natural analogies).
Step 2: Identify the natural Tool/ Effect.
Step 3: Transfer the Effect/Tool to the new situation
Step 4: Consult the website-- http://asknature.org/ with a specific function.

L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Analogous Phenomenon

This approach asks, can a physical phenomenon which delivers an analogous function be delivered with fields that
are native to your situation.

Method
Step 1: Identify the product and modification that you want to deliver.
Step 2: Identify analogous products which use a different phenomenon to deliver the
function?
Step 2: Identify the fields and substances that deliver the function to the analogous
function.
Step 3: Transfer the phenomenon to your situation using the fields that are native to your
situation.

Example—Concentration of Light
Step 1: Identify the product and modification that you want to deliver.
I would like to concentrate light. I want to push photons closer together and pack them
very tightly.
Step 2: Identify analogous products which use a different phenomenon to deliver the
function?
An analogous product is the concentration of gas in a cylinder.

37 Otto Schmitt, is credited with creating the term bio-mimicry.

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Step 2: Identify the fields and substances that deliver the function to the analogous
function.
A piston is used to concentrate the gas particles.
Step 3: Transfer the phenomenon to your situation using the fields that are native to your
situation.
Mirrors are “effectively”brought close together very rapidly. Is it possible to create
structures that can change the distance between reflective bodies rapidly enough to avoid
reflective losses through too many reflections?

L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Drive Fields to the Extreme

Another way to find new physical phenomena is by looking at physical phenomena that have been driven to the
extreme. There are different ways to drive a phenomenon to the extreme. We may pair a field with a substance that
is particularly susceptible to the field. We may drive the field to an extreme level. We may create a
very precise degree of order to the substances or to the fields. We may drive a physical attribute of
one of the substances to the extreme. In each case, we will likely discover that nature behaves in
unusual ways. These unusual responses can often be used to deliver functions. Nicola Tesla was
legendary for driving fields to the extreme. No electrostatic field was ever high enough for him; he
always kept pushing and as a result, discovered new phenomena and fundamentally new ways to
deliver functions.

Method
Step 1: Identify fields in the Table of Fields (Appendix). These fields will be applied to a
substance at the same time.
Step 2: Drive the field to the extreme. This might be extreme intensity or for very short
durations.
Step 3: Look for new phenomena.

L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Drive Order to the Extreme

Whenever order is driven to the extreme, new physical phenomena are discovered.

Method
Step 1: Where there is little order, drive order to the extreme and look
for new physical phenomena.
Step 2: Where there is great order, drive chaos to the extreme and
look for new physical phenomena.

56 The Ideal Physical Phenomenon

 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

L3-(Discovering Phenomena)—Drive Attributes to the

Extreme
Whenever physical attributes are driven to the extreme, new physical phenomena are observed.

Method
Step 1: Take any given physical phenomenon.
Step 2: Take an attribute of an Element within that physical phenomenon and consider
means in which this can be driven to the extreme.
Step 3: Drive this attribute to the extreme and look for physical phenomena.
.

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L2-Tool Resources
The Ideal Tool for Useful Functions
With potential physical phenomena in mind to deliver the function it is time to identify a tool which can deliver the
physical phenomenon. We ask ourselves what the ideal machine should be, and then we tell ourselves that we will
achieve this result without the use or addition of any object or substance to the system. This is often possible when
we can get an object to perform more functions than it normally would. It is also possible if we can eliminate
objects and allow something in the system to take over the function.
Up to this point, we have avoided adding any object to the system. If we have reached this point and still need to add
an object, then we must do it in the most ideal way possible. We would like to perform our function without adding
any objects. If possible, existing objects and ambient fields should perform the modification. If this is not possible,
only then do we consider adding objects. The best situation is a small change to the product that allows an ambient
field to perform the function. According to the law of increasing ideality, the value of any object increases when the
number of functions that the object does is increased and the number of harmful factors decreases. In general, this
means that we would like to get the most functions possible out of each object. Each tool should take on as many
functions as possible.

Parasitic Tools
Parasitic tools use something which already exists in the system, super-system or environment to perform the
function. When this occurs, it is actually possible to get something for nothing.

L2-Method
Step 1: Make a list of resources.
Step 2: Consider that the object requiring the modification performs the modification on
itself.
Step 3: Consider whether the function is already performed by something in the system
or the environment, even poorly. Could this resource be boosted?
Step 4: Consider using a similar tool which is in the system or the environment.
Step 5: Consider merging with the super-system in order to achieve the modification.

L3-List of Resources
In preparation for considering changing elements or adding substances and fields to the system, it
is good to know what substance and field resources we have available. In this step we consider List
ordinary elements about us that might be pressed into service 38 to deliver the required physical
phenomena. This method is especially effective with low level fields such as elastic fields, gravity,
pressure, etc.

38 Inventive Principle #6—Universality: an object can perform several different functions ; therefore, other elements can be removed. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation
Algorithm page 287. Most courses on TRIZ suggest creating a list of objects in the system or environment that can be pressed into service to perform a useful function.

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Method
Step 1: Make a list of adjacent elements, especially those which were not considered in
the super-system functional models.
Step 2: What fields are associated with these objects?
Step 3: Consider ways in which elements on the list might be pressed into service to
perform the required modification.
Step 4: Consider decomposing elements into new components.

Example—Pet Feeder—How can we stop

insects?
Step 1: Make a list of adjacent elements, especially those which
were not considered in the super-system functional models.
Pet Food—Water Bowl—Water Hose—Water in Water Bowl—
Food Bowl—Cement or Ground.
Step 2: What fields are associated with these objects:
—Surface Tension—Water Bowl
—Mechanical fields—Food Bowl & Water Bowl
—Water Pressure—Water hose Water

Step 3: Consider ways in which elements on the

list might be pressed into service to perform the
Stops
required modification.
The water stops the crawling insects.
Step 4: Consider decomposing elements into new Insects
components.

L3-Use of Cheap Abundant Substances

When a function can be delivered at low cost, the value of the system increases. If there is a way to use a cheap
abundant substance, try to use it. If the phenomenon is weak, it may be possible to boost the phenomenon later.

Method
Consider the following list of cheap substances:
Powders— Foams— Voids— Water— Ice— Steam— Hydrates— Air— Nitrogen—
Carbon Dioxide— Oxygen— Corrosion— Decay— Sand— Soil— Rocks— Waste—
Waste Water— Sawdust— Waste Glass— Waste Gases— Waste Paper— Garbage—
Yard Waste— Industrial Wastes— Hybrid Substances— Disassociated Forms of Any of
the Above— Products of Interactions— Starting Materials— Final Products— Semi-
Finished Elements

60 Table of Fields
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L3-Self- Service
The product in question has native fields associated with it. Can we make some small change to the
product so that it performs the modification on itself 39? (It is likely that energy will still need to
come from outside).

Method
Step 1: Search the Table of Fields (in the Appendix) for fields that are always associated
with the product?
Step 2: What Effect or Physical Phenomena can be used to deliver this function?
Step 3: In following steps we can try to boost this function.

Example—Cutting Tape from a Roll

Consider the example of a roll of tape that must be cut.
Cut
Normally it is cut by a blade supported to the base element.
Let us begin with the tape alone and the modification “cut”.
Step 1: Search the Table of Fields (in the Appendix) for Tape
fields that are always associated with the product?
We should consider Adhesive Fields & Mechanical Fields.
Step 2: What Effect or Physical Phenomena can be used to deliver this
function? Cuts

The Creation of directed forces by use of adhesive forces

Tape
Step 3: In following steps we can try to boost this function.
The adhesion between layers must create forces which grossly overpower adhesion of the
tape material to itself.
Some readers may be confused with this example as it does not seem to indicate a
particular solution, but the possibility of a solution. This is as it should be in this case.
Whenever we idealize functions, we are creating new candidate systems. At this point,
we do not know whether they will work or not. Most of these examples discuss new
systems that seem like they could work out. This one appears to be questionable.
Remember that when we have a new candidate system, it may have many weaknesses. It
is now our opportunity to turn this “sows ear” into a “silk purse”. We do this by going
back to reviewing the related requirements and following through the causal analysis, etc.
again. Eventually, we will continue past this point in the algorithm by focusing on the
object attributes and contradictions which need to be solved. Remember that in
Idealizing Functions, we are creating Ideal Final Results for ourselves. We may not yet
know how to realize them.

39 Inventive Principle #25—Self-service: An object must service itself and carry-out supplementary and repair operations. Make use of waste material and energy. Genrich
Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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L3-Already Poorly Performed by Native Fields

Sometimes, a function is already performed by some natural phenomenon but it is done very poorly or even
harmfully. With a little help, we can boost these functions until they become useful40.

Method
Step 1: Is the function already delivered by a super-system tool, even poorly?
Step 2: What physical phenomenon is employed to poorly deliver this function?

Example—Protecting a Radio Tower from Lightning

A classic TRIZ example is the
radio tower which requires
lightning rods to protect it. We Guide
must guide the current, but we
would like to do this by using
Current
native fields.
Step 1: Is the function already
delivered by a super-system tool, even poorly?
Yes, the air guides the current poorly. The charge comes to the ground in concentrated
form
Step 2: What physical phenomenon is employed to poorly deliver Air
this function?
To initiate this, the air must be locally ionized. The air then
Guides
becomes conductive. As the current is conducted, there is a self
concentrating effect caused by many moving charges traveling in
the same direction. Current
In following steps we can ask what modifications to the fields or
the tool allow the function to be boosted. These modifications may require the small
addition of substances or structures which react strongly to the native fields.

40 STANDARD 5-2-1. If a field has to be introduced in a SFM, one should use first of all the present fields for whom the media are those substances that form the system or its
part. Note: The use of substances and fields which already present in the system improves the system’s ideality: number of functions performed by the system increases without
increasing the number of used components.

STANDARD 5-2-2. If a field has to be introduced in a SFM and it is not possible to use the fields which already present in the system, one should use the fields of the external
environment. Note: The use of external environment fields (gravitation, thermal field, pressure...) improves the system’s ideality: the number of functions performed by the system
increases without increasing the number of used components.

STANDARD 5-2-3. If a field has to be introduced in a SFM but it is impossible to use the fields which already present in the system or in the external environment, one should use
the fields for whom the substances present in the system or external environment can act as media or sources. Notes: In particular, if there are ferromagnetic substances in a
system and they are used for mechanical purposes, it is possible to use their magnetic properties in order to obtain additional effects: improve interactions between components,
obtain information on the state of the system, etc.

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L3-Abundant Native Fields

Most objects are awash in native fields. These fields do not remain constant throughout the product
life cycle. By identifying the fields all around the product, we locate tool resources that can perform
the function. The solution standards give several practical suggestions for introducing fields which
are native to the system or the environment. 41

Method
Step 1: Process Map the product life through relevant life stages.
Step 2: Look through the Table of Fields at the end of this appendix. Identify which native
fields the product experiences at each process step. Which of these native fields perform
this function even poorly?
Step 3: What Effect or physical phenomena can be employed to deliver this function?

Example—Cutting a Pie before

Consumption
Step 1: Process Map the product life
through relevant life stages.
Produce Freeze Pie Transport Pie
Step 2: Look through the Table of Fields at Pie

the end of this appendix. Identify which

native fields the product experiences at Cook Pie
each process step. Which of these native
fields perform this function even poorly? Oven
Thermal fields can deteriorate the crust. I suppose that this is a useful variant of cutting
Step 3: What Effect or physical phenomena can be employed to Cuts (Melts part)
deliver this function?
Melting or Chemical Reaction are possible physical phenomena. In Crust
the next steps we can try to boost this function.

41 STANDARD 5-2-1. If a field has to be introduced in a SFM, one should use first of all the present fields for whom the media are those substances that form the system or its
part. Note: The use of substances and fields which already present in the system improves the system’s ideality: number of functions performed by the system increases without
increasing the number of used components.

STANDARD 5-2-2. If a field has to be introduced in a SFM and it is not possible to use the fields which already present in the system, one should use the fields of the external
environment. Note: The use of external environment fields (gravitation, thermal field, pressure...) improves the system’s ideality: the number of functions performed by the system
increases without increasing the number of used components.

STANDARD 5-2-3. If a field has to be introduced in a SFM but it is impossible to use the fields which already present in the system or in the external environment, one should use
the fields for whom the substances present in the system or external environment can act as media or sources. Notes: In particular, if there are ferromagnetic substances in a
system and they are used for mechanical purposes, it is possible to use their magnetic properties in order to obtain additional effects: improve interactions between components,
obtain information on the state of the system, etc.

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L3-Nearby Similar Tool

Depending on how systems evolve, it is common that several elements in the system perform the
same function. These objects may perform the same function on different or biased products 42.
Sometimes, this tool can be pressed into service to perform the function on both products.

Method
Step 1: Identify a similar tool nearby which performs the same function.
Step 2: Combine and consolidate 43 both elements into one system.

Example—Air Pump Nearby

Pump
The pressurization of air is required.
Step 1: Identify a similar tool nearby which performs
Pressurizes
the same function.
There is an oil pump nearby which performs the
function. Oil /
Step 2: Combine and consolidate both elements into Water

one system.

42 Inventive Principle #6—Universality: an object can perform several different functions ; therefore, other elements can be removed. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation
Algorithm page 287.

43 Inventive Principle #5—Consolidation: Consolidate in space homogeneous objects, or objects destined for contiguous operations. Consolidate in time homogeneous or
contiguous operations. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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L3-Simplified Copy of the Current Tool

Use of the current tool can be overkill, especially if the tool is a human. A simplified copy 44 can often perform the
same function as the full tool.

Method
Step 1: What part of the current tool performs the function?
Step 2: Can a copy of the tool perform the function?

Example—Dangerous Missions
Jets are often required to perform dangerous recognizance missions. The pilot controls
the sophisticated aircraft. The pilot is capable of performing
unexpected maneuvers during combat or if failures occur, but during
a recognizance mission, these functions are rarely required.
Step 1: What part of the current tool performs the
Computer
function?
(not pilot)
The brains and hands of the pilot perform the current
function. Informs

Step 2: Can a copy of the tool perform the function?

A computer performs the function of the pilot.
Control
Surfaces

L3-Merge with the Super-System

Sometimes, it is the most advantageous to give up functions of the system and turn them over to the super-system.
Note that this is an exception to the rule that the slave must not serve the master. There are some conditions where
integration yields much higher performance than modularity.

Method
Step 1: Look for functions performed in the super-system that are identical with
functions performed in the system.
Step 2: Transfer these functions to the super-system.

44 Inventive Principle #26—Copying: A simplified and inexpensive copy should be used in place of a fragile original or an object that is inconvenient to operate. If a visible
optical copy is used, replace it with an infrared or ultraviolet copies. Replace an object (or system of objects) with their optical image. The image can then be reduced or enlarged.
Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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Example—Refrigerator Combines with Home

Step 1: Look for functions performed in the
super-system that are identical with
functions performed in the system.
Both the house and the refrigerator have
insulation. The function of insulation is to
reduce the flow of heat.
Step 2: Transfer these functions to the
super-system.
The Refrigerator merges with the home. The House provides the insulation for the
refrigerator. Now the insulation has essentially become quite thick, thus making the
system more efficient.

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L2-Ideal Tool(s)
In choosing the ideal tools to perform the function, there are a number of considerations to keep in
mind. We would like the tool to be as ideal as possible, but what does this usually mean? In this
section, we look at ways to tell if a tool is more ideal. We do this with an understanding that all
tools will bring burdens for the system. We just want the lowest burden possible.

Abundance
The availability or abundance of resources to deliver the physical phenomena must be high. Objects and resources
are already present in the environment that can help deliver the physical phenomena. We do not determine in this
section whether a sufficient abundance exists. This will occur in the next section. That is why this section deals
with possible physical phenomena.

Inherent Harm (Contact)

Some tools, with their attending physical phenomena require the addition of harmful interactions.
This is especially true with physical phenomena that require contact. If physical phenomena are
present which do not require contact and the resources for providing this physical phenomena are
abundant, then consider these over those that require contact.

Multiple Functions including Passive Control and the Anti-Function

A more ideal physical phenomenon is capable of performing multiple functions. The value of
objects in a system is dependent upon two things, the number of useful functions that they
deliver and the burdens that they create. In this case, we are considering the number of
functions that they deliver. It is only possible to consider multiple functions if other functions
in the system are already required. There is no reason to create functions to perform in order
to allow a physical phenomenon to perform more functions. The secondary function that the
phenomenon performs may be a supporting function but more ideally, it should be a primary
function that acts directly on the system product.
In the case of measurement, it would be more ideal if the physical phenomenon could both sense and control. If
sensing and actuation are required in the same system, then it is ideal to perform both functions with the same
subject. It is therefore necessary that the physical phenomenon is capable of delivering both.
The evolution of systems predicts that systems will eventually take on the anti-function in order to provide more
value. The anti-function is often provided by the super-system already, but it is often forgotten because it may occur
much later than when the product or process is applied. But what does this mean when we refer to measurement?
Whenever measurement occurs, there is a disturbance to the system. If you dip a thermometer into a hot liquid, the
liquid must change the temperature of the thermometer in order for it to register. For every action, there is an equal
and opposite reaction. While the thermometer is being heated, the liquid is being cooled. While most measuring
instruments are designed to disturb the system as little as possible, a very accurate measurement of the system may
require that the disturbance be undone, preferably at the same time that the measurement is taken.

Scalable
A more ideal physical phenomenon is capable of being scaled to the level necessary to meet increasing and
decreasing demands.

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Relative Risk
When we move to a new phenomenon to deliver a function, we are taking upon ourselves unknown risks. Therefore
it is important to come to an understanding of this new phenomenon as rapidly as possible and make sure that the
risks are localized to one or two major risks.

Self-Service
If possible, we would like to add no elements to the system. If possible, the function should exist but no objects and
substances should be added. “Self-service” is one way to achieve this. Sometimes, this is accomplished by native
fields in the environment or the system.

L2-Method
Step 1: Abundance: In order for the physical phenomenon to have any chance, it should
be abundant in the system. Identify abundant fields—these are usually associated with
abundant physical phenomena. Filter the potential phenomena (previous steps) to allow
only those which are abundant.
Step 2: Self Service: Can the function be performed without the addition of any new
element or with the minimum substance?
Step 3: Inherent Harm (Contact): Filter the physical phenomena that you are
considering for contact.
Step 4: Multiple Functions: Search for additional functions within the system that the
physical phenomenon could deliver. Look for opportunities to use passive feedback from
physical phenomena that can both sense and actuate. If necessary, can the physical
phenomenon deliver the function and the anti-function?
Step 5: Scalable: Is the physical phenomenon capable of being scaled to larger or
smaller scales?
Step 6: Familiarity and Localization of Risk: Become as familiar with the phenomenon
as rapidly as possible to determine the inherent problems and risks. The drawbacks
should be localized to one or two areas.

68 Table of Fields
Separation in Time Prior Counter Action
First Then

Test for Separation in Time High High

I want the (pile) to be (sharp) while

(driving). I want the (pile) to be
(blunt) while (supporting). Must Null
these critical conditions overlap in
The harmful function of (tension loading) the (concrete
time? No, they do not have to
span) cannot be avoided. The counter action of (applying
overlap. Therefore we can
a compression load) is performed in advance by (inserting
separate in time.
steel columns under tension which “clamp” the span) so
that when the time comes for the harmful action of
Prior Action (tension loading) the (concrete span) it is not (tension
loaded).

Some stages performed in advance Countering High High

The contradiction is an action or function. (Tearing) of
the (towel) can be broken down into steps. The steps
of (holding and tearing) are performed during (any time Stable
previous to use) by (mechanical holding and tearing) in
order to have (tearing). The remaining steps of (pulling Counter High Dropped
the towel) are performed during (towel use) in order to Weight
have (not tearing).
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or
function. The (weight) must be (null action—stable)
Partial Part of whole action
during (positioning). This is accomplished by applying (a
counter weight or force). The counter action is removed
Action performed in advance
during (dropping) when the full action is required.

Rest of whole action performed Separation on High Low

when required Transmission Transmission
Condition
First Condition On
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or Changing
function. (Tearing) of the (towel) is partially Conditions
performed in its entirety during (manufacture of the
towel) by (perforating the towel) giving (not tearing). The difference of (light intensity) between (low lighting)
The function is completed during (towel use) by and (intense lighting) will change the (glass’s light
(pulling the towel) giving (tearing). transmission) from (high transmission) to (low
transmission). The (photo sensitivity) will be exploited to
Excessive and Remedial Action drive the change of parameters.

First
Separation on
Too Much
Condition-
Then
Transparency
Perfect
The difference of (inertia of force) between (large
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or objects) and (small objects) will change the (separator
function that must be performed rapidly and slowly. material) transparency from transparent to opaque.
The function of (painting) the (detailed parts) can be The (inertia or relative force) will be exploited to drive
rapidly performed by the gross action of (painting with a the change of parameters.
roller or large brush). The detailed remedial action of
(removing the excess paint) is made possible by
(applying masking) in advance or by overflowing a
(hydrophobic) threshold by (making the unpainted areas
from hydrophobic materials.)
 Transformation-Using Fields Transformation-Unrolling /
Stretching First Low
Drag
Not Not •Nesting Extenders High
First Then Exists Then ... Then
Exist Exist •Fabrics Drag
•Extension Springs
Using (pneumatic structures) •Constant Force Springs
allows us to add a (pressure •Shape Changing Molecules
field) to the (display) during •Nets
(displaying), making it (exist). •Origami
(Removing) the (pressure field) •Scissoring Expanders
during (storage) makes it (not
exist). The (air brake) is formed from (fabric). The (air brake)
is (compacted) during (freefall), thus making it (low
drag). The (airbrake) is (expanded) during (braking),
thus making it (high drag).
Transformation-
Transformable States
Carrier / Intermediary
First
Solid to Liquid to Gas A B A B
Joined A A A B B
Combustible materials B B
A A B B B B A A
A B B
A
Fissable A B
A
Adhesives
Explosive Stiff Stiff Silver
Wettable Then
Exothermic‐Endothermic Separate
Soluble or dissolvable materials Flexible +
Flexible

Foams
Tar
Settable liquids‐‐(increase of volume)
Easily breakable or abraidable During (engraving) (tar) which is (stiff) is (attached to,
Polymerizing or de‐polymerizing surrounding or mixed with) (individual or segmented)
Mixture decomposition ‐‐Electrolysis (plates) which are (flexible) thus loaning its property
Disassociation‐ recombination and making the combination (stiff). No carrier is used
Shape Memory Materials during (forming the plate) making the (plate) (flexible).
Magnetic materials using Curie Effect
Molecular reorganization (diamonds) Merging—Interacting
Massive Light
The (chopsticks) are formed from (an easily broken
structure). The (chopsticks) are (unbroken) during (storage
in vending machine) thus making them (joined). The
(chopsticks) are (broken) during (preparation for
Light Light Light Massive
consumption) thus making them (separate). (Breaking) is Segmentation is (allowed and accomplished by
operated near (yield) by (creating a high stress crack designing the table as separate pieces or not allowed).
initiation). During (use) several (segmented or individual) (table
pieces) have the property of being (massive) while
Transformation—Input / Output unified or interacting through (an interlocking table or
fastening elements). During (transportation) the unifying
interaction is absent making them (light).
Male Female
Merging—Countering sharp sharp

The (voice) to be operated upon must be (male) during sharp sharp

(actual story telling). A transformation of (voice
modulation) changes the (voice) to (female) during
(transmission of the show).
blunt

Elements are configured, oriented or designed to oppose each

other by (orienting them to oppose each other). Separating the
(piles) during (driving) makes them (sharp). During (supporting)
the merged (piles) oppose each other making them (blunt).
 Merging—Extraction Rearranging—Reorienting
Re‐ Re‐
Pieces
tracted tracted Retracted Hinged
Unfolding
Origami
Nesting
Re‐ Ex‐ Extended
tracted tended Cup shaped Compact

(Segmented cup pieces) are

The (fueling system) has several identifiable pieces. coordinated together. During
During (refueling) the (intake nozzle) is separated making (storage and transportation) the
it (extended). During (normal flight) the (intake nozzle) is pieces are oriented so that they
reunited making it (retracted). are collectively (compact).
During (drinking) the pieces are
oriented so that they are
Merging—Adjustable Numbers collectively (cup-shaped).

Rearranging—Reorienting
then
Attachments
High Thrust Low Thrust
Blunt Sharp
Sharp Sharp Blunt
Multiple (thrusters) are available for adjustable use. During Blunt
(large payloads) many (thrusters) are used to give (high
thrust). During (small payloads) few elements are used to
give (low thrust).
Two (piles) which are (sharp) and (blunt) are attached to
each other. During (driving) the pieces are oriented so
Rearranging— that (sharp) comes into play. During (supporting) the
Sharp then Blunt pieces are oriented so that (blunt) comes into play.
Two Objects
Two distinct (piles) are Rearranging—Changing Directions
used. During (driving) the Upward
(sharp) one is used. Lift
Upward Side
During (supporting) the ward Lift
(blunt) one is used. Lift

Changing directions of the (propeller) allows the

setting to be changed. During (takeoff and landing)
Copy or Facsimile the (propeller) is oriented so that (upward lift) comes
into play. During (flying) the (propeller) changes
Photographs Silhouettes direction so that (lateral force) comes into play.
Movies Castings Blue Red
Paint Coverings Resists Red Blue
Molds Projections
Time lapse photos Computer Model Rearranging - Red Blue Blue Red
Impressions Dummies Reorienting
One The
Non-Uniform Orientation Other Blue Red

First Mannequins Then Real Victims Part of a single (sport shirt) is (red) while another part is
(resilient) (fragile) (blue). During (playing on one team) the non-uniform (sport
The (operation of the lungs and heart) of the (people) shirt) is oriented so that (red) is emphasized. During (playing
can be copied into a (mannequin). During (training) on another team) the (sport shirt) is reoriented so that (blue)
the (mannequin) is (resilient). During (emergencies) is emphasized.
the (accident victim) is (fragile).
Separate Gradually Merging—Interaction
Test for Separate Gradually Multiple or segmented
Solid liquid liquid liquid
(metal elements) are
Will a complete resolution of the contradiction available. Each (solid)
allow starting with (little) (water) and ending (metal element) that is
with (much) (water) or its equivalent? This merged with the already
would be allowable so we will try to separate merged (metal elements)
gradually. become (liquid) by (being
melted by the previously
melted elements).
Repeated Little
Repeat
Little
Repeat
Little
Use
Much Gradually Hidden / Exposed
(Little) (water) is used
over and over which is B B
B A
A
equivalent to (much) A B
(water). (Recirculation of A AA
B B
the water) is used to make B
this happen
The (tank) already has both properties.
Slowly (Protected) is desirable and (vulnerable) is
undesirable. The (tanks) are gradually
Maturing / Small Large merged in a way that hides (vulnerable) until
the whole is (protected).
Proliferation
The (shade producer) is capable of self organization
through (biological growth). During (the time that the plant
is small) the (shade producer) starts as (small). Over time Gradually Transformed
the (shade producer) matures or proliferates to become
(large) during (the time that the plant needs a lot of
shade). Abraidable
Material
Sharp Blunt

Separate Small Then Small Then Small

Use The (pile) (tip) is made from (abraidable material).
Individual (explosions) which During (driving) the (pile) transforms from (sharp)
Large to (blunt).
are (small) come into play
gradually during (excavation).
In the end, the sum effect is a Then Then
(large) (explosion).
Gradually Added
Uncooked Cooked
Fields
thin thin thin thin
Gradually The (food) (bulk) can be changed from
Keep
Merged Adding thick
(uncooked) to (cook) by gradually
adding a (thermal) field. During (cooking)
the (food) transforms from (uncooked) to
(cooked).
Multiple or segmented (piles) are available. Gradually
merging the (thin) (piles) during (driving) results in the
equivalent of (thick) (piles).

Cooked
 Partly Carried Flex Flex Flex Flex

Separate in Space Stiff

Stiff
Several (pages) can be used. Some of the (pages)
Test for Separation in which are (flexible) are attached to a (binding) which is
Space (stiff). The (binding) and attached (pages) are
During (the moment that the plug passes a critical point in collectively (stiff). The (parts of the pages) which are
space) (intimate contact) is essential (where the conductor not carried are still (flexible).
must conduct across the contacts). (No contact) is
essential (at any location where there is no interaction with Partly Merged or Interacting
the part of the plug that interacts with the contacts). No
overlap in space is required Low Low Low Low
• Merge
Two Heavy Fine • Nestle
Droplets Mist Tumor High • Interlink—may
Objects require reshaping
• Linked by
If more than one type of (spray nozzle) is allowed, one Healthy Transmission
(spray nozzle) is (heavy droplets) and a nearby (spray Tissue • Hinged
nozzle) is (fine mist).
Several (radiation beams) can be used. They partially
Extraction merge or interact with each other by (crossing the
beams). The partly merged (section of the beams) is
Spinning In (high intensity). All that are unmerged are (low
In
Field Acid Air intensity).
Non-Uniform
If the (acid stirrer) can be separated into functional parts: • Transformers (electric, levers, etc.)
Slow
The separated (stirring element) is (in the acid). The (rest • Standing Waves
of the stirrer) is (in air). The separated parts interact • Concentrated Additives
through (a magnetic coupling). • Especially active Additives
Fast
Mixture B A B Only one (lever) is allowed. One part of
(Metallic fibers (A)) which are A A Slow Fast
B the (lever) is (slow). Another part of the
(ductile) are mixed with (ceramic B
A B same (lever) is (fast).
particles (B)) which are (brittle).
A
Facsimile
Long •Photographs
•Movies
Path Short
Fast Slow
•Paint Coverings
•Molds
Original Facsimile •Time lapse photos
On a path (through the board) the (wire length) is
•Impressions
(short). On a path (around the board) the (wire length) is The (bullet) is unfortunately (fast). •Silhouettes
(long). But we can change its (appearance, •Castings
sound, feel, smell or effect) to seem •Resists
Interact / Guide Flexible Stiff like it is (slow) when using (a movie •Projections
of the bullet). •Computer Models
/ Nestle / A A B
Penetrate B Selective For actions, forces or extrinsic
Countering attributes that depend upon
The (spring) is (flexible). The interacting (spring interactions such as beauty.
housing) is (stiff). The objects (interact, guide, No
Part of the (offensive line) has
nestle or go through each other). blocking
(blocking) in one location. In
another location of the
•Inert carriers blocking blocking
Flexible Stiff (offensive line) the (blocking
•Dual states-same material
actions do not exist).
Attached •Dual phase substances
•Thin Films
Objects •Paint On Condition
One (boat) is (in the water)
•Nested parts
•Attached parts rendering it (mobile). Another immobile
The (handle) is (stiff). The •Mixed somewhat (boat) is (on the land) rendering
attached (bristles) are (flexible). it (immobile).
mobile
Separate between the New curved

straight
Dimension
Parts and the Whole
The (panel) has the property of being (curved).
Test for Separation Between Going (up or down) in dimension gives the (panel) the
property of being (straight) since (a section through
the Parts and the Whole the panel is a straight line which is sufficient in the
Step 1: At a critical moment in time, should either (failed) or (not direction of air flow).
failed) be hidden or minimized to solve the problem? Yes, if bulb
failure were hidden it would solve the problem.
Step 2: At a critical moment in time, do I want (failed) AND (not Countering
failed) to occur at different scales? No, I do not want a “failed” • Opposing Element
light to occur at any scale. • Counter Weight
V high V high with Transmission
Step 3: If the answer to 1 or 2 is “yes”, separate between the
means
parts and the whole. The answer to 1 is “yes”. • Negative Spring
Low or Null
Small Small Small Rate
• Negative rate of
Formation large V high V high change of lever arm
• Counter Field
(Individual) (explosions) are (small). The (explosions) are Gradient
arranged into a formation which (is sufficiently close to have Null
the required effect). This formation has the macro effect of
being (large). (Smallness) is (hidden). The (camera element) (motion) has a direction with
• Interact—Field the undesirable property of (high velocity).
Stiff Stiff Stiff • Interact --mediator Countering the (motion) with (a high velocity motion of
Merging • Transmission a counter weight in the opposite direction) gives the
• Touch desirable (null velocity of the system).
Flexible • Interweave
• Nest
• Nestle
(Segmented or individual) (anti-slip
• Interlink Complimentary constrains
no
constrains
no
devices) have the property of being
(stiff). When made to interact with
•
•
Clamped
Hinged
Directions constraint constraint

each other by (interlocking), the • Interfused constrains

overall system is (flexible). • Fractals Each (airbag) is constrains
(Stiffness) is (expressed not (constraining) which is
expressed). Constrains
desirable in one
rigid rigid rigid direction and (not No
Flexible Constraint
Flexible constraining) which is
Carrier undesirable in another Constrains
B A B direction. Combining
B B A A two or more (airbags)
+A A B B
A
B A
and orienting them in a
complementary fashion
(An inexpensive carrier—Paper) which is (flexible) is makes the combination Front & Side No
(attached to, surrounding or mixed with) (segmented or (constraining) in both Airbags Constraint
individual) (abrasive particles) which are (rigid) thus loaning directions.
its property and making the combination (flexible) at the
macro scale. (Rigidness) is (hidden or expressed at the
micro scale). Smooth Coordinated changing changing

B Parts
B BA
Hiding A A
A A
B Adjustable (flow areas) have Constant
B A B the property of being
Part B
Sharp
(changing). When
Changing
coordinated with each other Changing
area (hot) area (cold)
Each individual (piece of the can) already has the by (a coordinated partition
undesirable property of (sharp (A)) and the desirable that keeps the overall area
property of (smooth (B)), even in the slightest degree. The constant), the overall effect
(can parts) are merged (by rolling the edges up in a seam) constant area
is (constant). (Changing) is
thus giving the general property of (smooth (B)). (expressed).
Coordinated Partition.
 Separate by
Direction
Test for Separation by Direction
Does one of the conflicting properties
already exist in a different direction or can
it be modified to be so? The pile is
already blunt in its sides. Try to separate
by direction.

Separate by Direction
Sharp
Separate by
The (pile) is (sharp) (in the direction of
driving). The (pile) (is already or can
become) (blunt) (in the opposite direction
Blunt Perspective
or at right angles or in the rotary direction))
if (the supporting force is directed in the
sideward’s direction).
Blunt Test for Separation by Perspective
Is it sufficient too only appear to have one of the
Sharp
knob settings? If yes then separate by
perspective

Separate by Frame How You Look Actually: Small

Looks: Large
or Perceive (In microscope)

of Reference
The (bacterium) is naturally and unfortunately (small).
It (looks like) it is (large) when (viewed under a
microscope).
By Comparison
Actually: Wood
Tall: Compared to short door
Short: Compared to tall door
Looks Like Looks Like: Marble

The (actor) is already (short) when compared to (the The (panel) is unfortunately (wood). But we can change its
size of surroundings and other actors). Changing (the (appearance) to seem like (marble) when using (paint).
surroundings and other actors) by (miniaturizing the set
props and putting the actor on a raised platform) makes
the (actor) (tall). Actually: Black
Inference Inferred to be: White

Inertial or Spatial Frame of Reference The (pebble) is unfortunately (black). But we can change
Natural the implication to seem like it is (white) by (dropping the
Natural Frequency black pebble).
Frequency

Different Different
Frequency Frequency

The (vehicle sound) is already (not the natural

frequency) when compared to (the velocity of the
approaching vehicle). Changing the frame of
reference by (getting on the vehicle) makes the
(vehicle sound) (the natural frequency).
 Separate by Separate Between
Response of Fields The Substance
and the Field
Test for Separation by
Response of Fields
Stationary
It is essential that the field response to the (substance in
the operating region) must be (setting A) for (field region
A or field A) Rotating
The field response to the (substance in the operating
region) must be (setting B) for (field region B or field B)
Is it essential that field region or field A and B be the The field element associated with the conflict is (a
same? If they must be the same, then jump to magnetic field). The substance element associated with
Separation between Substance and Field. the conflict is (the field coils). The (magnetic field) is
(rotating) and the (coils) are (stationary). This is
accomplished by (switching on the coils in a
• Optically transparent materials predetermined sequence. The magnetic field direction
Separate by • Resonant structures
appears to rotate, depending on the sequence of the
• Field shape changing materials
Response of • Field gradient changing switching).
Fields •
materials
Reflective or channeling
structures
• Filters
Conducting • Frequency or color changing
• Speed changing
• Phase changing
Non‐Conducting
•
•
Polarization changing
Field Type changing
Compensate
• Field absorption changing
materials

Turn a knob sufficiently to fix the given problem

The response of (field region A or field A) to (material, without regard for what gets worse.
coating or structure) is (setting A). The response of Identify another knob which can be turned which
(field region B or field B) to (material, coating or compensates for the first one turned.
structure) is (setting B).
For Example:
The response of (visible light) to (glass) is
(conducting). The response of (ultraviolet light) to
(glass) is (non-conducting).
TRIZ POWER TOOLS
Skill #1 Resolving Contradictions
March 2012 Edition

They need to be
LARGE to get in but
they are SMALL
because they are
young

The Skill that Will Give You the

Confidence to Do the Rest
 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

The Algorithm
(Table of Contents)

The Algorithm ............................................................................................................................................................... v

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................... 1
L1-Resolving Contradictions ......................................................................................................................................... 7
L2-Pick and Clarify High Impact Contradictions ...................................................................................................... 9
L2-Separate in Time ................................................................................................................................................ 13
L3-Test for Separation in Time ................................................................................................................ 14
L3-Action—Prior Action .......................................................................................................................... 19
L3-Action—Partial Action ....................................................................................................................... 23
L3-Action—Excessive and Remedial Action ........................................................................................... 25
L3-Action—Prior Counteraction .............................................................................................................. 28
L3-Action—Countering............................................................................................................................ 30
L3-Separation on Condition ..................................................................................................................... 32
L3-Separation on Condition—Transparency ............................................................................................37
L3-Transformation—Transformable States .............................................................................................. 39
L3-Transformation—Using Fields ........................................................................................................... 43
L3-Transformation—Input / Output ......................................................................................................... 47
L3-Transformation—Unrolling & Stretching ........................................................................................... 48
L3-Carrier—Intermediary ........................................................................................................................ 51
L3-Merging—Interacting ......................................................................................................................... 60
L3-Merging—Countering ......................................................................................................................... 70
L3-Merging—Extraction .......................................................................................................................... 71
L3-Merging—Adjustable Numbers .......................................................................................................... 73
L3-Rearranging—Two Objects ................................................................................................................ 75
L3-Rearranging—Reorienting Non-Uniform ........................................................................................... 77
L3-Rearranging—Rearranging & Unfolding Parts ................................................................................... 79
L3-Rearranging—Reorienting Attachments ............................................................................................. 83
L3-Rearranging—Changing Direction ..................................................................................................... 85

v
TR IZ P ower T oo ls

L3-Copy or Facsimile ............................................................................................................................... 87

L2-Separate Gradually ............................................................................................................................................. 91
L3-Test for Separate Gradually ................................................................................................................ 91
L3-Repeated Use ...................................................................................................................................... 93
L3-Maturing / Proliferation ...................................................................................................................... 96
L3-Separate Use ....................................................................................................................................... 97
L3-Gradually Merged ............................................................................................................................... 98
L3-Merging—Merged Interaction .......................................................................................................... 100
L3-Gradually Hidden / Exposed ............................................................................................................. 102
L3-Gradually Transformed ..................................................................................................................... 103
L3-Gradually Added Fields .................................................................................................................... 103
L2-Separate in Space ............................................................................................................................................. 105
L3-Test for Separation in Space ............................................................................................................. 105
L3-Two Objects ...................................................................................................................................... 110
L3-Extraction .......................................................................................................................................... 113
L3-Mixture ............................................................................................................................................. 117
L3-Path ................................................................................................................................................... 117
L3-Interact / Guide / Nestle / Penetrate .................................................................................................. 119
L3-Attached Objects ............................................................................................................................... 121
L3-Partly Carried .................................................................................................................................... 123
L3-Partly Merged or Interacting ............................................................................................................. 125
L3-Non-Uniform .................................................................................................................................... 126
L3-Facsimile ........................................................................................................................................... 130
L3-Selective Countering ......................................................................................................................... 132
L3-On Condition .................................................................................................................................... 133
L2-Separate Between the Parts and the Whole ...................................................................................................... 135
L3-Test for Separation between the Parts and the Whole....................................................................... 136
L3-Formation .......................................................................................................................................... 139
L3-Merging ............................................................................................................................................ 142
L3-Carrier ............................................................................................................................................... 149
L3-Hiding Part ........................................................................................................................................ 158
L3-New Dimension ................................................................................................................................ 160
L3-Countering ........................................................................................................................................ 161

vi
 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

L3-Complementary Directions ............................................................................................................... 164

L3-Coordinated Parts.............................................................................................................................. 165
L2-Separate by Direction....................................................................................................................................... 167
L3-Test for Separation by Direction ....................................................................................................... 167
L3-Direction ........................................................................................................................................... 170
L2-Separate by Perspective ................................................................................................................................... 175
L3-Test for Separation by Perspective.................................................................................................... 175
L3-How you Look or Perceive ............................................................................................................... 178
L3-Looks Like ........................................................................................................................................ 179
L3-Inference ........................................................................................................................................... 181
L2-Separate by Frame of Reference ...................................................................................................................... 183
L3-By Comparison ................................................................................................................................. 183
L3-Inertial or Spatial Frame of Reference .............................................................................................. 187
L2-Separate by Response of Fields ....................................................................................................................... 189
L3-Test for Separation by Response of Fields........................................................................................ 189
L3-Separate by Response of Fields ........................................................................................................ 192
L2-Separate Between the Substance and the Field ................................................................................................ 195
L2-Compensation .................................................................................................................................................. 201
L2-Iterate on Solutions .......................................................................................................................................... 203
Contradiction Exercises ......................................................................................................................................... 205

vii
 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Introduction
(If you are reading the PDF format—navigate the algorithms with the “Bookmarks” to the
left. L1, L2, L3 correspond to levels of the algorithm. The levels are hierarchal; you can go
as deeply as required to resolve your problem. Lower levels (L1, L2) have consolidated
methods. If you are using the book then use the Table of Contents for the Algorithm)
Resolving contradictions is one of the most useful and fundamental aspects of TRIZ because it greatly expands the
solution space. It allows us to consider turning many more knobs than we would normally be allowed to turn.
Resolving contradictions allows us to improve something without making other features worse. At the heart of most
contradictions is a knob that must have two settings. For instance, we talked about a vehicle that needed to have a
small volume in order to create low drag and a large volume to carry lots of cargo. This appears to be physically
impossible, yet we will try to make this happen.

Common Approaches for Dealing with Contradictions

There are several approaches to dealing with contradictions:
1) Discount one or both of the conflicting properties. This is a common
approach used in theological, political, negotiation or historical settings. .
2) Compromise somewhere between both conflicting properties. This is a
standard approach taught in most schools and widely adopted throughout
industry for resolving problems of all genre.
3) Deliver both properties to the required degree by resolving the contradiction.
This is an unusual approach that can apply to problems of all type.
4) Allow only one of the properties and then compensate by turning another
knob. This is also a valid approach which we will call “compensation”.
The first approach of discounting one or the other conflicting properties, can be referred to as the ostrich approach or
throwing the hand grenade back over the wall. Either we do not face the problem or we force someone else to deal
with the problem. In this case we would either deny that the drag existed or we would deny that the volume was too
small. As mentioned, this approach is less common in the world of physics, but it can happen in the realm of
marketing. For this text, we will not discount either property but rather assume that we are only dealing with
situations where the requirement for both properties are valid because we have thoroughly analyzed the situation
The second approach is to compromise and make the volume larger but not “too large”. The problem with this
thinking is that we now guarantee risk. If we are building the vehicle for public sale, we may find that the cost of
operation is too high for some customers and the volume too low for others. In order to perform an artful
compromise a lot of data needs to be collected and models built. This can be time consuming. In addition, it is
likely that this risky situation that will be perpetuated in future generations. Due to these drawbacks, we will not be
applying this approach in this text.
The third approach is to resolve the contradiction without compromising. Nobody, including future generations,
needs to live with the problem. When we learn how to do this, we will find that there are a lot more knobs that we
can consider turning to solve problems. This skill is liberating to problem solvers who find that the solution space is
much larger than they supposed.
Introduction 1
TR IZ P ower T oo ls

The fourth approach, compensation, is also valid, though generally less powerful than resolving contradictions. We
will be further exploring this method in this text.

A Review of How we Form Contradictions

Recall that we first looked at contradictions while we were performing the causal analysis. Let us consider the
situation of a common garden rake. When the rake is used to collect loose debris such as rocks and loose weeds
over an uneven surface, a problem arises: The rake “leaks” some of the debris that is to be collected under the tines
and several strokes are required to fully collect the debris. The dependent variable that we want to improve is
“Debris Leakage”. Let us now ask what the debris leakage is a function of.
Debris Leakage = f (Tine Flexibility, Ground Stiffness, Tine Spacing . . .)
(Note that we are not considering all of the
possible independent variables). This can also be Tine
Ground Shape Tine Spacing
Flexibility is
shown pictorially with a causal analysis diagram. is Irregular is Wide
Stiff
(Note that we are not showing functions at this
point but only the object attributes or knobs.)
Now, let us improve the situation by turning one
of the knobs: Tine Flexibility. (We show this by
creating another box with the conflicting knob Debris Leakage
setting). Flexible tines follow the contour of the is Excessive
earth and collect much more effectively.
Unfortunately, other things get worse. It is more
difficult to extract embedded debris from the soil and to move soil around (other functions of the rake). This
difficulty can by represented by the following diagram. (For the sake of simplicity we are only considering debris
extraction).
The contradiction can now be
stated: “The rake tines need Tine Tine Ground Tine
to be flexible in order to Flexibility Flexibility Shape is Spacing
collect and they need to be is Flexible is Stiff Irregular is Wide
rigid in order to extract
embedded debris from the
ground”. Had we chosen to
decrease Tine Spacing, as
shown below, we would have Contradiction
Debris Debris
found that the rake now Extraction “The tine flexibility needs to be stiff in Leakage
collects too much useful is order to extract debris and flexible in is
Difficult order to decrease debris leakage.”” Excessive
small debris (mulch) that
would ordinarily be left
behind.

2 Introduction
 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Tine Ground Tine Tine

Flexibility Shape is Spacing Spacing is
is Stiff Irregular is Wide Narrow

Contradiction

“The tine spacing needs to be wide in

Debris order to not collect small mulch. The Mulch
Leakage is tine spacing needs to be narrow in Collection
Excessive order to not have excessive leakage.”. Excessive

Conditions where it is More Difficult to State a Contradiction

A properly stated contradiction may not
include something that gets worse. Suppose
that we had chosen the ground shape as the
knob to turn. In this case it would be clumsy
Tine Ground Ground Tine
and artificial to identify something that gets
Flexibility Shape is Shape is Spacing
worse if we make the ground flat. Instead it is Stiff Irregular Flat is Wide
is better to conclude that the ground shape
comes in many different “flavors” other than
flat.
The full contradiction can be stated, “in Debris
order to improve Debris Leakage, the Leakage is
Excessive
Ground Shape needs to be flat, but since the
ground shape comes in many different forms, it needs to be Irregular”. Many contradictions arise because a knob
only comes in one “flavor”. While this fact does not stop us from resolving the contradiction, it does serve to show
that it is not always practical to state something else that becomes worse.
A second example of a contradiction, which does not
include something else getting worse, is when we try to Tine Ground Tine
Flexibility Shape is Spacing
turn an “outcome knob” without consideration for the is Stiff Irregular is Wide
inputs. In other words, we want to improve a dependent
variable without regard for the independent variables or
knobs that cause the problem. The contradiction can be
stated “the Debris Leakage must be excessive because the
ground is irregular, the tine spacing is wide and the ground Debris Debris
Leakage is Leakage is
is irregularly shaped. Excessive Minimal
The Debris Leakage must be minimal because that is what
we want to improve”.“The Debris Leakage is excessive
and minimal”.

Introduction 3
TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Why not use the Contradiction Matrix?

In the early years of TRIZ development, Genrich Altshuller created what is called a Contradiction Matrix. The
matrix was designed to help the problem solver resolve contradictions. It was created by meticulous study of
“strong” patents. Altshuller noted the apparent methods of resolving difficult contradictions and categorized them
into 40 Inventive Principles. By noting the type of problem that was solved and the number of times that a
particular resolution principle was employed, it was possible to create a table of the “best” methods for resolving
these contradictions. The table is used by choosing a variable that must be improved on one table axis and then
finding the variable that gets worse on the second axis of the table. This defines a row and column of the table. At
the intersection lies a cell containing the most common principles used to resolve this particular contradiction.
There has been a great deal of debate concerning the need for the Contradiction Matrix. Avid users of the matrix
can often point to successful solution concepts generated by the use of the matrix. It is clear that it is possible to
successfully use the Contradiction Matrix. It represents a quantum improvement over standard brainstorming
methods. It is simple and compact. The user feels very creative while using it. On the other hand, many TRIZ
specialists have abandoned the matrix in favor of using Separation Principles.
At the risk of sounding incomplete, we will not be using the Contradiction Matrix in this text. The main reason for
this is that using Separation Principles helps enhance visualization of the solution. In order to illustrate why this is
important, let’s see what happens if we use the Contradiction Matrix in the pile driving example. I want to improve
the driving speed without sacrificing the supporting capability of the pile. Let’s say that I go to the Contradiction
Matrix and it is suggested that I consider the principle of Local Quality 1 (non-uniform in space). Should I apply this
principle to the pile driver, the ground or the pile? Once I decide which object to consider, I am left to consider
what feature to make non-uniform? The problem solver must make assumptions and drive forward. Assumptions
can limit our options, especially if we only consider what we have considered before.
Now, let’s consider the use of Separation Principles. First, we begin with a carefully constructed contradiction: we
need the pile to be sharp in order to drive more easily and we need it to be blunt in order to support well. Notice that
we have identified both the object (the pile) and the attribute (tip shape) to consider. The Separation Principles
provide a large number of methods for resolving this contradiction. If we pick the Separation Principle of
Separation in Space and the sub principle of “Non-Uniform”, we can directly visualize a single pile that is sharp in
one location and blunt in another. For instance, the tip can be sharp, but further up the pile, it can have a blunt
feature protruding. The ability to visualize a solution is actually enhanced when we make the problem “harder” by
saying that the solution requires the extreme properties of “sharp” and “blunt”.

New Separation Principles

Several new categories of Separation Principles are introduced which are unique and distinct from Separation in
Space, Separation in Time and Separation between the Parts and the Whole. (These three are the separation
principles practiced in mainstream TRIZ).
Separate Gradually. There are cases where there is no definitive moment in time
where an object or system has different properties. These properties can creep
gradually until the full transformation is complete.

1 Inventive Principle #3—Local Quality: Transition from homogeneous to heterogeneous structure of an object or outside environment (action). Different parts of an object
should carry out different functions. Each part of an object should be placed under conditions that are most favorable for its operation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation
Algorithm page 287.

4 Introduction
 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Separation by Scale: both properties are expressed, but each at different scales.
A piece of sandpaper is composed of rigid particles expressed at the micro-scale
and flexible at the macro scale. This is different than Separation between the
Parts and the Whole because with Separation in Scale, we want to express both
properties, whereas in Separation between the Parts and the Whole, we only
want to express one property at the macro level.
Separation by Direction: at the same moment in time and in the same space, a
piece of sheet metal can be flexible in one direction and stiff in another.
Separation by Perspective: separation occurs because of unique ways of looking
at the situation. An object may be small, but look large under a microscope.
Separation by Response of Fields: at the same moment and in the same space,
glass can be transparent to visual light and opaque to infrared light.
Separation between Substance and Field: at the same moment and in the same
space, the field coils of a motor can be stationary while its field is moving.
The author believes that there may yet be other groups which are distinct from time, space and separation between
the parts and the whole.

When it is Difficult to use a Separation Principle

It is common that the problem solver will become confused while trying to apply one of the methods. One way
around this problem is to simply brainstorm a variety of objects that use the method and have the contradictory
properties regardless of whether they resolve the specific contradiction. This line of reasoning will sometimes clear
the path to using the method.
Each method should be carefully considered before moving on. Remember that each method is a model solution.
Instructions, diagrams and examples are given with each method. One of the more powerful tools are the A and B
diagrams shown at the beginning of each method. Insert the conflicting words for the A and B symbols to help
visualize the model solution.
Then Then
There are often two ways that the First First
B Stiff
diagrams can be written, try both Stiff
ways as shown. An example from A A Flexible Flexible
Separation in Time is shown
above. Then Then
Recursive Improvement First B First Flexible
Once we have solutions to the Flexible
A A Stiff Stiff
contradiction, the final stage of this
step asks us to check whether our
goals have been met. Are there any major risks or disadvantages left? Have we met the specification which we
have made to satisfy our market? If we have not, then we must loop back and continue to improve the product or
process. If we have met the goals, then it is time to move on to the next possibility. If we can find no solution to
the contradiction, then we may pick another object attribute to idealize.

Law of Non-Uniform System Development

Before leaving this introduction, it is worthy of note that system development is largely regulated by the overcoming
of contradictions. Systems do not improve in a pretty manner. There is constant tension between development of
Introduction 5
TR IZ P ower T oo ls

one part and another. One would think that a given product, over time, would have a much more smooth
development in which each part of the system becomes better and better. This was not meant to be. We refer to this
as the law of non-uniform system development which states that:
—-System parts are improved in “fits and spurts”
—-When one part is improved, other parts may be harmed.
—-System improvement is slowed by increasing conflicts.
—-When one part improves, other parts may appear worse by comparison.
—-The system takes on Subsystem improvements and Effects
To illustrate this, let us take a jet engine. One way to make a jet engine more efficient is to increase the temperature
of the combusted gases before these gases enter the turbine part of the engine.
This generally necessitates that many sub-components on the engine become
hotter. The increased temperature accelerates the degradation of many
subsystem components. Consequently, there is a constant struggle between
increasing the efficiency of the jet engine and the reliability of its subsystems.
Note that this is fertile grounds for contradictions. Removing these contradictions will free up more resources for
development of the system.

6 Introduction
 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

L1-Resolving Contradictions
The following algorithm is a detailed process for determining which of the Separation Principles to use. Repeated
use of this algorithm will make it possible to perform this from memory and will serve to greatly reduce the time to
solution. Each category of separation is considered, in turn and questions are asked to determine whether the given
Separation Principles may be used.

L1-Method
Step 1: Pick high impact knobs
Step 2: Form the contradiction
--In order to (Y1 improvement) the (element) (knob or attribute) must be (setting A)
--In order to (Y2 improvement) the (element) (knob or attribute) must be (setting B)
Step 3: Solve by separating in time 2: Consider using a carrier 3 which lends its property
for a period of time and is then removed. -Consider using a transformable state 4.
Consider segmenting 5 the object and then merging or unmerging to create the two states.
Consider making the element adjustable 6 so that it can have both properties at different
times.
Step 4: Solve by separating in space 7: Consider the different parts of an object. Can
different parts have opposing properties 8,? Consider separating the opposing properties

2 Separation in Time appears in Creativity as an Exact Science-The Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems by G.S. Altshuller. Gordon and Breach. It can be found in the
appendix discussing ARIZ 77

3 Inventive Principle #24—Mediator: Use an intermediary object to transfer or carry out an action. Temporarily connect the original object to one that is easily removed. Genrich
Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

4 Inventive Principle #36—Phase Transition: Using the phenomena of phase change (i.e., a change in volume, the liberation or absorption of heat, etc.). Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 289.

5 Inventive Principle #1—Segmentation: Divide an object into independent parts. Make an object sectional (for easy assembly or disassembly). Increase the degree of an object's
segmentation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

6 Inventive Principle #15—Dynamicity: Characteristics of an object or outside environment, must be altered to provide optimal performance at each stage of an operation. If an
object is immobile, make it mobile. Make it interchangeable. Divide an object into elements capable of changing their position relative to each other. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 288.

7 Separation in Space appears in Creativity as an Exact Science-The Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems by G.S. Altshuller published by Gordon and Breach. It can be
found in the appendix discussing ARIZ 77

8 Inventive Principle #2—Extraction: (Extracting, Retrieving, Removing). Extract the "disturbing" part or property from an object. Extract only the necessary part or property
from an object. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

Solve by Resolving Contradictions 7

TR IZ P ower T oo ls

into two objects. Consider making the object have both properties but in different places
making it non-uniform 9
Step 5: Solve by separating between the part and the whole 10.: Consider attaching the
object to a carrier 11 which carries the opposing property, thus hiding the unwanted
property. Consider segmenting 12 the element or merging 13 multiple elements in order to
hide an unwanted property. Consider making the parts counter 14 each other
Step 6: Solve by separating by Direction: Consider having one property in one direction
and the other in another direction. Consider the opposite or rotary directions

9 Inventive Principle #3—Local Quality: Transition from homogeneous to heterogeneous structure of an object or outside environment (action). Different parts of an object
should carry out different functions. Each part of an object should be placed under conditions that are most favorable for its operation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation
Algorithm page 287.

10 Separation between the Parts and the Whole appears in Creativity as an Exact Science-The Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems by G.S. Altshuller published by
Gordon and Breach. It can be found in the appendix discussing ARIZ 77 Page 292

11 Inventive Principle #24—Mediator: Use an intermediary object to transfer or carry out an action. Temporarily connect the original object to one that is easily removed.
Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

12 Inventive Principle #1—Segmentation: Divide an object into independent parts. Make an object sectional (for easy assembly or disassembly). Increase the degree of an
object's segmentation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

13 Inventive Principle #5—Consolidation: Consolidate in space homogeneous objects, or objects destined for contiguous operations. Consolidate in time homogeneous or
contiguous operations. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

14 Inventive Principle #8—Counterweight: Compensate for the weight of an object by combining it with another object that provides a lifting force. Compensate for the weight
of an object with aerodynamic or hydrodynamic forces influenced by the outside environment. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

8 Solve by Resolving Contradictions

 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

L2-Pick and Clarify High Impact

Contradictions
High impact contradictions begin with high impact knobs. These are
knobs that strongly affect the primary problem. With a causal analysis
diagram in front of us, we can see the effect of individual knobs. It is
worth a careful study of the diagram before we choose which
contradictions to focus on.
By study, we can tell which knobs must be simultaneously turned to
solve the problem. In general, it is better to find single knobs that can be
turned far enough to achieve the needed difference. If none can be
found, this is a clue that we may be approaching the limits of the system
and need to evolve the system to a new physical phenomenon.
Note that many high impact knobs lie on the main paths that cause the
problem, but some of these knobs don’t seem like good candidates to
try. In considering the acid corrosion problem, let’s look at the implied
contradiction for “the cost of replacement is high”. For most people,
this knob would not be considered because it seems to be an “outcome”
rather than an independent variable. But notice that it is still a high-
impact knob. The implied contradiction is “The cost of replacement is
high because we are not going to alter the things that cause it to be high and the cost of replacement must be low
because I don’t want this expense.” Notice that nothing gets worse, but the cost of replacement must be high and
low. This is a valid contradiction. The
solution to this contradiction might
yield interesting options that would
not, otherwise, be considered.
Most causal analysis diagrams will
include many of these implied
contradictions. Here is a warning.
High impact implied contradictions
can be forgotten or marginalized. This
is because most people shy away from
turning these knobs. This tendency
diminishes with experience.
Some knobs are especially important
“kingpins”. You can recognize them
because several alternative solution
paths join together at one double box.
An example form is shown to the
right.

Pick High Impact Contradictions 9

TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Note that one contradiction is circled. The resolution of this contradiction resolves four problems shown at the
bottom of the diagram. Note that turning other knobs might solve one or two problems.
Once we have chosen the contradiction that we want to work with, now we want to write them in a form that is
easier to understand. We want to write them in a sentence. As mentioned, when we turn a knob and something else
gets worse, we will be able to see an alternative solution path. If nothing gets worse, then we can still form the
contradiction 15. We use the same basic method that was used in the simplified causal analysis, but this is mostly
performed in the mind. We write the contradiction using the following format:

L2-Method
Step 1: Compare all the knobs on the cause effect diagram and consider which might
have a greater impact. These could be high impact contradictions. Especially consider
object attributes (knobs) that cause several alternate problems (Kingpins)
Step 2: Pick one attribute to concentrate on. Warning: Do not shy away from or ignore
the hard knobs to turn.
Step 3: Consider the knob setting in which the main problem (Y1) goes away. This knob
setting may not be the most extreme value possible, but sufficiently different that the
problem would be removed for some time to come.
(Note that sometimes, combinations of object attributes must be changed to fix the main
problem. Thus it may be necessary to resolve multiple contradictions at once. This is
usually avoidable since there are usually sufficient knobs to work with in which this is
not the case.)
Step 4: Identify what gets worse (Y2).
Step 5: In order to not have the resulting problem the knob setting must be at another
setting. This knob setting may not be the most extreme value possible, but sufficiently
different that the new problem would be removed for some time to come.
Step 6: form the Contradiction:
In order to (Y1 improvement) the (element) (knob or attribute) must be (setting A)
In order to (Y2 improvement) the (element) (knob or attribute) must be (setting B)
We go to this trouble for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it is easy to get confused
during the resolution of the contradiction what the element is and sometimes the problem
solver forgets which knob and setting they are concerned with. Note that the wording
may be changed to fit the situation. For instance we might say “In order for the” instead
of “In order to”. Use the wording that fits the situation.

15
A version of this approach can be found in Creativity as an Exact Science-The Theory of the Solution of Inventive
Problems by G.S. Altshuller. Gordon and Breach in the appendix which explains ARIZ 77.

10 Pick High Impact Contradictions

 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Example—Pile Driving
Step 1: Compare all the knobs on the cause
effect diagram and consider which might
have a greater impact. These could be high
impact contradictions. Especially consider
object attributes (knobs) that cause several
alternate problems (Kingpins)
In this case, there are many knobs which
control the driving speed of the pile. Several
are mentioned to the right. Pile Pile Ground
Diameter Sharpness Hardness
Step 2: Pick one attribute to concentrate on.
Warning: Do not shy away from or ignore
the hard knobs to turn.
In this case, we will concentrate on tip sharpness. We could have Pile
chosen one of the others, but we always know that if we have too Sharpness
many struggles, we can go back to one of the other knobs.
Step 3: Consider the condition in which the main problems go
away. This condition may not be the most extreme value possible,
but sufficiently different that the problem would be removed for
some time to come. Note that sometimes, combinations of object attributes must be
changed to fix the main problem.
In our case, we have chosen the tip sharpness as the attribute that
we want to change. In order to improve driving speed, the tip must The Tip
be very sharp. (Note that this step is a repeat of what we have Shape is
already done while forming the diagram. We are now focusing in Sharp
on the implied and explicit contradictions that we have already
formed.)
Step 4: Identify what gets worse (Y2).
Supporting under an earthquake is what gets worse.
Step 5: In order to not have the resulting problem the knob setting must be at another
setting. This knob setting may not be the most extreme value possible, but sufficiently
different that the new problem would be removed for some time to come.
The pile should be blunt in order to avoid providing poor support under an earthquake
load.
Step 6: Form the Contradiction.
In our pile driving example we write:
In order to (drive fast) the (pile) (tip shape) must be (sharp)
In order to (support well) the (pile) (tip shape) must be (blunt)
.

Pick High Impact Contradictions 11

 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

L2-Separate in Time
With Separation in Time 16 we allow for the knob setting to be at one setting at one point in time and the conflicting
setting at another point in time. This separation principle is one of the most intuitive. There are also a lot of tools
for separating in time. This allows us to overwhelm a contradiction so long as Separation in Time is allowed.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to separate in time. The conditions under which both knob settings must
occur are not allowed to overlap in time. If they must overlap, then we cannot separate in time. (However, we will
make provisions for finding ways to not overlap).
Additionally, there are often inherent drawbacks to separation in time. Changing properties may require the addition
of functions and their attending elements. This can add complexity to the product or service. An exception to this is
if the separation can occur “on condition” without the addition of parts.

Why Start with Separation in Time?

The flow logic starts with Separation in Time because it contains the largest number of opportunities for solution. If
the flow logic tells us that it cannot be used, then we have eliminated a large number of methods and can move on.
After finishing each section, move on to the next, unless the flow logic indicates otherwise.
The subject of the contradiction may be an object, field or action. These are referred to as the “Element”.

L2-Method
Step 1: Ask under what conditions each property is needed. Are both condition required
at the same time?
Step 2: Consider using a carrier 17 which lends its property for a period of time and is
then removed.
Step 3: Consider using a transformable state
Step 4: Consider segmenting 18 the object and then merging or unmerging to create the
two states.
Step 5: Consider making the element adjustable 19 so that it can have both properties at
different times.

16
Separation in Time appears in Creativity as an Exact Science-The Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems
by G.S. Altshuller. Gordon and Breach. It can be found in the appendix discussing ARIZ 77
17 Inventive Principle #24—Mediator: Use an intermediary object to transfer or carry out an action. Temporarily connect the original object to one that is easily removed.
Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

18 Inventive Principle #1—Segmentation: Divide an object into independent parts. Make an object sectional (for easy assembly or disassembly). Increase the degree of an
object's segmentation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

19 Inventive Principle #15—Dynamicity: Characteristics of an object or outside environment, must be altered to provide optimal performance at each stage of an operation. If an
object is immobile, make it mobile. Make it interchangeable. Divide an object into elements capable of changing their position relative to each other. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 288.

Separate in Time 13
TR IZ P ower T oo ls

L3-Test for Separation in Time

With so many ways to resolve contradictions, it is necessary to focus the problem solver on which methods might be
appropriate or even possible. Each separation principle uses a test which guides the user by asking questions about
the objects or fields or actions involved in the contradiction. Learning to thoughtfully answer these questions is an
essential skill. Let’s take the test for Separation in time.

Test
I want the (element) to be (setting A) while (condition A). I want the (element) to be
(setting B) while (condition B). Must the critical conditions overlap in time? If they must
overlap then you should go to Separate Gradually.
If there really is a requirement for both properties then we ask if the conditions under which they are required must
occur at the same time. An example of this is the measuring of temperature of weevils. For those unacquainted with
this classic TRIZ example, there is a need to measure the temperature of weevils with a simple apparatus, such as a
common thermometer. The size of the weevil is the problem. The weevil must be large in order to insert the
thermometer. Let’s ask the question that we did before: must we ensure that the weevil is both large and small?
While weevils do not come in this size, let’s assume that by using some bizarre physical phenomenon that we could
make them large, does this cause a problem? Yes, the metabolism of the weevil would change if it were large. In
other words, we must ensure that the weevil is large in order to insert the thermometer and the weevil must be small
in order to maintain the same metabolism. The answer to the next question helps us further.
When are the conditions that both properties must occur?
It must be (prop #1) while (condition A)
It must be (Property #2) while (condition B)
Weevil Example:
It must be (Large) while (measuring the temperature)
It must be (small) while (all the time being a weevil)
May these critical conditions be separate (not overlap) in time? The answer
is “no”, they must overlap in time. Therefore it is not possible to Separate in
Time.
There are usually critical moments in time when one property or the other must exist. If these critical moments
overlap in time, it is not possible to separate the contradictory properties in time. Let us take the example of driving
piles into the ground. If we are interested in driving fast, we may choose to make the pile sharp. But then
something gets worse. Because the tip is sharp, we need to drive it further to get the same vertical support. In this
case, we have requirements for the pile to be sharp and to be blunt. We need it to be sharp for driving fast and blunt
for support. In answer to the above question we would write:
It must be (sharp) when (driving)
It must be (blunt) when (supporting)
Both properties must be ensured. Now, we ask if these conditions must occur at the same time:
May these critical conditions be separate (not overlap) in time?

14 Separate in Time
 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Clearly, the critical conditions of driving and supporting may be separated in time. Therefore, it makes sense to
Separate in Time. During driving, the piles are sharp. Some time afterwards, the piles must be blunt for supporting.
By using the logic flows provided in each section, the problem solver can confidently use or skip each Separation
Principle.
While Separation in Time is one of the primary tools for resolving contradictions, it may not be possible or
necessary. If this is the case then we can bypass this step and save ourselves a lot of work. In certain cases,
Separation in Time may not be possible. We can tell that it is not possible if the conditions under which each
conflicting attribute is essential (useful and necessary) overlap in time. If the conditions clearly do not overlap, then
we can safely proceed with Separation in Time.
Be careful that you have explored various ways that the critical conditions can be separated in time. Sometimes the
conditions are actions that can be broken into steps which have sequence. It may be possible to rearrange the
sequence such that the conditions do not overlap.
Following is the test and the various strategies for Separating in Time.

Test
I want the (element) to be (setting A) while (condition A). I want the (element) to be
(setting B) while (condition B). Must the critical conditions overlap in time? If they must
overlap then you should go to Separate Gradually.

Example—Pile Driving
We would like the pile to be SHARP in order to drive it more rapidly and we would like
it to be BLUNT in order to support well.
Test: I want the (pile) to be (sharp) while (driving). I want
the (pile) to be (blunt) while (supporting). Must the critical
conditions overlap in time?
This is a clear example of a contradiction where the conditions
of driving and supporting are separated by potentially large
expanses of time. This is a good candidate for Separation in
Time.

Example—The Farmer’s Mush

“I can’t stand cold cereal anymore!” The farmer says. “Yes, but
it takes a long time to make hot cereal the way that you like it!
I’m not getting up any earlier to make it!” The farmer's wife
complains. The cooked cereal must be PREPARED in order to
keep peace in the house and it must NOT BE PREPARED order not bother the farmer’s
wife.
Test: I want the (cooked cereal) to be (prepared) while (sometime before the farmer
eats). I want the (cooked cereal) to be (not prepared) while (the farmer’s wife is
sleeping). Must the critical conditions overlap in time? Since preparation of the cereal is
an action or function, we know that it is possible to break this action down into steps
which can be sequenced to guarantee that no overlap between the conditions occurs. We
just need to guarantee that the cereal preparation does not occur while the farmer’s wife

Separate in Time 15
TR IZ P ower T oo ls

wants to sleep. This makes this contradiction a good opportunity for Separation in Time
and in particular to use Prior Action 20.

Example—Long Distance Swimming

In order to train for long swims, it is necessary to have
MUCH water so that the swimmer does not need to do
lots of turns. But there must be LITTLE water in order
to conserve space.
Test: I want the (water) to be (much) while
(swimming). I want the (water) to be (little) while (all
the time). Must the critical conditions overlap in time? Overlap occurs between
“swimming” and “all the time”. We will go to Separate Gradually.

Example—Traffic Light
The operation of the lights in a traffic light must eventually FAIL due to
the action of the current on the filament and to vibration. The traffic light
must NOT FAIL in order to not cause traffic delays or make the
intersection more dangerous.
Test: I want the (operation) to be (failed) while (never). I want the
(operation) to be (not failed) while (operating in traffic). Must the critical conditions
overlap in time? “Never” and “operating in traffic” do not overlap in time. Since
operation of the light bulb is an action, this makes one of the action principles a good
candidate for resolving this contradiction. Note that many of the methods will not
apply because they seek to guarantee that the unwanted setting is achieved.

Example—Controlled Explosions
During mining operations it is necessary to
precisely time a series of explosions. One way to
do this is to drop a conductive plug down a tube
with electrical contacts spaced at precise intervals.
As the conductive weight passes each set of
contacts, continuity is established across
the contacts and an explosive charge is
Contact Contact
detonated. Unfortunately, in order to is is
ensure continuity, the force of the Non-Existent Existent
contacts against the conductive weight
needs to be high. This causes the timing
to be erratic. The plugs must
INTIMATELY CONTACT the leads in
Contact Timing Between
order to complete the circuit and must Conduction is Contacts is
NOT CONTACT the leads in order to Poor Irregular
keep the timing perfect.
Test: I want the (plug) to be (intimately
contacting) while (making contact with

20 Inventive Principle #10—Prior Action: Perform required changes to an object completely or partially in advance. Place objects in advance so that they can go into action
immediately from the most convenient location. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

16 Separate in Time
 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

the leads). I want the (plug contact) to be (not existing) while (falling). Must the critical
conditions (making contact with the leads and falling) overlap in time? It appears that
these overlap in time since the plugs never stop falling. It is concluded to go to Separate
Gradually.

Example—Super Yacht
A small ship building company considers a contract to
build a super yacht. The yacht is so big that only a
third will fit into their dock. “We will need to build
this in the open harbor.” A frustrated engineer says.
“We can’t do that; we need the availability of lifts and
tools.” The Building Location: It should be IN THE
HARBOR & AT THE DOCK.
Test: I want the (construction) to be (in the dock)
while (the ship parts are small enough to fit in the dock). I want the (construction) to be
(in the Harbor) while (the ship parts are too big for the dock). Must the critical
conditions overlap in time? Since construction of the ship is an action or function, we
know that it is possible to break this action down into steps which can be sequenced
differently to guarantee that no overlap occurs. Also, the way that we formed the
conditions makes them mutually exclusive in time. This makes this contradiction a good
opportunity for Separation in Time and in particular to use Prior Action.

Example—Fish to the Rescue

Like most large predators, a shark will follow its prey
in close pursuit until the smaller prey exhausts its
energy. Although the prey may be more nimble, it
cannot outrun its larger foe forever. If the smaller fish
could dodge and dart forever, it could easily
outmaneuver the larger shark. The Fish should
have INFINITE ENDURANCE in order to outrun Endurance Endurance
the shark and NORMAL ENDURANCE because is is
that is how small fish are. Infinite Low
Test: I want the (fish) to be (normal endurance)
while (never). I want the (fish) to be (infinite No Fish
endurance) while (being chased). Must the critical comes
conditions overlap in time? “Never” and “while this way
Vulnerability
being chased” do not overlap in time. Therefore is
we will try to separate in time. Some of the High
methods will appear weak because they seek to
guarantee the condition of low endurance which is not essential.

Separate in Time 17
TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Exercise—Radiation Treatment
High levels of radiation can damage the structure of cells
and cause them to cease functioning. This is useful in the
treatment of tumors. A beam of high energy radiation is
focused on the tumor. After the procedure, the Radiation Radiation
tumor shrinks. Unfortunately, the tissue Intensity is Intensity is
surrounding the tumor is also damaged by the Low High
high energy radiation. The Radiation Intensity
needs to be HIGH AND LOW. Test for
Separation in Time.
Tumor Surrounding
Shrinkage is Tissue Damage
Poor is High

Exercise—The Lesser Weevil

In the war on hunger, Russian scientists were studying the
metabolism of the weevil. This required the scientists to be able
to measure the body temperature over a period of time. Tiny
temperature probes were proposed,
which through the aid of a
microscope could be inserted into the Weevil Weevil
Size is Size is
weevil. The cost of these probes and
Large Small
placement apparatus were prohibitive.
If the Weevil were only larger, we
could put a normal thermometer into Weevils only
its mouth opening? The Weevil needs come small
to be LARGE AND SMALL. Test Thermometer
for Separation in Time. insertion is difficult
or complex

Exercise—A Post and

an Outpost
For years your company has Large
produced an aircraft product Variance

which fits over two posts on Tight

your customer’s aircraft. Both Control
the position and the diameter of
the posts were closely
controlled. Unfortunately, a
recent production change by the customer allows a large variance in the distance between
the posts.

18 Separate in Time
 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Now there is no guarantee that the part

which you produce will fit over the Hole Hole
Clearance is Clearance is
customers posts. (The diameter of the
Loose Tight
posts is still closely held). The customer is
unwilling to change the new production
process, but has instead asked you to
modify the part so that it will fit snuggly in
the application, without rotating. If the Rotational Assembly
hole clearance is large, they can easily fit Slop is Yield is Poor
over, but they will not be snug. The Hole High
Clearance needs to be LOOSE & TIGHT.
Test for Separation in Time.

Exercise—I Just Can’t Stop

Electromagnetic coils are used for many applications
which require the generation of force. Magnetic fields
generated by the coil and the spool upon which the wire is V
wound interact with plungers also made of magnetic
materials. Usually, the flow of
current to the coil is initiated by
throwing a switch which allows Current Path Current Path
electrons to begin flowing. Such coils is is
Continuous Interrupted
are natural inductors, meaning that the
flow of electrons begins slowly, like
trying to push a heavy object. When
it comes time to turn off the coil, the
opposite effect occurs. The electrons
Coil Voltage
do not want to stop moving, but Operation not Spikes are
“bunch up” causing high voltages. In Adjustable High
many applications this causes
difficulties such as sparking
(deteriorating brushes and switches or
causing electromagnetic pulses) or high voltages across other elements. The current path
needs to be CONTINUOUS AND INTERRUPTED. Test for Separation in Time.
L3-Action—Prior Action
Prior action 21 is only used for contradictions dealing with functions or actions. Prior action does not mean that we
simply do “something” prior to a critical event. Consider that virtually every separation principle requires that
something be done ahead of time. What would make Prior Action different than every other separation method?
This principle has the name “prior action” because some action related to the problem occurs prior to the normal
occurrence, not because we take an action prior to the solution being realized.
One of the reasons that contradictions occur with actions and functions is that we mentally lock ourselves into the
idea that an action is something that happens at once. When we say “we cook the egg”, we typically do not consider
all of the sub-actions that occur. We oil the pan, heat the pan, move the egg from the refrigerator, crack the egg, etc.
In fact, all actions can be broken into sub-actions or steps which can be rearranged in sequence and time. We can

21 Inventive Principle #10—Prior Action: Perform required changes to an object completely or partially in advance. Place objects in advance so that they can go into action
immediately from the most convenient location. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

Separate in Time 19
TR IZ P ower T oo ls

even interject other actions into the sequence. Some of these stages (or a part of each) should be moved into
condition A and the others should occur during condition B. The redistribution of these sub-actions resolves the
contradiction.
We must find a way to break the action into stages and then perform these stages when they are best suited to
resolve the contradiction. Mostly, we want to perform the necessary actions in advance of when they are actually
needed.
One very good way to perform an action in advance is to place a tool for the purpose of performing an action later.
This represents half a step that might normally have been taken. The tool is placed to perform an action and then the
full action is performed later.

Method
The contradiction attribute
relates to an action or
function. (Modification) of Some Stages Not Performed Only Part of
the (product) can be broken (Performed in Advance) Action Performed
down into steps. The When Required
steps(s) of (actions
performed during Condition A) are performed during (condition A) by (method or
previously placed tool) in order to have (setting A). The remaining steps(s) of (remaining
actions) are performed during (condition B) in order to have (setting B).

Common Example—Paper Towel Dispensing

In a public lavatory, people need to dry their hands following washing them. We are very
familiar with paper towels that are perforated, but imagine what it would have been like
without the perforations. The cutting of the towel would take some time in order to not
make a mess. It is necessary to TEAR the spent portion of the paper towel for disposal.
But imagine trying to tear off a piece of the paper towel with wet hands. We must NOT
TEAR in order to save time and not make a mess for the next person.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function. (Tearing) of the (towel) can
be broken down into steps. The steps(s) of (holding and tearing) are
performed during (any time previous to use) by (mechanical holding
and tearing) in order to have (tearing). The remaining steps(s) of
(pulling the towel) are performed during (towel use) in order to have
(not tearing).
Part of the action is performed at the time that it is required (pulling).
Part is not performed when it is required, it is performed earlier (holding and cutting).
The towel is torn and not torn.

Example—Removing a Plaster Cast Following Healing

Plaster casts are somewhat difficult to remove. Insertion of tools
between the flesh and the cast can be uncomfortable for the patient.
The cast needs to be CUT to complete healing and for sanitation
reasons and it should NOT BE CUT so as to keep the patient
comfortable.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function. (Removing)
of the (cast) can be broken down into steps. The steps(s) of (inserting

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the cutting tool) are performed during (forming the cast) by (cutting tool in straw) in
order to have (not cut). The remaining steps(s) of (cutting and removing the cast) are
performed during (final cast removal) in order to have (cutting).
Part of the action is performed at the time that it is required (cutting and prying). Part is
not performed when it is required; it is performed earlier (inserting the cutting tool).
Cutting is performed and not performed.

Manufacturing Example—Rapid Setup

Manufacturers have recognized that once a numerically controlled machine is set up, it
can inexpensively machine many parts. The cost comes in when the machine is first
prepared for the parts. SETTING UP the machine can be very slow and tedious. NOT
SETTING UP avoids adding this cost to the cost of making the parts increases the part
costs, making the manufacturer less competitive.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function. (Setting up) of the (machined
part) can be broken down into steps. The steps(s) of
(adjusting) are performed during (other machining
operation) by (use of a rapid-setup mount) in order
to have (setting up). The remaining steps(s) of
(inserting the mount into the machine) are
performed during (machining time) in order to have
(not setting up). Rapid and Accurate
Part of the action is performed at the time that it is Connection Points
required (performing the machining). Part is not
performed when it is required; it is performed earlier (setting up the machine). The
action is performed and not performed. This is known as Rapid Setup and is a common
tool used to “lean” a process.

Chemical Example—Self Cleaning Oven

Self cleaning ovens accomplish their task of cleaning by requiring the operator to lock the
oven and then heat it to a much higher temperature than normal. While this is somewhat
easier than performing the cleaning manually, the process is wasteful of energy. The
action of heating (cleaning) must be PERFORMED and NOT BE PERFORMED.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function.
(Removal) of the (oven residue) can be broken down into steps.
The steps(s) of (decomposing the residue) are performed during
(normal cooking) by (use of catalysts) in order to have (not
performed—the heavy work). The remaining steps(s) of (wiping Catalysts are
the surfaces) are performed during (an empty and cool oven) in thinly distributed
order to have (performed). on all oven
surfaces.
Administrative Example—Adult
Training
The startup of a new facility can be difficult when performed
in offshore situations. Many new procedures must be learned
by a large amount of people. TRAINING is required so that
the new procedures will be performed perfectly or the product
may get a bad reputation. NOT TRAINING is required to preserve money.

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The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function. (Training) of the (employees)

can be broken down into steps. The steps(s) of (presentation type learning—least time
consuming) are performed during (construction of the plant) by (trained instructors) in
order to have (training).
The remaining steps(s) of (applying the training—most time consuming) are performed
during (actual work) in order to have (not training—paid to work).

Software Example—Calculating
Long and abstract equations are often necessary for control functions. These calculations
can be very time consuming and reduce the throughput of a microprocessor. It is
necessary to CALCULATE in order to provide control and it is necessary to NOT
CALCULATE in order to free up the processor for other functions.
(The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function. Manipulation—calculation)
of the (data) can be broken down into steps. The steps(s) of (calculation) are performed
during (construction of the algorithm) by (lookup table) in order to have (calculation).
The remaining steps(s) of (fetching the data) are performed during (calculation) in order
to have (not calculate).

Software Example—Caching
Fetching data from disk or physical memory can be time consuming when a lot of data
needs to be fetched. The data must be FETCHED in order to perform calculations and it
must NOT BE FETCHED in order to take less overall time to perform the calculations.
Simplified Method:
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function. (Fetching) of the (data) can be
broken down into steps. The steps(s) of (fetching from the disk) are performed during
(other related manipulations) by (reading from the disk and storing in separate memory)
in order to have (not fetching). The remaining steps(s) of (clocking the data into the
CPU) are performed during (use of the data) in order to have (fetching).
Load something before-hand into cache memory. It remains there until it is required.
This means pre-fetching instructions and any static data that goes with it. Caching
memory is much faster than physical memory. It is likewise much faster than pulling
instructions and static data from disk.

Exercise—The Farmer’s Mush

“I can’t stand cold cereal anymore!” The farmer says. “Yes, but
it takes a long time to make hot cereal the way that you like it!
I’m not getting up any earlier to make it!” The farmer's wife
complains.

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The cereal MUST BE PREPARED in order to Cereal is not Cereal is

nourish the farmer. It must NOT BE PREPARED prepared to prepared to
in order to not fatigue the farmer’s wife. Using eat eat
the principle of Prior Action—Partial Action,
resolve this contradiction.

No Cereal Time of
for the awakening

L3-Action—Partial Action
Farmer is early

Partial action 22 23 is only used for contradictions dealing with functions or actions. Unlike Prior action, this method
calls for partially performing all of the stages beforehand. The action is thus completed later. It is “not performed”
and then it is “performed” which are attributes of a function or action. Contradictions involving other interaction
attributes can also be solved using this method.

Method
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or
function. (Modification) of the (product of the Part of whole action
function) is partially performed in its entirety performed in advance
during (condition A) by (method) giving (setting
A). The function is completed during (condition
B) by (description of final action) giving (setting Rest of whole action
B). performed when required

Common Example—Paper
Towel Dispensing
In a public lavatory, people need to dry their hands following washing them. We are very
familiar with paper towels that are perforated, but imagine what it would have been like
without the perforations. The cutting of the towel would take some time in order to not
make a mess. It is necessary to TEAR the spent portion of the paper towel for disposal.
But imagine trying to tear off a piece of the paper towel with wet
hands. We must NOT TEAR in order to save time and not make a
mess for the next person.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function. (Tearing)
of the (towel) is partially performed in its entirety during
(manufacture of the towel) by (perforating the towel) giving (not
tearing). The function is completed during (towel use) by (pulling the
towel) giving (tearing).

22 Inventive Principle #16—Partial or Excessive Action: If it is difficult to obtain 100% of a desired effect, achieve more or less of the desired effect. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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Example—Removing a Plaster Cast Following Healing

Plaster casts are somewhat difficult to remove. Insertion of tools between the flesh and
the cast can be uncomfortable for the patient. The cast needs to be CUT to complete
healing and for sanitation reasons and it should NOT BE CUT so as to keep the patient
comfortable.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function.
(Removing) of the (cast) is partially performed in its entirety Region of
during (forming of the cast) by (pre-inserting a dissolvable softening
material) giving (not cut). The function is completed during reaction
(removal of the cast) by (cutting the cast with a solvent)
giving (cutting).
Partially cutting the cast is probably not preferable as some
patients may engage in behaviors which could put stress into the cast. Precutting the cast
would lower the structural integrity. However, if a material could be found that would
not lose structural integrity and would lose its integrity when exposed to an unusual, yet
safe, solvent (such as alcohol), it might be possible to finish the cutting by applying the
solvent.

Manufacturing Example—Rapid Setup

Manufacturers have recognized that once a numerically controlled machine is set up, it
can inexpensively machine many parts. The cost comes in when the machine is first
prepared for the parts. SETTING UP the machine can be very slow and tedious. NOT
SETTING UP avoids adding this cost to the cost of making the parts increases the part
costs, making the manufacturer less competitive.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function. (Setting up) of the (machined
part) is partially performed in its entirety during (other machining operations) by (setting
up another machine) giving (setting up). The function is completed during (machining)
by (running the machine) giving (not setting up).

Administrative Example—Adult Training

The startup of a new facility can be difficult when performed
in offshore situations. Many new procedures must be learned
by a large amount of people. TRAINING is required so that
the new procedures will be performed perfectly or the product
may get a bad reputation. NOT TRAINING is required to
preserve money.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function.
(Training) of the (employees) is partially performed in its entirety during (operation of
another plant) by (apprenticing the employees to skilled workers) giving (trained). The
function is completed during (actual work) by (applying the training) giving (not paid
training).
The employees are partially trained at another facility and then come to work at the new
facility. (According to a chemist friend, this is what the Japanese did when they set up
amino acid plants in the United States. They had the employees go back to Japan for
several weeks of on-hands training).

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Exercise—The Farmer’s Mush

“I can’t stand cold cereal anymore!” The farmer says. “Yes, but
it takes a long time to make hot cereal the way that you like it!
I’m not getting up any earlier to make it!” The farmer's wife
complains.
Cereal is not Cereal is
The cereal MUST BE PREPARED in order to prepared to prepared to
nourish the farmer. It must NOT BE PREPARED eat eat
in order to not fatigue the farmer’s wife. Using
the principle of Partial Action, resolve this
contradiction.
No Cereal Time of
for the awakening
Farmer is early

L3-Action—Excessive and Remedial Action

With Excessive and Remedial Action 24 25 we consider a useful action that must be performed accurately and not
accurately. It is a necessary function, but performing it accurately is not possible because it is too inconvenient or
time consuming to perform it accurately at the time that it is required.
In order to solve this contradiction, the action, or part of the action, is performed excessively or even wastefully at
the inconvenient time. We cut the board long, so to speak and sand it to length later.
In order to correct the negative effect caused by performing it
excessively there are two approaches. In one case, a remedial action is
performed that corrects the action to the required state. In the other
case, the excessive action “over-flows” or crosses a threshold where it
is no longer performed. In either case, the action is performed Cut Long
inaccurately and then accurately. Sand to
Length
Performing a remedial action is generally not preferred, but it may be
allowable if it is inexpensive or not too wasteful. The negative effects of performing and action excessively may be
softened by adding a tool, beforehand, to make the correction more convenient or less costly.

24 Inventive Principle #16—Partial or Excessive Action: If it is difficult to obtain 100% of a desired effect, achieve more or less of the desired effect. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 288.

25 STANDARD 1-1-6. If a minimum (measured, optimal) effect of action is required, but it is difficult or impossible to provide it under the conditions of the problem, use a
maximum action, while the excess of the action is then removed. Excess of a substance is removed by a field, while excess of a field is removed by a substance. Example: To paint
a part accurately, the part first loaded into a container with the paint, and then subjected to rotation. Excess of paint is removed due to centrifugal forces.

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Method
The contradiction attribute relates to an
First Then
action or function that must be performed
rapidly and slowly. The function of
Too Much Perfect
(modifying) the (product) can be rapidly
performed by the gross action of (method
of performing excessively). The detailed remedial action of (remedial action) is made
possible by (method) in advance or by overflowing a (threshold) threshold by (method)

Example—Masking & Painting

The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function. Painting detailed parts or
surfaces can be a very time consuming task. It is necessary to paint the parts very rapidly
and INACCURATELY in order to save time and to reduce exposure of the painters to
solvents, etc. But it is also necessary to perform the painting very ACCURATELY to
that it looks nice.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action
or function. The function of (painting) the
(detailed parts) can be rapidly performed by
the gross action of (painting with a roller or
large brush). The detailed remedial action of
(removing the excess paint) is made possible
by (applying masking) in advance or by
overflowing a (hydrophobic) threshold by
(making the unpainted areas from hydrophobic materials.)

Example—Concentrated Sauces from Pastes

Cooking sauces can be time consuming due to the lengthy time to reduce the sauce to a
consistency that meets the needs of the recipe or the taste of the cook. A good example
of this is tomato sauce. Fresh cut tomatoes are composed of a high percentage of water.
Cooking these down to a sauce in a restaurant can be very time consuming. The creation
of the sauce under the high pressure cooking conditions of a modern restaurant needs to
be very rapid and INACCURATE in order to make money and it needs to be performed
very ACCURATELY in order to achieve the perfect consistency for the customer.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action
or function. The function of (reducing) the
(tomato sauce) can be rapidly performed by the
gross action of (introducing tomato paste).
The detailed remedial action of (thinning the Sauce
sauce) is made possible by (thickening the Comes thick
paste) in advance or by overflowing a Later Thinned for
(unknown) threshold by (unknown). The Recipe

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Example—Building Kitchen Cabinets

Building custom cabinets for a kitchen is time consuming. Each individual board must
be sawed and glued or nailed into place. This is one reason that custom cabinets are so
expensive. This puts nice cabinets out of the reach of the common person. The cabinets
must be rapidly and INACCURATELY built in order to make money and they must be
built very ACCURATELY in order that the customer is pleased.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function. The function of (building) the
(cabinets) can be rapidly performed by the gross action of (installing the prebuilt
cabinets). The detailed remedial action of (shimming to the correct spacing) is made
possible by (providing precut or adjustable shims) in advance or by overflowing a
(unknown) threshold by (unknown).

Example—Writing a Book
Stopping and starting during the creative process of writing a book interrupts the creative
flow of ideas and images. The writing must be INACCURATE. Unfortunately, this leads
to poor grammar, clumsy thoughts and poor punctuation. The writing needs to be
performed ACCURATELY.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action
or function. The function of (writing) the
(book) can be rapidly performed by the gross
action of (writing without stopping). The
detailed remedial action of (correcting the Edited to be
logic, grammar and punctuation) is made Excessive length precise
possible by (a specialist and specialized for uninterrupted
software) in advance or by overflowing a writing
(unknown) threshold by (unknown).

Example—Rapidly Forming a High Functioning Team

Sometimes it is difficult to put a group together which has the right skills to perform a
task. This is especially true when under schedule pressure. The group needs to be
ACCURATELY put together to make sure that the right skills are available and it needs
to be performed INACCURATELY in order to do it in a short period of time.
The contradiction attribute relates to an
action or function. The function of
(forming) the (group) can be rapidly
performed by the gross action of
(gathering rapidly). The detailed remedial
action of (selecting the most appropriate Group excessively
large to guarantee Those not required
members) is made possible by (unknown)
enough participants can leave
in advance or by overflowing a (capability)
threshold by (filling task positions as the
group arrives with the most capable person).

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L3-Action—Prior Counteraction
Prior Counteraction 26 is useful when a harmful action must “unavoidably” occur. This usually happens when there
is an object that performs a useful function and also performs a harmful function. In order to nullify the harmful
action, we perform a counter action prior to the harmful action which nullifies the harmful action. Thus, the harmful
action occurs, but because of the counter action, the combined effect is that it doesn’t occur. The counter action
usually involves the same physical phenomenon as the action which performs the harmful function.

Method
The harmful function of (harmful function)
the (element) cannot be avoided. The First Then
counter action of (counter action) is
performed in advance by (method of
counter action) so that when the time for
the harmful action of (harmful action) the
Null
(element) it is not (harmful action).

Example—Medicine Ampoule
An ampoule filled with heat sensitive medicine must be heat
sealed. The heat will damage the Medicine. The medicine
must be HEATED to seal the ampoule and NOT HEATED to
keep from spoiling the medicine.
The harmful function of (heating) the (medicine) cannot be
avoided. The counter action of (cooling the medicine) is performed in advance by
(cooling with liquid nitrogen) so that when the time for the harmful action of (heating)
the (medicine) it is not (heated).

Example—Movement of an Object
A periodic harmful action moves an object to a location where it is
not wanted. The object must be MOVED and UNMOVED.
The harmful function of (moving) the (object) cannot be avoided.
The counter action of (moving the object in the opposite direction) is
performed in advance by (relocating the object) so that when the
time comes for the harmful action of (moving) the (object) it is not (moved).
In this case, the object ends up where you wanted it in the first place.

Example—Pre-stressed Concrete
Concrete has low strength in tension and a high strength in compression. When a
structure such as a bridge is built, it must support heavy loads such as commercial trucks.
The span between supports is heavily loaded which causes high tension stresses on the
underside of the span. This high stress is unavoidable. The tension load must be HIGH

26 Inventive Principle #9—Prior Counteraction: Preload counter-tension to an object to compensate excessive and undesirable stress. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation
Algorithm page 287.

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because it is “unavoidable”. The tension load must be LOW in order to keep from
fracturing the concrete.
The harmful function of (loading) the (concrete span) cannot be
avoided. The counter action of (applying a tension load) is
performed in advance by (inserting steel columns under tension
which “clamp” the span) so that when the time comes for the
harmful action of (applying tension to the span) the (concrete span)
it is not (loaded in tension).

Exercise—Vibrating Water Wheel

Consider an aluminum water wheel. Inlet flow strikes the blades
after accelerating in the nozzle, transferring energy and momentum
to the blade and wheel. During energy transfer the blade is bent
slightly and released causing it to vibrate.
The resulting alternating stresses decrease the Pressure Pressure
life of the turbine blades. If the pressure forces Forces Non- Forces are
were eliminated, so would the vibration. Existent High
(Assume a constant speed). The Pressure
Forces should be HIGH & ABSENT. Using the
principle that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction. Hint: consider using the same Turbine Output Turbine blade
type of action which causes the problem to is Low and component
counter the action. The counter action should life is low
be caused by a second stream of water.

Traffic Light
The lights in a traffic light must eventually FAIL due to the action of the
current on the filament and to vibration. The traffic light must NOT FAIL
in order to not cause traffic delays or make the intersection more
dangerous.

This is an example of an output Traffic Light Traffic Light

contradiction. Most people would think Operation Fails Operation Doesn’t
of this as the Y in the function. Resolve Fail
this contradiction using The method you
have just learned. All lights will Note that nothing
eventually fail gets worse

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Exercise—Storing Almost Protons

Hydrogen is very difficult to store as a gas. This is primarily
because of the high gas constant. A small mass of gas can exert
very high pressures when constrained to a small volume. In order
to reduce the stresses in the vessel walls, the walls are made very
thick.
The resulting vessel weight is high (95%) Pressure Forces Pressure Forces
compared to the weight of the hydrogen are Low are High
(5%). If only the pressure forces were not
so high, the vessel walls could be made
much thinner. The Pressure Forces should
be LOW & HIGH. Using the principle that Assume that
you have just learned, resolve this Pressure only Material
contradiction. comes high Stresses are
High

L3-Action—Countering
For Countering 27, the conflicting properties are that an action must occur and it must not occur. Both are actually
desirable at the appropriate times.
There are two possibilities. First, two strong actions counter each other and give a null action. Later, one of the
actions is removed, leaving the full action of one of the original actions.
The second possibility is that one strong action exists. Later a counter action is added which gives the null action.
This is typically used with actions, fields and movements.
The possibility exists to use the principle of COUNTER WEIGHT to make elements push or pull each other. A
transmission element may be required between the elements. Sometimes, counter fields can overlap each other in
such a way to nullify each other. The field gradients can be opposite each other to create one condition or they can
be entirely opposite each other.

Method
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or First Then
function. The (element) must be (null action) during
(condition A). This is accomplished by applying
(counteraction). The counter action is removed
during (condition B) when the full action is
required. Null

27 Inventive Principle #8—Counterweight: Compensate for the weight of an object by combining it with another object that provides a lifting force. Compensate for the weight
of an object with aerodynamic or hydrodynamic forces influenced by the outside environment. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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Example of Counter Weight

A heavy object must be precisely dropped, but in order to drop it precisely, it must first
be positioned accurately. Positioning the object is difficult since it is so heavy.
The contradiction attribute relates to an
action or function. The (weight) must
be (held) during (positioning). This is
accomplished by applying (a counter
weight or force). The counter action is
removed during (dropping) when the
full action is required.

Example—Cancellation Counter
Weight
of Waveforms
A signal needs to be transmitted at all times, but it
must not be transmitted during resting periods. Then

The contradiction attribute relates to an action or

function. The (signal) must be (silent) during (a Null
=
rest period). This is accomplished by applying
(an 180 degrees out of phase signal). The counter
action is removed during (communication) when
the full action is required.

Example—Deadfalls and Snares

In order to kill an animal during wilderness survival, a large force must be used.
However, a large force is not easily and rapidly brought into play.
The contradiction attribute relates to an
action or function. The (heavy log) must High High High
be (held) during (positioning of the Force Force Force
animal). This is accomplished by applying
(a counter weight or force). The counter
action is removed during (killing of the Null
animal) when the full action is required.

Example—Military Mock Battles

In order to be increasingly ready with the latest in
military strategy, a military unit should be in battle
against units prepared with the latest technology and
strategies. However, there are times of peace when
fighting an actual enemy is not possible.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or
function. The (military unit) must be (opposed by
the latest military strategies) during (times of peace). This is accomplished by applying
(pitting half of the army against itself). The counter action is removed during (times of
war) when the full action is required. This is accomplished in mock military battles.

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Example—Strong Pitch
At times a strong message is required from leaders. At
other times it is not necessary or even harmful. In order
that the main presenter of the message is not considered
weak, the message must always be presented.
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or function.
The (message) must be (muted) during (times when
message has low priority). This is accomplished by
applying (a counter argument from other leaders). The
counter action is removed during (times of high priority) when the full action is required.

Example—Magnetization
The contradiction attribute relates to an action or N
function. The (magnetic element) must be
(magnetically neutral) during (non-operation). This is S
accomplished by applying (counter magnetic forces).
The counter action is removed during (operation) when
the full action is required. N

A material is magnetized with both polarities. The flux

lines remain primarily internal to the magnetic
material. This is called a keeper and keeps the
magnetic strength high. Later, one polarity is reversed so that only one of the polarities
remains. Now the flux lines are primarily external and can be used for various functions.
L3-Separation on Condition
It is more ideal to separate on condition than in time. The changing conditions must cause the change. There is no
need of monitoring or active control. Thus, Separation on Condition is the Holy Grail of Separation in Time.
When we passed the test for Separating in Time, we determined the conditions (condition A) and (condition B) in
which the (element
attribute) needed to Elastic Stress Gravity Friction Adhesion
be (setting A) and
(setting B). There are Buoyant Force Hydrostatic Pressure Jet Pressure Surface Tension
usually a number of
Centrifugal Force Inertial Force Coriolis Force
things that change
between these two Oder & Taste Diffusion Osmosis Chemical Fields
conditions. One of
these differences will Sound Vibrations & Oscillations Ultrasound Waves
be used to drive the
change in settings. Thermal Heating or Cooling Thermal Shocks Information
Let’s take the case
where the changing Corona Discharge Current Eddie Currents Particle Beams Nuclear Forces
conditions were night
Electrostatic Fields Magnetic Fields Electromagnetic Fields
and day. We ask
ourselves “What Radio Waves Micro Waves Infrared Visible Light Ultraviolet X-Ray Cosmic
changes between
night and day?” The light level changes. Temperatures change. Relative humidity and insect activity changes

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between night and day. One of these differences can now be used to change the attribute setting. Changing fields
can drive the change. An unformatted list of fields is extracted from the Table of Fields in the appendix.

Simplified Method
The difference of (difference) between (condition A) and
(condition B) will change the (element attribute) from A B
(setting A) to (setting B). The (physical phenomenon or
method) will be exploited to drive the change of First Condition On
parameters. Changing
Conditions
Full Method
Step 1: We have already identified the conditions under
which we need to have each property or knob setting to determine whether we can
Separate in Time. What are these changing conditions?
Step 2: Consult the unformatted table of fields above. What fields change in the new
conditions?
Step 3: Identify the required function.
Step 4: What physical phenomena can be used to deliver the required function? If you
are familiar with the methods used for identifying physical phenomena to deliver
functions then use these methods. Otherwise, brainstorm physical phenomena that can
be used.

Example—Clothes Iron Steam

Before steam irons, flat irons were used to iron clothes. The iron was heated first by hot
coals or on a stove top, and then later it was heated by an electric current. Finally, it was
desired that steam should flow. In order to conserve water we ask how the flow of steam
can occur only during ironing. The flow should be FLOWING while ironing and NOT
FLOWING while not ironing.
Simplified Method
The difference of (iron orientation) between
(ironing) and (iron resting) will change the (water
flow) from (flowing) to (not flowing). The (water
level versus flow orifice level) will be exploited to
drive the change of parameters.
Full Method
Step 1: We have already identified the conditions under which we need to have each
property or knob setting to determine whether we can Separate in Time. What are these
changing conditions? Since we have already
performed this step we recognize that the change
from ironing to not ironing is the changing condition. Not Flow Flow
Identify the contradiction in the form shown.
Not Ironing Ironing
Step 2: Consult the unformatted table of fields above.
What fields change in the new conditions? From the
Table of Fields, we see that adhesion (friction),
inertia and gravity fields are changing.
Separate in Time 33
TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Step 3: Identify the required function. The required function is to move a liquid.
Step 4: What physical phenomena can be used to deliver the required function? If you
are familiar with the methods used for identifying physical phenomena to deliver
functions then use these methods. Otherwise, brainstorm physical phenomena that can be
used. In this case, it was recognized that the iron is naturally set upright to keep from
burning the clothing between ironing movements.
This change of orientation naturally allows for a change of flow through an orifice. The
contradiction is resolved on condition by making the water NOT FLOW when upright
(not ironing) and FLOW when in the ironing position.

Example—Dark Glasses
The glasses need to be CLEAR under low lighting conditions and DARK under intense
lighting conditions.
Simplified Method
The difference of (light intensity) between (low lighting) and (intense lighting) will
change the (glass’s light transmission) from (high transmission) to (low transmission).
The (photo sensitivity) will be exploited to drive the change of parameters.
Full Method
Clear Dark
Step 1: What are these changing conditions? The
change from low ambient light to high ambient light Low Light Bright Light
is the changing condition. Identify the contradiction
in the form shown.
Step 2: Consult the unformatted table of fields above.
What fields change in the new conditions? From the Table of Fields, we see light fields
are changing.
Step 3: Identify the required function. The required function is to darken glass.
Step 4: What physical phenomena can be used to deliver the required function? If you
are familiar with the methods used for identifying physical phenomena to deliver
functions then use these methods. Otherwise,
brainstorm physical phenomena that can be used. In
this case, it was recognized that certain materials are
photo-sensitive and change shade based upon their
energy state. This phenomenon was used to change
the glasses from clear to light. The contradiction is
resolved on condition by making the glasses CLEAR under low ambient light and DARK
under high ambient light.

Example—Fluorescent Materials
A material must be VISIBLE under ultraviolet light and NOT VISIBLE when the light is
turned off.
The difference of (ultraviolet intensity) between (light on)
and (light off) will change the (material visibility) from
(visible) to (not visible). The (addition of a luminescent
material) will be exploited to drive the change of parameters.

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xample—Diving
The relative “hardness” of the water must be SOFT at low
entrance speed and HARD at high entrance speeds.
The difference of (velocity) between (low entrance speed)
and (high entrance speed) will change the (feeling of water
hardness) from (soft) to (hard). The (inertia of the water)
will be exploited to drive the change of parameters.
When jumping from low heights, the water is SOFT. When jumping from great heights,
the water is HARD.

Exercise—Two Tining Rake

A common garden rake is somewhat inefficient when
raking small debris. While riding over uneven
surfaces, unwanted debris settles into the uneven
surface and the tines ride over the top without
collecting the debris. If the tines were more flexible,
they could ride over the uneven surfaces like a leaf
rake and collect the materials. On the other hand, if
the tines are flexible, then the rake is not
useful for extracting embedded debris or Tine Tine
Stiffness is Stiffness is
for moving earth about. The Tine
Flexible Stiff
Flexibility should be FLEXIBLE &
STIFF. Using the principle that you have
just learned, resolve this contradiction.

Debris Debris
Exercise—I Just Can’t Extraction is “leakage” is
Difficult High
Stop
Electromagnetic coils are used for many
applications which require the generation of force.
Magnetic fields generated by the coil and the spool upon
which the wire is wound interact with plungers also made
of magnetic materials. Usually, the flow of current to the
V
coil is initiated by throwing a switch
which allows electrons to begin
flowing. Such coils are natural Current Path Current Path
is is
inductors, meaning that the flow of
Continuous Interrupted
electrons begins slowly, like trying to
push a heavy object. When it comes
time to turn off the coil, the opposite
effect occurs. The electrons do not
want to stop moving, but “bunch up” Coil Voltage
causing high voltages. In many Operation not Spikes are
applications this causes difficulties Adjustable High
such as sparking (deteriorating brushes
and switches or causing
electromagnetic pulses) or high
voltages across other elements. The current path needs to be CONTINUOUS AND
Separate in Time 35
TR IZ P ower T oo ls

INTERRUPTED. Using the principle that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
?
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high. If the package is dense and compact,
it falls with pinpoint accuracy. A chute
Package Package
opens near the end to keep the contents
contents are contents are
from being damaged. Unfortunately, Useless Useful
enemy troops on the ground then confiscate
the package and hoard the supplies to
themselves. They quickly discover that the
contents are useful and look for them. The
Package Contents must be USEFUL AND
Value For Enemy Troop
USELESS Using the principle that you Confiscation is
Needy is
have just learned, resolve this Low High
contradiction.

Exercise—Take Smaller Bites

A rule of thumb for cutting a piece of metal in a band saw is to
have at least three teeth on the piece of metal. This is because the
point loading becomes too high. This causes bad things to
happen such as breaking teeth, blades or rough cutting. On the
other hand, if the teeth are too fine, the point loading on each
tooth is too small. In a large production shop where many pieces
of metal are cut, it is necessary to cut both thick and thin pieces.
How can we speed up production?
The Tooth Spacing Needs to be FINE
& COARSE. Using the principle that Tooth Spacing Tooth Spacing
is Coarse is Fine
you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.

Point Loading Cutting Speed

is High is Slow

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Exercise—the Beat Goes On

Heart surgery is sometimes required for battlefield wounds to
the heart. Small pieces of shrapnel become lodged in the
heart muscle. Usually, the heart is stopped, temporarily, to
repair it since it is very difficult to operate on a beating heart.
This stoppage of blood flow is very
traumatic for the rest of the body which Heart Heart
may be badly damaged. If it were Motion is Motion is
possible to operate on the beating heart, Still Beating
there would likely be more survivors. The
Heart Movement must be BEATING &
STILL. Using the principle that you have
just learned, resolve this contradiction. Trauma to Rest of Operational
Body is Mistakes are
High Frequent

L3-Separation on Condition—Transparency
This separation principle is specifically related to one attribute, transparency. The use of transparency 28is a common
TRIZ principle. It is used in a variety of ways throughout the separation principles. Here it allows for separation on
condition because a transformation of transparency will automatically occur depending upon the changing
conditions. Certain types of filters can selectively pass objects depending on their size or shape.

Method
The difference of (difference) between (condition A) and (condition B) will change the
(element) transparency from transparent to opaque. The (physical phenomenon or
method) will be exploited to drive the change of parameters.

Example—Hinged Elements
Selectively passes solids in motion. They may stop gases, liquids and small objects.
Thus hinged elements are TRANSPARENT when large objects
try to pass and OPAQUE when small objects or extremely large
objects try to pass.
The difference of (object size) between (large animals) and
(insects or air) will change the (trap door) transparency from
transparent to opaque. The (inertia of the door) will be
exploited to drive the change of parameters.

Example—Mechanical Filters Light &

Bugs
Air
Mechanical filters selectively pass small objects. Examples
of these are sieves, fabrics, filament wraps and molecular

28 Inventive Principle #32—Changing the color: Change the color of an object or its environment. Change the degree of translucency of an object or its environment. Use color
additives to observe an object or process which is difficult to see. If such additives are already used, employ luminescent traces or trace atoms. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 289.

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TR IZ P ower T oo ls

sieves. Sieves are TRANSPARENT when light and air try to pass and OPAQUE when
bugs try to pass.
The difference of (object size) between (light and air) and (bugs) will change the (screen)
transparency from transparent to opaque. The (opening size of the screen) will be
exploited to drive the change of parameters.

Example—Foams, Liquids, Floating Solids, Fluids in

Motion
These selectively pass large objects. They may stop gases,
other liquids and very small objects. Consider using inert
materials 29 to perform this. In this example, evolving gases
from a machining process are stopped by a foam barrier. The
foam is TRANSPARENT to large objects and OPAQUE to
small objects.
The difference of (inertia of force) between (large objects) and (small objects) will
change the (separator material) transparency from transparent to opaque. The (inertia or
relative force) will be exploited to drive the change of parameters.
Note that whenever small inertial forces occur, there is a large resistance to transmit the
small inertia body. Whenever large inertial forces occur there is a small resistance to
transmit the large inertia body. This can also be a separation in space. Wherever there is
a large inertia force, there is a small resistance to the large inertia body. Everywhere else,
there is a high resistance to small inertia bodies.

Exercise—The Cover That Wasn’t

In large plating operations, the plating tanks give off large
amounts of corrosive gases. Over the course of time, these
gases damage the plating facility and everything in it.
Covering the tanks with non-corrosive covers would greatly
reduce the evolution of gases, but a cover slows down
production. The
Plating Tank Needs to be COVERED & UNCOVERED.
Using the principle that you have just
learned, resolve this contradiction. Tank Tank
is is
Covered Uncovered

Part Structure
Movement is Damage is
Slow High

29 Inventive Principle #39—Inert Environment: Replace a normal environment with an inert one. Introduce a neutral substance or additives into an object. Carry out the process
in a vacuum. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 289.

38 Separate in Time
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L3-Transformation—Transformable States
This generally involves changing the “state” of the bulk properties of
the element 30, in order to change from one conflicting property to the Solid to Liquid to Gas
next. Note that broad definition of Combustible materials
“states” which contains much more than Fissable
the transition between solids, liquids Critical Points Adhesives
and gases. The current list is not Sheer Strength Explosive
exhaustive. If you need more ways, go Ultimate Strength Wettable
to the table of knobs and look under Tip Angle Exothermic-Endothermic
Static Friction Soluble or dissolvable materials
changing bulk properties. A field may
Adhesive Failure point Foams
change “state” by transformation to Zero Buoyancy Settable liquids--(increase of volume)
another frequency. Triple point Easily breakable or abraidable
The transformation should occur near Surface Tension Polymerizing or de-polymerizing
Resonant Frequency Mixture decomposition --Electrolysis
the critical point for maximum effect.
Spark point Disassociation- recombination
For instance, if the transformation is
Freezing point Shape Memory Materials
from liquid to gas, operating near the Boiling point Magnetic materials using Curie Effect
boiling point would allow the Curie temperature Molecular reorganization (diamonds)
transformation to occur with less
addition of energy. The Solution Standards give a number of practical
suggestions for use of phase transitions. 31

Method
The (element) is formed from (a transformable structure—consult the table). The
(element) is (state A) during (condition A), thus making it (setting A). The (element) is
(state B) during (condition B), thus making it (setting B). (The transformation) is
operated near (critical point) by (method).

30 Inventive Principle #36—Phase Transition: Using the phenomena of phase change (i.e., a change in volume, the liberation or absorption of heat, etc.). Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 289.

31 STANDARD 5-3-1. Efficiency of the use of a substance without introducing other substances can be improved by changing its phase.

STANDARD 5-3-2. "Dual" properties are provided by using substances capable of converting from one phase to another according to operating conditions.

STANDARD 5-3-3. Efficiency of a system can be improved by the use of physical phenomena accompanying a phase transition. Notes: Structure of a substance, density, thermal
conductivity, etc. also change along with the change of aggregate state during all types of phase transitions. In addition, during phase transitions, energy may be released or
absorbed.

STANDARD 5-3-4. "Dual" properties of a system are provided by replacing a single-phase state of the substance with a dual-phase state.

STANDARD 5-3-5. Efficiency of systems obtained as a result of replacing a substance’s single- phase state with a dual-phase state can be improved by introducing interaction
(physical or chemical) between parts (phases) of the system.

STANDARD 5-4-1. If an object is to be alternating between different physical states, the transition is performed by the object itself using reversible physical transformations, e.g.
phase transitions, ionization-recombination, dissociation-association, etc. Note: A dynamic balance providing for the process self-adjustment or stabilization may be maintained
in the dual-phase state.

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Example—Soda Container
A soda container must be CLOSED completely in
order to store or contain a liquid. It must be OPEN First Then
during consumption of the beverage.
The (can seal) is formed from (an easily yielding
material). The (can seal) is (unbroken) during
(storage), thus making it (closed). The (can seal) is
(broken) during (consumption), thus making it (open). Closed Opened
(Yielding) is operated near (nearly torn or yield point)
by (providing leverage at the point of tearing).

Example—Sponge
A cleaning product needs to be ATTRACTIVE to small debris during cleaning and NOT
ATTRACTIVE to small debris during storage.
The (cleaning product) is formed from (a First Then
sponge). The (cleaning product) is (moist) during
(collection of small debris) thus making it
(attractive). The (cleaning product) is (dry)
during (storage) thus making it (not attractive). Attractive Not Attractive
(Adhesion) is operated near (critical surface
tension) by (keeping slightly damp).

Example—Chopsticks
Chopsticks need to be JOINED for ease of dispensing in a vending machine and
SEPARATE for use while eating.
The (element) is formed from (an easily broken First
structure). The (chopsticks) are (unbroken) during
(storage in vending machine) thus making them
(joined). The (chopsticks) are (broken) during Then
(preparation for consumption) thus making them
(separate). (Breaking) is operated near (yield) by
(creating a high stress crack initiation).

Example—Foam Soap
It is common for people to take much more soap than needed when dispensing soap from
a liquid soap dispenser. During storage, the soap needs to be CONCENTRATED in
order to take up little room. During use, it needs to be UN-CONCENTRATED in order to
be easily spread on the hands. First Then
The (soap) is formed from (a foaming liquid). The
(soap) is (liquid) during (storage) thus making it
(concentrated). The (soap) is (foam) during (use)
thus making it (un-concentrated). (Foaming) is
operated near (critical surface tension) by (proper Un-concentrated
dilution of the soap).

Concentrated

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Exercise—Too Flexible
Various diameters of a thin rubber boot (which covers part
of a car shift mechanism) must be measured with great
accuracy at several points. Unfortunately, the micrometer
which is used deforms the boot during
the measurement. This makes the Boot Flexibility Boot
measurement inaccurate. How can the is Very Flexibility is
boot be measured more accurately? Stiff Very Flexible
The Boot Flexibility Needs to be
FLEXIBLE & STIFF. Resolve the
Contradiction using the principle that
you have just learned. Boot Life is Diameter
Low Measurement
is Inaccurate
Exercise—Radiation
Treatment
High levels of radiation can damage the structure of cells
and cause them to cease functioning. This is useful in the
treatment of tumors. A beam of high energy radiation is
focused on the tumor. After the procedure, the
tumor shrinks. Unfortunately, the tissue Radiation Radiation
Intensity is Intensity is
surrounding the tumor is also damaged by the Low High
high energy radiation. The Radiation Intensity
needs to be HIGH AND LOW. Using the
principle that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction. Tumor Surrounding
Shrinkage is Tissue Damage
Poor is High
Exercise—A Post and an
Outpost
Large
Variance
For years your company has
produced an aircraft product Tight
which fits over two posts on Control
your customer’s aircraft. Both
the position and the diameter of
the posts were closely
Hole Hole
controlled. Unfortunately, a recent Clearance is Clearance is
production change by the customer allows Loose Tight
a large variance in the distance between
the posts. Now there is no guarantee that
the part which you produce will fit over
the customers posts. (The diameter of the
posts is still closely held). The customer Rotational Assembly
is unwilling to change the new production Slop is Yield is Poor
process, but has instead asked you to High
modify the part so that it will fit snuggly
in the application, without rotating. If the
hole clearance is large, they can easily fit over, but they will not be snug. The Hole
Separate in Time 41
TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Clearance needs to be LOOSE & TIGHT Resolve this contradiction using the method
you have just learned.

Exercise—The Cover That Wasn’t

In large plating operations, the plating tanks give off large
amounts of corrosive gases. Over the course of time, these
gases damage the plating facility and everything in it.
Covering the tanks with non-corrosive covers would greatly
reduce the evolution of gases, but a
cover slows down production. The Tank Tank
is is
Plating Tank Needs to be COVERED Covered Uncovered
& UNCOVERED. Using the principle
that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.

Part Structure
Movement is Damage is
Slow High

Exercise—Special Delivery II
During war in a third world country, an effective means of gaining support from the local
people is to give them much needed supplies such as
medicine, food and clothing. In order to avoid anti-aircraft
and small arms fire, the drop plane must fly high. If the
package is dense and compact, it falls with pinpoint accuracy.
A chute opens near the end to keep the contents from being ?
damaged. Unfortunately, enemy troops on the ground then
confiscate the package and hoard the
supplies to themselves. Package Package
Configuration is Configuration is
Dropping many packages gets more Dispersed Compact
packages into the hands that need them,
but high winds may disperse the drop if
they are dropped separately. The Package
Configuration must be COMPACT AND
DISPERSED. Using the principle that Plane Ground
you have just learned, resolve this Vulnerability dispersal is
contradiction. is high poor

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L3-Transformation—Using Fields
In the previous section,
we considered changing Elastic Stress Gravity Friction Adhesion
the bulk properties of
the element in question Buoyant Force Hydrostatic Pressure Jet Pressure Surface Tension
to change from one
knob setting to the Centrifugal Force Inertial Force Coriolis Force
other. In this case, we
Oder & Taste Diffusion Osmosis Chemical Fields
consider the fields
associated with the Sound Vibrations & Oscillations Ultrasound Waves
element in order to
change between the Thermal Heating or Cooling Thermal Shocks Information
conflicting attributes. A
Table of Fields is Corona Discharge Current Eddie Currents Particle Beams Nuclear Forces
provided. The turning
on and off of fields is a Electrostatic Fields Magnetic Fields Electromagnetic Fields
good example of the Radio Waves Micro Waves Infrared Visible Light Ultraviolet X-Ray Cosmic
inventive principle of
periodic action 32.

Method
Using (physical phenomenon including
pneumatic or hydraulic structures 33) B Then A . .
First A Then
allows us to add a (associated field
from the table) to the (element) during
(condition A), makes it (setting A). (Removing or reversing) the (field) during (condition
B) makes it (setting B).

Example—Inflatable Displays
I need displays that EXIST and function as displays and NOT
EXIST for easy storage.
Using (pneumatic structures) allows us to add a (pressure field)
to the (display) during (displaying), makes it (exist).
(Removing) the (pressure field) during (storage) makes it (not
exist).

32 Inventive Principle #19—Periodic Action: Replace a continuous action with a periodic one (impulse). If the action is already periodic, change its frequency. Use pauses
between impulses to provide additional action. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

33 Inventive Principle #29—Pneumatic or Hydraulic Constructions: Replace solid parts of an object with a gas or liquid. These parts can now use air or water for inflation, or use
pneumatic or hydrostatic cushions. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 289.

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Example—Electric Fence
I need an enclosure fence which must be PAINFUL
during contact in order to hold in animals, and must be
HARMLESS during non contact in order to reduce
operating costs.
Using (high voltage structures) allows us to add an
(electric field) to the (enclosure) during (contact),
makes it (painful). (Removing) the (electric field) during (non contact) makes it
(harmless).

Example—Light Bulb Changer

A mechanical arm is able to reach a light
bulb to change it. The arm allows for a Light
Bulb
twisting action to turn the bulb. A device is
Extractor
sought which allows for NOT HOLDING the
bulb during positioning and HOLDING the
bulb during twisting.
Using (pneumatic structures) allows us to add
a (pressure field--Vacuum) to the (handle) during (removal), makes it (holding).
(Removing) the (pressure field--Vacuum) during (positioning) makes it (not holding).

Example—Magnetic Clutch
The clutch must be RIGID during energy transfer and FLUID
during periods of rest.
Using (magnetic fluids) allows us to add a (magnetic field) to the
(ferromagnetic balls in the fluid) during (transfer of energy), makes
it (rigid). )Removing) the (magnetic field) during (rest) makes it (fluid).

Example—Grass Trimmer
The trimmer blade needs to be STIFF in order to trim grass and small
limbs. It needs to be FLEXIBLE for easy maintenance and storage.
Using (inertia of high velocity bodies) allows us to add an (inertia
field) to the (blade) during (trimming grass), makes it (stiff).
(Removing) the (inertia field) during (maintenance and storage) makes it (flexible).

Example—Detection of Food Particles

Food particles must be HIGHLY VISIBLE during inspection to
show a child how to improve the brushing of teeth. The particles
should be INVISIBLE at all other times so as to not embarrass
the child.
Using (iridescent materials) allows us to add an (ultraviolet field)
to the (particles) during (inspection), making it (highly visible). (Removing) the
(ultraviolet field) during (all other times) makes it (invisible).

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Common Example—Plating and Electro Polishing

While plating , the metal atoms coming from the solution tend to be attracted to areas of
strong electrostatic fields. Any points on the surface of the metal that has a smaller
radius will have higher fields. After the plating metal attaches itself to the surface, the
surface has an even smaller radius which accelerates the process and makes the surface of
the metal even more rough. If the fields were reversed, the opposite would happen and
the material would be removed from the peaks. In order to deposit the plating material,
the plated piece should have NEGATIVE polarity. In order for the surface to be smooth,
the plated piece should have POSITIVE
polarity.
Using (reversal of electric fields) allows
+
us to add a (negative electric field) to the + + + +
(plated piece) during (plating), makes it + ++ ++ +
(positive polarity). (Reversing) the
(negative electric field) during Left is Right is
(polishing) makes it (positive polarity). Negative Negative

Example
A strong light is required to ILLUMINATE the melt during
an arc welding demonstration film. We should NOT
ILLUMINATE the melt in order to see the arc in the film. Strobe

Using (a bright illumination or strobe light) allows us to

add a (light field) to the (melt) during (frames showing the
melt), makes it (illuminated). Removing or reversing the
(light) during (frames showing the arc) makes it (not illuminated).

Exercise—Soft Water
The addition of bubbles to diving pools is a good way
to keep diving injuries to a minimum. This is
especially true when diving from great heights.
Unfortunately, the diver is no longer buoyant in the
water and finds it difficult to surface after a dive. The
Bubbles need to be EXISTENT AND
Bubbles Bubbles
ABSENT. Using the principle that you
Absent in Exist in
have just learned, resolve this
Water Water
contradiction.

Damage to divers Surfacing is

is High Difficult

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Exercise—Free-Fall Plating
Crystals grown in a micro-gravity environment have
unusual properties. Such an environment is created by
objects in free-fall. A space craft in orbit about the
earth achieves this same effect by being in a constant Tank State is Tank State is
free fall state. Plating in such a free-fall state might not Free Free
also have unusual properties. We are a small Fall Fall
company which cannot afford a shuttle experiment.
How can we perform such experiments? A Plating Plating is only
Tank State should be FREE FALL & NOT FREE useful during
FALL. Using the principle that you have just free-fall Financial
learned, resolve this contradiction. Cost is
High
Exercise—Special Delivery II
During war in a third world country, an effective
means of gaining support from the local people is to give
them much needed supplies such as medicine, food and
clothing. In order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire,
?
the drop plane must fly high. If the package is dense and
compact, it falls with pinpoint accuracy. Package Package
A chute opens near the end to keep the Configuration is Configuration is
contents from being damaged. Dispersed Compact
Unfortunately, enemy troops on the
ground then confiscate the package and
hoard the supplies to themselves.
Dropping many packages gets more Plane Ground
packages into the hands that need them, Vulnerability dispersal is
but high winds may disperse the drop if is high poor
they are dropped separately. The Package
Configuration must be COMPACT AND
DISPERSED. Using the principle that you have just learned, resolve this contradiction.

Exercise—the Beat Goes On

Heart surgery is sometimes required for battlefield wounds to the
heart. Small pieces of shrapnel become lodged in the heart
muscle. Usually, the heart is stopped, temporarily, to repair it since it is very difficult to
operate on a beating heart. This stoppage of blood flow is very traumatic for the rest of
the body which may be badly damaged. If Heart Heart
it were possible to operate on the beating Motion is Motion is
heart, there would likely be more Still Beating
survivors. The Heart Movement must be
BEATING & STILL. Using the principle
that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.
Trauma to Rest of Operational
Body is Mistakes are
High Frequent

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L3-Transformation—Input / Output
An object has something with one property coming in and then later, the opposite property exiting. Identify a
means (function) which allows for the adjustment of the property between the input and the output. This means that
a physical phenomena needs to be identified and a tool provided to deliver this physical phenomena. This method is
primarily used for the transformation of a flow of objects, fields or information.

Method
The (elements) to be operated upon must be (setting A) during
(condition A). A transformation of (phenomena or action) A B
changes the (elements) to (setting B) during (condition B).

Example—Voice Modulation
A male story teller relates the story in a MALE
voice. Later he would like to interject a
WOMAN’S voice into the story during the
televised transmission of the show.
The (voice) to be operated upon must be (male)
during (actual story telling). A transformation of (voice modulation) changes the (voice)
to (female) during (transmission of the show).

Example—Mixing of Liquids
The compounds must be procured and stored as
SEPARATE constituents. Later, they must be
MIXED for consumption.
The (compounds) to be operated upon must be
(separate) during (procurement and storage). A Mixing Blades
transformation of (mixing blades) changes the
(compounds) to (mixed) during (fabrication of the final product).

Example—Signal Separation
The signals must be MIXED in
order to send them from the same
transmitter. They must be
Filter
SEPARATED in order to
understand the content.
The (signal) to be operated upon must be (mixed) during (transmission). A
transformation of (signal filtering) changes the (signal) to (separate) during (logging and
use of the information).

Example—Spook Alley
People must be calm during travel between amusements
so that they can enjoy looking around and eating. They
must later be SCARED in order to feel that they have
properly celebrated Halloween.

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The (patrons) to be operated upon must be (calm) during (travel and eating). A
transformation of (scary costumes and actions) changes the (patrons) to (scared) during
(travel through the amusement).

Lipids
Exercise—Blood Brain Barrier
Some medicines need to be delivered to the brain, but
cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. Molecules that pass Drug Barrier
easily are lipids and sugars. How can these medicines be
delivered across the blood-brain barrier? The composition
should be LIPID & NON-LIPID. Using the
principle that you have just learned, resolve Drug is a sugar Drug is not a
this contradiction. or Lipid sugar or lipid

Drug is Passage is
ineffective at Constrained
treating disease

L3-Transformation—Unrolling & Stretching

This transformation considers the manipulation of one particular field, stress
fields. The element is made to change shape radically by the application of • Nesting Extenders
external forces. Note the box to the right allows for a variety of constructions • Fabrics
which respond readily to external forces, changing their area, volume or • Extension Springs
shape. This is probably an offshoot of transformable states which is very • Constant Force Springs
commonly used. • Shape Changing Molecules
• Nets
Method • Origami
• Scissoring Expanders
The (element) is formed from (expanding
structure—see table). The (element) is (state A)
during (condition A), thus making it (setting A). The A
First
(element) is (state B) during (condition B), thus making it
(setting B).

Example—Parachute Then B
The air brake must be LOW DRAG during freefall. It must
be HIGH DRAG during breaking.
The (air brake) is formed from (fabric). The (air brake)
is (compacted) during (freefall), thus making it (low
drag). The (airbrake) is (expanded) during (braking),
thus making it (high drag).

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Example—Tape Measure
In order to be easily transported and maneuvered, the
measure is COMPACT. In order to measure, the
measure is LONG.
The (measure) is formed from (a rolled constant force
spring). The (measure) is (rolled up) during (transport),
thus making it (compact). The (measure) is (unrolled
and straight) during (measurement), thus making it (long).

Example—Spring
The spring must have a HIGH SPRING RATE during movement to keep the masses from
banging and damaging each other. The spring must have a LOW SPRING RATE during
operation in order to operate correctly.
The (spring) is formed from (a spring structure). The (spring)
is (collapsed to solid height) during (movement), thus making it
(high spring rate). The (spring) is (operating length) during
(machine operation), thus making it (low spring rate).

Example Hammock

The sleeping support must be COMPACT for easy

transport and LARGE AREA to support someone
during rest.
The (sleeping support) is formed from (netting). The
(sleeping support) is (rolled up) during (transport), thus
making it (COMPACT). The (sleeping support) is (extended) during (resting conditions),
thus making it (large area).

Example—Folding of Molecules
The molecules must be FOLDED during movement of the blood to the reaction site in
order to not react with anything along the way. It must be UNFOLDED at the reaction
site in order to perform the correct reaction.
The (molecule) is formed from (a long molecular
chain). The element is (folded) during (movement to
the reaction site), thus making it (low reacting). The
(molecule) is (extended) during (location at the
reaction site), thus making it (reactive).

Exercise—Special Delivery II
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In order
to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop plane must
?
fly high. If the package is dense and compact, it falls with
pinpoint accuracy.

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A chute opens near the end to keep the

Package Package
contents from being damaged.
Configuration is Configuration is
Unfortunately, enemy troops on the Dispersed Compact
ground then confiscate the package and
hoard the supplies to themselves.
Dropping many packages gets more
packages into the hands that need them,
Plane Ground
but high winds may disperse the drop if
Vulnerability dispersal is
they are dropped separately. The Package is high poor
Configuration must be COMPACT AND
DISPERSED. Using the principle that
you have just learned, resolve this contradiction.

Exercise—Take Smaller Bites II

A rule of thumb for cutting a piece of metal in a band saw is to
have at least three teeth on the piece of metal. This is because the
point loading becomes too high. This causes bad things to
happen such as breaking teeth, blades or rough cutting. On the
other hand, if the teeth are too fine, the point loading on each
tooth is too small. In a large production shop where many pieces
of metal are cut, it is necessary to cut
both thick and thin pieces. Tooth Spacing Tooth Spacing
is Coarse is Fine
How can we speed up production?
The Tooth Spacing Needs to be FINE
& COARSE. Using the principle that
you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.
Point Loading Cutting Speed
is High is Slow

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L3-Carrier—Intermediary
An intermediary 34 is a carrier that is temporarily used and
may be disposed 35 36 of when the need is past. For the time Attaching
that it is used, the combination of objects has the property of • Touch
the carrier or intermediary. The intermediary or carrier lends • Adhere
its attribute to the element that it is attached to. The carrier • Clamped
can be attached and later removed or it can be attached later. • Hinged
• Dual Phase States (like ice and water)
One or more objects with one property are closely associated • Attached Composite Structures
with a “carrier” substance having the conflicting desirable
property. The whole takes on the desired property of the Nesting
carrier. Using carriers is one of the most powerful methods of • Nest
changing the properties of objects. • Nestle
• Paint
If the property of the element is desirable, then they are • Inert Environments
arranged in the carrier in such a way that they are expressed
at the smaller “micro” scale. Thus, both properties may be Mixing
expressed or an undesirable property of the element may be • Partially Mixed
hidden. • Mixture
• Interweave
Using a carrier requires the addition of new substances which • Fabrics and Matrix
is not desirable, so try to find the least expensive carrier • Multi Fiber Fabrics
possible. • Multi Property Laminates
• Mixtures of Different Molecules
Simply attaching a carrier to the object may be sufficient to • Gels (Liquids + Solids)
allow the carrier to “loan” its properties. This can be done in • Pastes (Liquids + Solids)
• Foams (solid or liquid)
a variety of ways shown in the orange box, such as simply
• Capillary Structures (Solid + Liquid)
touching, being clamped together, adhering together, etc. • Components of Solids or Liquid
Objects with one property can be nested 37 inside another • Porous Materials
• Foams
object having the conflicting desirable property. The whole
takes on the desired property of the carrier. The carrier can be
solid, liquid or gas. Consider some of the more unusual carriers in the orange box.

34 Inventive Principle #24—Mediator: Use an intermediary object to transfer or carry out an action. Temporarily connect the original object to one that is easily removed.
Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

35 Inventive Principle #27—Dispose: Replace an expensive object with a cheap one, compromising other properties (i.e., longevity). Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation
Algorithm page 288.

36 Inventive Principle #34—Rejecting and Regenerating Parts: After completing its function, or becoming useless, an element of an object is rejected (discarded, dissolved,
evaporated, etc.) or modified during its work process. Used-up parts of an object should be restored during its work. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 289.

37 Inventive Principle #7—Nesting (Matrioshka): One object is placed inside another. That object is placed inside a third one. And so on. An object passes through a cavity in
another object. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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A segmented 38 carrier having a desirable property may be mixed with segmented or multiplied elements having the
opposing undesirable property. The whole takes on the properties of the carrier. The orange box shows some of the
more unusual carrier mixtures possible. Refer to these as you consider resolving your contradiction. The term
“segmented carrier” has reference to liquid molecules, fibers and even larger elements such as laminate sheets.
Consider finer and finer scales down to sub-atomic particles.

Method B
B B B
During (condition A) (an inexpensive carrier 39
B
A
object or substance) which is (setting A) is A
(attached to, surrounding or mixed with) B
(segmented or individual) (elements) which are
(setting B) thus loaning its property and making
the combination (setting A). No carrier is used B A B+ A
during (condition B) making the (element) (setting
B).
B B A B
B
B
B
B B A A A
Example—Pile Driving B
B A B B
A
A pile needs to be SHARP during driving and
BLUNT during supporting.
During (supporting) (concrete) which is (blunt) is
(attached to) (individual) (piles) which are (sharp) thus
loaning its property and making the combination
(blunt). No carrier is used during (driving) making the
(pile) (sharp).
Concrete is pumped into the pile and extrudes out
holes, making the pile BLUNT.

Example—Paint Roller
A roller needs to be SHORT while painting lower than can be easily
reached and LONG while painting higher walls.
During (painting high walls) (a pole) which is (long) is (attached to)
(individual) (rollers) which are (short) thus loaning its property and
making the combination (long). No carrier is used during (painting
at eye level) making the (roller) (short).

38 Inventive Principle #1—Segmentation: Divide an object into independent parts. Make an object sectional (for easy assembly or disassembly). Increase the degree of an
object's segmentation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

39 Inventive Principle #27—Dispose: Replace an expensive object with a cheap one, compromising other properties (i.e., longevity). Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation
Algorithm page 288.

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Example—Porcelain Mold Liquid

The slurry must be SUPPORTED in order to be formed into Slurry
many shapes. The slurry must be UNSUPPORTED in order
to be fired.
During (forming and drying) (A mold) which is (supported)
is (attached to) (segmented) (slurry) which are (unsupported) thus loaning its property
and making the combination (supported). No carrier is used during (firing) making the
(slurry) (unsupported).

Example—Constitution
The Constitution needs to be passed RAPIDLY in order to keep a bickering union of
states together. This constitution needs to be passed SLOWLY AND DELIBERATELY
in order to provide a firm foundation for the future of the union.
During (subsequent deliberations) (a Bill of Rights)
which is (slow and deliberate passing speed) is Constitution Bill of Rights
(attached to) (the individual) (constitution) which is
(rapidly passing) thus loaning its property and
Constitution
making the combination (slow and deliberate
passing speed). No carrier is used during (writing
the constitution) making the (constitution) (rapidly
passing).

Example—Increasing Group Knowledge

A group of people must be KNOWLEDGEABLE
on a certain subject in order to answer questions + +
from a highly influential group of customers. The
group must be UNKNOWLEDGEABLE on the
subject at all other times because it requires
special education thus making the group too
expensive.
While (questioning by influential customers) (a knowledgeable person) which is (high
knowledge) is (attached to) (the individual) (group) which is (unknowledgeable) thus
loaning its property and making the combination (knowledgeable). No carrier is used
while (customers are not present) making the (group) (unknowledgeable).

Example—Soluble Compounds
A chemical compound must be INSOLUBLE in water during
transport. In the event that an accident occurs, the compound will
not be dissolved in water and can be more easily collected. During
the actual application, the molecule must be SOLUBLE in water.
During (transportation) (an insoluble compound) which is
(insoluble in water) is (attached to) (individual) (compounds) which are (soluble in
water) thus loaning its property and making the combination (insoluble in water). No
carrier is used during (use of the compound) making the (compound) (soluble in water).

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Example—Pile Driving
The pile must be SHARP during driving and BLUNT during supporting.
During (supporting) (a concrete bulb) which is
(blunt) is (attached to) (individual) (piles) which are
(blunt) thus loaning its property and making the
combination (blunt). No carrier is used during
(driving) making the (pile) (blunt). Concrete
First, the pile is SHARP for driving. Later the tip of
the pile is exploded and concrete is pumped into the
resulting cavity. The concrete carries the property of bluntness and makes the whole pile
BLUNT.

Example—Engraving Thin Metallic Plates

The plane material must be FLEXIBLE in order to form it into the shape of a plate. The
plate material must be INFLEXIBLE in order to
scribe intricate engravings. Silver
During (engraving) (tar) which is (stiff) is
(attached to) (individual) (plates) which are
(flexible) thus loaning its property and making
the combination (stiff). No carrier is used Tar
during (forming the plate) making the (plate) (flexible).

Example—Burst Disks
During low pressure operation, the orifice needs to CONSTRAIN the gas. When the
pressure becomes excessive, the orifice needs to be UNCONSTRAINED.
During (low pressure operation) (a weakened barrier) which is Burst Disk
(constraining) is (attached to) (individual) (orifices) which are
(un-constraining) thus loaning its property and making the
combination (constraining). No carrier is used during (high
pressure operation) making the (orifice) (un-constraining).
The container is weakened in such a way that if the pressure
becomes too high, it bursts and allows gas to freely flow.

Example—Paper Mache
The paper mache must be SUPPORTED in order to be formed. The paper mache must
be UNSUPPORTED in order to be filled with candy.
During (forming the mache) (a balloon) which is
(supporting) is (attached to) (segmented) (mache) which
are (un-supporting) thus loaning its property and making
the combination (supporting). No carrier is used during (filling) making the (mache)
(unsupported).

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Example—Disposable Caps
During use, the bottle must be CONSTRAINING to hold the liquid inside. During
storage, the bottle must be UN-CONSTRAINING for easy pouring.
During (storage) (an inexpensive plastic cap) which is
(constraining) is (attached to) (individual) (bottles) which are
(un-constraining) thus loaning its property and making the
combination (constraining). No carrier is used during (pouring)
making the (bottle) (un-constraining).

Example—Pile Driving
A SHARP pile is required during driving. A BLUNT pile is
required during supporting.
During (supporting) (a blunt pile) which is (blunt) is
(attached to) (individual) (piles) which are (sharp) thus
loaning its property and making the combination (blunt). No
carrier is used during (driving) making the (pile) (sharp).

Example—Gel Products
A compound must be LIQUID in order to be easily mixed and processed with other
compounds. It must be SOLID in order to hold its shape
while being applied by hand.
During (application by hand) (solid particles) which are
(solid and formable) are (mixed with) (segmented)
(compounds) which are (liquid) thus loaning its property
and making the combination (solid and formable). No
carrier is used during (mixing) making the (compound) (liquid).

Example—Group Cohesion
In order to educate the group on many topics, it is necessary that the group come with
many opinions that they freely share with each other. This makes the group NOT
COHESIVE. The group has an important mission that they need to be united on. This
makes it necessary that the group be COHESIVE.
During (forming of the group) (people of different + + + + +
opinions) which are (non cohesive) are (mixed with)
+
(individual) (groups) which are (cohesive) thus
loaning its property and making the combination (not
cohesive). No carrier is used during (the mission) Cohesive
making the (group) (cohesive).

Example—Fishing Weight
In order to cast the baited hook a long distance, the baited hook needs to be HEAVY. In
order for the baited hook to lie on the surface of the water, the baited hook needs to be
LIGHT.

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During (casting) (a cheap weight connected with

an inexpensive dissolving tablet) which is
(heavy) is (attached to) (individual) (bait hook) In Water
which is (light) thus loaning its property and
making the combination (heavy). No carrier is
used during (the hook lying in the water)
making the (hook) (light).
Drops
The weight is attached with a dissolving tablet.
When it is thrown into the water, the tablet
Dissolving
dissolves.
Tablet
Example—Sandwiches
At large gatherings, the sandwiches must be UNIFORM for easy handling and
dissemination. However, the individual tastes of those who come are not uniform. It is
necessary that the sandwiches are NOT UNIFORM.
During (consumption of the sandwiches) (bread) which
is (uniform) is (surrounding) (individual) (condiments)
which are (not uniform) thus loaning its property and
making the combination (uniform). No carrier is used
during (formation of the sandwich) making the
(condiments) (non-uniform).

Example—Composites
PLASTIC laminates are required during forming to create a stiff and light structure. Thin
METAL laminates are required to absorb electromagnetic radiation during the use of the
product.
During (operation) (metallic laminates) which are
(metal) are (mixed with) (segmented) (plastic
laminates) which are (plastic) thus loaning its property
and making the combination (metallic). No carrier is
used during (forming of the plastic) making the
(plastic laminates) (plastic).

Example—Confusing the Opposition

In order to confuse the group, it is necessary to convey a message which is normally
CONFLICTING with the group purposes. In order to unite the group, the messages
should NOT CONFLICT with the group purposes.
During (confusing the opposition) (a lot of conflicting messages) which are (conflicting
with the group purposes) are (mixed with)
(segmented) (overall message) which are (not
conflicting with the group purposes) thus loaning + + + + + +
+ + + +
its property and making the combination
(conflicting with the group purposes). No carrier
is used during (the time to rally the group) making the (overall message) (not conflicting
with group purposes).

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Exercise—Metallic Film
In the production of metallic laminates, Thick
metallic films are produced by successively
rolling the metal between rollers until it
reaches the desired thickness. The Laminate Laminate
resulting film is rolled up into large rolls Thickness is Thickness is
which are easily manipulated. When Thick Thin
making ultra thin films for laminates,
new problems arise. Because the film is Laminate thickness
so thin, both the production and only useful in one
manipulation becomes difficult. The thickness
tolerance between rollers becomes Handling damage
is high
unreasonable and handling damage
becomes very high. The laminate must
be THICK & ULTRA-THIN. Using the
principle that you have just learned, resolve this contradiction.

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
?
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high. If the package is dense
and compact, it falls with pinpoint Package Package
accuracy. A chute opens near the end to contents are contents are
keep the contents from being damaged. Useless Useful
Unfortunately, enemy troops on the ground
then confiscate the package and hoard the
supplies to themselves. They quickly
discover that the contents are useful and
look for them. The Package Contents must Value For Enemy Troop
be USEFUL AND USELESS Using the Needy is Confiscation is
principle that you have just learned, resolve Low High
this contradiction.

Exercise—Two Tining Rake

A common garden rake is somewhat inefficient when
raking small debris. While riding over uneven
surfaces, unwanted debris settles into the uneven
surface and the tines ride over the top without
collecting the debris. If the tines were more flexible,
they could ride over the uneven surfaces like a leaf
rake and collect the materials.

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On the other hand, if the tines are

flexible, then the rake is not useful for Tine Tine
extracting embedded debris or for Stiffness is Stiffness is
moving earth about. The Tine Flexible Stiff
Flexibility should be FLEXIBLE &
STIFF. Using the principle that you
have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.
Debris Debris
Extraction is “leakage” is
Difficult High

Exercise—The
Farmer’s Mush
“I can’t stand cold cereal anymore!” The farmer says. “Yes, but
it takes a long time to make hot cereal the way that you like it!
I’m not getting up any earlier to make it!” The
farmer's wife complains. Cereal is not Cereal is
prepared to prepared to
The cereal MUST BE PREPARED in order to eat eat
nourish the farmer. It must NOT BE PREPARED
in order to not fatigue the farmer’s wife. Resolve
this contradiction using the method you have just
learned. No Cereal Time of
for the awakening
Farmer is early

Exercise—Too Flexible
Various diameters of a thin rubber boot (which covers part
of a car shift mechanism) must be measured with great
accuracy at several points. Unfortunately, the micrometer

which is used deforms the boot during

the measurement. This makes the Boot Flexibility Boot
measurement inaccurate. How can the is Very Flexibility is
boot be measured more accurately? Stiff Very Flexible
The Boot Flexibility Needs to be
FLEXIBLE & STIFF. Resolve the
Contradiction using the principle that
you have just learned. Boot Life is Diameter
Low Measurement
is Inaccurate

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Exercise—Storing Almost Protons

Hydrogen is very difficult to store as a gas. This is primarily
because of the high gas constant. A small mass of gas can exert very
high pressures when constrained to a small volume. In order to
reduce the stresses in the vessel walls, the walls are made very thick.
The resulting vessel weight is high (95%) Pressure Forces Pressure Forces
compared to the weight of the hydrogen are Low are High
(5%). If only the pressure forces were not
so high, the vessel walls could be made
much thinner. The Pressure Forces should
be LOW & HIGH. Using the principle that Assume that
you have just learned, resolve this Pressure only Material
contradiction. comes high Stresses are
High

Lipids

Exercise—Blood Brain Barrier

Some medicines need to be delivered to the brain, but Drug Barrier
cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. Molecules that
pass easily are lipids and sugars. How can
these medicines be delivered across the Drug is a sugar Drug is not a
blood-brain barrier? The composition should or Lipid sugar or lipid
be LIPID & NON-LIPID. Using the principle
that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.
Drug is Passage is
ineffective at Constrained
treating disease

Exercise—A Slight Polishing

Your company polishes the edges of glass plates. Thousands
of plates are polished each day. The edges of the glass plates
are polished on a fast moving belt covered with abrasive
materials. One day an order comes in for polishing glass
plates which are only .010 inches thick. The
Plate Plate
first attempts to polish the edges are
Thickness is Thickness is
catastrophic. The edges are chipped so badly
Thick Thin
that the plates are unusable. Due to the high
volume of plates which are normally
processed, it is not practical to change the Plate only
machinery. The problem would go away if comes in one Edge Breaking
the plates were THICK, but they only come thickness is High
THIN. Using the principle that you have just
learned, resolve this contradiction.
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L3-Merging—Interacting
The term “merging” will be used more broadly to indicate Interact through a field at a distance
“interacting” with individual or segmented40 objects. The Interact through a “mediator” substance
Linked by Transmission
individual objects or segments have one desired property and the Touch
interacting objects have the opposing property. Such Interweave
interactions can be achieved with the fields shown in the Table Nest
of Fields. Nestle
Interlink
A mediating substance or “mediator” can also allow the Clamped
individual elements to interact with each other. The mediating Hinged
Interfused
substance or field typically operates at the macro scale while the Fractal Constructions
individual elements operate at the micro scale. Merging allows
for action at a distance as well as the potential of touching,
nesting41, interweaving, attaching and mixing. We also allow for fields which repulse rather than attract.
In order to drive to ideality, we would like to use existing fields if possible. An example of this would be to make
the elements interlink. Mechanical fields already exist; why not allow them to perform the act of merging?
As in all of the merging methods, it may be necessary to break the element down into multiple pieces that can then
interact. When an element is segmented into multiple elements, this creates new resources and properties such as
adjustability.

Elastic Stress Gravity Friction Adhesion

Buoyant Force Hydrostatic Pressure Jet Pressure Surface Tension

Centrifugal Force Inertial Force Coriolis Force

Oder & Taste Diffusion Osmosis Chemical Fields

Sound Vibrations & Oscillations Ultrasound Waves

Thermal Heating or Cooling Thermal Shocks Information

Corona Discharge Current Eddie Currents Particle Beams Nuclear Forces

Electrostatic Fields Magnetic Fields Electromagnetic Fields

Radio Waves Micro Waves Infrared Visible Ultraviolet X-Ray Cosmic

40 Inventive Principle #1—Segmentation: Divide an object into independent parts. Make an object sectional (for easy assembly or disassembly). Increase the degree of an
object's segmentation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

41 Inventive Principle #7—Nesting (Matrioshka): One object is placed inside another. That object is placed inside a third one. And so on. An object passes through a cavity in
another object. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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Method
Segmentation is (allowed and accomplished by what method
or not allowed). During (condition A) several (segmented or
individual) (elements) have the property of being (setting A)
while unified or interacting through (a field, mediator,
method or unified arrangement). During (condition B) the
unifying interaction is absent making them (setting B).

Example—Window Shade
The shade is a LARGE & SQUARE while blocking light through the window. The shade
is SMALL & ROUND while allowing light through the window.
Segmentation is (allowed and accomplished
manufacturing methods). During (light
transmission) several (segmented) (magnetic
shade elements) have the property of being
(small and round) while unified or interacting
through (a magnetic field). During (blocking
light transmission) the unifying interaction is absent making them (large and square).

Example—Picture
A picture must be COMPACT while stored in a box. The picture must be EXPANSIVE
while being viewed as a picture.
Segmentation is (allowed and accomplished by
manufacturing methods). During (construction) several
(segmented) (picture pieces) have the property of being
(expanded) while unified or interacting through (an
interlinking stress field). During (storage) the unifying
interaction is absent making them (compact).

Example—Bungee Cords
Binding cords need to be LONG while securing large loads and SHORT while securing
small loads.
Segmentation is (not allowed). During (securing
large loads) several (individual) (cords) have the
property of being (long) while unified or
interacting through (mechanical interlocking).
During (securing small loads) the unifying
interaction is absent making them (short).

Example—Creating Group Interaction

The group must be ISOLATED while
contemplating individual solutions to a problem
in order to not be influenced by others or
groupthink. The group must be
COMMUNICATIVE in order to arrive at a
consensus to go forward.

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Segmentation is (not allowed). During (coming to a consensus) several (individual)

(group members) have the property of being (communicative) while unified or interacting
through (a field of communication). During (contemplation of solutions) the unifying
interaction is absent making them (isolated).

Example—Merging Polymer Chains

During conditions requiring low damping, the fluid in the rotational damper has LOW
VISCOSITY. During conditions requiring high
damping the fluid has a HIGH VISCOSITY.
Segmentation is (not allowed). During (high
damping) several (individual) (polymer chains)
have the property of being (high viscosity) while
unified or interacting through (an electrostatic
field). During (low damping) the unifying
interaction is absent making them (low viscosity).

Example—Pile Driving
The pile must be SHARP while driving and BLUNT while supporting.
Segmentation is (not allowed). During (supporting) several (individual)
(piles) have the property of being (blunt) while unified or interacting
through (a mechanical nesting field). During (driving) the interaction is
absent making them (sharp).

Example—Pile Driving
We need the pile to be SHARP while driving and we need it to be BLUNT while
supporting.
Segmentation is (allowed and accomplished by an
explosive charge). During (driving) several
(individual) (piles) have the property of being
(sharp) while unified or interacting through (a
mechanical field). During (supporting) the
unifying interaction is absent making them (blunt).

Example—Mincing Garlic
Fresh garlic has a very strong odor. Storing garlic in its own natural wrapper provides a
very WEAK smell. This is perfect for storing the garlic in a living area. During cooking,
it needs a STRONG smell to impart taste.
Weak Smell Strong Smell
Segmentation is (allowed and accomplished by
cutting or crushing). During (storage) several
(individual) (garlic segments) have the property of
being (weak) while unified or interacting through
(mechanical field). During (cooking) the unifying
interaction is absent making them (strong).

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Example—an Easily Swallowed Pill

Many medications must be EASILY DISSOLVED in the stomach. Unfortunately, many
medications that easily dissolve in the stomach also easily dissolve in the mouth, which
creates a strong and undesirable taste. The pill should be DIFFICULT TO DISSOLVE in
the mouth.
Segmentation is (allowed and accomplished by a tasty Difficult to Easily
binder that is dissolved by saliva). During (swallowing) Dissolve Dissolved
several (individual) (pills) have the property of being
(difficult to dissolve) while unified or interacting through
(unifying mechanical field). During (digestion) the unifying
interaction is absent making them (easily dissolved).

Example—Small Scripts
While practicing for a play, the actors are given play scripts to learn the parts, but there is
a problem. The speaking parts and the choreography need to be learned very rapidly.
The FULL script is required for the actors to understand where they perform relative to
everyone else, but it is not practical to carry the full script with them when they are
dancing about the stage. The scripts must be PARTIAL while they are dancing.
Segmentation is (allowed and accomplished by cutting them out). During (learning)
several (individual) (scripts) have the property of
being (full) while unified or interacting through (a Large and Small
unified arrangement). During (dancing) the unifying Complete
interaction is absent making them (partial).

Example—Massive Table
We need a MASSIVE table to give a feel of stability.
The table must be LIGHT in order to be moved from time to time.
Segmentation is (allowed and accomplished by Massive Light
designing the table as separate pieces). During
(use) several (segmented) (table pieces) have the
property of being (massive) while unified or
interacting through (an interlocking table or
fastening elements). During (transportation) the
unifying interaction is absent making them (light).

Example—Die Processing
A ROUND wafer is round because the ingot from which it is produced is round. The
individual die are SQUARE .
Segmentation is (allowed and accomplished by cleaving). During (die
processing) several (segmented) (wafers) have the property of being
(round) while unified or interacting through (a unifying mechanical
field). During (packaging) the unifying interaction is absent making
them (square).
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Example—Cleaving DNA
In order for DNA to be extracted, it must be COMPLETE molecules. In order to
multiply the various parts of the DNA, it must be PARTIAL segments.
Segmentation is (allowed and done by chemically snipping the
DNA). During (extraction) several (segmented) (DNA) have the
property of being (complete) while unified or interacting through
(unifying chemical bonds). During (multiplication) the unifying
interaction is absent making them (partial).

Example—Acid
At first, the acid is in CRYSTALLINE form for safe transportation and storage. Later it
is in LIQUID for use in chemical reactions.
Segmentation is (allowed and accomplished dissolving).
During (storage and transport) several (segmented) (acid
molecules) have the property of being (crystalline) while
unified or interacting through (chemical bonds). During
(reacting) the unifying interaction is absent making them
(liquid).

Example—Separation of Signals
We need ONE SIGNAL because we have only one transmitter, but we need SEVERAL
SIGNALS because we need to convey different types of information.
Segmentation is (allowed and accomplished by signal filters). During (transmission)
several (segmented) (signals) have the property of being (one signal) while unified or
interacting through (a unifying arrangement). During (viewing or listening) the unifying
interaction is absent making them (several signals).

Example—Law Enforcement Rules

A group of law enforcement officers are more efficiently guided by CENTRAL
CONTROL when they are in close proximity. When they are performing their duty, it
becomes more effective for the officers to be AUTONOMOUS rather than waiting on a
central control to tell them what to do in ever-changing and dangerous circumstances.
Segmentation is (not allowed). During (close proximity)
several (individual) (officers) have the property of being
(centrally controlled) while unified or interacting
through (a communication field). During (performing
duty) the unifying interaction is absent making them
(autonomous).
Note that giving the officers rules helps them to be more
autonomous.

Example—Packing Words for Transport

While conveying the data, the data should be in COMPACT form. During calculations,
the digital data should be EASILY MANIPULATED.

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Segmentation is (not allowed). During (transport)

1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
several (individual) (bits) have the property of
being (compact) while unified or interacting
through (a unified arrangement). During 1011000100
(calculation) the unifying interaction is absent
making them (easily manipulated).

Chemistry Example—Non-Corrosive By-Products

After a CORROSIVE chemical is used in a reaction, there are usually small amounts of
the corrosive components that remain in the byproducts. The byproducts are used in other
reactions making it necessary to store them for long periods of time. Unfortunately, they
have a tendency to leak or corrode nearby articles. The by-products need to be NON-
CORROSIVE.
Segmentation is (not allowed). During Corrosive Non Corrosive
(storage) several (individual) (compounds)
have the property of being (non corrosive)
while unified or interacting through
(chemical bonds). During (further reactions)
the unifying interaction is absent making
them (corrosive).

Example—Avoiding Group Think

In order to gain opinions that are more DIVERSE, the opinions should be gathered while
the group is separated. In order to come to a final consensus, the group ideas need to be
UNIFORM.
Several (people) can be used. During (the
generation of a consensus opinion) the grouped
(individuals) are (uniform). Separating the (people)
before (idea generation) makes them (diverse).
Segmentation is (not allowed). During (generation
of a consensus opinion) several (individual) (people)
have the property of being (uniform) while unified or
interacting through (a communication field). During (idea generation) the unifying
interaction is absent making them (diverse).

Exercise—Two Tining Rake

A common garden rake is somewhat inefficient when
raking small debris. While riding over uneven
surfaces, unwanted debris settles into the uneven
surface and the tines ride over the top without
collecting the debris. If the tines were more flexible,
they could ride over the uneven surfaces like a leaf
rake and collect the materials.

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On the other hand, if the tines are Tine Tine

Stiffness is Stiffness is
flexible, then the rake is not useful for Flexible Stiff
extracting embedded debris or for
moving earth about. The Tine Flexibility
should be FLEXIBLE & STIFF. Using
the principle that you have just learned,
resolve this contradiction. Debris Debris
Extraction is “leakage” is
Difficult High

Exercise—Metallic Film
In the production of metallic laminates, Thick
metallic films are produced by successively rolling
the metal between rollers until it reaches
the desired thickness. The resulting film Laminate Laminate
is rolled up into large rolls which are Thickness is Thickness is
easily manipulated. When making ultra Thick Thin
thin films for laminates, new problems
arise. Because the film is so thin, both Laminate thickness
the production and manipulation only useful in one
becomes difficult. The tolerance thickness
Handling damage
between rollers becomes unreasonable is high
and handling damage becomes very high.
The laminate must be THICK &
ULTRA-THIN. Using the principle that
you have just learned, resolve this contradiction.

Exercise—Take Smaller Bites

A rule of thumb for cutting a piece of metal in a band saw is
to have at least three teeth on the piece of metal. This is
because the point loading becomes too high. This causes
bad things to happen such as breaking teeth, blades or rough
cutting. On the other hand, if the teeth are too fine, the
point loading on each tooth is too small. In a large
production shop where many pieces of
metal are cut, it is necessary to cut Tooth Spacing Tooth Spacing
both thick and thin pieces. How can is Coarse is Fine
we speed up production? The Tooth
Spacing Needs to be FINE &
COARSE. Using the principle that
you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.
Point Loading Cutting Speed
is High is Slow

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Exercise—Fish to the Rescue

Like most large predators, a shark will follow its
prey in close pursuit until the smaller prey exhausts
its energy. Although the prey may be more nimble,
it cannot outrun its larger foe forever. If the smaller
fish could dodge and dart forever, it could easily
outmaneuver the larger shark. The Fish should have
INFINITE ENDURANCE in order to outrun Endurance Endurance
the shark and NORMAL ENDURANCE is is
because that is how small fish are. Resolve the Infinite Low
contradiction by using the method you have
just learned. No Fish
Comes
this way
Vulnerability
is
High
Exercise—A Slight Polishing
Your company polishes the edges of glass
plates. Thousands of plates are polished
each day. The edges of the glass plates are
polished on a fast moving belt covered with
abrasive materials. One day an order comes
in for polishing glass plates which are only
.010 inches thick. The first attempts to
polish the edges are catastrophic. The edges
are chipped so badly that the plates are
unusable. Due to the high volume of plates
which are normally processed, it is not Plate Plate
practical to change the machinery. The Thickness is Thickness is
problem would go away if the plates were Thick Thin
THICK, but they only come THIN. Using
the principle that you have just learned,
Plate only
resolve this contradiction.
comes in one Edge Breaking
thickness is High

Exercise—Two Tining Rake

A common garden rake is somewhat inefficient when raking small debris. While riding
over uneven surfaces, unwanted debris settles into
the uneven surface and the tines ride over the top
without collecting the debris. If the tines were
more flexible, they could ride over the uneven
surfaces like a leaf rake and collect the materials.

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Tine Tine
On the other hand, if the tines are flexible, Stiffness is Stiffness is
then the rake is not useful for extracting Flexible Stiff
embedded debris or for moving earth about.
The Tine Flexibility should be FLEXIBLE
& STIFF. Using the principle that you have
just learned, resolve this contradiction.
Debris Debris
Extraction is “leakage” is
Difficult High

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means
of gaining support from the local people is to give them
much needed supplies such as medicine, food and
?
clothing. In order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms
fire, the drop plane must fly high. If the package is
dense and compact, it falls with pinpoint
Package Package
accuracy. A chute opens near the end to
contents are contents are
keep the contents from being damaged. Useless Useful
Unfortunately, enemy troops on the ground
then confiscate the package and hoard the
supplies to themselves. They quickly
discover that the contents are useful and look
for them. The Package Contents must be
Value For Enemy Troop
USEFUL AND USELESS. Using the Confiscation is
Needy is
principle that you have just learned, resolve Low High
this contradiction.

Exercise—Storing Almost Protons

Hydrogen is very difficult to store as a gas. This is primarily
because of the high gas constant. A small mass of gas can exert
very high pressures when constrained to a small volume. In order to
reduce the stresses in the vessel walls, the walls are made very thick.
The resulting vessel weight is high (95%) compared to the weight of
the hydrogen (5%). If only the pressure
forces were not so high, the vessel walls Pressure Forces Pressure Forces
could be made much thinner. The Pressure are Low are High
Forces should be LOW & HIGH. Using the
principle that you have just learned, resolve
this contradiction.
Assume that
Pressure only Material
comes high Stresses are
High

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Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In ?
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high. If the package is dense
and compact, it falls with pinpoint
accuracy. A chute opens near the end to Package Package
keep the contents from being damaged. contents are contents are
Useless Useful
Unfortunately, enemy troops on the ground
then confiscate the package and hoard the
supplies to themselves. They quickly
discover that the contents are useful and
look for them. The Package Contents must
be USEFUL AND USELESS. Using the Value For Enemy Troop
Needy is Confiscation is
principle that you have just learned, resolve High
Low
this contradiction.

Exercise—Special Delivery II
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In order
to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop plane must
?
fly high. If the package is dense and compact, it falls with
pinpoint accuracy. A chute opens near
the end to keep the contents from being
Package Package
damaged. Unfortunately, enemy troops Configuration is Configuration is
on the ground then confiscate the Dispersed Compact
package and hoard the supplies to
themselves.
Dropping many packages gets more
packages into the hands that need them,
Plane Ground
but high winds may disperse the drop if Vulnerability dispersal is
they are dropped separately. The is high poor
Package Configuration must be
COMPACT AND DISPERSED. Using
the principle that you have just learned,
resolve this contradiction.

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L3-Merging—Countering
Here, thought is given as to how objects may be configured, oriented or A A A A
designed to oppose each other 42. Even though they can oppose each
other, while separate, they all have the same setting. When combined,
they take on the opposing property.
B
Method
Elements are configured, oriented or designed to oppose each other by (method).
Separating the (elements) during (condition A) makes them (setting A). During
(condition B) the merged (elements) oppose each other making them (setting B).

Example—Opposing Messages
The messages need to be VERY POTENT in
order to create discussion among the students.
Doc
In order to help the students calm down and Doc Doc
+ Doc
see both sides of the issue, they should have + -
-
NULL POTENCY.
Elements are configured, oriented or designed
to oppose each other by (making them of strongly opposing opinions). Separating the
(messages) during (discussion) makes them (very potent). During (group discussion) the
merged (messages) oppose each other making them (null potency).

Example—Pile Driving
During driving the pile needs to be SHARP in order to drive fast. During supporting, the
pile needs to be BLUNT in order to support well.
Elements are configured, oriented or designed to oppose each
other by (orienting them to oppose each other). Separating the
(piles) during (driving) makes them (sharp). During
(supporting) the merged (piles) oppose each other making
them (blunt).

Exercise—the Beat Goes On

Heart surgery is sometimes required for battlefield wounds
to the heart. Small pieces of shrapnel become lodged in the
heart muscle. Usually, the heart is stopped, temporarily, to
repair it since it is very difficult to operate on a beating
heart.

42 Inventive Principle #8—Counterweight: Compensate for the weight of an object by combining it with another object that provides a lifting force. Compensate for the weight
of an object with aerodynamic or hydrodynamic forces influenced by the outside environment. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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This stoppage of blood flow is very Heart Heart

traumatic for the rest of the body which Motion is Motion is
may be badly damaged. If it were Still Beating
possible to operate on the beating heart,
there would likely be more survivors.
The Heart Movement must be BEATING
& STILL. Using the principle that you
have just learned, resolve this Trauma to Rest of Operational
contradiction. Body is Mistakes are
High Frequent

L3-Merging—Extraction
The principle of extraction 43 also occurs in Separation in Space. During separation in space, one part of the element
in question takes on one property while the rest of the element takes on the opposing properties. This is different
from segmentation/merging tools where the whole takes on one property while separate and the opposite property
when merged. This principle is particularly handy when the system can be broken into functional units. A crucial
part of the original element is made easily removable. During one condition the system is separated in space using
the principle of extraction. The separated part has one property and the rest has the opposing property. When the
elements are remerged, the extracted element resumes the opposing property of the rest of the system.

Method
The (element) has several identifiable pieces.
During (condition A) the (crucial piece) is
separated making it (Setting A). During A A A B
(condition B) the (crucial piece) is reunited
making it (Setting B).

Common Example—Refueling of Aircraft in Flight

The fueling system must be EXTENDED during refueling in order to contact the
refueling aircraft. The fueling system must be RETRACTED during normal flight in
order to have low drag.
The (fueling system) has several
identifiable pieces. During (refueling) the
(intake nozzle) is separated making it
(extended). During (normal flight) the
(intake nozzle) is reunited making it
(retracted). Retracted Extended

43 Inventive Principle #2—Extraction: (Extracting, Retrieving, Removing). Extract the "disturbing" part or property from an object. Extract only the necessary part or property
from an object. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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Common Example—Newspaper Coupons

The newspaper must be AT HOME for convenient reading. The newspaper must be AT
THE STORE for reference while shopping.
The (newspaper) has several
identifiable pieces. During (shopping) Newspaper Newspaper
the (product ads) are separated making
it (at the store). During (reading) the
(newspaper) is reunited making it (at
home).

Common Example—
Prison
A time may be reached in which some individuals prove to society that they are not
capable of such freedoms. A convicted felon is dangerous and is REJECTED by society
while being reformed . Everyone needs the chance to prove themselves capable of living
with others. If a felon is reformed, he needs to be NURTURED by society in order to
integrate.
The (society) has several identifiable pieces.
During (reformation) the (convicted felon) is Criminal
separated making it (rejected). During
(probation) the (felon) is reunited making it
(nurtured).

Example—Digital Signals
In order for all electromagnetic signals to travel through space, they must live part of
their life as “analog” signals. These are continuous waveforms that travel in predictable
ways and maintain their form in space and time. Digital waveforms require square
features which are actually the combination of many continuous waveforms. As they
travel through space, the change of amplitude of these various components are less
predictable. In order to travel in an orderly manner, the waveform shape must be
SMOOTH or continuous. In order for the waveform to be useful, it must be SQUARE or
discontinuous.
The (signal) has several identifiable pieces.
During (use) the (extracted peaks) are
separated making it (square or discontinuous).
During (transmission) the (extracted peaks) are
Continuous
reunited making it (smooth and continuous).
Extracted
Exercise—Super Yacht Peaks

A small ship building company considers a

contract to build a super yacht. The yacht is so big
that only a third will fit into their dock. “We will
need to build this in the open harbor.”

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Assembly Assembly
A frustrated engineer says. Location is In Location is at
“We can’t do that; we need Harbor Dock
the availability of lifts and
tools.” The Building
Location: It should be IN
THE HARBOR & AT THE
DOCK. Using the principle Availability of Boat
that you have just learned, Tools is Poor is too
resolve this contradiction. Large for Dock

L3-Merging—Adjustable Numbers
An element is segmented or multiple elements are used in order to make the system adjustable 44. The multiple parts
can be brought into use in the number which is sufficient to be adequate for the conditions. This is quite similar to
rearranging and unfolding and to merging except that the number of elements to be merged are adjustable and
usually some are reserved for use when they are necessary.

Method
Multiple (elements) are available for adjustable use.
During (condition A) many (elements) are used to
give (Setting A). During (condition B) few elements
are used to give (Setting B).
A B
Example—Adjustable Rocket
Thrust
The rocket only requires LOW THRUST for a small payload. Later it
requires HIGH THRUST for large payloads.
Multiple (thrusters) are available for adjustable use. During (large
payloads) many (thrusters) are used to give (high thrust). During (small
payloads) few elements are used to give (low thrust).

Example—Adjustable Train Length

The train needs HIGH CAPACITY for transporting large
amounts of goods. It requires LOW CAPACITY for lesser
goods.
Multiple (cars) are available for adjustable use. During
(carrying lots of goods) many (cars) are used to give (high
capacity). During (carrying few goods) few elements are used to give (low capacity).

44 Inventive Principle #15—Dynamicity: Characteristics of an object or outside environment, must be altered to provide optimal performance at each stage of an operation. If an
object is immobile, make it mobile. Make it interchangeable. Divide an object into elements capable of changing their position relative to each other. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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Example—Adjustable Beds
LOW SLEEPING CAPACITY is required for few patients. HIGH SLEEPING
CAPACITY are required for multiple patients.
Multiple (beds) are available for adjustable use.
During (multiple patients) many (beds) are used to
give (high sleeping capacity). During (few
patients) few elements are used to give (low
sleeping capacity).

Example—Adjustable Table
Size
A LARGE table is required for many guests and a SMALL table is required for few
guests.
Multiple (table leafs) are available for adjustable use.
During (many guests) many (table leafs) are used to
give (a large table). During (few guests) few
elements are used to give (a small table).

Example—Adjustable Work Force

During high sales HIGH PRODUCTION THROUGHPUT is required. During low sales
LOW PRODUCTION THROUGHPUT is required.
Multiple (workers) are available for adjustable use.
Contract
During (high sales) many (workers) are used to Workers
give (high production throughput). During (low
sales) few elements are used to give (low
production throughput).
This is effectively accomplished through the use of
contract workers.

Example—Adjustable Instructions
The instructions need to be SIMPLE in order to be understood by observers of a contest.
They need to be DETAILED in order to be understood
by the judges of the contest.
Multiple (instructions) are available for adjustable use.
During (judging) many (instructions) are used to give
(detailed). During (observation) few elements are used
to give (understanding).

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L3-Rearranging—Two Objects
Use two separate objects. The objects are the same in most respects except that they have conflicting properties.
First one is used and then the other. This method of separating in time is often overlooked because it seems too
simple. It is more powerful than it looks.

Method
Two distinct (elements) are used. During (condition A)
the (setting A) one is used. During (condition B) the A B
Then
(setting B) one is used.

Example—Gas Torch
A LARGE flame is required for cutting thick plates. A SMALL flame is
required for cutting thin plates.
Two distinct (flames) are used. During (cutting thick plates) the (large)
one is used. During (cutting thin plates) the (small) one is used.

Example—Different Types of Signals

An ANALOG signal is used to transmit long distances. A DIGITAL signal is used to
transmit short distances.
Two distinct (signals) are used. During (long distance
transmission) the (analog) one is used. During (short distance
transmission) the (digital) one is used.

Example—Sand Paper
COARSE sandpaper is required to shape the wood. FINE sandpaper is required to
smooth the surface of the wood.
Two distinct (sandpapers) are used. During (shaping
the wood) the (coarse) one is used. During (smoothing
the wood) the (fine) one is used.

Example—Pile Driving
A SHARP pile is required during driving. A BLUNT pile is required during supporting.
Two distinct (piles) are used. During (driving) the (sharp) one is used. During
(supporting) the (blunt) one is used.
Following driving, the sharp pile which is specifically
designed for driving is extracted and the blunt one is
driven into the resulting hole. Additionally, the sharp
pile can have other features for driving such as strength,
low mass and high stiffness which make the pile
driving more rapid.
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Example—Offsetting Organizations
A THOROUGH group is required to get the analysis
correct. A SUPERFICIAL group is required to determine Org A Org B
what experts should be called in.
Two distinct (groups) are used. During (determining the
experts) the (superficial) one is used. During (analysis)
the (thorough) one is used.

Example—Offsetting Messages
The message needs to be DIRECT to the group to make
sure it is understood and it needs to be INDIRECT to the Direct Indirect
individual to be kind.
Two distinct (messages) are used. During (group
meeting) the (direct) one is used. During (individual meetings) the (indirect) one is used.

Example—Different Compounds
A NON-POLAR solvent must be used to dissolve the grease. A POLAR solvent must be
used to remove the salt residue.
Two distinct (solvents) are used. During (grease removal)
the (non-polar) one is used. During (salt removal) the A+ B-
(polar) one is used.

Exercise—Take Smaller Bites

A rule of thumb for cutting a piece of metal in a band saw is to
have at least three teeth on the piece of metal. This is because the
point loading becomes too high. This causes bad things to
happen such as breaking teeth, blades or rough cutting. On the
other hand, if the teeth are too fine, the point loading on each
tooth is too small. In a large
production shop where many pieces of Tooth Spacing Tooth Spacing
metal are cut, it is necessary to cut is Coarse is Fine
both thick and thin pieces. How can
we speed up production? The Tooth
Spacing Needs to be FINE &
COARSE. Using the principle that
you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction. Point Loading Cutting Speed
is High is Slow

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L3-Rearranging—Reorienting Non-Uniform
A single element has both conflicting properties, thus it is not uniform 45. For one condition, the element is oriented
in such a way that one property becomes useful. For the second condition, it is oriented so that the conflicting
property becomes useful. Some examples of non-uniform properties are levers, standing waves, concentrated
additives, especially active additives.

Method
Part of a single (element) is (Setting A) while another
part is (Setting B). During (condition A) the non-uniform
(element) is oriented so that (Setting A) is emphasized. A B B A
During (condition B) the (element) is reoriented so that
(Setting B) is emphasized. One The
Orientation Other
Common Example—Sports
Uniforms
In order to tell the difference between members of one sports team and another, it is
helpful to have different color jerseys. This is especially important during practice where
teams may be rearranged frequently for different plays. Having two jerseys is expensive
and requires the constant care of both jerseys. In this case, the sports jerseys need to be
RED and they need to be BLUE.
Part of a single (uniform) is (red) while another part is
(blue). During (playing on one team) the non-uniform
(uniform) is oriented so that (red) is emphasized.
During (playing on another team) the (uniform) is
reoriented so that (blue) is emphasized.
Blue Red

Common Example—Reinforcing a
Point
While teaching a subject, it is necessary to gain the audience’s attention with a
memorable opening story or situation. As the lesson progresses, it is necessary to give
information which may not be as interesting as the opening story. In order to retain the
information, the infromation needs to be reviewed at a later date. All that may be
remembered is the memorable story which is now unattached in the mind of the student.
The reinforced lesson must be both STORIES and INFORMATION
Part of a single (lesson) is (stories) while another
part is (information). During (teaching) the non- Information Stories &
uniform (lesson) is oriented so that (information) & Stories Information
is emphasized. During (review) the (lesson) is
reoriented so that (stories) are emphasized.

45 Inventive Principle #3—Local Quality: Transition from homogeneous to heterogeneous structure of an object or outside environment (action). Different parts of an object
should carry out different functions. Each part of an object should be placed under conditions that are most favorable for its operation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation
Algorithm page 287.

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Example—Pile Driving
The pile needs to be SHARP in order to drive rapidly and it needs to
be BLUNT in order to give good vertical support.
Part of a single (pile) is (sharp) while another part is (blunt). During
(driving) the non-uniform (pile) is oriented so that (sharp) is
emphasized. During (supporting) the (pile) is reoriented so that
(blunt) is emphasized.
By driving the pile, the blunt part comes into play at the right time
to ensure that the pile can provide sufficient lateral support.

Exercise—Soft Water
The addition of bubbles to diving pools is a good way
to keep diving injuries to a minimum. This is
especially true when diving from great
heights. Unfortunately, the diver is no Bubbles Bubbles
longer buoyant in the water and finds it Absent in Exist in
difficult to surface after a dive. The Water Water
Bubbles need to be EXISTENT AND
ABSENT. Using the principle that you
have just learned, resolve this
contradiction. Damage to divers Surfacing is
is High Difficult

Exercise—Super Yacht
A small ship building company considers a contract to
build a super yacht. The yacht is so big that only a
third will fit into their dock. “We will need to build
this in the open harbor.” A frustrated engineer says.
“We can’t do that; we need the availability of lifts and
tools.” The Building Location: It should be IN THE
HARBOR & AT THE DOCK. Using the principle
that you have just learned,
resolve this contradiction. Assembly Assembly
Location is In Location is at
Harbor Dock

Availability of Boat
Tools is Poor is too
Large for Dock

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Exercise—Take Smaller Bites

A rule of thumb for cutting a piece of metal in a band saw is to
have at least three teeth on the piece of metal. This is because
the point loading becomes too high.
This causes bad things to happen such Tooth Spacing Tooth Spacing
as breaking teeth, blades or rough is Coarse is Fine
cutting. On the other hand, if the
teeth are too fine, the point loading on
each tooth is too small. In a large
production shop where many pieces of
metal are cut, it is necessary to cut
both thick and thin pieces. How can Point Loading Cutting Speed
we speed up production? The Tooth is High is Slow
Spacing Needs to be FINE &
COARSE. Using the principle that
you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.
L3-Rearranging—Rearranging & Unfolding Parts
An element is segmented 46 or multiple elements are used. The multiple parts have one
arrangement which gives them one property. When the parts are rearranged, they take on the Hinged
conflicting property. If possible, the changing conditions should cause the transformation to Unfolding
occur. Nesting 47 parts often allows for pieces to fit compactly together. Origami
Nesting
Method
(Multiple or segmented elements) are coordinated
together. During (condition A) the pieces are
oriented so that they are collectively (Setting A).
During (condition B) the pieces are oriented so
that they are collectively (Setting B). A B

Example—Pile Driving
The pile must be SHARP while driving and
BLUNT while supporting.
(Segmented Piles) are coordinated together.
During (driving) the pieces are oriented so
that they are collectively (sharp). During
(supporting) the pieces are oriented so that
they are collectively (blunt).
The pile is made of multiple nested tubes

46 Inventive Principle #1—Segmentation: Divide an object into independent parts. Make an object sectional (for easy assembly or disassembly). Increase the degree of an
object's segmentation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

47 Inventive Principle #7—Nesting (Matrioshka): One object is placed inside another. That object is placed inside a third one. And so on. An object passes through a cavity in
another object. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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which are shaped into a SHARP point by a cap which sits on top. Later, the cap is
removed and the outer layers are driven until they are flush with the point, thus becoming
BLUNT.

Example—Pile Driving
The pile must be SHARP while driving and BLUNT while supporting.
(Segmented Piles) are coordinated together. During (driving) the pieces are oriented so
that they are collectively (sharp). During (supporting) the pieces are oriented so that they
are collectively (blunt).
The pile has parts that can be arranged to make it
either sharp or blunt. A mechanism controls the
shape. When the pile is being driven, it is SHARP.
When the pile reaches a certain depth, the mechanism
is released and the pile becomes BLUNT with further
driving.

Example—Folding Chair
A camping chair must be COMPACT in order to be easily
transported. During use, a chair typically occupies a LARGE
VOLUME.
(Segmented chair elements) are coordinated together. During
(transportation) the pieces are oriented so that they are
collectively (compact). During (use) the pieces are oriented so
that they are collectively (large volume like a chair).

Example—Self-Adjusting Nut Driver

In order to be universal, a nut driver must be SHAPE A when a shape A nut is driven.
The driver must be SHAPE B when a shape B nut is used.
(Segmented driver head elements) are coordinated together. During (driving a shape A
nut) the pieces are oriented so that they are collectively (shape A). During (driving a
shape B nut) the pieces are oriented so that they are collectively
(shape B).
The nut driver is composed of many pins packed closely together
but allowed to retract into case, thus conforming to the shape of nut
which is being turned.

Example—Expandable Cup
The cup needs to be CUP-SHAPED during drinking and it needs to be COMPACT
during transportation and storage.
(Segmented cup pieces) are coordinated together. During
(storage and transportation) the pieces are oriented so that they
are collectively (compact). During (drinking) the pieces are
oriented so that they are collectively (cup-shaped).
The cup is formed of many nested segments. The cup can be
formed into a CUP SHAPE or collapsed into a COMPACT shape.

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Example—Collapsible Pointer
A pointer needs to be LONG for ease of pointing. It needs to be SHORT to fit into a
pocket.
(Segmented pointer pieces) are coordinated together. During (storage in pocket) the
pieces are oriented so that they are collectively (short). During (pointing) the pieces are
oriented so that they are collectively (long).
The pointer is formed of many nested segments. It
can be collapsed to be SHORT or extended to
make it LONG.

Example—Escalator
The moving stairs need to be STAIR-SHAPED during lifting. They need to be FLAT
during entry and exit in order for safety.
(Multiple stair steps) are coordinated together. During
(entry or exit) the pieces are oriented so that they are
collectively (flat). During (lifting) the pieces are
oriented so that they are collectively (stair-shaped).

Exercise—Take Smaller Bites

A rule of thumb for cutting a piece of metal in a band saw is to
have at least three teeth on the piece of metal. This is because the
point loading becomes too high. This causes bad things to
happen such as breaking teeth, blades
or rough cutting. On the other hand, Tooth Spacing Tooth Spacing
if the teeth are too fine, the point is Coarse is Fine
loading on each tooth is too small. In
a large production shop where many
pieces of metal are cut, it is necessary
to cut both thick and thin pieces.
How can we speed up production?
The Tooth Spacing Needs to be FINE Point Loading Cutting Speed
& COARSE. Using the principle that is High is Slow
you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.

Exercise—Traffic Light
The lights in a traffic light must eventually FAIL due to the action of the
current on the filament and to vibration. The traffic light must NOT FAIL
in order to not cause traffic delays or make the intersection more
dangerous.

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This is an example of an output Traffic Light Traffic Light

contradiction. Most people would think Operation Fails Operation Doesn’t
of this as the Y in the function. Resolve Fail
this contradiction using the method you
have just learned. All lights will Note that nothing
eventually fail gets worse

Exercise—A Post and an

Outpost
For years your company has Large
produced an aircraft product Variance

which fits over two posts on Tight

your customer’s aircraft. Both Control
the position and the diameter of
the posts were closely
controlled. Unfortunately, a
recent production change by the customer allows a large variance in the distance between
the posts. Now there is no guarantee that the part which you produce will fit over the
customers posts. (The diameter of the
posts is still closely held). The Hole Hole
customer is unwilling to change the Clearance is Clearance is
new production process, but has instead Loose Tight
asked you to modify the part so that it
will fit snuggly in the application,
without rotating. If the hole clearance
is large, they can easily fit over, but
they will not be snug. The Hole Rotational Assembly
Clearance needs to be LOOSE & Slop is Yield is Poor
High
TIGHT Resolve this contradiction
using the method you have just learned.

Exercise—Two Tining
Rake
A common garden rake is somewhat inefficient when
raking small debris. While riding over uneven
surfaces, unwanted debris settles into the uneven
surface and the tines ride over the top without
collecting the debris. If the tines were more flexible, they could ride over the uneven
surfaces like a leaf rake and collect
the materials. On the other hand, if Tine Tine
the tines are flexible, then the rake is Stiffness is Stiffness is
not useful for extracting embedded Flexible Stiff
debris or for moving earth about. The
Tine Flexibility should be FLEXIBLE
& STIFF. Using the principle that
you have just learned, resolve this
Debris Debris
contradiction..
Extraction is “leakage” is
Difficult High

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L3-Rearranging—Reorienting Attachments
Two objects are attached, each having conflicting properties. In one orientation, the whole has the property of one of
the attached elements. In another orientation the whole has the conflicting property. Note that this is first a
Separation in Space. The reorientation then makes this into a Separation in Time.

Method
Two (objects) which are (Setting A) and
(Setting B) are attached to each other. B A
During (condition A) the pieces are oriented A B
so that (Setting A) comes into play. During A
B
(condition B) the pieces are oriented so that
(Setting B) comes into play.

Example—Fixed and Rotating Fixtures

The gimbal needs to be ROTATABLE during operation A. It
needs to be FIXED during operation B.
Two (gimbals) which are (rotatable) and (fixed) are attached
to each other. During (condition A) the pieces are oriented so
that (rotatable) comes into play. During (condition B) the
pieces are oriented so that (fixed) comes into play.

Example—Pencil and Eraser

The writing instrument needs to WRITE while the writing process is proceeding well. It
must ERASE when writing errors occur.
Two (writing instruments) which are
(writing) and (erasing) are attached to each
other. During (writing) the pieces are
oriented so that (writing) comes into play.
During (errors) the pieces are oriented so that (erase) comes into play.

Example—Sales Pitch
A new employee needs to be able to give SALES PITCH A when an impulsive customer
enters the showroom and SALES PITCH B when an analytical customer enters the
showroom.
Two (sales pitches) which are (sales pitch
A) and (sales pitch B) are attached to each A B B A
other. During (impulsive customer) the
pieces are oriented so that (sales pitch A)
comes into play. During (analytical
customers) the pieces are oriented so that (sales pitch B) comes into play.

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Example—Customer Relations
The effect of meeting a customer meeting another company for the first time can be
greatly influenced by whether the customer is introduced to a group with poor customer
appeal or to an individual with GOOD CUSTOMER APPEAL. When the customer is
getting to know the capabilities of the company, those with POOR CUSTOMER
APPEAL can showcase their abilities without ill effect.
Two (groups) which have (good customer Customer Customer
appeal) and (poor customer appeal) are
attached to each other. During (meeting the + +
customer) the pieces are oriented so that
(good customer appeal) comes into play.
During (showcasing talents) the pieces are
oriented so that (poor customer appeal) comes into play.

Example—Pile Driving
The pile must be SHARP while driving and BLUNT while supporting.
Two (piles) which are (sharp) and (blunt) are attached to each other.
During (driving) the pieces are oriented so that (sharp) comes into
play. During (supporting) the pieces are oriented so that (blunt)
comes into play.
This is a true reorientation because the blunt part does not touch the
soil in the beginning. The act of driving brings the blunt surface
into play.

Exercise—Two Tining Rake

A common garden rake is somewhat inefficient when
raking small debris. While riding over uneven surfaces,
unwanted debris settles into the uneven surface and the
tines ride over the top without collecting the debris. If the
tines were more flexible, they could
ride over the uneven surfaces like a Tine Tine
Stiffness is Stiffness is
leaf rake and collect the materials. On
Flexible Stiff
the other hand, if the tines are
flexible, then the rake is not useful for
extracting embedded debris or for
moving earth about. The Tine
Flexibility should be FLEXIBLE & Debris Debris
STIFF. Using the principle that you Extraction is “leakage” is
have just learned, resolve this Difficult High
contradiction.

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L3-Rearranging—Changing Direction
This is accomplished by first separating in direction and then reorienting the directions to change the properties in
time.

Method
Changing directions of (crucial feature) allows the setting to
be changed. During (condition A) the (crucial feature) is A B
oriented so that (Setting A) comes into play. During
(condition B) the (crucial feature) changes direction so that (Setting B) comes into play.

Example—Pile Driving
The pile must be SHARP while driving and BLUNT
while supporting.
Changing directions of (the pile point) allows the
setting to be changed. During (driving) the (pile point)
is oriented so that (sharp) comes into play. During
(supporting) the (pile point) changes direction so that
(blunt) comes into play.

Example—Beaker
The beaker must CONSTRAIN THE FLUID for productive work. The beaker must NOT
CONSTRAIN THE FLUID during rinsing.
Changing directions of (whole beaker) allows the setting to be changed.
During (productive work) the (beaker) is oriented so that (constraining
the fluid) comes into play. During (rinsing) the (beaker) changes
direction so that (not constraining the fluid) comes into play.

Example—Rotating Wing Aircraft

The aircraft needs high UPWARDS LIFT when taking off and landing in order to be able
to operate in limited space. The aircraft requires high LATERAL FORCE when flying in
order to move rapidly.
Changing directions of (the propeller) allows the setting
to be changed. During (takeoff and landing) the
(propeller) is oriented so that (upward lift) comes into
play. During (flying) the (propeller) changes direction so
that (lateral force) comes into play.

Example—Cylindrical Shape
The object needs to be ROUND during insertion in order to enter the hole and seat
properly. The object needs to be SQUARE so as to not fall into the holes prematurely
during assembly preparation.

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Changing directions of (object) allows the setting to be

changed. During (insertion) the (object) is oriented so
that (round) comes into play. During (assembly
preparation) the (object) changes direction so that
(square) comes into play.

Example—Chopsticks
The chopsticks must be SANITARY in order to serve food to people and they must be
UNSANITARY since they have been used in people’s
mouths.
Changing directions of (chopsticks) allows the setting to
be changed. During (serving) the (chopsticks) are
oriented so that (sanitary) comes into play. During
(eating) the (chopsticks) changes direction so that
(unsanitary) comes into play.

Exercise—Special Delivery II
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much ?
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In order
to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop plane must
fly high. If the package is dense and
Package Package
compact, it falls with pinpoint accuracy. Configuration is Configuration is
A chute opens near the end to keep the Dispersed Compact
contents from being damaged.
Unfortunately, enemy troops on the
ground then confiscate the package and
hoard the supplies to themselves.
Plane Ground
Dropping many packages gets more Vulnerability dispersal is
packages into the hands that need them, is high poor
but high winds may disperse the drop if
they are dropped separately. The Package
Configuration must be COMPACT AND DISPERSED. Using the principle that you
have just learned, resolve this contradiction.

Exercise—Take Smaller Bites

A rule of thumb for cutting a piece of metal in a band saw is to
have at least three teeth on the piece of metal. This is because the
point loading becomes too high. This
causes bad things to happen such as Tooth Spacing Tooth Spacing
breaking teeth, blades or rough is Coarse is Fine
cutting. On the other hand, if the
teeth are too fine, the point loading on
each tooth is too small. In a large
production shop where many pieces of
metal are cut, it is necessary to cut
Point Loading Cutting Speed
both thick and thin pieces. How can
is High is Slow
we speed up production?

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The Tooth Spacing Needs to be FINE & COARSE. Using the principle that you have
just learned, resolve this contradiction.

L3-Copy or Facsimile Photographs Silhouettes

Movies Castings
The copy 48 or facsimile has the essential properties of the original Paint Coverings Resists
object while under one condition. Later, the original object is Molds Projections
required for the condition where the conflicting property is Time lapse photos Computer Model
Impressions Dummies
required.

Method
The (essential part) of the (element) can be
copied into a (copy name—consider the above A Then B
list). During (condition A) the (copy name) is
(Setting A). During (condition B) the (original) Copy / Facsimile Original
is (Setting B).

Example—Silk Flowers
During the winter the flowers must be COLD TOLERANT.
During the summer the flowers must be NOT COLD
TOLERANT because flowers are like that, especially certain
varieties.
The (look) of the (flower) can be copied into a (silk flower).
During (winter) the (silk flower) is (cold tolerant). During Real Silk
(summer) the (real flower) is (not cold tolerant).

Example—Training Props
While training emergency response personnel, the people being worked on should be
RESILIENT in order not to injure them with incorrect procedures, but they must be
FRAGILE during an emergency because this is
unavoidable. Mannequins
The (operation of the lungs and heart) of the (people)
can be copied into a (mannequin). During (training) the Real
Victims
(mannequin) is (resilient). During (emergencies) the
(accident victim) is (fragile).

Example—Dummy Runs
The machined parts must be INEXPENSIVE while setting up the machine in order to not
waste money on parts that will not be used. During production the parts must be
EXPENSIVE because they come that way and it is unavoidable.

48 Inventive Principle #26—Copying: A simplified and inexpensive copy should be used in place of a fragile original or an object that is inconvenient to operate. If a visible
optical copy is used, replace it with an infrared or ultraviolet copies. Replace an object (or system of objects) with their optical image. The image can then be reduced or enlarged.
Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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The (part feature) of the (machined parts) can be

copied into a (wood block). During (setup) the
(dummy piece) is (inexpensive). During
(production) the (machined parts) are (expensive).

Example—Tax Preparation
The tax form must be MESSY during preparations because there will be mistakes and
corrections. The tax return must be LEGIBLE when filed in order to avoid mistakes by
those who must process the form.
The (information) of the (tax form) can be copied into a (paper
copy). During (preparation) the (paper copy) is (messy). During
(filing) the (tax form) is (legible). Copy

Example—Vaccine
In order to train the body to fight a disease during treatment, the virus must be
HARMLESS so as not to do harm to the body. When the patient comes into contact with
the real virus it will be HARMFUL because that is how viruses
really are. First Vaccine A+

The (outside shape) of the (virus) can be copied into a

(vaccine). During (treatment) the (vaccine) is (harmless). Then Virus B-
During (contact with the disease) the (virus) is (harmful).

Exercise—Too Flexible
Various diameters of a thin rubber boot (which covers part
of a car shift mechanism) must be measured with great
accuracy at several points.
Unfortunately, the micrometer which is Boot Flexibility Boot
used deforms the boot during the is Very Flexibility is
measurement. This makes the Stiff Very Flexible
measurement inaccurate. How can the
boot be measured more accurately?
The Boot Flexibility Needs to be
FLEXIBLE & STIFF. Resolve the Boot Life is Diameter
Contradiction using the principle that Low Measurement
you have just learned. is Inaccurate

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop ?
plane must fly high.

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If the package is dense and compact, it Package Package

falls with pinpoint accuracy. A chute opens contents are contents are
near the end to keep the contents from Useless Useful
being damaged. Unfortunately, enemy
troops on the ground then confiscate the
package and hoard the supplies to
themselves. They quickly discover that the
contents are useful and look for them. The Value For Enemy Troop
Package Contents must be USEFUL AND Needy is Confiscation is
USELESS Using the principle that you Low High
have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.

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L2-Separate Gradually
Separate Gradually 49 usually begins with one property and ends with the other. The first actions only yield a partial
resolution of the contradiction. This is different than Separation in Time because during Separation in Time, we
strive to change the property from one to the other at once. Here we are content to do this stepwise, even if it takes
only a moment to do this.
Following is the test and the various strategies for Separating Gradually.

L2-Method
Brainstorm ways to separate the contradictory properties gradually.

L3-Test for Separate Gradually

Test:
Will a complete resolution of the contradiction allow starting with (setting A) and ending
with (setting B) or its equivalent? If “yes” then try to Separate Gradually. Otherwise, go
to Separate in Space.

Example—Long Distance Swimming

In order to train for long swims, it is necessary to have MUCH WATER so that the
swimmer does not need to do lots of turns. But this is impractical to do in the pool
because there is LITTLE WATER.
TEST FOR SEPARATE GRADUALLY:
Will a complete resolution of the contradiction allow
starting with (little) (water) and ending with (much)
(water) or its equivalent? This would be allowable so
we will try to separate gradually.

Example—Pile Driver
The pile needs to be SHARP while driving and BLUNT while
supporting.
TEST FOR SEPARATE GRADUALLY:
Will a complete resolution of the contradiction allow starting with
(sharp) (piles) and ending with (blunt) (piles) or their equivalent?
This would be allowable so we will try to separate gradually.

49 Separating Gradually may be construed to have appeared in Creativity as an Exact Science-The Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems by G.S. Altshuller published by
Gordon and Breach. It can be found in the appendix discussing ARIZ 77 Page 292 It is described as “using transitory states in which contradictory properties either coexist or
appear alternately. While this is not a great description and does not appear to anticipate such principles as repeated use, it does allow for transitory appearance of both conflicting
properties.

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Exercise—Eternal Sand
Inscriptions on grave stones are made by sandblasting
the polished stone through a rubber mask. The mask is
attached to the stone by adhesive and later
peeled off. The sand is ejected through a Sand Volume Sand Volume
nozzle at high velocity in a pneumatic stream. Used Used
The sand can be reused for a time, but must is Small is Large
eventually be replenished because it breaks
down and becomes too fine for use. A large
operation must replenish the sand often and
dispose of the used sand. The volume of the Abrasion Cost
sand which is used must be LARGE AND is is
SMALL. Test for Separate Gradually. Low High

Exercise—What’s Up Dock
“We’ll make a fortune” the small investor said. “When
they build the houses around this lake, everyone will want
a place to dock their boats and we got the last parcel on
the lake”. “Yes, but it is too small to store many boats”
his wife complained. “And we are not
Dock Dock
allowed to build the dock out more than 20
is is
yards”. “I know” she continued “We can fill Large Small
every available square foot with dock and
boats!”
“We still will not be able to store enough
boats to make money” the investor said after Cost of Leasing Revenue
making a few calculations. The Dock should More Beach is is
be SMALL & LARGE. Test for Separate High Low
Gradually.

Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars full
of logs. It is the job of the inspector to measure each log
diameter. Unfortunately the train does not stay long. So far,
the problem has been solved by hiring many inspectors.
The inspectors have nothing to do between
trains and sit for hours. The productivity of Stopping Stopping
Time is Time is
the inspectors is low. If the logs would just
Long Short
stay at the station for a long time, one
inspector could do the job and would be fully
occupied.
The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG &
SHORT. Test for Separate Gradually. Log More
Transportation Inspectors and
is Inefficient Idle Time

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L3-Repeated Use
A variable is used repeatedly, perhaps after being recovered. Usually this involves a repeated or circular process
which requires a constant or periodic reconditioning of the reused materials to restore them to working
condition 50. This means that a physical phenomena needs to be identified which reconditions and a tool to deliver
this physical phenomena.

Method
(Setting A) (element) is used Repeat
over and over which is A Then Repeat Then
A A
equivalent to (setting B)
(element). (Method of
reconditioning) is used to make B
this happen.

Example—Lap Pool
In order to train for long swims, it is necessary to have
MUCH water so that the swimmer does not need to do
lots of turns. But this is impractical to do in the pool
because there is LITTLE water.
(Little) (water) is used over and over which is
equivalent to (much) (water). (Recirculation of the
water) is used to make this happen.

Example—Continuous use of Machinery

In order to make a lot of parts, many production machines are required. In order to not
spend a lot of money, FEW production machines are required.
(Few) (production machines) are used over and over which is
equivalent to (many) (production machines). (Continuous use) is
used to make this happen.
This is an example of the useful TRIZ tool of UNINTERRUPTED
USEFUL EFFECT.

Example—Space Capsule
In space a LOT of air is required for the astronauts to breathe. Unfortunately, there is
only a little air available and expanding the amount of compressed air would increase the
weight of the capsule too much.

50 Inventive Principle #34—Rejecting and Regenerating Parts: After completing its function, or becoming useless, an element of an object is rejected (discarded, dissolved,
evaporated, etc.) or modified during its work process. Used-up parts of an object should be restored during its work. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 289.

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(Little) (air) is used over and over which is equivalent to (much) (air).
(Method of reconditioning) is used to make this happen.
This is an example of the useful TRIZ tool of REGENERATION.

Example—Moving Heavy Statues

In order to move a heavy statue, a LOT of logs are required in a line
leading to the site. Unfortunately, FEW logs are available.
(Few) (logs) are used over and over which is equivalent to
(many) (logs). (Replacing worn logs) is used to make this
happen.

Example—Belt
In order to rotate a pulley a LOT of rope is required. Unfortunately, only LITTLE rope is
available.
(A short) (rope) is used over and over which is equivalent to (a
long) (rope). (Occasional maintenance) is used to make this
happen.
This is an example of the TRIZ tool of SPHEROIDALITY 51.

Exercise—Eternal Sand
Inscriptions on grave stones are made by sandblasting
the polished stone through a rubber mask. The mask is
attached to the stone by adhesive and later peeled off.
The sand is ejected through a nozzle at high
velocity in a pneumatic stream. The sand can Sand Volume Sand Volume
be reused for a time, but must eventually be Used Used
replenished because it breaks down and is Small is Large
becomes too fine for use. A large operation
must replenish the sand often and dispose of
the used sand. The volume of the sand which
is used must be LARGE AND SMALL. Using Abrasion Cost
the principle that you have just learned, is is
resolve this contradiction. Low High

Exercise—Radiation
Treatment
High levels of radiation can damage the structure of cells
and cause them to cease functioning. This is useful in the
treatment of tumors. A beam of high energy radiation is
focused on the tumor. After the procedure, the tumor
shrinks.

51 Inventive Principle #14—Spheroidality: Replace linear parts with curved parts, flat surfaces with spherical surfaces, and cube shapes with ball shapes. Use rollers, balls,
spirals. Replace linear motion with rotational motion ; utilize centrifugal force. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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Radiation Radiation
Unfortunately, the tissue surrounding the Intensity is Intensity is
tumor is also damaged by the high energy Low High
radiation. The Radiation Intensity needs to be
HIGH AND LOW. Using the principle that
you have just learned, resolve this Tumor Surrounding
contradiction. Shrinkage is Tissue Damage
Poor is High

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means
of gaining support from the local people is to give them
much needed supplies such as medicine, food and ?
clothing. In order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms
fire, the drop plane must fly high. If the package is
dense and compact, it falls with pinpoint
accuracy. A chute opens near the end to Package Package
keep the contents from being damaged. contents are contents are
Unfortunately, enemy troops on the ground Useless Useful
then confiscate the package and hoard the
supplies to themselves. They quickly
discover that the contents are useful and
look for them. The Package Contents must
be USEFUL AND USELESS Using the Value For Enemy Troop
principle that you have just learned, resolve Needy is Confiscation is
this contradiction. Low High

Exercise—Molecular Wind Pump

A molecular wind is created by applying a High Voltage Source
very high voltage source to a very sharp
object. The electrostatic field gradient at the
tip is very high. Any stray electrons in the gas
(knocked off by a stray gamma ray for
example) are accelerated by the field and Local Gas Local Gas
collide with other molecules causing an Movement is Movement is
avalanche of charges seen as a “corona Large Small
discharge”. The resulting ionized molecules
are repelled from the charged object, causing
a molecular wind. The wind is localized to Only comes one
the point and could be used to pump rarified way
gas, except that the movement of the gas is Flow
so small. is
Miniscule
The Local Gas Movement should be SMALL
& LARGE. Using the principle that you
have just learned, resolve this contradiction.

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L3-Maturing / Proliferation
Some contradictions are resolved very slowly. In this case, we must wait until something grows up. This implies a
self-organizing structure. It may be possible to do this without living structures…

Method
The (element) is capable of self organization through Slowly
(method). During (condition A) the (element) starts A B
as (setting A). Over time the (element) matures or
proliferates to become (setting B) during (condition
B).

Example—Growing Plants
The shade producer needs to be SMALL when the plant is small so that the plant gets
sufficient light. The shade producer needs to be LARGE when the plant is large to avoid
sunburn during the heat of the summer.
The (shade producer) is capable of self organization through
(biological growth). During (the time that the plant is small) Slowly
the (shade producer) starts as (small). Over time the (shade
producer) matures or proliferates to become (large) during
(the time that the plant needs a lot of shade).
A second shade plant is grown with the first plant. Both
grow together and the shade producer is always capable of
allowing sufficient light through to the plant that requires
shade.

Example—Caterpillar and Butterfly

The caterpillar must be SLOW AND
METHODICAL when it is young in order to
gather food. It must be FAST during adulthood
in order to find a suitable mate.
The (caterpillar) is capable of self organization
through (biological growth). During (youth)
the (caterpillar) starts as (slow). Over time the
(caterpillar) matures or proliferates to become
(fast) during (search for mate).

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
?
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high. If the package is dense and compact, it
falls with pinpoint accuracy.

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A chute opens near the end to keep the Package Package

contents from being damaged. contents are contents are
Unfortunately, enemy troops on the ground Useless Useful
then confiscate the package and hoard the
supplies to themselves. They quickly
discover that the contents are useful and look
for them. The Package Contents must be
USEFUL AND USELESS Using the Value For Enemy Troop
principle that you have just learned, resolve Needy is Confiscation is
this contradiction. Low High

L3-Separate Use
The elements, having one setting, come into use one-at-a-time. Over the course of time the whole effect is opposite
to the individual pieces. This is very similar to Separation Between the Parts and the Whole. The difference is that
the parts build up over time.

Method Then
A A Then A
Individual (elements) which are (setting A)
come into play gradually during (condition
A). In the end, the sum effect is (setting B). B
Example—Paper Plates
The plates need to be DURABLE in order to make it through many meals. The plates
need to be LOW LIFE in order to be inexpensive.
Individual (plates) which are (low life) come into play gradually during (many meals). In
the end, the sum effect is (durable) (plates).
This is an example of CHEAP SHORT LIFE 52 one + +
of the original principles of invention.

Example—Small Explosions
The explosions need to SMALL during the demolition because that is all that is available.
They need to be LARGE in order to move a lot of earth.
Individual (explosions) which are (small) come into
play gradually during (excavation). In the end, the + +
sum effect is a (large) (explosion).

Example—Big Impact Statements

+ +
Only SMALL impact statements are possible in the
available time slots. But the impact of the statement
needs to be LARGE.
+ +

= One Big
Statement

52 Inventive Principle #27—Dispose: Replace an expensive object with a cheap one, compromising other properties (i.e., longevity). Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation
Algorithm page 288.

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Individual (statements) which are (small impact) come into play gradually during
(available time slots). In the end, the sum effect is (a large impact statement).
L3-Gradually Merged
Gradually merged elements slowly take on the opposite property of the individual elements.
Objects may be segmented 53 to allow for this method. Arrange the individual parts so that
the merged whole has the conflicting property of the individual parts. Added parts can do
more than touch. They can nest 54, interweave or mix together. They can also merge at the
micro level. Partial actions can also be merged to give a full action.

Method
Multiple or segmented (elements) are available.
Gradually merging the (setting A) (elements) during A A A A
(condition A) results in the equivalent of (setting B) Keep
(elements). Adding
B
Example—Pile Driver
The piles need to be THIN during driving and THICK to support the
load.
Multiple or segmented (piles) are available. Gradually merging the
(thin) (piles) during (driving) results in the equivalent of (thick)
(piles).

Example—Large Brick Structure

The structure needs to be SMALL because the only structural elements to build it are
small bricks. It needs to be LARGE because the final structure
needs to be large.
Multiple or segmented (structures) are available. Gradually merging
the (small) (structures) during (building) results in the equivalent of
(large) (structures).

Example—Reservoir
LARGE AMOUNTS of water are required for farms. SMALL AMOUNTS of water are
all that is available during the winter.
Multiple or segmented (water) is available. Gradually merging the
(small amounts of) (water) during (the winter) results in the
equivalent of (large amounts of) (water).

53 Inventive Principle #1—Segmentation: Divide an object into independent parts. Make an object sectional (for easy assembly or disassembly). Increase the degree of an
object's segmentation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

54 Inventive Principle #7—Nesting (Matrioshka): One object is placed inside another. That object is placed inside a third one. And so on. An object passes through a cavity in
another object. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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Example—Storage of Solar Energy

SMALL AMOUNTS of electricity are available during the day. LARGE AMOUNTS of
electricity are required during the evening.
STORAGE: Multiple or segmented (amounts of electricity) are
available. Gradually merging the (small amounts of) (energy)
during (the day) results in the equivalent of (large amounts of)
(energy in a battery system).

Exercise—Radiation Treatment
High levels of radiation can damage the structure of cells
and cause them to cease functioning. This is useful in the
treatment of tumors. A beam of high energy radiation is focused on the tumor.
After the procedure, the tumor shrinks. Radiation Radiation
Unfortunately, the tissue surrounding the tumor Intensity is Intensity is
is also damaged by the high energy radiation. Low High
The Radiation Intensity needs to be HIGH AND
LOW. Using the principle that you have just
learned, resolve this contradiction.
Tumor Surrounding
Shrinkage is Tissue Damage
Poor is High

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
?
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high. If the package is dense and compact, it
falls with pinpoint accuracy. A chute opens Package Package
near the end to keep the contents from contents are contents are
being damaged. Unfortunately, enemy Useless Useful
troops on the ground then confiscate the
package and hoard the supplies to
themselves. They quickly discover that the
contents are useful and look for them. The
Package Contents must be USEFUL AND Value For Enemy Troop
USELESS Using the principle that you Needy is Confiscation is
have just learned, resolve this Low High
contradiction.

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Exercise—Super Yacht
A small ship building company considers a contract to
build a super yacht. The yacht is so big that only a
third will fit into their dock. “We will need to build
this in the open harbor.” A
Assembly Assembly
frustrated engineer says. “We
Location is In Location is at
can’t do that; we need the
Harbor Dock
availability of lifts and tools.”
The Building Location: It
should be IN THE HARBOR
& AT THE DOCK. Using the
principle that you have just Availability of Boat
learned, resolve this Tools is Poor is too
contradiction. Large for Dock

Exercise—Molecular Wind Pump

A molecular wind is created by applying a very
high voltage source to a very sharp object. The High Voltage Source
electrostatic field gradient at the tip is very
high. Any stray electrons in the gas (knocked
off by a stray gamma ray for example) are
accelerated by the field and collide with Local Gas Local Gas
other molecules causing an avalanche of Movement is Movement is
charges seen as a “corona discharge”. The Large Small
resulting ionized molecules are repelled
from the charged object, causing a
molecular wind. The wind is localized to Only comes one
the point and could be used to pump way
rarified gas, except that the movement of Flow
the gas is so small. is
Miniscule
The Local Gas Movement should be
SMALL & LARGE. Using the principle
that you have just learned, resolve this contradiction.

L3-Merging—Merged Interaction
Parts are slowly merged with the system. As they are added, they are transformed to the new property by what is
already there.

Method
Multiple or segmented (elements) are available.
Each (setting A) (element) that is merged during
(condition A) with the already merged (elements)
become (setting B) by (method).

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Example—Pile Driving
The pile needs to be SHARP while driving and BLUNT
while supporting.
Multiple or segmented (piles) are available. Each (sharp)
(pile) that is merged during (driving) with the already
merged (piles) become (blunt) by (pushing down on a ledge
protruding with a lip).

Example—Square Bread Rolls

The rolls need to be ROUND because they are easier to
form this way. They need to be SQUARE because that they
store easier that way.
Multiple or segmented (rolls) are available. Each (round)
(roll) that is merged with the already merged (rolls) become
(square) by (pushing them together).

Example—Training a Group
The group needs to be UNTRAINED because the only available trainees are untrained.
The group needs to be TRAINED in order to be productive.
Multiple or segmented (group members) are
available. Each (untrained) (group member) that is
merged with the already merged (group members)
become (trained) by (training from those already
there).

Example—Melting a Metal
The metal needs to be SOLID since the only available metal is
solid. It needs to be LIQUID in order to facilitate production.
Multiple or segmented (metal elements) are available. Each
(solid) (metal element) that is merged with the already merged
(metal elements) become (liquid) by (being melted by the
previously melted elements).

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much ?
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high. If the package is dense and compact, it
falls with pinpoint accuracy. A chute opens near the end to
keep the contents from being damaged.

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TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Unfortunately, enemy troops on the ground Package Package

then confiscate the package and hoard the contents are contents are
supplies to themselves. They quickly Useless Useful
discover that the contents are useful and
look for them. The Package Contents must
be USEFUL AND USELESS Using the
principle that you have just learned, resolve
this contradiction. Value For Enemy Troop
Needy is Confiscation is
Low High

L3-Gradually Hidden / Exposed

This method applies only to elements that already have both properties, but one of the
properties is undesirable and we want it to go away. In order to do this, we hide the property
that we don’t want with parts of the other elements that have the property that we do want.
Notice in the figure at the right that all of the negative signs are hidden in the middle. They are
completely surrounded by the parts of the element that are positive. Consequently, the whole
element appears to have the positive property. This usually applies to multiple elements (same, similar or
dissimilar) which have an undesirable property. Remember that elements can do more than simply touch. They can
also interweave or nest 55 within each other. They can be mixed as well. Consider different orientations.

Method
The (element) already has both properties. (Setting A) is desirable
and (setting B) is undesirable. The (elements) are gradually merged
in a way that hides (setting B) until the whole is (setting A).

Example—Square and Round Shapes

The element already has both properties. (Round) is desirable
and (square) is undesirable. The (shapes) are gradually merged
in a way that hides (square) until the whole is (round).

Example—Unprotected Tanks Rounded

Side
Each tank is PROTECTED from the front and VULNERABLE
from the rear when no other forms of protection are available.
The (tank) already has both properties.
(protected) is desirable and (vulnerable) is
undesirable. The (tanks) are gradually
merged in a way that hides (vulnerable) until
the whole is (protected).
As tanks arrive and “circle up” newly arriving tanks back up to other tanks thus hiding
the vulnerability that each tank has inherently.

55 Inventive Principle #7—Nesting (Matrioshka): One object is placed inside another. That object is placed inside a third one. And so on. An object passes through a cavity in
another object. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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L3-Gradually Transformed
Separation in Time considers the bulk transformation of objects to change their properties. Often, this
transformation is gradual. This gradual change can be useful under certain conditions. As in all cases where we
Separate Gradually, we begin with one property and end with the other. Unfortunately, the knob setting must pass
through the compromise state. This may work in some instances, but makes this tool less powerful.

Method
A B
The (element) (critical region) is made from (transformable
material). During (condition A) the (element) transforms from
(setting A) to (setting B).

Example—Pile Driving
The pile must be SHARP while driving and
Abraidable
BLUNT while supporting.
Material
The (pile) (tip) is made from (abraidable
material). During (driving) the (pile) transforms
from (sharp) to (blunt).

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
?
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high.
If the package is dense and compact, it falls Package Package
with pinpoint accuracy. A chute opens near contents are contents are
the end to keep the contents from being Useless Useful
damaged. Unfortunately, enemy troops on
the ground then confiscate the package and
hoard the supplies to themselves. They
quickly discover that the contents are useful
and look for them. The Package Contents Value For Enemy Troop
Needy is Confiscation is
must be USEFUL AND USELESS Using
Low High
the principle that you have just learned,
resolve this contradiction.

L3-Gradually Added Fields

Separation in Time considers the addition of fields to objects to change their properties. Often, this transformation
is gradual. A more gradual change can be useful under certain conditions. As in all cases where we Separate
Gradually, we begin with one property and end with the other. Unfortunately, the knob setting must pass through
the compromise state. This may work in some instances, but makes this tool less powerful.

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Method
The (element) (critical region) can be changed from (setting
A) to (setting B) by gradually adding a (field type) field.
During (condition A) the (element) transforms from (setting A B
A) to (setting B).

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much ?
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high. If the package is dense
and compact, it falls with pinpoint Package Package
accuracy. contents are contents are
Useless Useful
A chute opens near the end to keep the
contents from being damaged.
Unfortunately, enemy troops on the ground
then confiscate the package and hoard the
supplies to themselves. They quickly Value For Enemy Troop
discover that the contents are useful and Needy is Confiscation is
look for them. The Package Contents must Low High
be USEFUL AND USELESS Using the
principle that you have just learned, resolve this contradiction.

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L2-Separate in Space
Separation in Space 56 was one of the earliest discovered methods of resolving contradictions. At one critical moment
in time BOTH properties are expressed. For instance, when a book is being read, it is required that the pages be stiff
in order to lay flat and for the ease in handling the book. At the same moment in time, it is required that the pages
be flexible in order to be easily turned. This is effectively accomplished by making some pages stiff and the rest of
the pages flexible. Some of the most bedeviling problems are resolved by using separation in space. The fact that
some objects require two conflicting properties at the same critical instant makes a problem seem hard. Notice that
the methods progress from completely separate objects to identifying locations within an object or space with
conflicting properties.
Following is the test and the various strategies for Separating in Space.

L2-Method
Step 1: Ask under what conditions each property is needed. Are both condition required
in the same space?
Step 2: Consider the different parts of an object. Can different parts have opposing
properties?
Step 3: Consider separating the opposing properties into two objects
Step 4: Consider making the object have both properties but in different places making it
non-uniform 57

L3-Test for Separation in Space

We have already demonstrated that we can have a test for Separation in Time. This test can save a lot of time
looking through the various methods. We would like to do the same thing with Separation in Space. This test will
help us to determine whether Separation in space is feasible. If both settings must occur in the same space then it is
probably not possible to use this method.

Test:
During (critical time) (setting A) is essential (where condition A exists). (Setting B) is
essential (where condition B exists). Must these conditions (and settings) overlap in
space? If yes then go to Separate between the Parts and the Whole.
If one of the conditions is never essential (useful and necessary) then the condition where
this applies is any place that it is allowable. Note that some of the methods will only
weakly apply when one of the conditions is not essential.

56 Separation in Space appears in Creativity as an Exact Science-The Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems by G.S. Altshuller published by Gordon and Breach. It can be
found in the appendix discussing ARIZ 77

57 Inventive Principle #3—Local Quality: Transition from homogeneous to heterogeneous structure of an object or outside environment (action). Different parts of an object
should carry out different functions. Each part of an object should be placed under conditions that are most favorable for its operation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation
Algorithm page 287.

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Example—Controlled Explosions
During mining operations it is necessary to
precisely time a series of explosions. One way to
do this is to drop a conductive plug down a tube
with electrical contacts spaced at precise intervals.
As the conductive weight passes each set of
contacts, continuity is established across
the contacts and an explosive charge is
detonated. Unfortunately, in order to Contact Contact
ensure continuity, the force of the is is
Non-Existent Intimate
contacts against the conductive weight
needs to be high. This causes the
timing to be erratic. The plug must
CONTACT the leads in order to
complete the circuit and must NOT Contact Timing between
CONTACT the leads in order to keep Conduction is Contacts is
Poor Irregular
the timing perfect.
This is a great problem because it looks
so impossible. Note that the problem is stated in a way that leads the problem solver to
believe there is only one object. “The plug” must intimately contact and not contact. We
never know how a problem will come to us and the assumptions that will be thrust upon
us, either by ourselves or others.
TEST FOR SEPARATION IN SPACE:
During (the moment that the plug passes a critical point in space) (intimate contact) is
essential (where the conductor must conduct across the contacts). (No contact) is
essential (at any location where there is no interaction with the part of the plug that
interacts with the contacts). Must these conditions (and settings) overlap in space? If
there is no interaction whatsoever then there is no need for overlap. We conclude that
there may be a possibility of separating in space.

Example—Pile Driving
We would like the pile to be SHARP in order to drive it more
rapidly and we would like it to be BLUNT in order to support
well.
TEST FOR SEPARATION IN SPACE:
During (supporting) (bluntness) is essential (where a
supporting structure exists to keep it from falling over).
(Sharpness) is essential where (nowhere) exists. These conditions do not overlap in
space. However, since sharpness is essential nowhere we need to determine where it is
allowable. It is allowable anywhere the vertical support is sufficient to carry the vertical
load that the sharp pile cannot carry. The sharp pile is mostly carrying the lateral loads.

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Exercise—Radiation Treatment
High levels of radiation can damage the structure of cells and
cause them to cease functioning. This is useful
in the treatment of tumors. A beam of high Radiation Radiation
energy radiation is focused on the tumor. Intensity is Intensity is
Low High
After the procedure, the tumor shrinks.
Unfortunately, the tissue surrounding the tumor
is also damaged by the high energy radiation.
The Radiation Intensity needs to be HIGH AND Tumor Surrounding
LOW. Test for Separation in Space. Shrinkage is Tissue Damage
Poor is High

Exercise—I Just Can’t Stop

Electromagnetic coils are used for many applications which
require the generation of force. Magnetic fields generated by the
coil and the spool upon which the wire is wound interact with
plungers also made of magnetic materials. Usually, the flow of
V
current to the coil is initiated by throwing a switch which allows
electrons to begin flowing. Such coils are natural inductors,
meaning that the flow of electrons
begins slowly, like trying to push a
heavy object. When it comes time to Current Path Current Path
is is
turn off the coil, the opposite effect
Continuous Interrupted
occurs. The electrons do not want to
stop moving, but “bunch up” causing
high voltages. In many applications this
causes difficulties such as sparking
(deteriorating brushes and switches or Coil Voltage
causing electromagnetic pulses) or high Operation not Spikes are
voltages across other elements. The Adjustable High
current path needs to be CONTINUOUS
AND INTERRUPTED. Test for
Separation in Space.

Exercise—Traffic Light
The lights in a traffic light must eventually FAIL due to the action of the
current on the filament and to vibration. The traffic light must NOT FAIL
in order to not cause traffic delays or
make the intersection more dangerous.
Traffic Light Traffic Light
This is an example of an output Operation Fails Operation Doesn’t
contradiction. Most people would think Fail
of this as the Y in the function. Test for
Separation in Space. All lights will Note that nothing
eventually fail gets worse

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Exercise—Super Yacht
A small ship building company considers a contract to
build a super yacht. The yacht is so big that only a
third will fit into their dock.
“We will need to build this in Assembly Assembly
the open harbor.” A Location is In Location is at
frustrated engineer says. “We Harbor Dock
can’t do that; we need the
availability of lifts and tools.”
The Building Location: It
should be IN THE HARBOR
& AT THE DOCK. Test for Availability of Boat
Separation in Space. Tools is Poor is too
Large for Dock

Exercise—Blistering Coils
Product on an assembly line must pass under a
heating coil in order to be fully treated. The product
that passes under the center part of the coil is
fully treated, but the product that passes under Coil Spacing Coil Spacing
is is
the coil at the edge of the conveyor belt is not
Fine Coarse
fully treated. If the coil spacing was finer, the
outer product could be fully treated. However,
the product at the center of the belt is over-
heated. The Coil Spacing should be FINE &
Inner Product Outer
COARSE. Test for Separation in Space. is Over Heated Product is
not Fully
Treated

Exercise—What’s Up Dock
“We’ll make a fortune” the small investor said. “When
they build the houses around this lake, everyone will want
a place to dock their boats and we got the last parcel on
the lake”.
Yes, but it is too small to store many boats”
his wife complained. “And we are not Dock Dock
allowed to build the dock out more than 20 is is
Large Small
yards”. “I know” she continued “We can fill
every available square foot with dock and
boats!” “We still will not be able to store
enough boats to make money” the investor
said after making a few calculations. The Cost of Leasing Revenue
Dock should be SMALL & LARGE. Test More Beach is is
for Separate in Space. High Low

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Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
?
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms
fire, the drop plane must fly high. If the Package Package
package is dense and compact, it falls with contents are contents are
pinpoint accuracy. A chute opens near the Useless Useful
end to keep the contents from being
damaged. Unfortunately, enemy troops on
the ground then confiscate the package and
hoard the supplies to themselves. They
quickly discover that the contents are useful Value For Enemy Troop
and look for them. The Package Contents Needy is Confiscation is
must be USEFUL AND USELESS Test Low High
for Separation in Space.

Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars full of
logs. It is the job of the inspector to measure each log diameter.
Unfortunately the train does not stay long.
So far, the problem has been solved by
Stopping Stopping
hiring many inspectors.
Time is Time is
The inspectors have nothing to do between Long Short
trains and sit for hours. The productivity of
the inspectors is low. If the logs would just
stay at the station for a long time, one
inspector could do the job and would be fully
occupied. Log More
Transportation Inspectors and
The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG & is Inefficient Idle Time
SHORT. Test for Separation in Space.

Exercise—the Beat Goes On

Heart surgery is sometimes required for battlefield wounds to
the heart. Small pieces of shrapnel become lodged in the heart
muscle. Usually, the heart is stopped,
temporarily, to repair it since it is very Heart Heart
difficult to operate on a beating heart. This Motion is Motion is
stoppage of blood flow is very traumatic for Still Beating
the rest of the body which may be badly
damaged. If it were possible to operate on
the beating heart, there would likely be more
survivors. The Heart Movement must be
BEATING & STILL. Test for Separation in Trauma to Rest of Operational
Body is Mistakes are
Space.
High Frequent

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L3-Two Objects
TWO objects exist with conflicting properties. This is a very powerful method of resolving contradictions, but it is
often neglected because it seems too simple. It is often described as what a small child might suggest to solve a
conflict. “If I need a doggie to be big and small, why not have TWO doggies?” Certainly, in some settings, this
would be too costly, but there are many situations where this makes perfect sense and should not be ignored.

Method
If more than one type of (element) is allowed, one (element) is A B
(setting A) and a nearby (element) is (setting B).

Example—Pile ‘Driving
The pile must be SHARP in order to drive rapidly and BLUNT in
order to support well.
If more than one type of (pile) is allowed, one (pile) is (sharp) and a
nearby (pile) is (blunt).

Example—Needles
The needle needs to be LARGE in order to sew thick and heavy pieces of
cloth together. They need to be SMALL in order to sew thin fine cloth
together.
If more than one type of (needle) is allowed, one (needle) is (large) and a
nearby (needle) is (small).

Example—Torches
The torch needs to have a HIGH FLAME in order to cut thick pieces of
metal. It needs to be a LOW FLAME in order to do intricate cutting of
thin pieces.
If more than one type of (torch) is allowed, one (torch) is (high flame) and
a nearby (torch) is (low flame).

Example—Sandpaper
Sandpaper needs to be COARSE to form wood and FINE
for finishing.
If more than one type of (piece of sandpaper) is allowed, one
(piece of sandpaper) is (coarse) and a nearby (piece of
sandpaper) is (fine).

Example—Construction Site Sprayer

The spray nozzle needs to spray HEAVY DROPLETS in order to wet
the ground but FINE MIST in order to settle flying dust.
If more than one type of (spray nozzle) is allowed, one (spray nozzle) is
(heavy droplets) and a nearby (spray nozzle) is (fine mist).

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Example—Military Division of Labor

The military group needs to have a PEACE KEEPING MISSION in order to keep
factions from harming each other. The military group needs to have a COMBAT
MISSION in order to defeat the enemy.
If more than one type of (military group) is allowed, one
(military group) has a (peace keeping mission) and a nearby
(military group) has a (combat mission).

Example—Instructions for the Flu

The message must INCITE TO ACTION in order that people will react and get
flu shots. The message must REQUEST CALMNESS in order to avoid mass hysteria.
If more than one type of (message) is allowed, one Act! Calm
(message) is (inciting to action) and a nearby (message) is
(requesting calmness).

Example—Woodworking Chemicals
The compound must STRIP epoxy in order to clean parts. The
compound must HARDEN epoxy in order to make the epoxy
durable. A+ B-

If more than one type of (compound) is allowed, one

(compound) must (strip epoxy) and a nearby (compound) must
(harden epoxy).

Exercise—Take Smaller Bites

A rule of thumb for cutting a piece of metal in a band saw is to
have at least three teeth on the piece of metal. This is because
the point loading becomes too high. This causes bad things to
happen such as breaking teeth, blades or
rough cutting. On the other hand, if the Tooth Tooth
teeth are too fine, the point loading on Spacing is Spacing is
each tooth is too small. In a large Coarse Fine
production shop where many pieces of
metal are cut, it is necessary to cut both
thick and thin pieces. How can we
speed up production? The Tooth
Spacing Needs to be FINE & COARSE. Point Cutting
Using the principle that you have just Loading is Speed is
learned, resolve this contradiction. High Slow

Exercise—Traffic Light
The lights in a traffic light must eventually FAIL due to the action of the
current on the filament and to vibration. The traffic light must NOT
FAIL in order to not cause traffic delays or make the intersection more
dangerous.

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This is an example of an output Traffic Light Traffic Light

contradiction. Most people would think Operation Fails Operation Doesn’t
of this as the Y in the function. Resolve Fail
this contradiction using the method you
have just learned. All lights will Note that nothing
eventually fail gets worse

Exercise—Two Tining
Rake
A common garden rake is somewhat inefficient when raking
small debris. While riding over uneven surfaces, unwanted
debris settles into the uneven surface and the tines ride over
the top without collecting the debris. If the tines were more
flexible, they could ride over the
uneven surfaces like a leaf rake and
collect the materials. On the other Tine Tine
Stiffness is Stiffness is
hand, if the tines are flexible, then the
Flexible Stiff
rake is not useful for extracting
embedded debris or for moving earth
about. The Tine Flexibility should be
FLEXIBLE & STIFF. Using the
principle that you have just learned, Debris Debris
resolve this contradiction. Extraction is “leakage” is
Difficult High

Exercise—Blistering Coils
Product on an assembly line must pass under a heating
coil in order to be fully treated. The product that passes
under the center part of the coil is fully treated, but
the product that passes under the coil at the edge of Coil Spacing Coil Spacing
the conveyor belt is not fully treated. If the coil is is
spacing was finer, the outer product could be fully Fine Coarse
treated. However, the product at the center of the
belt is over-heated. The Coil Spacing should be
FINE & COARSE. Using the principle that you
have just learned, resolve this contradiction. Inner Product Outer
is Over Heated Product is
Exercise—Fish to the Rescue not Fully
Treated
Like most large predators, a shark will follow its
prey in close pursuit until the smaller prey exhausts its
energy. Although the prey may be more nimble, it cannot
outrun its larger foe forever. If the smaller fish could dodge
and dart forever, it could easily outmaneuver the larger
shark.

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Endurance Endurance
The Fish should have INFINITE ENDURANCE in is is
order to outrun the shark and NORMAL Infinite Low
ENDURANCE because that is how small fish are.
Resolve the contradiction by using the method you No Fish
have just learned. comes
this way
Vulnerability
is
High
Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars full of
logs. It is the job of the inspector to measure each log diameter.
Unfortunately the train does not stay long. So far, the problem has
been solved by hiring many inspectors.
The inspectors have nothing to do between
trains and sit for hours. The productivity of Stopping Stopping
Time is Time is
the inspectors is low. If the logs would just
Long Short
stay at the station for a long time, one
inspector could do the job and would be fully
occupied.
The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG &
SHORT. Using the principle that you have Log More
Transportation Inspectors and
just learned, resolve this contradiction.
is Inefficient Idle Time

L3-Extraction
Using the principal of Extraction 58, the element with conflicting properties is broken into different functional
elements. One part of the component must be separated out and given the conflicting property. The separation is
necessary to give the element the conflicting property. In order to make this happen, a means must be envisioned
which allows the extracted part to interact with the element parts that it has been separated from. This interaction
link is what makes Extraction different from the Two Objects method.

Method
If the (element) can be separated into functional parts:
The separated (element part) is (setting A). The (rest of A B
the element parts) are (setting B). The separated parts
interact through (means).

58 Inventive Principle #2—Extraction: (Extracting, Retrieving, Removing). Extract the "disturbing" part or property from an object. Extract only the necessary part or property
from an object. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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Example—Aircraft Refueling
During the refueling of aircraft it is necessary for the tanker to CONTACT the aircraft
that is being refueled. The tanker must NOT
CONTACT the refueled aircraft in order to avoid
crashing.
If the (tanker) can be separated into functional parts:
The separated (fueling nozzle) is (in contact with the Contacts
refueled craft). The (rest of the aircraft) is (not in No
Contact
contact). The separated parts interact through (a long
refueling line).

Example—Oven Sensor
The electronics of an oven sensor must be COLD in order to last a long time. But, the
electronics must get HOT in order to sense the temperature.
If the (electronics) can be separated into Sensor
functional parts: The separated (electronic Electronics
sensor) is (hot). The (rest of the electronics)
are (cold). The separated parts interact Cold
Hot
through (wires).

Example—Dealing with Criminals

Society is DANGEROUS because criminal acts occur on a
daily basis. Society must be BENIGN in order to have peaceful Society Criminal
lives.
If the (society) can be separated into functional parts: The
separated (criminal) is (dangerous). The (rest of society) is
(benign). The separated parts interact through (the legal system).

Example—Quotes
A statement needs to be BRIEF in order to be impactful and not bore the audience.
However, statements by many important people are LONG WINDED.
If the (statement) can be separated into functional
parts: The separated (quote) is (brief). The (rest of the
statement) is (long winded). The separated parts
interact through (footnotes).

Example—Stirring Acid
In order to stir acid, a stirring element must EXIST IN THE
ACID. In order to have a long life, the stirring element must
NOT EXIST IN THE ACID.
If the (acid stirrer) can be separated into functional parts: The
separated (stirring element) is (existing in the acid). The (rest of
the stirrer) does (not exist in acid). The separated parts interact Spinning
through (a magnetic coupling). Field

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Example—Extraction of Element
A compound must have PROPERTY A in order to perform
function A. It must have PROPERTY B in order to perform
function B. A+ B-

If the (compound) can be separated into functional parts: The

separated (compound part) is (setting A). The (rest of the
compound) are (setting B). The separated parts interact through (electrostatic fields).

Exercise—Radiation Treatment
High levels of radiation can damage the structure of
cells and cause them to cease functioning. This is
useful in the treatment of tumors. A beam of high
energy radiation is focused on the tumor. Radiation Radiation
After the procedure, the tumor shrinks. Intensity is Intensity is
Unfortunately, the tissue surrounding the Low High
tumor is also damaged by the high energy
radiation. The Radiation Intensity needs to be
HIGH AND LOW. Using the principle that
you have just learned, resolve this Tumor Surrounding
contradiction. Shrinkage is Tissue Damage
Poor is High

Exercise—Construction Lights
During large construction projects, it is desirable to light a
work area the size of many football fields. It would be
desirable to have one very large and high light.
But, doing this is prohibitive because of the large structure

that would be required to support the light. Light is Light is

The construction light needs to be HIGH & Low High
LOW. Using the principle that you have just
learned, resolve this contradiction.

Lighting Quality is Support is

Poor Massive

Exercise—Super Yacht
A small ship building company considers a contract to build a
super yacht. The yacht is so big that only a third will fit into
their dock. “We will need to build this in the open harbor.” A
frustrated engineer says. “We can’t do that; we need the
availability of lifts and tools.”

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The Building Location: It should Assembly Assembly

be IN THE HARBOR & AT THE Location is In Location is at
DOCK. Using the principle that Harbor Dock
you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.

Availability of Boat
Tools is Poor is too
Large for Dock

Exercise—What’s Up Dock
“We’ll make a fortune” the small investor said. “When
they build the houses around this lake, everyone will want
a place to dock their boats and we got the last parcel on
the lake”. “Yes, but it is too small to store many boats”
his wife complained. “And we are not
allowed to build the dock out more than 20 Dock Dock
yards”. “I know” she continued “We can fill is is
every available square foot with dock and Large Small
boats!” “We still will not be able to store
enough boats to make money” the investor
said after making a few calculations. The
Dock should be SMALL & LARGE. Using Cost of Leasing Revenue
the principle that you have just learned, More Beach is is
resolve this contradiction. High Low

Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars full of logs.
It is the job of the inspector to measure each log diameter.
Unfortunately the train does not stay long. So far, the problem has
been solved by hiring many inspectors.
Stopping Stopping
The inspectors have nothing to do between
Time is Time is
trains and sit for hours. The productivity of Long Short
the inspectors is low. If the logs would just
stay at the station for a long time, one
inspector could do the job and would be fully
occupied.
The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG & Log More
Transportation Inspectors and
SHORT. Using the principle that you have
is Inefficient Idle Time
just learned, resolve this contradiction.

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L3-Mixture
Mixture
Particles or segmented 59 elements having both properties are • Partially Mixed
mixed together. Both properties are existent and expressed at • Mixture
• Interweave
the same time at a smaller scale. Both properties are ready to
• Fabrics and Matrix
act at any moment. Neither is hidden or at a smaller scale. • Multi Fiber Fabrics
For this reason, this is different than separation between the • Multi Property Laminates
parts and the whole. Composites 60 are a good example of • Mixtures of Different Molecules
mixtures. • Gels (Liquids + Solids)
• Pastes (Liquids + Solids)
The orange box shows some of the more unusual mixtures • Foams (solid or liquid)
possible. Refer to these as you consider resolving your • Capillary Structures (Solid + Liquid)
contradiction. Consider finer and finer scales down to sub- • Components of Solids or Liquid
atomic particles. • Porous Materials
• Foams
Method
B A B
(Inexpensive particles or segmented elements) which are (setting A) are
B A A
(mixed with) (particles or segmented elements) which are (setting B). B
A B

L3-Path
A

If motion or shape is involved in the conflicting properties, it is entirely possible that the property may have a value
on one path and the conflicting value on another path.

Method
B
On a path (path location A) the (element knob) is (setting A). On
a path (path location B) the (element knob) is (setting B). A
Example—Circuit Board
In general, it is desirable to have SHORT paths everywhere on a circuit board. This helps
greatly when it comes to high-speed circuits where timing is quite critical. Sometimes,
however, there is a need for a LONG path.
On a path (through the board) the (wire length) is
(short). On a path (around the board) the (wire length)
is (long).
High
Example—Heat Sensor Electronics Gradient

The temperature gradient needs to be HIGH in order to

create a voltage potential with a thermopile. The Low Gradient
temperature differential needs to be LOW in order to not
stress the attached electronic components.

59 Inventive Principle #1—Segmentation: Divide an object into independent parts. Make an object sectional (for easy assembly or disassembly). Increase the degree of an
object's segmentation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

60 Inventive Principle #40—Composite Materials: Replace homogeneous materials with composite ones. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 289.

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On a path (along the axis) the (temperature gradient) is (high). On a path (across the end
of the sensor) the (temperature gradient) is (low).

Example—Sidewalk Cracks
Sidewalk cracks must EXIST due to the high tension stresses caused during heat
expansion and contraction. Sidewalk cracks must NOT
EXIST because that would be aesthetically unacceptable.
(Notice that we are not changing any knobs that would
remove the tendency to crack. Here is a good example of an
“outcome” knob which must and must not be turned.)
On a path (along a notch) the (existence of crack) is Cracked Not cracked
(existing). On a path (in all other locations) the (existence
of the crack) does (not exist).

Example—Pile Driving
The pile frontal area must be SMALL in order to drive rapidly. The frontal area must be
LARGE in order to support well.
On a path (rotating along the axis of the pile) the (frontal area) is (small). On a path
(linearly along the axis) the (frontal area is) is
(large).
This is somewhat of a whimsical means of
making a pile blunt and not blunt. If the pile is Allowed
to turn Constrained
formed into a screw-like shape and the end is while while
sharply formed, then it will twist as it goes in. driving supporting
Along this path, the pile frontal area is SMALL.
However, when it is constrained and not
allowed to turn then all of the material between
the spirals makes the pile frontal area LARGE.
The pile would require a very coarse pitch to
allow it to be pounded in.

Exercise—Blistering Coils II
Product on an assembly line must pass under a
heating coil in order to be fully treated. The product
that passes under the center part of the coil is fully
treated, but the product that passes under the coil at Coil Length is Coil Length is
the edge of the conveyor belt is not fully treated. Width of Belt Excessive
If the coil length is much longer, the product will
be uniformly heated as it passes under the coil.
Unfortunately, a lot of energy is wasted.
The Coil Length should be EXCESSIVE & THE
Product Energy
WIDTH OF THE BELT. Using the principle that treatment is Waste is
you have just learned, resolve this contradiction. not Uniform High

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Exercise—Radiation Treatment
High levels of radiation can damage the structure of cells and
cause them to cease functioning. This is useful in the
treatment of tumors. A beam of high energy radiation is
focused on the tumor. After the procedure, the
Radiation Radiation
tumor shrinks. Unfortunately, the tissue Intensity is Intensity is
surrounding the tumor is also damaged by the Low High
high energy radiation. The Radiation Intensity
needs to be HIGH AND LOW. Using the
principle that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction. Tumor Surrounding
Shrinkage is Tissue Damage
Poor is High

Exercise—I Just Can’t Stop

Electromagnetic coils are used for many applications which
require the generation of force. Magnetic fields generated
by the coil and the spool upon which the wire is wound
interact with plungers also made of magnetic materials. V
Usually, the flow of current to the coil is initiated by
throwing a switch which allows electrons to begin flowing.
Such coils are natural inductors, meaning
that the flow of electrons begins slowly, Current Path Current Path
like trying to push a heavy object. When is is
it comes time to turn off the coil, the Continuous Interrupted
opposite effect occurs. The electrons do
not want to stop moving, but “bunch up”
causing high voltages. In many
applications this causes difficulties such
as sparking (deteriorating brushes and Coil Voltage
switches or causing electromagnetic Operation not Spikes are
pulses) or high voltages across other Adjustable High
elements. The current path needs to be
CONTINUOUS AND INTERRUPTED.
Using the principle that you have just learned, resolve this contradiction.

L3-Interact / Guide / Nestle / Penetrate

An extension of attaching conflicting objects to each other, we can find ways to make the objects interact by
allowing them to interact from a distance, guide each other, nestle 61 within or go through each other. This may be
necessary when we want reduced physical contact with the conflicting objects. Remember that these objects still
have both properties expressed at the same time.

61 Inventive Principle #7—Nesting (Matrioshka): One object is placed inside another. That object is placed inside a third one. And so on. An object passes through a cavity in
another object. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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Method
The (element) is (setting A). The interacting (object) is A B
(setting B). The objects (interact / guide / nestle or go through
each other). AB
A
Example—Spring in Housing
The spring needs to be STIFF in order to not buckle when compressed long distances. It
needs to be FLEXIBLE in order to have a low spring rate for proper operation.
The (spring) is (flexible). The interacting (spring housing) is (stiff). The objects (go
through each other).
This idea was arrived at by considering a flexible spring inside
of a stiff spring. The stiff spring can be shaped in whatever
shape is required to allow movement of the inner spring. The
outer spring mentally morphs into a housing which is the
ultimate stiff outer spring.

Example—Electric Motor
The electric motor circuit needs to be CONDUCTIVE in order to supply electricity to the
electro-magnets on the armature. The circuit needs to be INSULATING in order to turn
off current to some electro-magnets on the armature. At the same moment in time, the
motor circuit should be both insulating and conductive.
The (circuit) is (conductive). The interacting (surrounding air)
is (insulating). The objects (nestle) each other.
The only electrically conductive path is through the brushes.
Since the air is insulating. This allows the electro-magnets on
the armature to be selectively activated as the armature turns.

Example—Co-located Security Group

The research center must be DEDICATED TO RESEARCH in order to perform the
research properly. It needs to be DEDICATED TO SECURITY
in order to avoid security breaches. Being both is too time Org A Org B
consuming on the part of the researchers.
The (research center) is (dedicated to research). The interacting
(security group) is (dedicated to security). The objects (nestle).

Exercise—Controlled Explosions
During mining operations it is necessary to precisely
time a series of explosions. One way to do this is to drop
a conductive plug down a tube with electrical contacts
spaced at precise intervals. As the conductive weight
passes each set of contacts, continuity is established
across the contacts and an explosive charge is detonated.

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Unfortunately, in order to ensure Contact Contact

continuity, the force of the contacts is is
against the conductive weight needs Non-Existent Existent
to be high. This causes the timing to
be erratic. The plugs must
CONTACT the leads in order to
complete the circuit and must NOT Contact Timing Between
CONTACT the leads in order to keep Conduction is Contacts is
the timing perfect. Resolve this Poor Irregular
conflict using the method that you
have just learned.

L3-Attached Objects • Inert carriers

• Dual states-same
One element has the desired property. It is attached to another material
• Dual phase substances
element having the conflicting property. This is different from a
• Thin Films
carrier. With a carrier, all parts take on the property of the • Paint
carrier. In this case, both conflicting properties are necessary • Nested parts
and expressed at the same time. Another object can be attached • Attached parts
or the element can be separated into functional parts. • Mixed somewhat

Method
The (element or element part) is (setting A). The attached (object)
is (setting B). A B
Example—Reflector
The reflector needs to be FLAT in order to reflect a strong
signal back. It needs to be SPHERICAL in order to reflect a
weak signal.
The (reflector) is (square). The attached (reflector) is
(spherical).

Example—Apron
The apron needs to be FLUID REPULSING in order to not absorb
spray paint. It needs to be FLUID ABSORBING in order to wipe off
paint that gets onto the hands or arms of the sprayer.
The (apron) is (fluid repulsing). The attached (towel) is (fluid
absorbing).

Example—Pencil
The pencil must be CAPABLE OF WRITING in order to
place marks on paper. It must be CAPABLE OF ERASING
in order to take marks from a paper.
The (pencil) is (capable of writing). The attached (eraser) is
(capable of erasing).

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Example—Police Interrogation Teams

The interrogation team needs to be SYMPATHETIC to the individual being interviewed
in order to have a trusting relationship with someone when the person wants to talk. The
team needs to be UNSYMPATHETIC because police are generally unsympathetic by
nature and also in order to reinforce the idea that the person being
+
interrogated is in trouble.
The (team) is (unsympathetic). The attached (interrogator) is
(sympathetic).

Example—Diapers
The diaper must be ABSORBENT in order to draw moisture
away from the body. It must be WATERPROOF in order to
not allow fluid leakage.
The (diaper) is (absorbent). The attached (exterior Absorbent
Waterproof
waterproof lining) is (waterproof).

Example—Instructions for the Flu

The message must INCITE TO ACTION in order that people will react and get
flu shots. The message must REQUEST CALMNESS in
order to avoid mass hysteria. Act! Calm
The (message) is (intended to incite to action). The attached
(message) is (requesting calmness).

Example—Organization
The military needs to be ORGANIZED in order to coordinate
activities. It needs to be AUTONOMOUS in order to conduct
specialized missions.
The (military organization) is (centrally organized). The attached
(special forces) is (autonomous).

Example—Roof Tiles
The roof needs to be WOOD in order to construct with hand tools. It
needs to be CERAMIC in order to repel water.
The (roof) is (wood). The attached (tiles) are (ceramic).

Example—Toothbrush
The bristles must be FLEXIBLE to conform to the teeth and
disturb the plaque on the teeth. They must be RIGID in order to
be guided by a hand.
The (handle) is (rigid). The attached (bristles) are (flexible).

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Exercise—I Just Can’t Stop

Electromagnetic coils are used for many applications which
require the generation of force. Magnetic fields generated by the
coil and the spool upon which the wire is wound interact with V
plungers also made of magnetic materials. Usually, the flow of
current to the coil is initiated by throwing a switch which allows
electrons to begin flowing. Such coils are natural inductors, meaning that the flow of
electrons begins slowly, like trying to
push a heavy object. When it comes Current Path Current Path
time to turn off the coil, the opposite is is
effect occurs. The electrons do not want Continuous Interrupted
to stop moving, but “bunch up” causing
high voltages. In many applications this
causes difficulties such as sparking
(deteriorating brushes and switches or
causing electromagnetic pulses) or high Coil Voltage
Operation not Spikes are
voltages across other elements. The
Adjustable High
current path needs to be CONTINUOUS
AND INTERRUPTED. Using the
principle that you have just learned,
resolve this contradiction.

L3-Partly Carried
Here again is a combination of Separation Principles. A carrier 62is attached to only part of the elements to give
them the opposing property. The part to which the carrier is not attached retains the opposing property.

Method
A A A A
Several (elements) can be used. Some of the (elements) which
are (setting A) are attached to a (carrier) which is (setting B). B
The (carrier) and attached (elements) are collectively (setting
B). The (elements or element parts) which are not carried are
still (setting A). B
Example—Pages in a Book
The pages need to be STIFF in order for the reader to control the pages while turning
each page. The pages need to be FLEXIBLE in order to easily
turn them.
Several (pages) can be used. Some of the (pages) which are
(flexible) are attached to a (binding) which is (stiff). The
(binding) and attached (pages) are collectively (stiff). The (parts
of the pages) which are not carried are still (flexible).

62 Inventive Principle #24—Mediator: Use an intermediary object to transfer or carry out an action. Temporarily connect the original object to one that is easily removed.
Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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Example—Carpet Fibers
The carpet fibers need to be STIFF in order to stay together and look new all of
the time. They need to be FLEXIBLE in order to feel soft to the touch.
Several (fibers) can be used. Some of the (fibers) which are (flexible) are
attached to a (sheath) which is (stiff). The (sheath) and attached (fibers) are
collectively (stiff). The (part of the fibers) which are not carried are still
(flexible).

Example—Combat vs. Peace Keeping

The military peace keepers need to be COMBAT READY in case of rapid enemy
deployments. It needs to be SECURITY READY in order to keep the peace.
Several (military personnel) can be used. Some of the
(military personnel) which are (peace keepers) are attached to
a (combat organization) which is (combat ready). The
(combat organization) and attached (peace keepers) are
collectively (combat ready). The (peace keepers) which are not carried are still (security
ready).

Exercise—Too Flexible
Various diameters of a thin rubber boot (which covers part of a
car shift mechanism) must be measured
with great accuracy at several points.
Boot Flexibility Boot
Unfortunately, the micrometer which is
is Very Flexibility is
used deforms the boot during the
Stiff Very Flexible
measurement. This makes the
measurement inaccurate. How can the
boot be measured more accurately? The
Boot Flexibility Needs to be FLEXIBLE Boot Life is Diameter
& STIFF. Resolve the Contradiction Low Measurement
using the principle that you have just is Inaccurate
learned.

Exercise—Super Yacht
A small ship building company considers a contract to build a
super yacht. The yacht is so big that only a third will fit into
their dock. “We will need to build this in the open harbor.”
A frustrated engineer says. “We can’t do that; we need the
availability of lifts and tools.”
The Building Location: It Assembly Assembly
should be IN THE HARBOR & Location is In Location is at
AT THE DOCK. Harbor Dock
Using the principle that you
have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.
Availability of Boat
Tools is Poor is too
Large for Dock

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L3-Partly Merged or Interacting

This is a combination of Separation between the Parts and the Whole and Separation
in Space. Some parts having one property interact or merge with other parts and
therefore take on the opposing property. Any parts remaining retain their original
opposing property.

Merge
Nestle
Interlink—may require reshaping
Linked by Transmission
Hinged

Elastic Stress Gravity Friction Adhesion

Buoyant Force Hydrostatic Pressure Jet Pressure Surface Tension

Centrifugal Force Inertial Force Coriolis Force

Oder & Taste Diffusion Osmosis Chemical Fields

Sound Vibrations & Oscillations Ultrasound Waves

Thermal Heating or Cooling Thermal Shocks Information

Corona Discharge Current Eddie Currents Particle Beams Nuclear Forces

Electrostatic Fields Magnetic Fields Electromagnetic Fields

Radio Waves Micro Waves Infrared Visible Ultraviolet X-Ray Cosmic

Method
Several (elements) can be used. They partially
merge or interact by (method of merging or B B B B
interaction). The partly merged (elements or part of
the elements) are (setting A). All that are unmerged
are (setting B). A

Example—Killing Tumors
The beam intensity must by HIGH INTENSITY in order to kill the tumor. It must be
LOW INTENSITY in order to not kill the surrounding tissue.
Several (beams) can be used. They partially merge or
interact with each other by (crossing the beams). The Tumor
partly merged (section of the beams) is (high intensity).
All that are unmerged are (low intensity).
Healthy
Tissue

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Example—Carpet Fibers
The carpet fibers need to be STIFF in order to stay together and look new all
of the time. They need to be FLEXIBLE in order to feel soft to the touch.
Several (fibers) can be used. They partially merge or interact by (tying one
fiber around the others). The partly merged (fiber strands) are (stiff). All that
are unmerged are (flexible).

Example—Group Education
The group of doctors should be TRAINED in a certain medical procedure in order to
more effectively treat patients. The group of doctors should
remain UNTRAINED in order to reduce the costs of training.
Several (doctors) can be used. They partially merge or interact
by (teaching each other the medical procedure). The partly
merged (doctors) are (trained). All that are unmerged are
(UNTRAINED).

L3-Non-Uniform
A SINGLE ELEMENT has both conflicting properties. (It is not uniform).
The brown box at the right gives a number of possible ways to create non- • Transformers (electric, levers,
uniform conditions. Note that transformation devices have one property at the etc.)
input and the conflicting property at the output. Finding a way to make an • Standing Waves
object non-uniform allows for fewer objects to be used. This can decrease the • Concentrated Additives
• Especially active Additives
cost of the objects. In mainstream TRIZ, this method is often referred to as
Local Quality.

Method
Only one (element) is allowed. One part of the (element) is (setting A).
Another part of the same (element) is (setting B).
A B
Example—Fence
The fence needs to be TALL in order to keep large animals from
escaping. It needs to be SHORT in order to stop small animals
from escaping and to be less expensive.
Only one (fence) is allowed. One part of the (fence) is (tall).
Another part of the same (fence) is (short).
Clearly, the large animals must not be allowed to move to the short
end of the fence.

Example—Space Object Size Detector

A signal burst is sent into space at a target to determine its size. If the object is much
smaller than the wavelength, there is little reflection. The signal wavelength must be
SHORT in order to detect small objects. The signal wavelength must be LARGE in order
to detect large objects.

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Only one (signal burst) is allowed. One part of the (signal burst)
is (short wavelength). Another part of the same (signal burst) is
(long wavelength).
In this case, the wavelength can be varied throughout the burst.
At any given moment in time, the burst has different
wavelengths at different locations as it travels through space.
The size of an object can be approximated by looking at the wavelength of the signal that
is reflected back.

Example—Lever
An actuator is powered by magneto-strictive materials which have high force outputs but
low displacements. The actuator needs to have HIGH movement in order move long
displacements. It needs to have LOW movement because the actuator is only capable of
small movement.
Only one (beam) is allowed. One part of the (beam) is
(slow). Another part of the same (beam) is (fast). Low Displacement
Instruments that transform energy are often good
examples of Non-Uniform Separation in Space. A lever High
is LOW FORCE and FAST at the input and HIGH Displacement
FORCE and SLOW at the output.

Example—Non-Uniform Group
In order to be comfortable liberals must be surrounded by other LIBERALS. However in
certain areas of the country the majority of people are CONSERVATIVES. Therefore
liberals are surrounded by them.
Only one (group) is allowed. One part of the (group) is
(liberals). Another part of the same (group is (conservatives). +
When given the opportunity, individuals in a group of people
will tend to locate themselves where they feel most
comfortable within the group. This makes the group non-
uniform.

Example—Non-Uniform Story
The story must be a LOVE STORY to attract women. It must
be and ACTION STORY in order to attract men. +
Only one (story) is allowed. One part of the (story) is (a love
story). Another part of the same (story) is (an action story).
Often a story or a message will begin very differently than it ends. For instance, a
murder mystery may start with a very pleasant description of a community and end with
the disclosure that a murderer has always lived with them.

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Example—Bacteria Stain
For a study on pool bacteria, a dye must be introduced which
stains the bacteria. The dye must be CONCENTRATED in
order to stain the bacteria that exist on one small wall of the
pool. It must be DILUTE in order to not stain the other walls.
Only one (stain) is allowed. One part of the (stain) is (concentrated). Another part of the
same (stain) is (dilute).

Exercise—Radiation Treatment
High levels of radiation can damage the structure of cells and
cause them to cease functioning. This is useful in the treatment
of tumors. A beam of high energy radiation is
focused on the tumor. After the procedure, the Radiation Radiation
tumor shrinks. Unfortunately, the tissue Intensity is Intensity is
surrounding the tumor is also damaged by the Low High
high energy radiation. The Radiation Intensity
needs to be HIGH AND LOW. Using the
principle that you have just learned, resolve this Tumor Surrounding
contradiction. Shrinkage is Tissue Damage
Poor is High

Exercise—Blistering Coils
Product on an assembly line must pass under a heating
coil in order to be fully treated. The product that
passes under the center part of the coil is fully treated,
but the product that passes under the coil at the edge of
the conveyor belt is not fully treated. If the coil
spacing was finer, the outer product could be Coil Spacing Coil Spacing
is is
fully treated. However, the product at the
Fine Coarse
center of the belt is over-heated. The Coil
Spacing should be FINE & COARSE. Using
the principle that you have just learned, resolve
this contradiction.
Inner Product Outer
is Over Heated Product is
not Fully
Treated

Exercise—Too Flexible
Various diameters of a thin rubber boot (which covers part of
a car shift mechanism) must be measured with great
accuracy at several points. Unfortunately, the micrometer
which is used deforms the boot during the measurement.

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This makes the measurement Boot Flexibility Boot

inaccurate. How can the boot be is Very Flexibility is
measured more accurately? The Boot Stiff Very Flexible
Flexibility Needs to be FLEXIBLE &
STIFF. Resolve the Contradiction using
the principle that you have just learned.
Boot Life is Diameter
Low Measurement
is Inaccurate

Exercise—Soft Water
The addition of bubbles to diving pools is a good way to
keep diving injuries to a minimum. This is especially true
when diving from great heights. Unfortunately, the diver is
no longer buoyant in the water and finds it difficult to
surface after a dive. The Bubbles need
to be EXISTENT AND ABSENT. Bubbles Bubbles
Using the principle that you have just Absent in Exist in
learned, resolve this contradiction. Water Water

Damage to divers Surfacing is

is High Difficult

Exercise—Super Yacht
A small ship building company considers a contract to build a
super yacht. The yacht is so big that only a third will fit into
their dock. “We will need to build this in the open harbor.” A
frustrated engineer says. “We can’t do that; we need the
availability of lifts and tools.”
Assembly Assembly
The Building Location: It
Location is In Location is at
should be IN THE HARBOR
Harbor Dock
& AT THE DOCK. Using
the principle that you have
just learned, resolve this
contradiction.
Availability of Boat
Tools is Poor is too
Large for Dock
Exercise—the
Beat Goes On
Heart surgery is sometimes required for battlefield wounds to
the heart. Small pieces of shrapnel become lodged in the
heart muscle. Usually, the heart is stopped, temporarily, to
repair it since it is very difficult to operate on a beating heart.
This stoppage of blood flow is very traumatic for the rest of
the body which may be badly damaged.
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If it were possible to operate on the Heart Heart

beating heart, there would likely be more Motion is Motion is
survivors. The Heart Movement must be Still Beating
BEATING & STILL. Using the principle
that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.
Trauma to Rest of Operational
Body is Mistakes are
High Frequent

L3-Facsimile •
•
Photographs
Movies
• Paint Coverings
A facsimile 63 or representation of the object has the opposing properties of the actual • Molds
object. To the right are a number of possible facsimiles. These various methods represent • Time lapse photos
only the important feature of the object that we are interested in. • Impressions
• Silhouettes
Note that this is actually a method for Separating in Space but it is grouped here for • Castings
convenience and because the test works well to support this method. • Resists
• Projections
•
Method Computer Models

The (element) is unfortunately (setting A). But we can

change its (appearance, sound, feel, smell or effect) to A B
seem like it is (setting B) when using (a type of
facsimile that represents the important attributes). Original Facsimile
Example—Movie
The bullet in flight is FAST because that is how they come. The bullet must be SLOW in
order to see how it enters the target.
The (bullet) is unfortunately (fast). But we can
change its (appearance) to seem like it is (slow)
when using (a movie of the bullet).

Example—Modeling of Explosion
The explosion is very FAST which makes it difficult to measure many characteristics
throughout the explosion area. It needs to be very SLOW in order to go around to the
different regions and measure the important attributes.

63 Inventive Principle #26—Copying: A simplified and inexpensive copy should be used in place of a fragile original or an object that is inconvenient to operate. If a visible
optical copy is used, replace it with an infrared or ultraviolet copies. Replace an object (or system of objects) with their optical image. The image can then be reduced or enlarged.
Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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The (explosion) is unfortunately (fast). But we can

change its (appearance) to seem like it is (slow)
when using (a model of the explosion).

Example—Organization Model
An actual organization must be ALTERED SLOWLY in order to not make mistakes and
cause resentment. It is necessary to ALTER RAPIDLY in order to consider the different
possibilities.
The (organization) is unfortunately (altered slowly).
But we can change its (appearance) to seem like it is
(rapidly altered) when using (an organizational
chart).

Example—Meeting Notes
The actual meeting may be very LONG and drawn out. It needs to be SHORT in order to
not take a lot of management time.
The (meeting duration) is unfortunately (long). But we
can change its (appearance) to seem like it is (short) when Blah
blah
using (a meeting summary).

Example—Vaccine
In order to obtain immunity, a VIRUS gives that the
correct bodily response. Unfortunately, a virus can be
deadly so NO VIRUS must be used to keep people safe.
The (virus) is unfortunately (a virus). But we can
change its (effect) to seem like it is (not a virus) when Virus Vaccine
using (a vaccine).

Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars full
of logs. It is the job of the inspector to measure each log
diameter. Unfortunately the train does not stay long. So far,
the problem has been solved by hiring many inspectors.
The inspectors have nothing to do between
Stopping Stopping
trains and sit for hours. The productivity of Time is Time is
the inspectors is low. If the logs would just Long Short
stay at the station for a long time, one
inspector could do the job and would be fully
occupied.
The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG &
Log More
SHORT. Using the principle that you have
Transportation Inspectors and
just learned, resolve this contradiction. is Inefficient Idle Time

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Exercise—Fish to the Rescue

Like most large predators, a shark will follow its prey in
close pursuit until the smaller prey exhausts its energy.
Although the prey may be more nimble, it cannot outrun its
larger foe forever. If the smaller fish could dodge and dart
forever, it could easily outmaneuver the larger
shark. The Fish should have INFINITE Endurance Endurance
ENDURANCE in order to outrun the shark and is is
NORMAL ENDURANCE because that is how Infinite Low
small fish are. Resolve the contradiction by using
the method you have just learned. No fish
come this
way
Vulnerability

L3-Selective Countering
is
High

Blocking actions, forces or fields can exist in one location. In another location these actions, forces or fields do not
exist. The counteraction 64 nullifies the action in that region so the conflicting attributes have a setting in one region
and the null setting in another.

Method
For actions, forces or extrinsic attributes that depend upon interactions such as beauty.
Part of the (element) has (countering forces, fields or actions) in one location. In
another location of the (element) the counter (counter forces, fields or actions) do not
exist.

Example—Football Play
The line needs to HOLD FAST in order that quarterback is not overwhelmed. The line
needs to GIVE WAY in order to create an opening
for the ball carrier.
For actions, forces or extrinsic attributes that depend
upon interactions such as beauty. Part of the
(offensive line) has (blocking) in one location. In
another location of the (offensive line) the (blocking
actions) do not exist.

Exercise—I Just Can’t Stop

Electromagnetic coils are used for many applications which
require the generation of force. Magnetic fields generated
by the coil and the spool upon which the wire is wound
interact with plungers also made of magnetic materials.
V
Usually, the flow of current to the coil is initiated by
throwing a switch which allows electrons to begin flowing.

64 Inventive Principle #8—Counterweight: Compensate for the weight of an object by combining it with another object that provides a lifting force. Compensate for the weight
of an object with aerodynamic or hydrodynamic forces influenced by the outside environment. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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Such coils are natural inductors, meaning that the flow of electrons begins slowly, like
trying to push a heavy object. When it comes time to turn off the coil, the opposite effect
occurs. The electrons do not want to
stop moving, but “bunch up” causing Current Path Current Path
high voltages. In many applications is is
this causes difficulties such as sparking Continuous Interrupted
(deteriorating brushes and switches or
causing electromagnetic pulses) or
high voltages across other elements.
The current path needs to be
Coil Voltage
CONTINUOUS AND
Operation not Spikes are
INTERRUPTED. Using the principle Adjustable High
that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.
L3-On Condition
Opposing conditions separated in space create situations where an element automatically has conflicting properties
by being located in the opposing locations.

Method
One (element) is (location creating condition A) rendering it (setting A). Another
(element) is (location creating condition B) rendering it (setting
B)

Example—Boat Mooring
The boat must be MOBILE in order to fish or enjoy other
recreation. The boat must be IMMOBILE in order to not drift off
when unoccupied.
One (boat) is (in the water) rendering it (mobile). Another (boat)
is (on the land) rendering it (immobile).

Example—Foams, Liquids, Floating Solids, Fluids in

Motion
These selectively pass large objects. They may stop gases,
other liquids and very small objects. Consider using inert
materials to perform this. In this example, evolving gases
from a machining process are stopped by a foam barrier. The
foam is TRANSPARENT to large objects and OPAQUE to
small objects.
One (high inertia body) is (through the foam) rendering it (transparent). Another (small
inertia body) is (anywhere the large inertia body is not located) rendering it (opaque).
Note that wherever there is a large inertia force, there is a small resistance to the large
inertia body. Everywhere else, there is a high resistance to small inertia bodies. This can
also be a separation in time. Whenever small inertial forces occur, there is a large
resistance to transmit the small inertia body. Whenever large inertial forces occur there is
a small resistance to transmit the large inertia body.

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Exercise—I Just Can’t Stop

Electromagnetic coils are used for many applications
which require the generation of force. Magnetic fields
generated by the coil and the spool upon which the wire is
wound interact with plungers also made of magnetic
materials. Usually, the flow of current to the coil is V
initiated by throwing a switch which
allows electrons to begin flowing. Such Current Path Current Path
coils are natural inductors, meaning that is is
the flow of electrons begins slowly, like Continuous Interrupted
trying to push a heavy object. When it
comes time to turn off the coil, the
opposite effect occurs. The electrons do
not want to stop moving, but “bunch up”
causing high voltages. In many Coil Voltage
applications this causes difficulties such Operation not Spikes are
as sparking (deteriorating brushes and Adjustable High
switches or causing electromagnetic
pulses) or high voltages across other
elements. The current path needs to be CONTINUOUS AND INTERRUPTED. Using
the principle that you have just learned, resolve this contradiction.

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In ?
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high. If the package is dense and compact, it
falls with pinpoint accuracy. A chute
opens near the end to keep the contents Package Package
from being damaged. Unfortunately, contents are contents are
Useless Useful
enemy troops on the ground then
confiscate the package and hoard the
supplies to themselves. They quickly
discover that the contents are useful and
look for them. The Package Contents must
be USEFUL AND USELESS Using the Value For Enemy Troop
Needy is Confiscation is
principle that you have just learned, resolve
Low High
this contradiction.

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L2-Separate Between the Parts and the

Whole
Separation between the Parts and the Whole 65 is uniquely different from Separation in
Time and space. At the same critical moment in time and in the same space, a
grouping of objects can have a collective property and its parts can have the opposing + +
property. 66
Using the principle, we may either hide one of the properties or express both.
Whether we express both properties or hide one of them depends upon how we
arrange the parts. If we arrange them so that the parts cannot interact with other elements or in a way that minimizes
the interactions, then one of the properties may be hidden or disposed of. If we arrange them so that the parts can
interact at their respective scales then both properties can be expressed.
This separation principle is particularly useful when one desires to hide or dispose of one of the properties. In this
case, we arrange the elements so that we minimize critical interactions. We may do this by actually hiding the
elements. Some may ask “When does it occur that only one of the conflicting properties is useful?” There are two
common conditions. The first condition is when an “outcome” must and must not occur. For example, something is
broken but it must not be broken. Another condition is when an element only comes in “one flavor”. For instance,
something must be large, but it only comes as small entities. In each of these cases, it may be possible to hide the
undesirable “flavor” or outcome.
On the other hand it may be desirable to express both properties, one is expressed at a larger scale, where it is
needed, and the other is expressed at a smaller scale where it is needed. We will refer to the larger scale as the
“macro” scale and the smaller scale as the “micro” scale for brevity, though the two scales may be quite similar and
the “micro” scale may be quite large. A piece of sandpaper is flexible at the macro scale in order to conform to large
objects. The small abrasive particles are stiff at the smaller scale in order to gouge into the surface of the wood.
Note that the parts are arranged in such a way that they can interact and thus the micro properties can be expressed.
Following is the test and the various strategies for Separating between the Parts and the Whole.

L2-Method
Step 1: At a critical moment in time does one of the properties need to be hidden or is
one property required at the macro scale and the other property required at a smaller
scale?
Step 2: Consider attaching the object to a carrier which carries the opposing property,
thus hiding the unwanted property

65 Separation between the Parts and the Whole appears in Creativity as an Exact Science-The Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems by G.S. Altshuller published by
Gordon and Breach. It can be found in the appendix discussing ARIZ 77 Page 292

66 STANDARD 3-1-5. Efficiency of bi- and poly-systems can be improved by distributing incompatible properties among the system and its parts. This is achieved by using a
two-level structure in which the system as a whole has a certain property A, while its parts (particles) have property anti-A. Example: A working part of a vice is made of
segmented plates capable of moving relatively each other. Parts of various shapes can be gripped quickly.

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Step 3: Consider segmenting 67 the element or merging multiple elements in order to hide
an unwanted property
Step 4: Consider making the parts counter 68 each other

L3-Test for Separation between the Parts and the

Whole
This is one of the simplest tests for separation principles. The purpose of separating between the parts and the whole
is to only end up with one important property. In the end, only one of the settings will be expressed, the macro
property.

Test:
Step 1: At a critical moment in time, should either (setting A) or (setting B) be hidden or
minimized to solve the problem?
Step 2: At a critical moment in time, do I want (setting A) and (setting B) to be expressed
at different scales?
Step 3: If the answer to 1 and 2 is “no”, go to separation by direction. Otherwise,
separate between the parts and the whole.

Example—Pile Driving
We would like the pile to be SHARP in order to drive it more
rapidly and we would like it to be BLUNT in order to support
well.
Test for Separation between the Parts and the Whole:
Step 1: At a critical moment in time, should either (blunt) or
(sharp) be hidden or minimized to solve the problem? No, there
is no critical time in which both settings should be hidden or
minimized.
Step 2: At a critical moment in time, do I want (sharp) and (blunt) to be expressed at
different scales? No, there is no time in which we would desire both bluntness and
sharpness.
Step 3: If the answer to 1 and 2 is “no”, go to separation by direction. Otherwise,
separate between the parts and the whole. Since the answer to both is “no” we would go
to separation by direction.

67 Inventive Principle #1—Segmentation: Divide an object into independent parts. Make an object sectional (for easy assembly or disassembly). Increase the degree of an
object's segmentation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

68 Inventive Principle #8—Counterweight: Compensate for the weight of an object by combining it with another object that provides a lifting force. Compensate for the weight
of an object with aerodynamic or hydrodynamic forces influenced by the outside environment. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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Example—Traffic Light
The lights in a traffic light must eventually FAIL due to the action of the
current on the filament and to vibration. The traffic light must NOT FAIL in
order to not cause traffic delays or make the intersection more dangerous.
This is an example of an output contradiction. Most people would think of
this as the Y in the function Y=f(X1, X2, X3…). They show up as implicit
contradictions on the causal analysis diagrams. Something must be undesirable and
desirable, without reference to what is causing the undesirable behavior.
Test for Separation between the Parts and the Whole:
Step 1: At a critical moment in time, should either (failed) or (not failed) be hidden or
minimized to solve the problem? Yes, if bulb failure was minimized during any time
after failure of a light bulb that would solve the problem and it would be sufficient.
Step 2: At a critical moment in time, do I want (sharp) and (blunt) to be expressed at
different scales? No, there is no critical time that both properties are essential
Step 3: If the answer to 1 and 2 is “no”, go to separation by direction. Otherwise,
separate between the parts and the whole. The answer to 1 is “yes” so we will try to
separate between the parts and the whole.

Example—Sand Paper
We require a RIGID structure in order to cut the surface of the
wood, but we require a FLEXIBLE material in order to conform to
the rounded contours of the wood project that we are making.
Test for Separation by Scale:
Step 1: At a critical moment in time, should either (rigid) or (flexible) be hidden or
minimized to solve the problem? No, we want the sanding system to be both flexible and
stiff.
Step 2: At a critical moment in time, do I want (flexible) and (rigid) to be expressed at
different scales? Yes, I want flexibility to be expressed at the macro scale and rigidity be
expressed at the micro scale.
Step 3: If the answer to 1 and 2 is “no”, go to separation by direction. Otherwise,
separate between the parts and the whole. The answer to 2 is yes so we will try to
separate between the parts and the whole.

Exercise—The Lesser Weevil

In the war on hunger, Russian scientists were studying the
metabolism of the weevil. This required the scientists to be able to
measure the body temperature over a period of time. Tiny
temperature probes were proposed, which through the aid of a
microscope could be inserted into the weevil. The cost of these
probes and placement apparatus were prohibitive.

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If the Weevil were only larger,

Weevil Weevil
we could put a normal Size is Size is
thermometer into its mouth Large Small
opening? The Weevil needs to be
LARGE AND SMALL. Test for Weevils only
Separation between the Parts and come small
the Whole.
Thermometer
insertion is difficult
or complex

Exercise—Vibrating
Water Wheel
Consider an aluminum water wheel. Inlet flow strikes the blades
after accelerating in the nozzle, transferring energy and
momentum to the blade and wheel. During energy transfer the
blade is bent slightly and released causing it to
vibrate. Pressure Pressure
Forces Non- Forces are
The resulting alternating stresses decrease the Existent High
life of the turbine blades. If the pressure forces
were eliminated, so would the vibration.
(Assume a constant speed). The Pressure
Forces should be HIGH & ABSENT. Test for Turbine Output Turbine blade
Separation between the Parts and the Whole. is Low and component
life is low

Exercise—Blistering Coils
Product on an assembly line must pass under a heating
coil in order to be fully treated. The product that passes
under the center part of the coil is fully treated, but the
product that passes under the coil at the edge of
the conveyor belt is not fully treated. If the coil Coil Spacing Coil Spacing
spacing was finer, the outer product could be is is
fully treated. However, the product at the Fine Coarse
center of the belt is over-heated. The Coil
Spacing should be FINE & COARSE. Test for
Separation between the Parts and the Whole.
Inner Product Outer
is Over Heated Product is
not Fully
Treated
Exercise—What’s Up Dock
“We’ll make a fortune” the small investor said. “When
they build the houses around this lake, everyone will
want a place to dock their boats and we got the last
parcel on the lake”.

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“Yes, but it is too small to store many boats” Dock Dock

his wife complained. “And we are not is is
allowed to build the dock out more than 20 Large Small
yards”. “I know” she continued “We can fill
every available square foot with dock and
boats!” “We still will not be able to store
enough boats to make money” the investor
Cost of Leasing Revenue
said after making a few calculations. The
More Beach is is
Dock should be SMALL & LARGE. Test High Low
for Separation between the Parts and the
Whole.

Exercise—the Beat Goes On

Heart surgery is sometimes required for battlefield wounds to the
heart. Small pieces of shrapnel become lodged in the heart
muscle. Usually, the heart is stopped, temporarily, to repair it
since it is very difficult to operate on a
Heart Heart
beating heart. This stoppage of blood flow Motion is Motion is
is very traumatic for the rest of the body Still Beating
which may be badly damaged. If it were
possible to operate on the beating heart,
there would likely be more survivors. The
Heart Movement must be BEATING &
STILL. Test for Separation between the Trauma to Rest of Operational
Parts and the Whole. Body is Mistakes are
High Frequent

L3-Formation
Multiplied or segmented 69 elements have one desirable property. These elements are separate and placed into a
formation that gives the whole system of elements the opposing property. If both properties are expressed then the
individual parts should be arranged to allow interaction. The individual parts do not interact with each other (that
would be merging). The macro property occurs because of the formation. Scale down multiplied versions if
necessary.

Method
(Segmented or individual) (elements) are (setting A). The A A A
(elements) are arranged into a formation which (describe
working formation). This formation has the macro effect
of being (setting B). (Setting A) is (expressed or hidden).
B

69 Inventive Principle #1—Segmentation: Divide an object into independent parts. Make an object sectional (for easy assembly or disassembly). Increase the degree of an
object's segmentation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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Example—Square and Round

The individual shapes are unfortunately ROUND. We would like them to be SQUARE.
(Individual) (shapes) are (round). The (shapes) are arranged into a
formation which (approximate the shape of a square). This formation has
the macro effect of being (square). (Roundness) is (hidden).

Example—Large Impact Posters

The individual posters need to be LOW IMPACT so as to not arouse suspicions that they
were created by activists. They need to be HIGH IMPACT in order to have the desired
effect on the visitors that attend the poster
session.
Poster + Poster + Poster
(Individual) (posters) are (low impact). The
(posters) are arranged into a formation which
(takes the viewer from one poster to the next). Poster + Poster + Poster
This formation has the macro effect of being
(high impact). (Low impact) is (expressed).

Example—Small Explosions
A LARGE explosion is necessary to move a lot of earth. Unfortunately, only SMALL
explosive charges are available.
(Individual) (explosions) are (small). The
(explosions) are arranged into a formation which (is
sufficiently close to have the required effect). This =
formation has the macro effect of being (large).
(Smallness) is (hidden).

Example—Small Advertisements
Only SMALL impact statements are possible in the
available advertising spaces on the page. But the
impact of the statement needs to be LARGE. + +
(Individual) (statements) are (small impact). The
(statements) are arranged into a formation which + +
(strategically placed on the page to give maximum
visual impact). This formation has the macro effect of
being (large impact). (Small impact) is (hidden).
= One Big
Statement

Example—Exchanging Hydrogen
The individual sulfuric acid molecules need to be SMALL in order
to attach to the hydrogen ions. They need to be LARGE in order
to move large quantities of hydrogen.
(Individual) (sulfuric acid molecules) are (small). The (sulfuric
acid molecules) are arranged into a formation which (has random
but uniform dispersion in an aqueous solution). This formation has the macro effect of
being (large). (Smallness) is (expressed).

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Example—Big Person
The person needs to be LARGE to lift the log. Unfortunately, all we have is AVERAGE
size people.
(Individual) (people) are (average sized).
The (people) are arranged into a formation
which (line up along the log). This + + + + =
formation has the macro effect of being
(large). (Average sized) is (hidden).

Example—Square and Round

The individual shapes need to be ROUND in order to perform their proper function.
They need to be SQUARE in order to fit nicely into an inexpensive box.
(Individual) (shapes) are (round). The (shapes) are arranged into a
formation which (is the approximate shape of a square). This formation
has the macro effect of being (square). (Roundness) is (expressed).

Exercise—Molecular Wind Pump

A molecular wind is created by applying a very high H
voltage source to a very sharp object. The
electrostatic field gradient at the tip is very high. ig
Any stray electrons in the gas (knocked off by a
stray gamma ray for example) are accelerated by the
field and collide with other molecules
causing an avalanche of charges seen as a Local Gas Local Gas
“corona discharge”. The resulting ionized Movement is Movement is
molecules are repelled from the charged Large Small
object, causing a molecular wind. The
wind is localized to the point and could be
Only comes one
used to pump rarified gas, except that the
way
movement of the gas is so small.
Flow
The Local Gas Movement should be is
SMALL & LARGE. Using the principle Miniscule
that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.

Exercise—Traffic Light
The lights in a traffic light must eventually FAIL due to the action of the
current on the filament and to vibration. The traffic light must NOT FAIL in
order to not cause traffic delays or make the intersection more dangerous.
This is an example of an output Traffic Light Traffic Light
contradiction. Most people would think Operation Fails Operation Doesn’t
of this as the Y in the function. Resolve Fail
this contradiction using the method you
have just learned. All lights will Note that nothing
eventually fail gets worse

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L3-Merging
The term “merging 70” will be used more broadly to indicate
“interacting” with individual or segmented 71 objects. The
Interact through a field at a distance
individual objects or segments have one desired property and the Interact through a “mediator” substance
interacting objects have the opposing property. Such interactions Linked by Transmission
can be achieved with the fields shown in the Table of Fields. Touch
Interweave
A mediating substance or “mediator” can also allow the Nest
individual elements to interact with each other. The mediating Nestle
substance or field typically operates at the macro scale while the Interlink
Clamped
individual elements operate at the micro scale. Merging allows for Hinged
action at a distance as well as the potential of touching, nesting 72, Interfused
interweaving, attaching and mixing. We also allow for fields Fractal Constructions
which repulse rather than attract.
In order to drive to ideality, we would like to use existing fields if possible. An example of this would be to make
the elements interlink. Mechanical fields already exist; why not allow them to perform the act of merging?

Elastic Stress Gravity Friction Adhesion

Buoyant Force Hydrostatic Pressure Jet Pressure Surface Tension

Centrifugal Force Inertial Force Coriolis Force

Oder & Taste Diffusion Osmosis Chemical Fields

Sound Vibrations & Oscillations Ultrasound Waves

Thermal Heating or Cooling Thermal Shocks Information

Corona Discharge Current Eddie Currents Particle Beams Nuclear Forces

Electrostatic Fields Magnetic Fields Electromagnetic Fields

Radio Waves Micro Waves Infrared Visible Ultraviolet X-Ray Cosmic

70 Inventive Principle #5—Consolidation: Consolidate in space homogeneous objects, or objects destined for contiguous operations. Consolidate in time homogeneous or
contiguous operations. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

71 Inventive Principle #1—Segmentation: Divide an object into independent parts. Make an object sectional (for easy assembly or disassembly). Increase the degree of an object's
segmentation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

72 Inventive Principle #7—Nesting (Matrioshka): One object is placed inside another. That object is placed inside a third one. And so on. An object passes through a cavity in
another object. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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As in all of the merging methods, it may be necessary to break the element down into multiple pieces that can then
interact. When an element is segmented into multiple elements, this creates new resources and properties such as
adjustability 73.

Method
(Segmented or individual) (elements) have the
property of being (setting A). When made to
A A A
interact with each other by (field, mediator,
method or arrangement), the overall effect is B
(setting B). (Setting A) is (expressed or hidden).

Example—Car Chain
The anti-slip device must be STIFF in order to dig into the ice on the road. It must be
FLEXIBLE in order to wrap around the tire.
(Segmented) (anti-slip devices) have the property of
being (stiff). When made to interact with each other by
(interlocking), the overall system is (flexible).
(Stiffness) is (expressed).

Example—Pinned Truss System of Support

The structure must BE UNABLE TO TRANSFER A MOMENT in order to more easily
calculate the loads throughout the structure. The structure must CAPABLE OF
CARRYING MOMENTS in order to transfer the load correctly.
(Segmented) (structural elements) have the property of being
(unable to transfer a moment). When made to interact with
each other through (pins), the overall effect is (capable of
carrying a moment). (Unable to transfer a moment) is (expressed).

Example—Bicycle Chain
The transmission must be RIGID in order to not yield on the sprockets
and it must be FLEXIBLE to wrap around the sprockets.
(Segmented) (transmission elements) have the property of being (rigid).
When made to interact with each other by (hinging pins), the overall
effect is (flexible). (rigid) is (expressed).

Example—Square and Round Shapes

The individual shapes need to be ROUND in order to perform their proper function.
They need to be SQUARE in order to fit nicely into an inexpensive box.

73 Inventive Principle #15—Dynamicity: Characteristics of an object or outside environment, must be altered to provide optimal performance at each stage of an operation. If an
object is immobile, make it mobile. Make it interchangeable. Divide an object into elements capable of changing their position relative to each other. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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(Individual) (shapes) have the property of being (round). When made

to interact with each other by (being merged in a square shape), the
overall effect is (square). (Round) is (expressed).

Example—Shell Structure
The structure needs to be THIN in order to be light. It needs to
be THICK in order to be structurally sound. Thick

(Segmented) (structural areas) have the property of being (thin).

When made to interact with each other by (merging into a shell
Thin
structure), the overall effect is (thick). (Thinness) is (expressed).

Example—Covalently Bonded
Compounds
The molecules need to be CHARGED and NEUTRAL.
(Individual) (ions) have the property of being (charged). When A+ B-
made to interact with each other by (ionic bonding), the overall
effect is (neutrally charged). (Being charged) is (hidden).

Example—Puzzle
Each piece of the puzzle displays A PARTIAL PICTURE. What is
required for viewing is AWHOLE PICTURE.
(Segmented) (picture pieces) have the property of being (a partial
picture). When made to interact with each other by (interlocking),
the overall effect is (a whole picture). (Being a partial picture) is
(hidden).

Example—Interacting Documents
The individual specifications are INCOMPLETE making them difficult to understand.
What is needed is a COMPLETE specification.
Doc Doc
(Individual) (specifications) have the property of being
(incomplete). When made to interact with each other by (a
connecting database), the overall effect is (complete).
(Incomplete) is (hidden).

Example—Interacting Sales People Spread

Information
Sales people in the group are UNKNOWLEDGEABLE. This is a disadvantage while
working with customers. They must be
KNOWLEDGABLE.
(Individual) (sales people) have the property of being
(unknowledgeable). When made to interact with each
other by (merging), the overall effect is (knowledgeable).
(unknowledgeable) is (hidden).

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Example—Gas Velocity
The beaker of liquid needs to be VERY STILL during an
experiment. However, it is made of individual molecules which
each have HIGH VELOCITIES.
(Individual) (molecules) have the property of being (high velocity).
When made to interact with each other by (colliding), the overall
effect is (collectively still at the macro level). (High velocity) is
(hidden).

Example—Large Impact Affidavit

The affidavits have LITTLE IMPACT since they are only from average people
describing small incidents of problems. This is the only way that they come. The
affidavit needs to have MAJOR IMPACT in order to sway the judges.
(Individual) (affidavits) have the property
of being (small impact). When made to Doc + Doc + Doc = Doc
interact with each other by (merging into
a book), the overall effect is (major
impact). (Small impact) is (hidden).

Example—Thin and Thick Plates

At the critical moment of drilling, the plates need to be THICK. They need to be THIN
because that is how they are supplied to the machining center.
(Individual) (plates) have the property of being (thin).
When made to interact with each other by (merging
into a clamped stack), the overall effect is (thick).
(Thin) is (hidden).
Note that we use merging in Separation in Time. This might as well have been a case
where there was a necessary reason for the plates to be thin in order to provide a useful
function. We note, however, that at the critical time of drilling, the thinness is no longer
useful and we need to discard this setting. We get to the same solution as in Separation
in Time.

Example—Stiff Spring
We need the spring to be STIFF but, unfortunately, we only have FLEXIBLE SPRINGS.
(Individual) (springs) have the property of being (flexible). When
made to interact with each other by (several rows of springs where
the springs share the load in parallel), the overall effect is (stiff).
(Flexible) is (hidden).

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Example—Colored Printing
The stamp needs to be MANY COLORS but there are only FEW COLORS.
(Individual) (colors) have the property of being (few colors).
When made to interact with each other by (groupings of areas
where the fraction of each color is different), the overall effect is
(many colors). (\Few colors) is (hidden).

Example Toothbrush
The bristles must be BLUNT because of the cutoff machine. But
they must be SHARP in order to move the plaque.
(Individual) (levels of bristles) have the property of being (blunt).
When made to interact with each other by (merging into a cone
shape), the overall effect is (sharp). (Blunt) is (hidden).

Example—Superbolt
The tensioning bolt must have SMALL TENSION in order to have low installation
torques. The tension bolt must have LARGE TENSION in order to tension large loads.
(Individual) (small bolts) have the property of being (small
tension). When made to interact with each other by (merging
into a circle), the overall effect is (large tension). (small
tension) is (hidden).
This device is made by Superbolt company.

Exercise—The Lesser Weevil

In the war on hunger, Russian scientists were studying the
metabolism of the weevil. This required the scientists to be able
to measure the body temperature over a period of time. Tiny
temperature probes were proposed, which through the aid of a
microscope could be inserted into
the weevil. The cost of these Weevil Weevil
probes and placement apparatus Size is Size is
were prohibitive. If the Weevil Large Small
were only larger, we could put a
normal thermometer into its Weevils only
mouth opening? The Weevil come small
needs to be LARGE AND Thermometer
SMALL. Using the principle that insertion is difficult
you have just learned, resolve this or complex
contradiction.

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Exercise—Fish to the Rescue

Like most large predators, a shark will follow its prey in
close pursuit until the smaller prey exhausts its energy.
Although the prey may be more nimble, it cannot outrun its
larger foe forever. If the smaller fish could dodge
Endurance Endurance
and dart forever, it could easily outmaneuver the
is is
larger shark. The Fish should have INFINITE
Infinite Low
ENDURANCE in order to outrun the shark and
NORMAL ENDURANCE because that is how
No Fish
small fish are. Resolve the contradiction by using
comes
the method you have just learned.
this way
Vulnerability
is
High

Exercise—A Slight Polishing

Your company polishes the edges of glass plates. Thousands
of plates are polished each day. The edges of the glass plates
are polished on a fast moving belt covered with abrasive
materials. One day an order comes in for polishing glass
plates which are only .010 inches thick. The first attempts to
polish the edges are catastrophic. The edges
are chipped so badly that the plates are Plate Plate
unusable. Due to the high volume of plates Thickness is Thickness is
which are normally processed, it is not Thick Thin
practical to change the machinery. The
problem would go away if the plates were
THICK, but they only come THIN. Using Plate only
the principle that you have just learned, comes in one Edge Breaking
resolve this contradiction. thickness is High

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In ?
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high. If the package is dense and compact, it
falls with pinpoint accuracy. A chute opens
Package Package
near the end to keep the contents from
contents are contents are
being damaged. Unfortunately, enemy Useless Useful
troops on the ground then confiscate the
package and hoard the supplies to
themselves. They quickly discover that the
contents are useful and look for them. The
Package Contents must be USEFUL AND
Value For Enemy Troop
USELESS Using the principle that you Confiscation is
Needy is
have just learned, resolve this Low High
contradiction.

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Exercise—Traffic Light
The lights in a traffic light must eventually FAIL due to the action of the
current on the filament and to vibration. The
traffic light must NOT FAIL in order to not Light Light
cause traffic delays or make the intersection Is not Failed is Failed
more dangerous.
Using the principle that you have just Lights will fail
learned, resolve this contradiction. eventually

Traffic Control is
Hectic

Exercise—Metallic Film
In the production of metallic laminates, Thick
metallic films are produced by successively
rolling the metal between rollers until it reaches
the desired thickness. The resulting film
is rolled up into large rolls which are Laminate Laminate
easily manipulated. When making ultra Thickness is Thickness is
Thick Thin
thin films for laminates, new problems
arise. Because the film is so thin, both
the production and manipulation Laminate thickness
becomes difficult. The tolerance only useful in one
between rollers becomes unreasonable thickness
Handling damage
and handling damage becomes very high. is high
The laminate must be THICK &
ULTRA-THIN. Using the principle that
you have just learned, resolve this contradiction.

Exercise—Molecular Wind Pump

A molecular wind is created by applying a very High Voltage Source
high voltage source to a very sharp object. The
electrostatic field gradient at the tip is very high.
Any stray electrons in the gas (knocked off by a
stray gamma ray for example) are
accelerated by the field and collide with Local Gas Local Gas
other molecules causing an avalanche of Movement is Movement is
charges seen as a “corona discharge”. The Large Small
resulting ionized molecules are repelled
from the charged object, causing a Only comes one
molecular wind. The wind is localized to way
the point and could be used to pump
rarified gas, except that the movement of Flow
the gas is so small. is
Miniscule
The Local Gas Movement should be
SMALL & LARGE. Using the principle that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.

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Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars full of
logs. It is the job of the inspector to measure each log diameter.
Unfortunately the train does not stay long.
So far, the problem has been solved by Stopping Stopping
hiring many inspectors. Time is Time is
Long Short
The inspectors have nothing to do between
trains and sit for hours. The productivity of
the inspectors is low. If the logs would just
stay at the station for a long time, one
inspector could do the job and would be fully Log More
occupied. Transportation Inspectors and
is Inefficient Idle Time
The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG &
SHORT. Using the principle that
you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction. Attaching
L3-Carrier •
•
Touch
Adhere
• Clamped
One or more objects with one property are closely associated • Hinged
with a “carrier 74” substance having the conflicting desirable • Dual Phase States (like ice and water)
property. The whole takes on the desired property of the • Attached Composite Structures
carrier. Using carriers is one of the most powerful methods of
changing the properties of objects. Nesting
• Nest
If the property of the element is desirable, then they are • Nestle
arranged in the carrier in such a way that they are expressed • Paint
at the smaller “micro” scale. Thus, both properties may be • Inert Environments
expressed or an undesirable property of the element may be
hidden. Mixing
• Partially Mixed
Using a carrier requires the addition of new substances which • Mixture
is not desirable, so try to find the least expensive carrier • Interweave
possible. • Fabrics and Matrix
• Multi Fiber Fabrics
Simply attaching a carrier to the object may be sufficient to • Multi Property Laminates
allow the carrier to “loan” its properties. This can be done in • Mixtures of Different Molecules
a variety of ways shown in the orange box, such as simply • Gels (Liquids + Solids)
• Pastes (Liquids + Solids)
touching, being clamped together, adhering together, etc.
• Foams (solid or liquid)
Objects with one property can be nested 75 inside another • Capillary Structures (Solid + Liquid)
object having the conflicting desirable property. The whole • Components of Solids or Liquid
• Porous Materials
takes on the desired property of the carrier. The carrier can be
• Foams

74 Inventive Principle #24—Mediator: Use an intermediary object to transfer or carry out an action. Temporarily connect the original object to one that is easily removed.
Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

75 Inventive Principle #7—Nesting (Matrioshka): One object is placed inside another. That object is placed inside a third one. And so on. An object passes through a cavity in
another object. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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solid, liquid or gas. Consider some of the more unusual carriers in the orange box.
A segmented 76 carrier having a desirable property may be mixed with segmented or multiplied elements having the
opposing undesirable property. The whole takes on the properties of the carrier. The orange box shows some of the
more unusual carrier mixtures possible. Refer to these as you consider resolving your contradiction. The term
“segmented carrier” has reference to liquid molecules, fibers and even larger elements such as laminate sheets.
Consider finer and finer scales down to sub-atomic particles.

Method B B B
A
(An inexpensive carrier object or substance) which is (setting A
A) is (attached to, surrounding or mixed with) (segmented or
individual) (elements) which are (setting B) thus loaning its
property and making the combination (setting A) at the macro
scale. (Setting B) is (hidden or expressed at the micro scale). A B+ A

Example—Separating Rocks from

Mulch BA B
Rocks do not readily separate themselves from mulch. It would B A A A
be much better if the mulch were LIQUID rather than SOLID. A B B
A
(Water) which is (liquid) is (mixed with) (individual) (mulch
elements) which are (solid) thus loaning its property and
making the combination (liquid) at the macro scale. (Solidness)
is (hidden)
The rocks fall through easily.

Example—Paint Roller
In order to paint ceilings, it is desirable that the paint rollers are
LONG. Unfortunately, they come with SHORT handles.
(A pole) which is (long) is (attached to) (individual) (rollers)
which are (short) thus loaning its property and making the
combination (long) at the macro scale. (Shortness) is (hidden).

Example—Soluble Molecule
An herbicide which is INSOLUBLE IN WATER has to Soluble in
dissolve in water in order to be sprayed, but in order to Water
dissolve in water it must be SOLUBLE IN WATER.
Insoluble in
(A molecule) which is (soluble in water) is (attached to) Water
(individual) (herbicide molecules) which are (insoluble in
water) thus loaning its property and making the combination (soluble in water) at the
macro scale. (Insolubility in water) is (hidden).

76 Inventive Principle #1—Segmentation: Divide an object into independent parts. Make an object sectional (for easy assembly or disassembly). Increase the degree of an
object's segmentation. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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Example—Beads on a String
Pearls are beautiful but they are STIFF and do not conform to the person
that they are adorning. They must be FLEXIBLE.
(A string) which is (flexible) is (attached to) (individual) (pearls) which
are (stiff) thus loaning its property and making the combination
(flexible) at the macro scale. (Stiffness) is (hidden).

Example—Backup Bearing
All bearings must eventually be FAILED but since it has a critical function it must NOT
BE FAILED.
(A backup bushing) which is (not failed) is (attached to) (individual) (ball bearings)
which are (failed) thus loaning its property and making the combination (not failed) at the
macro scale. (Failed) is (hidden).
A bushing and a ball bearing are combined. The ball bearing
performs the function with low friction until it fails and then the
bushing takes over. The bearing has failed but the whole assembly
has not failed. This is an example of a PREVIOUSLY PLACED
CUSHION 77.

Example—Sand Paper
We require a RIGID structure in order to cut the surface of the wood, but we require a
FLEXIBLE material in order to conform to the rounded contours of the wood project that
we are making.
(Paper) which is (flexible) is (attached to) (segmented) (abrasive
particles) which are (rigid) thus loaning its property and making
the combination (flexible) at the macro scale. (Rigidness) is
(expressed at the micro scale).

Example—Carrier Signals
A carrier wave can have HIGH FREQUENCY signals riding on LOW FREQUENCY
signals. The property of low frequency is expressed at a large scale while the high
frequency signal is expressed at a smaller scale.
(A signal) which is (low frequency) is (attached to)
(individual) (signals) which are (high frequency) thus loaning
its property and making the combination (low frequency) at
the macro scale. (High frequency) is (expressed at the micro
scale).

Example—Medicine Capsule
The small pellets of medicine are HARD TO SWALLOW due to their taste, but they
need to be EASILY SWALLOWED in order to be an effective medicine.

77 Inventive Principle #11—Cushion in Advance: Compensate for the relatively low reliability of an object with emergency measures prepared in advance. Genrich Altshuller,
The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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(A gel capsule) which is (easily swallowed) is (surrounding) (segmented)

(medicine) which are (hard to swallow) thus loaning its property and
making the combination (easy to swallow) at the macro scale. (Hard to
swallow) is (hidden).

Example—Fossil Preservation
The fossil must be DURABLE in order to be transported long distances.
However, the fossil as it comes out of the ground is FRAGILE.
(A plaster and gauze coating) which is (durable) is (surrounding)
(individual) (fossils) which are (fragile) thus loaning its property and
making the combination (durable) at the macro scale. (Fragility) is
(hidden).

Example—Highlighting Instructions
The instructions need to be BRIEF in order to have quick action. The instructions need
to be LENGTHY in order to get an accurate response.
(Short instructions) which are (brief) are (surrounded by)
Detailed
(individual) (instructions) which are (lengthy) thus loaning its +
property and making the combination (brief) at the macro
Highlight
scale. (Lengthy) is (expressed at the micro scale).
Note that in this example, the carrier is surrounded by the non-
carrier item. When people look at the instructions, the first
thing that they see are the brief instructions which get them
going.

Example—the Car Makes You Look Good

An UNATTRACTIVE person wants to be ATTRACTIVE.
(A car) which is (attractive) is (surrounding) (individual)
(people) which are (unattractive) thus loaning its property and
making the combination (attractive) at the macro scale.
(Unattractiveness) is (hidden).

Example—Hiding Parts of a Sandwich

The condiments of a sandwich are MESSY. However, they must
NOT BE MESSY in order to feed a large group of people in a
nice setting.
(Bread) which is (not messy) is (surrounding) (individual)
(condiments) which are (messy) thus loaning its property and
making the combination (not messy) at the macro scale.
(Messiness) is (hidden).

Example—Citrus Fruit
Citrus fruit needs to be NUTRITIOUS in order to feed large animals.
In order that insects do not eat it must be POISONOUS TO INSECTS.
(A peel) which is (poisonous to insects) is (surrounding) (individual)
(fruits) which are (nutritious) thus loaning its property and making the

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combination (poisonous) at the macro scale. (Nutritious) is (expressed at the micro

scale).

Example—Nested Molecule
An herbicide which is INSOLUBLE IN WATER has to dissolve in water in order to be
sprayed, but in order to dissolve in water it must be SOLUBLE IN
WATER.
(A molecule) which is (soluble in water) is (surrounding) (individual) +
(herbicide molecules) which are (insoluble in water) thus loaning its
property and making the combination (soluble in water) at the macro
scale. (Insolubility in water) is (hidden).

Example—Atom—Fast Electrons Over a Slow and

Massive Nucleus
The atomic structure needs to be ACTIVE in order to interact with
other atomic structures. It needs to be INERT in order to stay in one
location.
(Electrons) which are (active) are (surrounding) (individual) (nuclei)
which are (inert) thus loaning its property and making the combination
(active) at the macro scale. (Inertness) is (expressed at the micro
scale).

Example—Hair Gel
A hair setting liquid (adhesive) must be an easily FORMABLE SOLID in order to be
spread by the hands in the hair. Unfortunately, it is a NON-FORMABLE LIQUID.
(Colloidal silicon dioxide—nano glass) which is (a formable solid) is
(mixed with) (segmented) (hair-setting liquid) which is (a non-formable
liquid) thus loaning its property and making the combination (a formable
solid) at the macro scale. (Non-formable liquid) is (hidden).

Example—Unbiased Truth?
While purporting to be completely unbiased and a model for telling both sides of the
story, a newspaper can easily become an advocate for some editorial point that the editors
or journalists would like to make.
Editors at a nationally syndicated paper would like to report on a story News
but also make an editorial point. They want to give MESSAGE A. +
Unfortunately, the events surrounding the article do not directly + +
support message A. If the simple facts were reported, the article
+ +
would give MESSAGE B. How can the newspaper make its editorial
point and still just report “the news”? (It is recognized that this is a
somewhat subversive example meant to sensitize reasonable people to what may be
happening around them.)
(A number of small editorial articles or advertisements) which are (message A) are
(mixed with) (segmented) (news articles) which are (message B) thus loaning its property
and making the combination (message A) at the macro scale. (Message B) is (expressed
at the micro scale).

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Example—Conductive Plastic
An article must be made from plastic which is an ELECTRICAL INSULATOR in order
to make it less expensively with injection molding. The article must be made from metal
or graphite which is an ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR in order to electrically plate it.
The property of insulator is not required at all.
(Particles of graphite) which are (electrically conductive) are (mixed
with) (segmented) (plastic matrix) which is (an insulator) thus loaning
its property and making the combination (electrically conducting) at the
macro scale. (Electrically insulating) is (hidden).

Example—High Strength Concrete

Concrete has high compressive strength but LOW TENSILE STRENGTH. This is
almost always an undesirable property for a building material. The concrete needs to
have HIGH TENSILE STRENGH for a variety of structures including stucco.
(Glass fibers) which are (high tensile strength) are (mixed with)
(segmented) (cement) which is (low tensile strength) thus loaning its
property and making the combination (high tensile strength) at the macro
scale. (Low tensile strength) is (hidden).

Example—Composite fabric
A medical material is sought which has many of the properties of nylon but is also
THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE. Unfortunately, nylon fabrics are THERMAL
INSULATORS.
(An aluminum fiber) which is (thermally conductive) is (mixed with)
(segmented) (nylon fibers) which are (thermally insulating) thus
loaning its property and making the combination (thermally
conductive) at the macro scale. (Thermally insulating) is (hidden).

Example—Collectively Informed
Each person is individually UNINFORMED which is undesirable. But + +
they need to be INFORMED in order to carry out the necessary tasks.
+
(Individuals) which are (informed) are (mixed with) (individual)
(people) which are (uninformed) thus loaning their property and
making the combination (informed) at the macro scale. (Uninformed)
is (hidden).

Exercise—A Slight Polishing

Your company polishes the edges of glass plates. Thousands
of plates are polished each day. The edges of the glass plates
are polished on a fast moving belt covered with abrasive
materials. One day an order comes in for polishing glass
plates which are only .010 inches thick. The first attempts to
polish the edges are catastrophic. The edges are chipped so
badly that the plates are unusable.

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Due to the high volume of plates which are Plate Plate

normally processed, it is not practical to Thickness is Thickness is
change the machinery. The problem would Thick Thin
go away if the plates were THICK, but they
only come THIN. Using the principle that
Plate only
you have just learned, resolve this
comes in one Edge Breaking
contradiction.
thickness is High

Exercise—Blood Brain Barrier Lipids

Some medicines need to be delivered to the brain, but
cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. Molecules that pass
Drug Barrier
easily are lipids and sugars. How can these medicines be
delivered across the blood-brain barrier?
The composition should be LIPID & NON- Drug is a sugar Drug is not a
LIPID. Using the principle that you have or Lipid sugar or lipid
just learned, resolve this contradiction.

Drug is Passage is
ineffective at Constrained
Exercise—A Limit to Cell treating disease
Phones
Cell phone cases have become increasingly thinner. This
reduces the weight and cost of raw materials. The
traditional method of production has been injection
molding. But, injection molding has reached
several limits. The pressures required to inject Case Case
into increasingly narrow passages is very high. Material is Material is
Additionally, the cases are required to do more. Metallic Plastic
They must be as rigid as metal and conductive
like metal to reduce electromagnetic
interference, yet they should be made from
light moldable materials like plastic. Price Flexibility
is and EMI
The cases should be METALLIC & PLASTIC.
High Conductivity
Using the principle that you have just learned,
resolve this contradiction. are high

Exercise—Ugly Cookies
A production line for gourmet cookies has just been brought
on line and has been in production for several days. The plant
manager’s wife inspects the cookies and discovers that they
do not look like her home-made recipe. They are well shaped
on one side but malformed on the other. “The equipment will
have to be retooled to make them bake right” the wife says.
“It’s too late!”

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The shape of The shape of

The plant manager says. “We have produced one side is one side is
ten tons and the cookie introduction is next well shaped malformed
week at the Convention.” The cookies should
be MALFORMED & WELL SHAPED. These
Using the principle that you have just learned, cookies are
resolve this contradiction. all that is
available Probability
of a good
introduction
is poor
Exercise—Vibrating Water
Wheel
Consider an aluminum water wheel. Inlet flow strikes the blades
after accelerating in the nozzle, transferring energy and
momentum to the blade and wheel. During energy transfer the
blade is bent slightly and released causing it to
vibrate. Pressure Pressure
Forces Non- Forces are
The resulting alternating stresses decrease the Existent High
life of the turbine blades. If the pressure forces
were eliminated, so would the vibration.
(Assume a constant speed). The Pressure
Forces should be HIGH & ABSENT. Using the Turbine Output Turbine blade
principle that you have just learned, resolve this is Low and component
contradiction. life is low

Exercise—Too Flexible
Various diameters of a thin rubber boot (which covers part of a
car shift mechanism) must be measured
with great accuracy at several points.
Unfortunately, the micrometer which is Boot Flexibility Boot
used deforms the boot during the is Very Flexibility is
measurement. This makes the Stiff Very Flexible
measurement inaccurate. How can the
boot be measured more accurately? The
Boot Flexibility Needs to be FLEXIBLE
Boot Life is Diameter
& STIFF. Resolve the Contradiction
Low Measurement
using the principle that you have just
is Inaccurate
learned.

Exercise—Metallic Film
In the production of metallic laminates, Thick metallic films
are produced by successively rolling the metal between
rollers until it reaches the desired thickness. The resulting film is rolled up into large
rolls which are easily manipulated.

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When making ultra thin films for Laminate Laminate

laminates, new problems arise. Because Thickness is Thickness is
the film is so thin, both the production Thick Thin
and manipulation becomes difficult. The
tolerance between rollers becomes
Laminate thickness
unreasonable and handling damage
only useful in one
becomes very high. The laminate must thickness
be THICK & ULTRA-THIN. Using the Handling damage
principle that you have just learned, is high
resolve this contradiction.

Exercise—Fish to the Rescue

Like most large predators, a shark will follow its prey in
close pursuit until the smaller prey exhausts its energy.
Although the prey may be more nimble, it cannot outrun its
larger foe forever. If the smaller fish could dodge
Endurance Endurance
and dart forever, it could easily outmaneuver the
is is
larger shark. The Fish should have INFINITE
Infinite Low
ENDURANCE in order to outrun the shark and
NORMAL ENDURANCE because that is how
No Fish
small fish are. Resolve the contradiction by using
comes
the method you have just learned.
this way
Vulnerability
is
High
Exercise—the Beat Goes On
Heart surgery is sometimes required for battlefield wounds to the
heart. Small pieces of shrapnel become lodged in the heart
muscle. Usually, the heart is stopped, temporarily, to repair it
since it is very difficult to operate on a beating heart. This
stoppage of blood flow is very traumatic
Heart Heart
for the rest of the body which may be
Motion is Motion is
badly damaged. If it were possible to Still Beating
operate on the beating heart, there would
likely be more survivors. The Heart
Movement must be BEATING & STILL.
Using the principle that you have just
learned, resolve this contradiction. Trauma to Rest of Operational
Body is Mistakes are
High Frequent

Exercise—Traffic Light
The lights in a traffic light must eventually FAIL due to the action of the
current on the filament and to vibration. The traffic light must NOT FAIL in
order to not cause traffic delays or make the intersection more dangerous.

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This is an example of an output Traffic Light Traffic Light

contradiction. Most people would think Operation Fails Operation Doesn’t
of this as the Y in the function. Resolve Fail
this contradiction using the method you
have just learned. All lights will Note that nothing
eventually fail gets worse

L3-Hiding Part
Multiple elements are involved. Each element already has both conflicting properties separated in space. One of the
conflicting properties is undesirable. The elements are merged in such a fashion that the undesirable feature of each
element is hidden and only the desirable property is expressed. This may be possible when the element has the
desired property in the slightest degree. Remember that this method should not be considered unless the existing
elements already have both the desirable and undesirable properties.

Method
Each individual (elements) already has the undesirable
property of (setting A) and the desirable property of (setting
B), even in the slightest degree. The (elements) are merged A
(into a configuration that hides setting A—try different
orientations) thus giving the general property of (setting B).

Example—Hiding Roughness
A sheet of granite has one side which is SMOOTH and the other side is ROUGH. We
want a table that is entirely smooth.
Each individual (sheet) already has the undesirable property of
(rough) and the desirable property of (smooth), even in the
slightest degree. The (sheets) are merged (back to back with the
rough sides inward) thus giving the general property of (smooth).

Example—Hiding Sharp Edges of a Can

A can has the non-uniform condition of being partly SHARP (enough to
cut skin) and mostly NOT SHARP.
Each individual (can part) already has the undesirable property of (being
sharp) and the desirable property of (not being sharp), even in the slightest
degree. The (can parts) are merged (by rolling the edges up in a seam) thus
giving the general property of (being not sharp).

Example—Hiding Frayed Edges of Cloth

Most cloth has the undesirable property of being FRAYED at the edges. The rest is NOT
FRAYED. The edges are rolled up and sewed into seams.
Stitch
Each individual (piece of cloth) already has the undesirable
property of (being frayed) and the desirable property of (not
frayed), even in the slightest degree. The (pieces of cloth) are
merged (by rolling the edges together and sewing them into
seams) thus giving the general property of (not frayed).

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Example—Hidden Molecular Poles

A molecule must be POSITIVELY CHARGED in order to
have strong intermolecular effects. The molecules must be +
both NEGATIVELY AND POSITIVELY CHARGED in +
order to maintain a neutral polarity.
+
Each individual (molecule) already has the undesirable
property of (negatively charged) and the desirable property +
+
of (positively charged), even in the slightest degree. The
(molecules) are merged (around a strong positive charge so +
that only the negative charges are exposed) thus giving the +
general property of (positively charged to molecules close
by).

Example—Tape
The tape needs to be STICKY in order to stick objects to the wall for decoration.
Unfortunately, the tape is NON-STICKY on one side.
Sticky
Each individual (piece of tape) already has the undesirable Non-Stick
property of (non sticky) and the desirable property of
(sticky), even in the slightest degree. The (tape) is merged
(into a rolled surface) thus giving the general property of
(sticky). Note that this is done with one object.

Exercise—Ugly Cookies
A production line for gourmet cookies has just been brought on
line and has been in production for several days. The plant
manager’s wife inspects the cookies and discovers that they do
not look like her home-made recipe. They are well shaped on
one side but malformed on the other. “The equipment will
have to be retooled to make them bake right” the wife says.
“It’s too late!” The plant manager says. “We have produced ten
tons and the cookie introduction is next
week at the Convention.” The cookies The shape of The shape of
should be MALFORMED & WELL one side is one side is
SHAPED. Using the principle that you well shaped malformed
have just learned, resolve this
contradiction. These
cookies are
all that is
available Probability
of a good
introduction
is poor

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L3-New Dimension
The properties of a section of an object can have very different properties from the whole object. This is important
because our thinking may be trapped in one dimension and the answer lies in another. The property in one
dimension is undesirable. The property in the other dimension is desirable 78.

Method:
The (element) has the property of being (setting A). Going
(up or down) in dimension gives the (element) the property of
A
B
being (setting B) since (explanation).

Example—Curved surface
The panel needs to be STRAIGHT in order to have low
aerodynamic drag. It needs to be CURVED in order to conform to the frame of the
aircraft.
The (panel) has the property of being (curved). Going (down) in
dimension gives the (panel) the property of being (straight) since (a
section through the panel is a straight line which is sufficient in the
direction of air flow).

Example—Cylinder Section
A cylindrical section of a capacitor has SMALL ELECTRICAL
STORAGE AREA, but the capacitor must have a LARGE
ELECTRICAL STORAGE AREA.
The (capacitor) has the property of being (small electrical storage
area). Going (up) in dimension gives the (capacitor) the property
of being (large electrical storage area) since (a lot of area can be
packed into a very small volume, depending on the
dielectric strength of the dielectric material that is used)

Exercise—What’s Up Dock
“We’ll make a fortune” the small investor said. “When
they build the houses around this lake, everyone will
want a place to dock their boats and we got
Dock Dock
the last parcel on the lake”. “Yes, but it is
is is
too small to store many boats” his wife Large Small
complained. “And we are not allowed to
build the dock out more than 20 yards”. “I
know” she continued “We can fill every
available square foot with dock and boats!”
“We still will not be able to store enough Cost of Leasing Revenue
boats to make money” the investor said after More Beach is is
High Low

78 Inventive Principle #17—Transition Into a New Dimension: Transition one-dimensional movement, or placement, of objects into two- dimensional ; two-dimensional to three-
dimensional, etc. Utilize multi-level composition of objects. Incline an object, or place it on its side. Utilize the opposite side of a given surface. Project optical lines onto
neighboring areas, or onto the reverse side, of an object. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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making a few calculations. The Dock should be SMALL & LARGE. Using the principle
that you have just learned, resolve this contradiction.
L3-Countering
Two strong actions are capable of yielding a null action if they are
oriented to cancel each other 79. This principle is typically used with • Opposing Element
actions, fields or forces that have direction. If more than one element • Counter Weight with Transmission
can be used, then two of these elements can be oriented so as to counter means
• Negative Spring Rate
each other. Alternately, another opposite action can be introduced
• Negative rate of change of lever arm
which counters the action. Consider the possible countering methods • Counter Field Gradient
shown in the tan box.

Method
The (element) (force, field, field gradient or action) has a
direction with the undesirable property of (setting A).
Countering the (force, field, field gradient or action) with A A
(a counter measure) gives the desirable (setting B--Low
or Null).
Low or Null
Example—Counter Weight
A HEAVY automobile transmission is difficult to move about.
It must have NULL weight.
The (transmission) (weight) has a direction with the
undesirable property of (heavy). Countering the (weight) with
(a counter weight with transmission cable) gives the desirable
(null weight). Counter Heavy
Weight Object
Example—Counter Force
A spring has a very HIGH preload due to its high spring High High
rate and working conditions. However, it must have a Force Force
very LOW preload in the application.
The (spring) (preload force) has a direction with the
undesirable property of (high force). Countering the Low
(preload force) with (another high rate spring preload)
gives the desirable (low force).

Example—Counter Signal
A HIGH AMPLITUDE signal must be rapidly turned off to become a NULL signal.
Unfortunately, the signal can turn on rapidly but decays slowly when turned off.

79 Inventive Principle #8—Counterweight: Compensate for the weight of an object by combining it with another object that provides a lifting force. Compensate for the weight
of an object with aerodynamic or hydrodynamic forces influenced by the outside environment. Genrich Altshuller, The Innovation Algorithm page 287.

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The (signal) (amplitude) has a direction with the

undesirable property of (high amplitude). Null
Countering the (amplitude) with (a counter signal
180 degrees out of phase) gives the desirable (null
signal).

Example—Counter Gradient
Due to temperature stratification in a heat exchanger, the exiting air has a HIGH
THERMAL GRADIENT. In order for temperature sensors to give accurate readings of
the bulk temperature of the air, there should be NO THERMAL GRADIENT.
The (air) (temperature gradient) has a direction
with the undesirable property of (high thermal
gradient). Countering the (temperature gradient)
with (a counter thermal gradient) gives the
desirable (low thermal gradient).

Example—Counter Momentum
High velocity movements of large objects within a
camera can cause the camera to move. A HIGH V high V high
VELOCITY Motion is required but undesirable. There
must be NULL VELOCITY movement.
The (camera element) (motion) has a direction with the Null
undesirable property of (high velocity). Countering the
(motion) with (a high velocity motion of a counter weight in the opposite direction) gives
the desirable (null velocity of the system).

Example—Flywheel Reaction Forces

A flywheel is used to store energy in a vehicle. The flywheel
rotates at very high speed. When the vehicle turns a corner or
changes incline, the gyroscopic action of the flywheel generates
large forces which act on the vehicle. These large forces are
undesirable. The flywheel generates HIGH REACTION
FORCES but in order to not stress the structure, we need LOW
REACTION FORCES.
The (flywheel) (gyroscopic force) has a direction with the
undesirable property of (high reaction force). Countering the (gyroscopic force) with (a
high reaction force) gives the desirable (low reaction force).
Two gyroscopes cancel each other’s reaction forces.

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Example—Non Buckling Column

During the axial loading of long thin structures, the Negative Rate--Buckling
phenomenon of buckling can occur. It occurs
catastrophically because as the column buckles, the
effective axial spring rate drops. In other words, the Positive
Rate
further you push it, the less it pushes back. This is
referred to as a negative spring rate. The column has
a HIGH NEGATIVE RATE. In order to safely
support high forces, the column should have a LOW OR POSITIVE RATE.
The (column) (spring rate) has a direction with the undesirable property of (high negative
rate). Countering the (spring rate) with (a high positive rate spring) gives the desirable
(low or positive rate).

Example—Organization Strengths
A HIGH implementation speed can become a weakness in certain conditions, especially
when trying to sync up with other organizations that are not as fast. The organization
needs to be operating a LOW implementation speed.
The (organization) (implementation speed) has a direction with the
undesirable property of (high). Countering the (speed) with
(another part of the organization trying to implement in a different
direction) gives the desirable (low organizational speed).

Example—Nullifying an Argument
A STRONG statement has been made by someone high up in an organization. The
statement came across too strongly and only represented his point of view. The statement
should be WEAK.
The (statement) (effect) has a direction with the
undesirable property of (strong). Countering the (effect) + +
with (a strong counter statement from another high official
in the organization) gives the desirable (weak effect).

Exercise—Storing Almost Protons

Hydrogen is very difficult to store as a gas. This is primarily because
of the high gas constant. A small mass of gas can exert very high
pressures when constrained to a small volume. In order to reduce the
stresses in the vessel walls, the walls are
Pressure Forces Pressure Forces
made very thick. The resulting vessel
are Low are High
weight is high (95%) compared to the
weight of the hydrogen (5%). If only the
pressure forces were not so high, the vessel
walls could be made much thinner. The Assume that
Pressure Forces should be LOW & HIGH. Pressure only Material
Using the principle that you have just comes high Stresses are
learned, resolve this contradiction. High

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L3-Complementary Directions
When objects have the required property in only one direction, they can be combined with another element that has
the same property in only one direction. These become complimentary and allow the required property in both
directions.

Method
Each (element) is (setting A) which is desirable in one A B
B A
direction and (setting B) which is undesirable in another
direction. Combining two or more (elements) and
orienting them in a complementary fashion makes the A
combination (setting A) in both directions. A
Example—Pile Driving
The pile must be SHARP in order to drive and Blunt
in order to support.
Each (pile) is (blunt) which is desirable in one
direction and (sharp) which is undesirable in another
direction. Combining two or more (piles) and
orienting them in a complementary fashion makes
the combination (blunt) in both directions.

Example—Car Airbags
No
A car airbag CONSTRAINS in one Constrains Constraint
direction only. In the other direction there
is NO CONSTRAINT. It is desirable that
the airbags can constrain in both directions.
Each (airbag) is (constraining) which is Constrains
desirable in one direction and (not
constraining) which is undesirable in
another direction. Combining two or more
(airbags) and orienting them in a
complementary fashion makes the No
combination (constraining) in both Front & Side Airbags Constraint
directions.

Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars full of
logs. It is the job of the inspector to measure each log diameter.
Unfortunately the train does not stay long. So far, the problem
has been solved by hiring many inspectors.

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The inspectors have nothing to do between Stopping Stopping

Time is Time is
trains and sit for hours. The productivity of
Long Short
the inspectors is low. If the logs would just
stay at the station for a long time, one
inspector could do the job and would be fully
occupied.
The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG & Log More
SHORT. Using the principle that you have Transportation Inspectors and
is Inefficient Idle Time
just learned, resolve this contradiction.

L3-Coordinated Parts
A functional part with one property coordinates or cooperates with another part having a complimentary function
and the same property. The whole has the conflicting property. In this case, we want both properties expressed.

Method
Adjustable 80 (elements) have the property of being (setting A). A A
When coordinated with each other by (method), the overall
effect is (setting B). (Setting A) is (expressed or hidden).

Example—Water Faucet B
Many water faucets have separate hot and cold water knobs. If one CHANGES the flow
of the hot water, in order to adjust the temperature, the total flow must NOT CHANGE.
Adjustable (flow areas) have the property
of being (changing). When coordinated
with each other by (a coordinated
partition), the overall effect is (NOT
CHANGE). (CHANGES) is (expressed).
Imagine that the water is flowing out of
A coordinated partition between the hot and
the page through each respective flow cold flow areas moves back and forth so that
area. As the partition moves, the percent the net area does not change.
of cold and hot changes, but the combined
flow area remains constant.

80 Inventive Principle #15—Dynamicity: Characteristics of an object or outside environment, must be altered to provide optimal performance at each stage of an operation. If an
object is immobile, make it mobile. Make it interchangeable. Divide an object into elements capable of changing their position relative to each other. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 288.

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TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
?
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms Package Package
fire, the drop plane must fly high. If the contents are contents are
package is dense and compact, it falls with Useless Useful
pinpoint accuracy. A chute opens near the
end to keep the contents from being
damaged. Unfortunately, enemy troops on
the ground then confiscate the package and
hoard the supplies to themselves. They Value For Enemy Troop
quickly discover that the contents are useful Needy is Confiscation is
and look for them. The Package Contents Low High
must be USEFUL AND USELESS. Using
the principle that you have just learned,
resolve this contradiction.

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L2-Separate by Direction
An object can have conflicting properties in different directions in the same space and at the same time. This is one
of the most powerful separation principles. A simple example of this is a rope. When pulled in the direction of
tension, the rope is stiff. However, if you try to push a rope, it is flexible. Many objects already have a separation
of the opposing properties by direction but we have not exploited this separation.
Following is the test and the various strategies for Separating by Direction.

L2-Method
Does one of the conflicting properties already exist in a different direction or can it be
modified to be so?
--Consider having one property in one direction and the other in another direction.
--Consider the opposite or rotary directions

L3-Test for Separation by Direction

Test:
Does one of the conflicting properties already exist in a different direction or can it be
modified to be so? If “no” then continue to separate by perspective. Otherwise try to
separate by direction.

Example—Pile Driving
The pile should be SHARP for driving and BLUNT for supporting.
Test: Does one of the conflicting properties already exist in a
different direction or can it be modified to be so?
The pile is already blunt in its sides. We conclude to try to
separate by direction.

Exercise—A Post and an Outpost

For years your company has Large
produced an aircraft product Variance

which fits over two posts on Tight

your customer’s aircraft. Both Control
the position and the diameter of
the posts were closely
controlled. Unfortunately, a
recent production change by the customer allows a large variance in the distance between
the posts. Now there is no guarantee that the part which you produce will fit over the
customers posts.

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TR IZ P ower T oo ls

(The diameter of the posts is still closely Hole Hole

held). The customer is unwilling to Clearance is Clearance is
Loose Tight
change the new production process, but
has instead asked you to modify the part so
that it will fit snuggly in the application,
without rotating. If the hole clearance is
large, they can easily fit over, but they will Rotational Assembly
not be snug. The Hole Clearance needs to Slop is Yield is Poor
be LOOSE & TIGHT. Test for Separation High
by Direction.

Exercise—Two Tining Rake

A common garden rake is somewhat inefficient when
raking small debris. While riding over uneven
surfaces, unwanted debris settles into the uneven
surface and the tines ride over the top without
collecting the debris. If the tines were
more flexible, they could ride over the Tine Tine
uneven surfaces like a leaf rake and Stiffness is Stiffness is
collect the materials. On the other hand, Flexible Stiff
if the tines are flexible, then the rake is
not useful for extracting embedded debris
or for moving earth about. The Tine
Flexibility should be FLEXIBLE & Debris Debris
STIFF. Test for Separation by Direction. Extraction is “leakage” is
Difficult High

Exercise—Too Flexible
Various diameters of a thin rubber boot (which covers part of a car
shift mechanism) must be measured with great accuracy at several
points. Unfortunately, the micrometer which is used deforms the
boot during the measurement. This
makes the measurement inaccurate. How Boot Flexibility Boot
can the boot be measured more is Very Flexibility is
accurately? The Boot Flexibility Needs Stiff Very Flexible
to be FLEXIBLE & STIFF. Resolve the
Contradiction using the principle that you
have just learned.
Boot Life is Diameter
Low Measurement
is Inaccurate

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Exercise—Blistering Coils
Product on an assembly line must pass under a heating
coil in order to be fully treated. The product that passes
under the center part of the coil is fully treated, Coil Spacing Coil Spacing
but the product that passes under the coil at the is is
edge of the conveyor belt is not fully treated. If Fine Coarse
the coil spacing was finer, the outer product
could be fully treated. However, the product at
the center of the belt is over-heated. The Coil
Spacing should be FINE & COARSE. Using the Inner Product Outer
principle that you have just learned, resolve this is Over Heated Product is
contradiction. not Fully
Treated

Exercise—A Slight Polishing

Your company polishes the edges of glass plates. Thousands
of plates are polished each day. The edges of the glass plates
are polished on a fast moving belt covered with abrasive
materials. One day an order comes in for polishing glass
plates which are only .010 inches thick. The first attempts to
polish the edges are catastrophic. The edges
are chipped so badly that the plates are Plate Plate
unusable. Due to the high volume of plates Thickness is Thickness is
which are normally processed, it is not Thick Thin
practical to change the machinery. The
problem would go away if the plates were
THICK, but they only come THIN. Test for Plate only
Separation by Direction. comes in one Edge Breaking
thickness is High

Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars full of
logs. It is the job of the inspector to measure each log diameter.
Unfortunately the train does not stay long. So far, the problem
has been solved by hiring many inspectors.
The inspectors have nothing to do between
trains and sit for hours. The productivity of Stopping Stopping
the inspectors is low. If the logs would just Time is Time is
Long Short
stay at the station for a long time, one
inspector could do the job and would be fully
occupied.
The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG &
SHORT. Test for Separation by Direction. Log More
Transportation Inspectors and
is Inefficient Idle Time

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L3-Direction
Separation by direction allows one property to exist in one direction and the opposing property to exist in other
directions. If one mentally goes through the rough directions of opposing, right angle and rotary directions,
something will often come to mind. It is easy to forget some of the directions in the heat of problem solving.

Method
The (element) is (setting A) (in direction A). The (element) (is A
already or can become) (setting B) (in the opposite direction or at B
right angles or in the rotary direction) if (new conditions—give
explanation if required). B
B
Example—Pile Driving
The pile needs to be SHARP in order to drive rapidly and BLUNT in order to support
well.
The (pile) is (sharp) (in the direction of driving). The (pile) (is already) (blunt) (at right
angles) if (the supporting force is directed in the sideward
direction).
A pile is naturally blunt in all directions but the driving
direction which is SHARP. If the pile is driven at an angle, it
immediately creates a dull surface for vertical support. If
Blunt
several are joined crosswise, the net effect is a very BLUNT
support after driving.
Sharp
Example—Square and Round Shapes
A cylinder needs to be ROUND for function A and SQUARE for
function B.
The (cylinder) is (round) (when viewed from the end). The Square
(cylinder) (is already) (square) (at right angles).
Round
Example—Food Grater
In order to grate the food, the blades must be SHARP. In order to reposition the food for
grating it should be SMOOTH.
The (grater) is (sharp) (in the direction of grating).
Smooth
The (grater) (can become) (smooth) (in the opposite
direction ) if (the cutting blades allow the food to
slide over without cutting when the food is being Grater Rough
moved in the opposite direction of grating).

Example—Board Thin

The board needs to be THICK in order to span a wall. It needs

to be THIN in order to conserve wood and cost less. Thick

The (board) is (thin) (in the vertical direction). The (board) (can
become) (thick) (at right angles).

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Example—Package Binding
The binding needs to be STIFF in order to constrain the package
tightly. It needs to be STIFF for easy positioning and to wrap around
any shape.
The (binding) is (stiff) (in the direction of winding the package).
The (binding) (can become) (flexible) (at right angles if (it is made
thin enough).

Example—Structural Member
The structural member needs to have HIGH MOVEMENT in No movement
order to be easily assembled and join other structural members.
It should have LOW MOVEMENT in order to not move under
high loads.
Moves
The (structural element) is (low movement) (in all directions
but rotary). The (structural element) (can become) (high
movement) (in the rotary direction) if (supported by a pin).

Example—Organizational Size
The organizational structure needs to be very
SMALL in order to communicate rapidly. It
needs to be LARGE in order to get a lot of work
done. Shallow
The (organizational structure) is (small) (from
the top to the bottom of the organization). The Broad
Span
(organizational structure) (can become) (large)
(at right angles) if (the span of control is greatly
increased).

Example—Pond
A pond at a housing development needs to be LARGE so that a lot of houses can enjoy a
waterfront. It needs to be SMALL in order to
conserve water.
Small
The (pond) is (large) (in all horizontal Big
directions). The (pond) (can become) (small) Big

(in the vertical direction) if (the pond is made

to be somewhat shallow).

Exercise—A Post Large

and an Outpost Variance

Tight
For years your company has Control
produced an aircraft product
which fits over two posts on
your customer’s aircraft.

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TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Both the position and the diameter of the

posts were closely controlled.
Hole Hole
Unfortunately, a recent production Clearance is Clearance is
change by the customer allows a large Loose Tight
variance in the distance between the
posts. Now there is no guarantee that the
part which you produce will fit over the
customers posts. (The diameter of the
posts is still closely held). The customer Rotational Assembly
is unwilling to change the new Slop is Yield is Poor
production process, but has instead asked High
you to modify the part so that it will fit
snuggly in the application, without
rotating. If the hole clearance is large, they can easily fit over, but they will not be snug.
The Hole Clearance needs to be LOOSE & TIGHT Resolve this contradiction using the
method you have just learned.

Exercise—Two Tining Rake

A common garden rake is somewhat inefficient when
raking small debris. While riding over uneven
surfaces, unwanted debris settles into the uneven
surface and the tines ride over the top without
collecting the debris. If the tines were more flexible, they could ride over the uneven
surfaces like a leaf rake and collect the
materials. On the other hand, if the tines Tine Tine
are flexible, then the rake is not useful for Stiffness is Stiffness is
extracting embedded debris or for Flexible Stiff
moving earth about. The Tine Flexibility
should be FLEXIBLE & STIFF. Using
the principle that you have just learned,
resolve this contradiction. Debris Debris
Extraction is “leakage” is
Difficult High

Exercise—Too Flexible
Various diameters of a thin rubber boot (which covers part of a car
shift mechanism) must be measured with great accuracy at several
points. Unfortunately, the micrometer
which is used deforms the boot during Boot Flexibility Boot
the measurement. This makes the is Very Flexibility is
measurement inaccurate. How can the Stiff Very Flexible
boot be measured more accurately? The
Boot Flexibility Needs to be FLEXIBLE
& STIFF. Resolve the Contradiction
using the principle that you have just Boot Life is Diameter
learned. Low Measurement
is Inaccurate

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Exercise—Blistering Coils
Product on an assembly line must pass under a heating
coil in order to be fully treated. The product that
passes under the center part of the coil is fully Coil Spacing Coil Spacing
is is
treated, but the product that passes under the coil
Fine Coarse
at the edge of the conveyor belt is not fully
treated. If the coil spacing was finer, the outer
product could be fully treated. However, the
product at the center of the belt is over-heated.
Inner Product Outer
The Coil Spacing should be FINE & COARSE. is Over Heated Product is
Using the principle that you have just learned, not Fully
resolve this contradiction. Treated

Exercise—A Slight Polishing

Your company polishes the edges of glass plates. Thousands
of plates are polished each day. The edges of the glass plates
are polished on a fast moving belt covered with abrasive
materials. One day an order comes in for polishing glass
plates which are only .010 inches thick. The first attempts to
polish the edges are catastrophic. The edges
are chipped so badly that the plates are Plate Plate
unusable. Due to the high volume of plates Thickness is Thickness is
which are normally processed, it is not Thick Thin
practical to change the machinery. The
problem would go away if the plates were
THICK, but they only come THIN. Using Plate only
the principle that you have just learned, comes in one Edge Breaking
resolve this contradiction. thickness is High

Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars full of
logs. It is the job of the inspector to measure each log diameter.
Unfortunately the train does not stay long. So far, the problem
has been solved by hiring many inspectors.
The inspectors have nothing to do between
trains and sit for hours. The productivity of Stopping Stopping
the inspectors is low. If the logs would just Time is Time is
stay at the station for a long time, one Long Short
inspector could do the job and would be fully
occupied.
The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG &
SHORT. Using the principle that you have
Log More
just learned, resolve this contradiction. Transportation Inspectors and
is Inefficient Idle Time

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L2-Separate by Perspective
In general, Separation by Perspective means that an object’s properties are dependent on perception. This means
that the element under consideration does not have to change its property. It is good enough to simply look like it
has the opposite property.
We use many different senses to perceive, the most common being sight. However, we are not limited to this sense.
It may be good enough to sound like, smell like or feel like it has the opposite property.
Following is the test and the various strategies for Separating by Perspective.

L2-Method
Brainstorm ways that one of the contradictory properties only appears to exist.

L3-Test for Separation by Perspective

Test:
Is it sufficient to only appear to have one of the knob settings? If “no” then continue on
to Separate by Frame of Reference. Otherwise try to separate by perspective.

Example—Pile Driving
The pile should be SHARP for driving and BLUNT for supporting.
Test: Is it sufficient too only appear to have one of the knob settings? No, it is not good
enough. We need both properties to actually exist in the piles. We will go on to
Separation by Perspective

Example—Microscope
Bacterium comes SMALL, but in order for proper inspection, it needs to be LARGE.
Test: Is it sufficient too only appear to have one of the knob settings? Yes, the object
only needs to appear to be large in order to be inspected. We will try to separate by
perspective.

Example—Fake Marble
We need a column to be MARBLE in order to appear ornate. We need it to be WOOD
because that is all that we have.
Test: Is it sufficient too only appear to have one of the knob settings? Yes, in this case, if
it only appears to be marble, that is sufficient. We will try to separate by perspective.

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TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Exercise—A Post and an Outpost

For years your company has Large
produced an aircraft product Variance

which fits over two posts on Tight

your customer’s aircraft. Both Control
the position and the diameter of
the posts were closely
controlled. Unfortunately, a
recent production change by the customer allows a large variance in the distance between
the posts. Now there is no guarantee
that the part which you produce will fit Hole Hole
over the customers posts. (The Clearance is Clearance is
diameter of the posts is still closely Loose Tight
held). The customer is unwilling to
change the new production process, but
has instead asked you to modify the
part so that it will fit snuggly in the
application, without rotating. If the Rotational Assembly
hole clearance is large, they can easily Slop is Yield is Poor
High
fit over, but they will not be snug. The
Hole Clearance needs to be LOOSE &
TIGHT. Test for Separation by
Perspective.

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much ?
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high. If the package is Package Package
dense and compact, it falls with pinpoint contents are contents are
accuracy. A chute opens near the end to Useless Useful
keep the contents from being damaged.
Unfortunately, enemy troops on the ground
then confiscate the package and hoard the
supplies to themselves. They quickly
discover that the contents are useful and Value For Enemy Troop
look for them. The Package Contents must Needy is Confiscation is
be USEFUL AND USELESS Test for Low High
Separation by Perspective.

Exercise—Fish to the
Rescue
Like most large predators, a shark will follow its prey in
close pursuit until the smaller prey exhausts its energy.
Although the prey may be more nimble, it cannot outrun its
larger foe forever. If the smaller fish could dodge and dart
forever, it could easily outmaneuver the larger shark.

176 Separate by Perspective

 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

The Fish should have INFINITE ENDURANCE

in order to outrun the shark and NORMAL Endurance Endurance
ENDURANCE because that is how small fish are. is is
Test for Separation by Perspective. Infinite Low

No Fish
comes
this way
Vulnerability
is
High

Exercise—Ugly Cookies
A production line for gourmet cookies has just been brought
on line and has been in production for several days. The plant
manager’s wife inspects the cookies and discovers that they
do not look like her home-made recipe. They are well shaped
on one side but malformed on the other. “The equipment will
have to be retooled to make them bake right” the wife says.
“It’s too late!” The plant manager says.
The shape of The shape of
“We have produced ten tons and the cookie
one side is one side is
introduction is next week at the
well shaped malformed
Convention.” The cookies should be
MALFORMED & WELL SHAPED. Test These
for Separation by Perspective. cookies are
all that is
available Probability
of a good
introduction
is poor
Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars full of
logs. It is the job of the inspector to measure each log diameter.
Unfortunately the train does not stay long. So far, the problem
has been solved by hiring many inspectors.
The inspectors have nothing to do between trains and sit for
hours. The productivity of the inspectors is
low. If the logs would just stay at the station Stopping Stopping
for a long time, one inspector could do the Time is Time is
job and would be fully occupied. Long Short

The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG &

SHORT. Test for Separation by Direction.

Log More
Transportation Inspectors and
is Inefficient Idle Time

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TR IZ P ower T oo ls

L3-How you Look or Perceive

Find physical phenomena that allow you to look at the Element in a different way. Remember that perception is not
based on sight alone, but every sense.

Method
The (element) is naturally and unfortunately (setting A). It
(looks like, sounds like, feels like or smells like) it is (setting
B) when (a method of measurement or detection is used).

Example—Strobe Light
A vibrating object is RAPIDLY MOVING all of the time. In order to observe its shape,
it needs to be STATIONARY.
The (vibrating object) is naturally and unfortunately
(moving). It (looks like) it is (stationary) when (a
strobe scope is used to illuminate it when it is at any Strobe
given position of its normal cycle).

Example—Microscope
Bacterium comes SMALL, but in order for proper inspection, it needs to
be LARGE.
The (bacterium) is naturally and unfortunately (small). It (looks like) it is
(large) when (viewed under a microscope).

Example—Telescope
A ship needs to be CLOSE in order to see the flags that it is displaying. Unfortunately, it
is very DISTANT.
The (ship) is naturally and unfortunately (distant). It
(looks like) it is (close) when (viewed through a
telescope).

Exercise—Traffic Light
The lights in a traffic light must eventually FAIL due to the action of the
current on the filament and to vibration. The traffic light must NOT FAIL
in order to not cause traffic delays or make the intersection more dangerous.
This is an example of an output
contradiction. Most people would think
Traffic Light Traffic Light
of this as the Y in the function. Resolve
Operation Fails Operation Doesn’t
this contradiction using The method that Fail
you have just learned.
All lights will Note that nothing
eventually fail gets worse

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 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars full of
logs. It is the job of the inspector to measure each log diameter.
Unfortunately the train does not stay long. So far, the problem has
been solved by hiring many inspectors.
The inspectors have nothing to do between Stopping Stopping
trains and sit for hours. The productivity of Time is Time is
the inspectors is low. If the logs would just Long Short
stay at the station for a long time, one
inspector could do the job and would be fully
occupied.
The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG & Log More
SHORT. Using the principle that you have Transportation Inspectors and
just learned, resolve this contradiction. is Inefficient Idle Time

L3-Looks Like
With this separation tool, it is good enough to look like the object has the conflicting property as opposed to actually
having it. Note that this is actually a method for Separation in Space but grouped here for convenience.

Method
The (element) is unfortunately (setting A). But we can
change its (appearance, sound, feel or smell) to seem like
(setting B) when using (paint 81, a substitute or covering fake
object, camouflage, substitute smells, substitute taste,
substitute sound).

Example—Fake Marble
The panel must be MARBLE in order to be decorative. Unfortunately, all that we have is
WOOD.
The (panel) is unfortunately (wood). But we can change its
(appearance) to seem like (marble) when using (paint).
This is an example of the mainstream TRIZ principle of USING
PAINT.

Example—Camouflage
The duck blind needs to be NATURAL AUTUMN LEAVES in order to
not alert the ducks. It needs to be FABRIC AND METAL in order to set
up and take down easily.

81 Inventive Principle #32—Changing the color: Change the color of an object or its environment. Change the degree of translucency of an object or its environment. Use color
additives to observe an object or process which is difficult to see. If such additives are already used, employ luminescent traces or trace atoms. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 289.

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TR IZ P ower T oo ls

The (blind) is unfortunately (fabric and metal). But we can change its (appearance) to
seem like (natural autumn leaves) when using (camouflage).
This is an example of the inventive TRIZ principle of USING PAINT 82.

Example—Hair Wig
The hair is unfortunately BLACK. In order to perform the part in a play,
the hair must be BLOND.
The (hair) is unfortunately (black). But we can change its (appearance)
to seem like (blond) when using (a covering fake object).

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In ?
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high. If the package is dense and compact, it
falls with pinpoint accuracy. A chute opens Package Package
near the end to keep the contents from contents are contents are
being damaged. Unfortunately, enemy Useless Useful
troops on the ground then confiscate the
package and hoard the supplies to
themselves. They quickly discover that the
contents are useful and look for them. The
Package Contents must be USEFUL AND Value For Enemy Troop
USELESS Using the principle that you Needy is Confiscation is
have just learned, resolve this Low High
contradiction.

Exercise—Fish to the
Rescue
Like most large predators, a shark will follow its prey in
close pursuit until the smaller prey exhausts its energy.
Although the prey may be more nimble, it cannot
outrun its larger foe forever. If the smaller fish Endurance Endurance
could dodge and dart forever, it could easily is is
outmaneuver the larger shark. The Fish should Infinite Low
have INFINITE ENDURANCE in order to outrun
the shark and NORMAL ENDURANCE because No Fish
that is how small fish are. Resolve the comes
contradiction by using the method you have just this way
Vulnerability
learned. is
High

82 Inventive Principle #32—Changing the color: Change the color of an object or its environment. Change the degree of translucency of an object or its environment. Use color
additives to observe an object or process which is difficult to see. If such additives are already used, employ luminescent traces or trace atoms. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 289.

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 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Exercise—Ugly Cookies
A production line for gourmet cookies has just been brought
on line and has been in production for several days. The plant
manager’s wife inspects the cookies and discovers that they
do not look like her home-made recipe. They are well shaped
on one side but malformed on the other.
“The equipment will have to be retooled to The shape of The shape of
make them bake right” the wife says. “It’s one side is one side is
too late!” The plant manager says. “We well shaped malformed
have produced ten tons and the cookie
These
introduction is next week at the
cookies are
Convention.” The cookies should be
all that is
MALFORMED & WELL SHAPED. Probability
available
Using the principle that you have just of a good
learned, resolve this contradiction. introduction
is poor

L3-Inference
The property state of an object is strictly implied by the property of another object. Logic tells us that only one state
can be implied, even though the original has a very different state.

Method
The (element) is unfortunately (setting
A). But we can change its
(appearance, sound, feel or smell or
effect) to seem like it is (setting B) by (a
method to infer that it is setting B).

Example—Double Deception
An agreement is made that one person will place a black and a white pebble into a bag. If
the second person draws a white pebble, then an unsavory event will occur. The first
person, with evil intent, puts two black pebbles into the bag. The second person sees this,
unknown to the first. Exposing the fraud of the first person is not an option. The best
that can happen is if the second person draws a WHITE pebble from the bag, but this is
not possible. It must be BLACK because that is all that can occur.
The (pebble) is unfortunately (black). But we can change its
(appearance) to seem like it is (white) by (drawing a black pebble from
the bag and not showing it, but dropping it on the ground among white
and black pebbles. By inference, they can see which one was picked by
looking into the bag and finding the second black pebble. Everyone
infers that a white pebble was withdrawn.).

Exercise—Traffic Light
The lights in a traffic light must eventually FAIL due to the action of the
current on the filament and to vibration. The traffic light must NOT FAIL
in order to not cause traffic delays or make the intersection more dangerous.

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Traffic Light Traffic Light
This is an example of an output Operation Fails Operation Doesn’t
Fail
contradiction. Most people would think
of this as the Y in the function. Resolve
this contradiction using The method that All lights will Note that nothing
you have just learned. eventually fail gets worse

Exercise—Special
Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
?
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high. If the package is dense
and compact, it falls with pinpoint Package Package
accuracy. A chute opens near the end to contents are contents are
keep the contents from being damaged. Useless Useful
Unfortunately, enemy troops on the ground
then confiscate the package and hoard the
supplies to themselves. They quickly
discover that the contents are useful and
look for them. The Package Contents must Value For Enemy Troop
be USEFUL AND USELESS Using the Needy is Confiscation is
principle that you have just learned, resolve Low High
this contradiction.

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L2-Separate by Frame of Reference

Separation by Frame of Reference means that an object’s properties are dependent on the frame of reference from
which they are considered. For instance, I am sitting at my desk. None of my bodily movements are rapid.
However, the earth is rotating very rapidly and my speed compared to the frame of reference of the sun is quite
rapid. More rapid yet would be my speed compared to objects that are rotating counter to the earth’s rotation on its
axis or about the sun. At the same moment in time and in the same space, my speed is very rapid or very slow,
depending upon the frame of reference.
No test is given for Separating by Frame of Reference because properties are always subject to the frame of
reference that is assumed. If we cannot find an inertial frame of reference, we can almost always identify what the
property is being compared to. Let’s take some random examples. An object must not be “stinky” but it comes that
way. We can always ask, stinky compared to what? What is your frame of reference? An onion is stinky compared
to grape jelly, but is not nearly as stinky as a skunk. An onion is no longer stinky in a room filled with the odor of
skunk. If I say that the oven is hot, what is this in reference to? A cooking oven may be hot compared to the
temperatures required to bake a soufflé; but it is not hot compared to the baking temperature of bread. If we switch
and bake bread in the oven, it is no longer considered hot. In each of these cases, we allow ourselves to change the
frame of reference so that the conditions may be satisfied. Note that it is not the element that we are considering that
is going to be changed, but rather the frame of reference that it is being compared to.
Unlike Separation by Perspective, this is more than just appearing to satisfy the conflicting requirements. A
property can actually be changed by changing the frame of reference.

L2-Method
Brainstorm ways to resolve the contradictory properties by comparison to something else
that changes or to switch to a new frame of reference.

L3-By Comparison
All knob settings are relative to something. Rather than change the element which cannot
or should not be changed, the relative object is changed instead. In this case, if you • Strong Acidifiers
change the actual element under consideration, that is definitely the wrong answer. The (Strong compared
to Small Objects
attribute of the second element that you must change is the frame of reference that is and Weak
unconsciously used to tell us what an object’s properties are. Most people would say compared to
Large objects)
that a needle is small without thinking about what it is compared to. Usually it is
considered small because a human has to make use of it and it is small compared to
human fingers, often making it difficult to manipulate. It is uncommon to consider what we compare things to. It
would drive us insane if we always had to always consider that.

Method
The (element) is already (setting A) when
compared to (property of element 2). Changing
(element 2) by (method of changing the property
of element 2) makes the (element) (setting B).

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Example—Production Sets
The actor is SHORT because that is the way that he comes. But he needs to be TALL in
order to play the part.
The (actor) is already (short) when compared to (the
size of surroundings and other actors). Changing (the
surroundings and other actors) by (miniaturizing the
set props and putting the actor on a raised platform)
makes the (actor) (tall).

Example—Buoyancy of an Object
A measurement float needs to be BUOYANT in order to be more visible above the
surface of the liquid. Unfortunately, the float is quite heavy because it is made from a
dense plastic and is therefore NOT BUOYANT.
The (measurement float) is already (not buoyant) when
compared to (the density of the liquid it is floating in).
Changing (the liquid it is floating in) by (changing to a much
more dense liquid) makes the (measurement float) (buoyant).

Example—Cheap and Expensive

A product is very EXPENSIVE in the market that it is in, but it
needs to be INEXPENSIVE in order to sell.
The (product) is already (expensive) when compared to (the
desires of the given market). Changing (the market) by (moving
to a different market) makes the (product) (inexpensive).
$$
Exercise—Blistering Coils
Product on an assembly line must pass under a heating
coil in order to be fully treated. The product that passes
under the center part of the coil is fully treated, but the
product that passes under the coil at the edge of the conveyor belt is not fully treated. If
the coil spacing was finer, the outer product
Coil Spacing Coil Spacing
could be fully treated. However, the product at
is is
the center of the belt is over-heated. The Coil Fine Coarse
Spacing should be FINE & COARSE. Using
the principle that you have just learned, resolve
this contradiction.
Inner Product Outer
is Over Heated Product is
not Fully
Treated
Exercise—Blistering Coils III
Product on an assembly line must pass under a
heating coil in order to be fully treated. The product that
passes under the center part of the coil is fully treated, but
the product that passes under the coil at the edge of the
conveyor belt is not fully treated.

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If the product speed were slower at

the edges, the product will be
Product Product
uniformly heated as it passes under the Speed Speed
coil. is Slow is Fast
If the product is slowed down, the
center pieces will be over heated. The
belt speed should be SLOW & FAST.
Using the principle that you have just Center Product
Edge Product is
learned, resolve this contradiction. is Overheated
Under Treated
(Hint, belt is crossed through for a
reason. In using this principle a change
to the belt speed must not be a part of the solution).

Exercise—Molecular Wind Pump

A molecular wind is created by applying a
very high voltage source to a very sharp High Voltage Source
object. The electrostatic field gradient at the
tip is very high. Any stray electrons in the
gas (knocked off by a stray gamma ray for
example) are accelerated by the field and
collide with other molecules causing an Local Gas Local Gas
avalanche of charges seen as a “corona Movement is Movement is
discharge”. The resulting ionized molecules Large Small
are repelled from the charged object,
causing a molecular wind. The wind is Only comes one
localized to the point and could be used to way
pump rarified gas, except that the
movement of the gas is so small. Flow
is
The Local Gas Movement should be Miniscule
SMALL & LARGE. Using the principle
that you have just learned, resolve this contradiction.

Exercise—A Slight Polishing

Your company polishes the edges of glass plates. Thousands
of plates are polished each day. The edges of the glass plates
are polished on a fast moving belt covered with abrasive
materials. One day an order comes in for polishing glass
plates which are only .010 inches thick. The first attempts to
polish the edges are catastrophic. The
edges are chipped so badly that the plates Plate Plate
are unusable. Due to the high volume of Thickness is Thickness is
plates which are normally processed, it is Thick Thin
not practical to change the machinery. The
problem would go away if the plates were
THICK, but they only come THIN. Using Plate only
the principle that you have just learned, comes in one Edge Breaking
resolve this contradiction. thickness is High
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Exercise—Ugly Cookies
A production line for gourmet cookies has just been brought
on line and has been in production for several days. The plant
manager’s wife inspects the cookies and discovers that they
do not look like her home-made recipe. They The shape of The shape of
are well shaped on one side but malformed one side is one side is
on the other. “The equipment will have to be well shaped malformed
retooled to make them bake right” the wife
says. “It’s too late!” The plant manager says. These
“We have produced ten tons and the cookie cookies are
introduction is next week at the Convention.” all that is
The cookies should be MALFORMED & available Probability
WELL SHAPED. Using the principle that of a good
you have just learned, resolve this introduction
contradiction. is poor

Exercise—What’s Up Dock
“We’ll make a fortune” the small investor said. “When
they build the houses around this lake, everyone will want
a place to dock their boats and we got the last parcel on
the lake”. “Yes, but it is too small to store
many boats” his wife complained. “And we Dock Dock
are not allowed to build the dock out more is is
than 20 yards”. “I know” she continued “We Large Small
can fill every available square foot with dock
and boats!” “We still will not be able to store
enough boats to make money” the investor
said after making a few calculations. The Cost of Leasing Revenue
Dock should be SMALL & LARGE. Using More Beach is is
the principle that you have just learned, High Low
resolve this contradiction.

Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars full of
logs. It is the job of the inspector to measure each log diameter.
Unfortunately the train does not stay long. So far, the problem
has been solved by hiring many inspectors.
The inspectors have nothing to do between
Stopping Stopping
trains and sit for hours. The productivity of Time is Time is
the inspectors is low. If the logs would just Long Short
stay at the station for a long time, one
inspector could do the job and would be fully
occupied.
The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG &
Log More
SHORT. Using the principle that you have
Transportation Inspectors and
just learned, resolve this contradiction. is Inefficient Idle Time

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L3-Inertial or Spatial Frame of Reference

The properties can be very different depending on your inertial or spatial frame of reference or the coordinate
system being used. Physicists often have to consider the inertial frame of reference when calculating an object’s
properties. In particular, things can be very different depending upon your linear or rotational velocity. Likewise a
problem can look very different when considering your spatial frame of reference. What is your position relative to
the object? Are you near or far away? Less common would be applications where we would consider the type of
coordinate system. Are we using Cartesian coordinates or Polar coordinates?

Method
The (element) is already (setting A) when compared to
(inertial, rotational, spatial or coordinate system frame of
reference). Changing the frame of reference by (method)
makes the (element) (setting B).

Example—Rotating Platform
A ball rolls in a track on a rotating platform. The movement of the object is
unfortunately CURVED. It needs to be LINEAR in order to be useful.
The (ball) is already (curved motion) when
compared to (a stationary, non rotating frame of
reference). Changing frame of reference by
(observing the motion of the ball while rotating
with the platform) makes the (ball) (linear
motion).

Example—Moving Train
In order to accurately determine which component on the vehicle is failing, the frequency
needs to correlate to the NATURAL Natural
FREQUENCY of the failed component. The Frequency
frequency if NOT THE NATURAL
FREQUENCY of the failed component when
heard by an observer as the vehicle approaches.
The (vehicle sound) is already (not the natural
frequency) when compared to (the velocity of Different
the approaching vehicle). Changing the frame of Frequency
reference by (getting on the vehicle) makes the
(vehicle sound) (the natural frequency).

Exercise—the Beat Goes On

Heart surgery is sometimes required for battlefield wounds to
the heart. Small pieces of shrapnel become lodged in the heart
muscle. Usually, the heart is stopped, temporarily, to repair it
since it is very difficult to operate on a beating heart. This
stoppage of blood flow is very traumatic for the rest of the body which may be badly
damaged.

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Heart Heart
Motion is Motion is
If it were possible to operate on the beating Still Beating
heart, there would likely be more survivors.
The Heart Movement must be BEATING
& STILL. Using the principle that you
have just learned, resolve this
contradiction. Trauma to Rest of Operational
Body is Mistakes are
High Frequent

Exercise—Molecular Wind
Pump High Voltage Source
A molecular wind is created by applying a
very high voltage source to a very sharp
object. The electrostatic field gradient at the
tip is very high. Any stray electrons in the
gas (knocked off by a stray gamma ray for Local Gas Local Gas
example) are accelerated by the field and Movement is Movement is
collide with other molecules causing an Large Small
avalanche of charges seen as a “corona
discharge”. The resulting ionized molecules
are repelled from the charged object, Only comes one
causing a molecular wind. The wind is way
localized to the point and could be used to Flow
pump rarified gas, except that the is
movement of the gas is so small. Miniscule
The Local Gas Movement should be
SMALL & LARGE. Using the principle that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.

Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars
full of logs. It is the job of the inspector to measure each
log diameter. Unfortunately the train does not stay long.
So far, the problem has been solved by
hiring many inspectors. Stopping Stopping
Time is Time is
The inspectors have nothing to do between Long Short
trains and sit for hours. The productivity of
the inspectors is low. If the logs would just
stay at the station for a long time, one
inspector could do the job and would be fully
occupied. Log More
Transportation Inspectors and
The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG & is Inefficient Idle Time
SHORT. Using the principle that you have
just learned, resolve this contradiction.

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L2-Separate by Response of Fields

In the same space and at the same time, two different fields or field regimes can respond differently to the shape or
bulk properties of an object. One field or field region may be changed whereas the other is left relatively
unchanged. This method of resolving contradictions is primarily for contradictions dealing with how different field
regions or fields respond to substances and their bulk, surface or construction properties. The field may respond
differently at the substance which generates, transmits or accepts the field.
It is important to realize that this method or resolving contradictions is used only with the response of fields to
substances that inhabit the space where the field exists. Consequently, the primary test for Separation by Response
of Fields is to ask whether the contradiction is directly related to the response of fields.
What this means is that you have already done a good job of identifying a field response property that must have two
settings. This should have occurred in causal analysis. This emphasizes the importance of performing your causal
analysis in such a way that you examine field properties and the response of fields to various substances very
carefully. You would have already asked “What is the field response properties related to the improvement that you
are looking for?” The field response properties could be associated with gradient, intensity, conductance, etc. Once
you know the field response properties that help the improvement, you ask “What happens if I adjust the field
response properties to resolve the problem? What gets worse?” If something gets worse, then you identify what the
field properties need to be in order to make sure that the thing which gets worse does not happen. Now you have the
required contradiction and you are ready to consider separating by field response. If you have already gone to this
much work, potential solutions should be right at hand. You know that the field response should be A and it should
be B. Then it is a matter of finding a substance or construction that can achieve both settings A and B.

L2-Method
Step 1: Is the contradiction related to the way that a substance and field interact?
Step 2: If so, brainstorm ways to separate the contradictory fields by having the
substance react differently to different field regimes. Each field regime corresponds to a
different condition
--Consider the use of transparent materials 83.

L3-Test for Separation by Response of Fields

Test:
Are both properties (knob settings) directly related to a substance and the way that fields
(particularly super-imposed fields) respond to that substance? If “yes” then continue to
the next part of the test. If “no” then continue on to Separation between Substance and
Field. Complete the following, while identifying separate fields or field regions which
make these statements true:

83 Inventive Principle #32—Changing the color: Change the color of an object or its environment. Change the degree of translucency of an object or its environment. Use color
additives to observe an object or process which is difficult to see. If such additives are already used, employ luminescent traces or trace atoms. Genrich Altshuller, The
Innovation Algorithm page 289.

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It is essential that:
The field response to the (substance in the operating region) must be (setting A) for (field
region A or field A)
The field response to the (substance in the operating region) must be (setting B) for (field
region B or field B)
Is it essential that field region or field A and B overlap? If they must overlap, then jump
to Separation between Substance and Field.

Example—Light Bulb
The light must CONDUCT through the pressure barrier in order to be visible. The light
must NOT CONDUCT through the pressure barrier in order to not give off ultraviolet
radiation.
Test: Are both properties (knob settings) directly related to a substance and the way that
fields (particularly super-imposed fields) respond to that substance? Yes, both conducting
and not conducting are related to a substance and the way that light fields respond to that
substance. Complete the following, while identifying separate fields or field regions
which make these statements true:
It is essential that:
The field response to the (pressure barrier) must be (conducting) for (visible light)
The field response to the (pressure barrier) must be (not conducting) for (UV light)
Is it essential that field region or field A and B overlap? No, it is not essential that they
overlap. We will try to use separation by field response.
Note that the spectrum of light can be separated into different field regions by frequency.
This is the key to separation by field response: find two regions of the same field type
that respond differently to the same substance or substance construction. This search for
different field regions is the primary knowledge gained in this step. This is where mental
effort is required.

Example—Race Car Fender

Many racing vehicles would benefit aerodynamically from aerodynamically shaped
fenders. The problem is that the fenders block visibility of the tires during turns. The
drivers watch the tires to detect the response of the wheels to the track. The volume of
the fender must transmit the image of the wheel but must not transmit the air. 84 The
fender must CONDUCT light in order to see the tires and it must NOT CONDUCT light
because it is a fender and light does not pass through it.
Test: Are both properties (knob settings) directly related to a substance and the way that
fields (particularly super-imposed fields) respond to that substance? Yes, the properties of
conducting and not conducting are related to the substance of the fender and how light
respond to it. Complete the following, while identifying separate fields or field regions
which make these statements true:
It is essential that:

84
The Innovation Algorithm by Genrich Altshuller page 99

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The field response to the (fender) must be (conducting) for (light)

The field response to the (fender) must be (not conducting) for (air pressure)
Is it essential that field region or field A and B overlap? No, light and air pressure are not
essential to overlap. We will try to separate by response of the field.

Example—Pile Driving
The pile needs to be SHARP in order to drive rapidly and it needs to be BLUNT in order
to support well.
Test: Are both properties (knob settings) directly related to a substance and the way that
fields (particularly super-imposed fields) respond to that substance? While sharp and
blunt could be indirectly related to the fields, we should have identified that the stress
fields need to be directed outward in order to drive the pile rapidly and allow for the soil
to be moved aside. The fields need to be directed downward in order that the soil has
nowhere to go. This allows for high compression forces which support the structure.
Rapidly applied forces would need to somehow push sideways and slowly applied fields
would direct the force downwards.
This, however, is not the question that we are grappling with. Instead, we are looking at
the physical attributes of the object which are blunt and sharp. Since these do not directly
relate to fields, we will not try to separate by Field Response.

Exercise—Vibrating Water Wheel

Consider an aluminum water wheel. Inlet flow strikes the blades
after accelerating in the nozzle, transferring energy and momentum
to the blade and wheel. During energy transfer the blade is bent
slightly and released causing it to vibrate.

The resulting alternating stresses decrease the Pressure Pressure

life of the turbine blades. If the pressure forces Forces Non- Forces are
Existent High
were eliminated, so would the vibration.
(Assume a constant speed). The Pressure
Forces should be HIGH & ABSENT. Test for
Separation by Field Response.
Turbine Output Turbine blade
is Low and component
life is low

Exercise—Storing Almost Protons

Hydrogen is very difficult to store as a gas. This is primarily because
of the high gas constant. A small mass of gas can exert very high
pressures when constrained to a small volume. In order to reduce the
stresses in the vessel walls, the walls are made very thick.

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Pressure Forces Pressure Forces
are Low are High
The resulting vessel weight is high (95%)
compared to the weight of the hydrogen
(5%). If only the pressure forces were not
so high, the vessel walls could be made Assume that
much thinner. The Pressure Forces should Pressure only Material
be LOW & HIGH. Test for separation by comes high Stresses are
response of fields. High

L3-Separate by Response of Fields

We have already identified the field regions or fields that must respond differently. What is left to find is a material,
coating or structure which changes the field response of the two regions sufficiently to resolve the contradiction.
Each field region or field must respond differently to the chosen
substance, coating or structure.
• Optically transparent materials
Considering different field regions is the most common and preferred • Resonant structures
• Field shape changing materials
method. Identifying different fields would indicate that the difference • Field gradient changing materials
in fields was not caught during the cause effect stage. Since this is • Reflective or channeling structures
possible and made more likely by doing a less thorough job of causal • Filters
• Frequency or color changing
analysis, we allow for considering different fields. We should • Speed changing
remember, however, that the primary and preferred method of • Phase changing
separating by Response of Fields is to consider different field regions. • Polarization changing
• Field Type changing
The table to the right shows a variety of substances which can change • Field absorption changing materials
the way that a field is generated, transmitted and received.

Method
The response of (field region A or field A) to (material, coating or structure) is (setting
A). The response of (field region B or field B) to (material, coating or structure) is
(setting B).

Example—Different Conductive
Response—Light Bulb
The gas barrier must be CONDUCTING in order to
illuminate the work area. The gas barrier must be
NON-CONDUCTING in order to avoid ultraviolet
radiation.
The response of (visible light) to (glass) is (conducting). The response of
(ultraviolet light) to (glass) is (non-conducting).

Example—Different Conductive Response—

Spring-Mass-Damper
A mechanical vibratory field must CONDUCT through
the operating region in order to perform useful work. It
must NOT CONDUCT through the operating region in
order to avoid excessive wear.

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The response of (low frequency vibration) to (a spring-mass-

damper system) is (conducting). The response of (high frequency
vibration) to (a spring-mass-damper system) is (non-conducting).
A spring-mass-damper will selectively pass frequencies lower
than the resonant frequency and absorb frequencies higher than
the resonant frequency.

Example—Different Conductive Response—Race Car

Fender
The fender must CONDUCT light in order to see the tires and it must NOT CONDUCT
light because it is a fender and light does not pass through it.
The response of (an optical field) to (a transparent fender) is
(conducting). The response of (a pressure field) to (a
transparent fender) is (non conductive).

Example—Different Gradient
Response—Magnetic Material
The response of (a gravitational field) to (a magnetic material) is
(a uniform gradient). The response of (a magnetic field) to (a
magnetic material) is (a high or non-uniform gradient).

Example—Different Path Response—

Mirror
The response of (x-ray) to (a mirror) is (unaltered
movement). The response of (optical light) to (a mirror) is
(reflected altered movement).

Example—Red Color Filter

The response of (red light) to (a red filter) is (unaltered
transmission or amplitude). The response of (orange light)
to (a red filter) is (reduced transmission or amplitude).

Example—Different Speed Response—Glass

The response of (green light) to (optical glass) is (higher
speed). The response of (blue light) to (optical glass) is
(lower speed).

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Exercise—Vibrating Water Wheel

Consider an aluminum water wheel. Inlet flow strikes the blades
after accelerating in the nozzle, transferring energy and momentum
to the blade and wheel. During energy transfer the blade is bent
slightly and released causing it to vibrate.
The resulting alternating stresses decrease the Pressure Pressure
life of the turbine blades. If the pressure forces Forces Non- Forces are
were eliminated, so would the vibration. Existent High
(Assume a constant speed). The Pressure
Forces should be HIGH & ABSENT. Using the
principle that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction. Turbine Output Turbine blade
is Low and component
life is low

Exercise—Storing Almost Protons

Hydrogen is very difficult to store as a gas. This is primarily because
of the high gas constant. A small mass of gas can exert very high
pressures when constrained to a small volume. In order to reduce the
stresses in the vessel walls, the walls are made very thick. The
resulting vessel weight is high (95%) Pressure Forces Pressure Forces
compared to the weight of the hydrogen are Low are High
(5%). If only the pressure forces were not
so high, the vessel walls could be made
much thinner. The Pressure Forces should
be LOW & HIGH. Using the principle that Assume that
you have just learned, resolve this Pressure only Material
contradiction. comes high Stresses are
High

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L2-Separate Between the Substance and

the Field
Separating between the substance and the field is the last separation strategy that we will consider. In this strategy,
the substance has one property (knob setting) and the field has the conflicting property. In order to do this, we have
to know the field and substance that is associated with the conflicting properties. Let’s say that we have two fluids
that must be mixed and not mixed. It is necessary to mix the two fluids in order for the mixture to come to the same
temperature. In this case, the substance and field associated with the conflicting properties is a fluid substance and a
thermal field. Once we have established this, all that is left is to determine which has which conflicting property.

L2-Method
The field element associated with the conflict is (a
field element). The substance element associated A
with the conflict is (a substance element). The (field B Field
element) is (setting A) and the (substance element)
is (setting B). This is accomplished by
(architecture).

Example—Heat Exchanger
Two fluids must be MIXED THOUROUGHLY in order that a temperature sensor can
read the correct average temperature of the fluids. However, they must be UNMIXED in
order that one fluid does not pollute the other.
The field element associated with the conflict is (a thermal field). The substance element
associated with the conflict is (both fluids). The (thermal field)
is (thoroughly mixed) and the (fluids) are (unmixed). This is
accomplished by (a fluid barrier that allows the fluids to be
unmixed, but the thermal fields to mix thoroughly. This is
usually referred to as a head exchanger). Shown to the right is
a representation of a barrier between two fluids. The thermal
fields can cross, but the fluids cannot.

Example—Rotating Field in an Electric Motor

The field coils must ROTATE in order apply forces to turn the
armature. The field coils must remain STATIONARY in
order to keep the complexity of the field coils low.
The field element associated with the conflict is (a magnetic
field). The substance element associated with the conflict is
(the field coils). The (magnetic field) is (rotating) and the
(coils) are (stationary). This is accomplished by (switching on
the coils in a predetermined sequence. The magnetic field
direction appears to rotate, depending on the sequence of the
switching).

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Exercise—Two Tining Rake

A common garden rake is somewhat inefficient when
raking small debris. While riding over uneven
surfaces, unwanted debris settles into the uneven
surface and the tines ride over the top
without collecting the debris. If the tines
were more flexible, they could ride over
Tine Tine
the uneven surfaces like a leaf rake and Stiffness is Stiffness is
collect the materials. On the other hand, Flexible Stiff
if the tines are flexible, then the rake is
not useful for extracting embedded
debris or for moving earth about. The
Tine Flexibility should be FLEXIBLE &
STIFF. Using the principle that you Debris Debris
have just learned, resolve this Extraction is “leakage” is
contradiction. Difficult High

Exercise—The Cover
That Wasn’t
In large plating operations, the plating tanks give off large
amounts of corrosive gases. Over the course of time, these
gases damage the plating facility and everything in it.
Covering the tanks with non-corrosive covers would greatly
reduce the evolution of gases, but a
cover slows down production. The Tank Tank
is is
Plating Tank Needs to be COVERED & Covered Uncovered
UNCOVERED. Using the principle that
you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.

Part Structure
Movement is Damage is
Slow High

Exercise—I Just Can’t Stop

Electromagnetic coils are used for many applications which
require the generation of force. Magnetic fields generated by
the coil and the spool upon which the wire is wound interact
with plungers also made of magnetic materials. Usually, the
flow of current to the coil is initiated by throwing a switch
which allows electrons to begin flowing. Such coils are natural V
inductors, meaning that the flow of electrons begins slowly,
like trying to push a heavy object. When it comes time to turn
off the coil, the opposite effect occurs.

196 Separate between the Substance and the Field

 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

The electrons do not want to stop

moving, but “bunch up” causing high Current Path Current Path
is is
voltages. In many applications this
Continuous Interrupted
causes difficulties such as sparking
(deteriorating brushes and switches or
causing electromagnetic pulses) or high
voltages across other elements. The
current path needs to be Coil Voltage
CONTINUOUS AND Operation not Spikes are
INTERRUPTED. Using the principle Adjustable High
that you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.

Exercise—Too Flexible
Various diameters of a thin rubber boot (which covers part
of a car shift mechanism) must be measured with great
accuracy at several points. Unfortunately, the micrometer

which is used deforms the boot during

the measurement. This makes the Boot Flexibility Boot
measurement inaccurate. How can the is Very Flexibility is
boot be measured more accurately? Stiff Very Flexible
The Boot Flexibility Needs to be
FLEXIBLE & STIFF. Resolve the
Contradiction using the principle that
you have just learned. Boot Life is Diameter
Low Measurement
is Inaccurate

Exercise—Metallic Film
In the production of metallic laminates, Thick
metallic films are produced by successively rolling the metal between rollers until it
reaches the desired thickness. The resulting film is rolled up into large rolls which are
easily manipulated. When making ultra
thin films for laminates, new problems Laminate Laminate
Thickness is Thickness is
arise. Because the film is so thin, both
Thick Thin
the production and manipulation
becomes difficult. The tolerance
between rollers becomes unreasonable Laminate thickness
and handling damage becomes very high. only useful in one
The laminate must be THICK & thickness
Handling damage
ULTRA-THIN. Using the principle that is high
you have just learned, resolve this
contradiction.

Separate between the Substance and the Field 197

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Exercise—Special Delivery II
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much
?
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms
fire, the drop plane must fly high. If the Package Package
Configuration is Configuration is
package is dense and compact, it falls with
Dispersed Compact
pinpoint accuracy. A chute opens near the
end to keep the contents from being
damaged. Unfortunately, enemy troops on
the ground then confiscate the package
and hoard the supplies to themselves. Plane Ground
Vulnerability dispersal is
Dropping many packages gets more
is high poor
packages into the hands that need them,
but high winds may disperse the drop if
they are dropped separately. The Package Configuration must be COMPACT AND
DISPERSED. Using the principle that you have just
learned, resolve this contradiction.

Exercise—Construction Lights
During large construction projects, it is desirable to
light a work area the size of many football fields. It
would be desirable to have one very large and high
light.

But, doing this is prohibitive because of the Light is Light is

large structure that would be required to Low High
support the light.
The construction light needs to be HIGH &
LOW. Using the principle that you have just
Lighting Quality is Support is
learned, resolve this contradiction.
Poor Massive

Exercise—A Slight Polishing

Your company polishes the edges of glass plates. Thousands
of plates are polished each day. The edges of the glass plates
are polished on a fast moving belt covered with abrasive
materials. One day an order comes in for polishing glass
plates which are only .010 inches thick. The first attempts to
polish the edges are catastrophic. The edges Plate Plate
are chipped so badly that the plates are Thickness is Thickness is
unusable. Due to the high volume of plates
Thick Thin
which are normally processed, it is not
practical to change the machinery. The
problem would go away if the plates were Plate only
THICK, but they only come THIN. Using comes in one Edge Breaking
the principle that you have just learned, thickness is High
resolve this contradiction.
198 Separate between the Substance and the Field
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Exercise—the Beat Goes On

Heart surgery is sometimes required for battlefield wounds
to the heart. Small pieces of shrapnel become lodged in the
heart muscle. Usually, the heart is stopped, temporarily, to
repair it since it is very difficult to operate on a beating
heart. This stoppage of blood flow is very traumatic for the
rest of the body which may be badly damaged. If it were
possible to operate on the beating heart, there would likely
be more survivors. The Heart Movement
Heart Heart
must be BEATING & STILL. Using the Motion is Motion is
principle that you have just learned, Still Beating
resolve this contradiction.

Trauma to Rest of Operational

Body is Mistakes are
High Frequent

Separate between the Substance and the Field 199

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L2-Compensation
Without special recognition, the method of resolving contradictions by compensation is taught in some of
Altshuller’s earliest works 85. Up to this point, we have only considered solving the contradiction by turning the knob
to both settings. It is also possible to resolve the contradiction by setting the critical property to one setting only.
Then we compensate for this property setting by turning another knob.

L2-Method
Step 1: Set a critical property to one setting which solves the main problem.
Step 2: Look for another knob which can be turned to compensate for the harmful effect
created by step 1.

Example—Raking
Going back to the raking example at the first of the chapter, we can ask what we might do
if debris extraction were the main problem with a flexible leaf rake. Let’s assume that we
have already formed the causal analysis shown below.
Step 1: Set a critical property to one setting which solves the main problem.
The main problem is debris extraction with the leaf rake. This is because the tines are
flexible. We can solve this problem by making the tines stiff. Unfortunately, this causes
a variety of problems. (We will only focus on one of these by assuming that the other
main function of the rake is debris collection but not on lawns).

Tine Tine Ground Ground Tine Tine

Flexibility Flexibility Shape is Shape is Spacing Spacing
is Flexible is Stiff Regular Irregular is Wide is
Narrow

Debris Debris
Extraction Main Leakage
is Problem is
Difficult Excessive

85 An Example of Compensation can be found on page 34 of The Innovation Algorithm by G.S. Altshuller, Technical Innovation center. First Edition 1999. What is described is
a diving mask that distorts the vision of the diver due to the change of index of refraction between the water and glass which have a refractive index around 1.5 and the air which
has a refractive index around 1.0. (Think about the last time that you used diving goggles with a flat glass or plastic plate.) The refractive index is the parameter which drives the
distortion which is the problem that needs to be overcome. A second parameter is found that compensates for the difference in refractive index and that is the curvature of the
glass. The curvature of the glass can be used to compensate and even correct the vision of the diver which may have imperfect vision when not underwater. (Many divers try to
wear their normal corrective glasses by wedging them into diving goggles. Unfortunately, this, alone, does not change the original distortion of the diving goggles.)

Compensate 201
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Step 2: Look for another knob which can be turned to compensate for the harmful effect
created by step 1.
We have already noted that debris leakage is also a function of irregularly shaped ground
and narrow tine spacing. We can compensate for the stiff tines by making the ground
regular and the tine spacing narrow.

202 Compensation
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L2-Iterate on Solutions
You have probably discovered by now that there are many potential ways to resolve a contradiction and there are
many potential solution paths to a problem. Each solution path will bring you to a point where you can visualize an
architecture that brings you close to solving your problem. Unfortunately, this rarely occurs on the first pass. It is
entirely possible that resolving a contradiction will cause other problems. You may recall the problem of measuring
the dimensions of a flexible boot. One way to overcome this problem is to resolve the contradiction that the boot
must be soft in order to perform its function and it must be hard in order to be accurately measured. One way to
resolve this contradiction is to freeze it in liquid nitrogen. This does, in fact, resolve the immediate contradiction,
but a new problem arises. The material is distorted by freezing. Note that is problem has nothing to do with the
original contradiction. Now we have a new problem that may seem more difficult than the original problem.

L2-Method—Continuing Evolution of Solutions

Rather than abandon the solution, we should continue with this solution path until we are
satisfied with the solution. Each solution path may branch many times with the ensuing
iterations. This is fine. It is not unusual to have a number of potential solutions. The
intention is to continue evolving the solutions as long as it is practical before making a
decision. It is not unusual to have several ideas to work on at the same time. In some
ways, this creates a state of mind that is very healthy. Rather than focusing in on one
idea and sending it to finishing school, you will greatly increase your chances of success
by thinking in terms of solution sets. Further discussion on this topic can be found in the
book concerned with implementing solutions.

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Contradiction Exercises
These exercises are provided to give the reader experience solving contradictions. While there are known solutions
for each of these, applying each of the methods allows for an element of the unknown.

Exercise—The Lesser Weevil

In the war on hunger, Russian scientists were studying the
metabolism of the weevil. This required the scientists to be able to
measure the body temperature over a period of time. Tiny
temperature probes were
proposed, which through the aid Weevil Weevil
Size is Size is
of a microscope could be inserted
Large Small
into the weevil. The cost of these
probes and placement apparatus Weevils only
were prohibitive. If the Weevil come small
were only larger, we could put a
normal thermometer into its Thermometer
mouth opening? The Weevil insertion is difficult
or complex
needs to be LARGE AND
SMALL. Resolve this
contradiction using any method.

Exercise—Traffic Light
The lights in a traffic light must eventually FAIL due to the action of the
current on the filament and to vibration. The traffic light must NOT FAIL
in order to not cause traffic delays or make the intersection more
dangerous.
This is an example of an output Traffic Light Traffic Light
contradiction. Most people would think Operation Fails Operation Doesn’t
of this as the Y in the function. Resolve Fail
this contradiction using any method.
All lights will Note that nothing
eventually fail gets worse
Exercise—A Post Large
and an Outpost Variance

Tight
For years your company has Control
produced an aircraft product
which fits over two posts on
your customer’s aircraft. Both
the position and the diameter of the posts were closely controlled. Unfortunately, a
recent production change by the customer allows a large variance in the distance between
the posts.

Iterate on Solutions 205

TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Now there is no guarantee that the part

which you produce will fit over the Hole Hole
customers posts. (The diameter of the Clearance is Clearance is
posts is still closely held). The customer is Loose Tight
unwilling to change the new production
process, but has instead asked you to
modify the part so that it will fit snuggly in
the application, without rotating. If the
hole clearance is large, they can easily fit Rotational Assembly
Slop is Yield is Poor
over, but they will not be snug. The Hole
High
Clearance needs to be LOOSE & TIGHT
Resolve this contradiction using any
method.

Exercise—The Farmer’s Mush

“I can’t stand cold cereal anymore!” The farmer says. “Yes, but
it takes a long time to make hot cereal the way that you like it!
I’m not getting up any earlier to make it!” The farmer's wife
complains.
Cereal is not Cereal is
The cereal MUST BE PREPARED in order to prepared to prepared to
nourish the farmer. It must NOT BE PREPARED eat eat
in order to not fatigue the farmer’s wife. Resolve
this contradiction using any method.

No Cereal Time of
for the awakening
Farmer
Exercise—Controlled
is early

Explosions
During mining operations it is necessary to
precisely time a series of explosions. One way to
do this is to drop a conductive plug down a tube
with electrical contacts spaced at precise intervals.
As the conductive weight passes each set
of contacts, continuity is established Contact Contact
across the contacts and an explosive is is
charge is detonated. Unfortunately, in Non-Existent Existent
order to ensure continuity, the force of
the contacts against the conductive
weight needs to be high. This causes the
timing to be erratic. Remember, this is a Contact Timing Between
Flintstones timer. No further electronic Conduction is Contacts is
circuits are available. All we have are Poor Irregular
metallic plugs and contacts. (If we
already had magnetic relays, lasers and
electronic timing circuits, we wouldn’t
be dropping balls). There should be CONTACT & NO CONTACT. Resolve this
contradiction using any method.

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Exercise—Vibrating Water Wheel

Consider an aluminum water wheel. Inlet flow strikes the blades after
accelerating in the nozzle, transferring energy and momentum to the
blade and wheel. During energy transfer the blade is bent slightly and
released causing it to vibrate.
The resulting alternating stresses decrease the Pressure Pressure
life of the turbine blades. If the pressure forces Forces Non- Forces are
Existent High
were eliminated, so would the vibration.
(Assume a constant speed). The Pressure
Forces should be HIGH & ABSENT. Resolve
this contradiction using any method.
Turbine Output Turbine blade
is Low and component
life is low
Exercise—Two Tining Rake
A common garden rake is somewhat inefficient when
raking small debris. While riding over uneven surfaces,
unwanted debris settles into the uneven surface and the
tines ride over the top without collecting the debris. If the
tines were more flexible, they could ride over the uneven
surfaces like a leaf rake and collect the
materials. On the other hand, if the tines
are flexible, then the rake is not useful for Tine Tine
Stiffness is Stiffness is
extracting embedded debris or for moving
Flexible Stiff
earth about. The Tine Flexibility should be
FLEXIBLE & STIFF. Resolve this
contradiction using any method.

Debris Debris
Extraction is “leakage” is
Difficult High

Exercise—The Cover That

Wasn’t
In large plating operations, the plating tanks give off large
amounts of corrosive gases. Over the course of time, these
gases damage the plating facility and everything in it.
Covering the tanks with non-corrosive covers would greatly
reduce the evolution of gases, but a
cover slows down production. The Tank Tank
is is
Plating Tank Needs to be COVERED & Covered Uncovered
UNCOVERED. Resolve this
contradiction using any method.

Part Structure
Movement is Damage is
Slow High

Iterate on Solutions 207

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Exercise—I Just Can’t Stop

Electromagnetic coils are used for many applications which
require the generation of force. Magnetic fields generated
by the coil and the spool upon which the wire is wound
interact with plungers also made of magnetic materials.
Usually, the flow of current to the coil is initiated by
V
throwing a switch which allows electrons to begin flowing.
Such coils are natural inductors, meaning that the flow of
electrons begins slowly, like trying to
push a heavy object. When it comes Current Path Current Path
time to turn off the coil, the opposite is is
effect occurs. The electrons do not Continuous Interrupted
want to stop moving, but “bunch up”
causing high voltages. In many
applications this causes difficulties
such as sparking (deteriorating brushes
and switches or causing Coil Voltage
electromagnetic pulses) or high Operation not Spikes are
voltages across other elements. The Adjustable High
current path needs to be
CONTINUOUS AND
INTERRUPTED. Resolve this contradiction using any method.

Exercise—Too Flexible
Various diameters of a thin rubber boot (which covers part
of a car shift mechanism) must be measured with great
accuracy at several points. Unfortunately, the micrometer
which is used deforms the boot during
the measurement. This makes the Boot Flexibility Boot
measurement inaccurate. How can the is Very Flexibility is
boot be measured more accurately? Stiff Very Flexible
The Boot Flexibility Needs to be
FLEXIBLE & STIFF. Resolve the
Resolve this contradiction using any
method. Boot Life is Diameter
Low Measurement
Exercise—Soft Water is Inaccurate
The addition of bubbles to diving pools
is a good way to keep diving injuries to a minimum.
This is especially true when diving from great
heights. Unfortunately, the diver is no longer buoyant
in the water and finds it difficult to
surface after a dive. The Bubbles need Bubbles Bubbles
to be EXISTENT AND ABSENT. Absent in Exist in
Resolve this contradiction using any Water Water
method.

Damage to divers Surfacing is

is High Difficult

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Exercise—Free-Fall Plating
Crystals grown in a micro-gravity environment
have unusual properties. Such an environment
is created by objects in free-fall. A space craft
Tank State is Tank State is
in orbit about the earth achieves this same
not Free Free
effect by being in a constant free fall state. Fall Fall
Plating in such a free-fall state might also
have unusual properties. We are a small
company which cannot afford a shuttle Plating is only
experiment. How can we perform such useful during
experiments? A Plating Tank State should be Financial
free-fall
FREE FALL & NOT FREE FALL. Resolve Cost is
High
this contradiction using any method.

Exercise—Metallic Film
In the production of metallic laminates, Thick
metallic films are produced by Laminate Laminate
successively rolling the metal between Thickness is Thickness is
rollers until it reaches the desired Thick Thin
thickness. The resulting film is rolled up
into large rolls which are easily
manipulated. When making ultra thin Laminate thickness
only useful in one
films for laminates, new problems arise.
thickness
Because the film is so thin, both the Handling damage
production and manipulation becomes is high
difficult. The tolerance between rollers
becomes unreasonable and handling
damage becomes very high. The laminate must be THICK & ULTRA-THIN. Resolve
this contradiction using any method.

Exercise—Special Delivery
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much ?
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In
order to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire, the drop
plane must fly high. If the package is dense
and compact, it falls with pinpoint Package Package
accuracy. A chute opens near the end to contents are contents are
Useless Useful
keep the contents from being damaged.
Unfortunately, enemy troops on the ground
then confiscate the package and hoard the
supplies to themselves.
They quickly discover that the contents are Value For Enemy Troop
useful and look for them. The Package Needy is Confiscation is
Contents must be USEFUL AND Low High
USELESS Resolve this contradiction using
any method.

Iterate on Solutions 209

TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Exercise—Special Delivery II
During war in a third world country, an effective means of
gaining support from the local people is to give them much ?
needed supplies such as medicine, food and clothing. In order
to avoid anti-aircraft and small arms fire,
the drop plane must fly high. If the Package Package
package is dense and compact, it falls with Configuration is Configuration is
pinpoint accuracy. A chute opens near the Dispersed Compact
end to keep the contents from being
damaged. Unfortunately, enemy troops on
the ground then confiscate the package
and hoard the supplies to themselves.
Plane Ground
Dropping many packages gets more Vulnerability Dispersal is
packages into the hands that need them, is High Poor
but high winds may disperse the drop if
they are dropped separately. The Package Configuration must be COMPACT AND
DISPERSED. Resolve this contradiction using any method.

Exercise—Super Yacht
A small ship building company considers a contract to
build a super yacht. The yacht is so big that only a third
will fit into their dock. “We will need to build this in the
open harbor.” A frustrated Assembly Assembly
engineer says. “We can’t do Location is In Location is at
that; we need the availability Harbor Dock
of lifts and tools.”
The Building Location: It
should be IN THE HARBOR
& AT THE DOCK. Resolve
this contradiction using any Availability of Boat
method. Tools is Poor is too
Large for Dock

Exercise—Eternal Sand
Inscriptions on grave stones are made by sandblasting
the polished stone through a rubber mask. The mask is
attached to the stone by adhesive and later peeled off.
The sand is ejected through a nozzle at high
velocity in a pneumatic stream. The sand can Sand Volume Sand Volume
be reused for a time, but must eventually be Used Used
replenished because it breaks down and is Small is Large
becomes too fine for use. A large operation
must replenish the sand often and dispose of
the used sand. The volume of the sand which
is used must be LARGE AND SMALL. Abrasion Cost
Resolve this contradiction using any method. is is
Low High
210 Appendix: Table of Fields
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Exercise—Take Smaller Bites

A rule of thumb for cutting a piece of metal in a band saw is to
have at least three teeth on the piece of metal. This is because
the point loading becomes too high. This causes bad things to
happen such as breaking teeth, blades
or rough cutting. On the other hand, Tooth Tooth
if the teeth are too fine, the point Spacing is Spacing is
loading on each tooth is too small. In Coarse Fine
a large production shop where many
pieces of metal are cut, it is necessary
to cut both thick and thin pieces.
How can we speed up production? Point Cutting
The Tooth Spacing Needs to be FINE Loading is Speed is
& COARSE. High Slow

Exercise—Construction
Lights
During large construction projects, it is desirable to
light a work area the size of many football fields. It
would be desirable to have one very large and high
light.
Light is Light is
But, doing this is prohibitive because of the Low High
large structure that would be required to
support the light.
The construction light needs to be HIGH &
LOW. Resolve this contradiction using any Lighting Quality is Support is
method. Poor Massive

Exercise—Blistering Coils
Product on an assembly line must pass under a heating
coil in order to be fully treated. The product that passes
under the center part of the coil is fully treated, but the
product that passes under the coil at the edge of
the conveyor belt is not fully treated. If the coil Coil Spacing Coil Spacing
spacing was finer, the outer product could be is is
fully treated. However, the product at the Fine Coarse
center of the belt is over-heated. The Coil
Spacing should be FINE & COARSE. Resolve
this contradiction using any method.
Inner Product Outer
is Over Heated Product is
not Fully
Treated

Iterate on Solutions 211

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Exercise—Radiation Treatment
High levels of radiation can damage the structure of cells and
cause them to cease functioning. This is useful
in the treatment of tumors. A beam of high Radiation Radiation
energy radiation is focused on the tumor. After Intensity is Intensity is
the procedure, the tumor shrinks. Unfortunately, Low High
the tissue surrounding the tumor is also damaged
by the high energy radiation. The Radiation
Intensity needs to be HIGH AND LOW. Resolve
Tumor Surrounding
this contradiction using any method.
Shrinkage is Tissue Damage
Poor is High

Exercise—Blistering Coils II
Product on an assembly line must pass under a heating coil
in order to be fully treated. The product that passes under
the center part of the coil is fully treated, but the product
that passes under the coil at the edge of the
conveyor belt is not fully treated. If the coil length Coil Length is Coil Length is
is much longer, the product will be uniformly Width of Belt Excessive
heated as it passes under the coil. Unfortunately, a
lot of energy is wasted.
The Coil Length should be EXCESSIVE & THE
WIDTH OF THE BELT. Resolve this
contradiction using any method. Product Energy
treatment is Waste is
not Uniform High

Exercise—Blistering Coils III

Product on an assembly line must pass under a heating coil
in order to be fully treated. The product that passes under
the center part of the coil is fully treated, but the product
that passes under the coil at the edge of the conveyor belt is
not fully treated. If the product speed
were slower at the edges, the product Product Product
will be uniformly heated as it passes Speed Speed
under the coil. is Slow is Fast

If the product is slowed down, the

center pieces will be over heated. The
belt speed should be SLOW & FAST.
Center Product
Resolve this contradiction using any Edge Product is
is Overheated
method. Under Treated

212 Appendix: Table of Fields

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Exercise—Molecular Wind Pump

A molecular wind is created by applying a very
high voltage source to a very sharp object. The High Voltage Source
electrostatic field gradient at the tip is very high.
Any stray electrons in the gas (knocked off by a
stray gamma ray for example) are accelerated by
the field and collide with other molecules
Local Gas Local Gas
causing an avalanche of charges seen as a
Movement is Movement is
“corona discharge”. The resulting ionized
Large Small
molecules are repelled from the charged
object, causing a molecular wind. The
wind is localized to the point and could be Only comes one
used to pump rarified gas, except that the way
movement of the gas is so small.
Flow
The Local Gas Movement should be is
SMALL & LARGE. Resolve this Miniscule
contradiction using any method.

Exercise—Fish to the Rescue

Like most large predators, a shark will follow its prey in
close pursuit until the smaller prey exhausts its energy.
Although the prey may be more nimble, it cannot outrun its
larger foe forever. If the smaller fish could dodge Endurance Endurance
and dart forever, it could easily outmaneuver the is is
larger shark. The Fish should have INFINITE Infinite Low
ENDURANCE in order to outrun the shark and
NORMAL ENDURANCE because that is how No Fish
small fish are. Resolve this contradiction using Come
any method. this way
Vulnerability
is
High

Exercise—A Slight Polishing

Your company polishes the edges of glass plates. Thousands
of plates are polished each day. The edges of the glass plates
are polished on a fast moving belt covered with abrasive
materials. One day an order comes in for polishing glass
plates which are only .010 inches thick. The first attempts to
polish the edges are catastrophic. The edges
are chipped so badly that the plates are Plate Plate
unusable. Due to the high volume of plates Thickness is Thickness is
which are normally processed, it is not Thick Thin
practical to change the machinery. The
problem would go away if the plates were
THICK, but they only come THIN. Plate only
Resolve this contradiction using any comes in one Edge Breaking
method. thickness is High
Iterate on Solutions 213
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Lipids
Exercise—Blood Brain Barrier
Some medicines need to be delivered to the brain,
but cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. Drug
Molecules that pass easily are lipids and sugars.
Barrier
How can these medicines be delivered across the
blood-brain barrier? The composition should be Drug is a sugar Drug is not a
LIPID & NON-LIPID. Resolve this contradiction or Lipid sugar or lipid
using any method.

Drug is Passage is
ineffective at Constrained
treating disease
Exercise—A Limit to Cell
Phones
Cell phone cases have become increasingly thinner. This
reduces the weight and cost of raw materials. The
traditional method of production has been injection
molding. But, injection molding has reached
several limits. The pressures required to inject Case Case
into increasingly narrow passages is very high. Material is Material is
Additionally, the cases are required to do more. Metallic Plastic
They must be as rigid as metal and conductive
like metal to reduce electromagnetic
interference, yet they should be made from
light moldable materials like plastic. Price Flexibility
is and EMI
The cases should be METALLIC & PLASTIC. High Conductivity
Resolve this contradiction using any method. are high

Exercise—Ugly Cookies
A production line for gourmet cookies has just been brought
on line and has been in production for several days. The plant
manager’s wife inspects the cookies and discovers that they
do not look like her home-made recipe. They are well shaped
on one side but malformed on the other. “The equipment will
have to be retooled to make them bake right” the wife says.
“It’s too late!” The plant manager says.
The shape of The shape of
“We have produced ten tons and the cookie
one side is one side is
introduction is next week at the
well shaped malformed
Convention.” The cookies should be
MALFORMED & WELL SHAPED. These
Resolve this contradiction using any cookies are
method. all that is
available Probability
of a good
introduction
is poor

214 Appendix: Table of Fields

 TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Exercise—What’s Up Dock
“We’ll make a fortune” the small investor said. “When
they build the houses around this lake, everyone will want
a place to dock their boats and we got the last parcel on
the lake”. “Yes, but it is too small to store
Dock Dock
many boats” his wife complained. “And we is is
are not allowed to build the dock out more Large Small
than 20 yards”. “I know” she continued “We
can fill every available square foot with dock
and boats!” “We still will not be able to store
enough boats to make money” the investor
said after making a few calculations. The Cost of Leasing Revenue
Dock should be SMALL & LARGE. More Beach is is
High Low
Resolve this contradiction using any method.

Exercise—Storing Almost
Protons
Hydrogen is very difficult to store as a gas. This is primarily
because of the high gas constant. A small mass of gas can exert
very high pressures when constrained to a small volume. In order
to reduce the stresses in the vessel walls, the walls are made very
thick. The resulting vessel weight is high (95%) compared to the
weight of the hydrogen (5%). If only the Pressure Forces Pressure Forces
pressure forces were not so high, the vessel are Low are High
walls could be made much thinner. The
Pressure Forces should be LOW & HIGH.
Resolve this contradiction using any
method. Assume that
Pressure only Material
comes high Stresses are
High

Exercise—Log Jam
Every few hours, a train enters the depot with several cars full of
logs. It is the job of the inspector to measure each log diameter.
Unfortunately the train does not stay long. So far, the problem
has been solved by hiring many inspectors.
The inspectors have nothing to do between
trains and sit for hours. The productivity of Stopping Stopping
the inspectors is low. If the logs would just Time is Time is
stay at the station for a long time, one Long Short
inspector could do the job and would be fully
occupied.
The Stopping Time Needs to be LONG &
SHORT. Resolve this contradiction using Log More
any method.. Transportation Inspectors and
is Inefficient Idle Time

Iterate on Solutions 215

TR IZ P ower T oo ls

Exercise—the Beat Goes On

Heart surgery is sometimes required for battlefield wounds
to the heart. Small pieces of shrapnel become lodged in the
heart muscle. Usually, the heart is stopped, temporarily, to
repair it since it is very difficult to operate on a beating
heart. This stoppage of blood flow is very traumatic for the

rest of the body which may be badly Heart Heart

damaged. If it were possible to operate Motion is Motion is
on the beating heart, there would likely Still Beating
be more survivors. The Heart Movement
must be BEATING & STILL. Resolve
this contradiction using any method.

Trauma to Rest of Operational

Body is Mistakes are
High Frequent

216 Appendix: Table of Fields

Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

TRIZ 40 Design Principles

(Adapted from Slides Developed by Darryl Mann, Creax)

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 1

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

TRIZ – 40 Principles
1 Segmentation 21 Skipping
2 Taking out 22 Blessing in disguise
3 Local quality 23 Feedback
4 Asymmetry 24 Intermediary
5 Merging 25 Self-service
6 Universality 26 Copying
7 Russian dolls 27 Cheap short-lived objects
8 Anti-weight 28 Mechanics substitution
9 Preliminary anti-action 29 Pneumatics and hydraulics
10 Preliminary action 30 Flexible shells and thin films
11 Beforehand cushioning 31 Porous materials
12 Equipotentiality 32 Colour changes
13 "The other way round" 33 Homogeneity
14 Spheroidality - Curvature 34 Discarding and recovering
15 Dynamics 35 Parameter changes
16 Partial or excessive actions 36 Phase transitions
17 Another dimension 37 Thermal expansion
18 Mechanical vibration 38 Strong oxidants
19 Periodic action 39 Inert atmosphere
20 Continuity of useful action 40 Composite materials
Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 2
James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 1. Segmentation
A - Divide an object into independent parts

Gator-grip socket spanner

Multi-pin connectors

Bubble-wrap

Have a range of different focal length lenses for a camera

Multiple pistons in an internal combustion engine

Multi-engined aircraft

Pocket-spring mattress

Stratification of different constituents inside a chemical process vessel

B - Make an object easy to assemble or disassemble

Rapid-release bicycle saddle/wheel/etc fasteners

Quick disconnect joints in plumbing and hydraulic systems

Single fastener V-band clamps on flange joints

Loose-leaf paper in a ring-binder

C - Increase the degree of fragmentation or segmentation

Use of multiple control surfaces on aerodynamic structures

16 and 24 valve versus 8 valve internal combustion engines

Multi-blade cartridge razors

Multi-zone combustion systems

Build up a component from layers (e.g. stereo-lithography, welds, etc)
Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 3
James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 2. Taking Out

A - Separate an interfering part or property from an object, or

single out the only necessary part (or property) of an object

Locate a noisy compressor outside the building where the compressed air is
used

Use the sound of a barking dog, without the dog, as a burglar alarm

Scarecrow

Non-smoking areas in restaurants or in railway carriages

Automation removes humans

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 4

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 3. Local Quality

A - Change an object's structure from uniform to non-uniform

Reduce drag on aerodynamic surfaces by adding riblets or 'shark-skin'
protrusions

Moulded hand grips on tools

Drink cans shaped to facilitate stable stacking

Material surface treatments/coatings - plating, erosion/corrosion protection, non-
stick, etc
B - Change an external environment (or external influence) from uniform
to non-uniform

Use a temperature, density, or pressure gradient instead of constant
temperature, density or pressure

Introduce turbulent flow around an object to alter heat transfer properties
C - Make each part of an object function in conditions most suitable for
its operation

Freezer compartment in refrigerator

Different zones in the combustion system of an engine
D - Make each part of an object fulfil a different and/or complementary useful
function.

Swiss-Army knife

Combined can and bottle opener

Hammer with nail puller

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 5

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 4. Asymmetry

A - Change the shape or properties of an object from symmetrical to

asymmetrical

Introduce a geometric feature which prevents incorrect usage/assembly of a component
(e.g. earth pin on electric plug)

Asymmetrical funnel allows higher flow-rate than normal funnel

Put a flat spot on a cylindrical shaft to attach a locking feature

Oval and complex shaped O-rings

Introduction of angled or scarfed geometry features on component edges

Cam

Ratchet

Aerofoil – asymmetry generates lift

Eccentric drive

Blohm und Voss observation aircraft

B - Change the shape of an object to suit external asymmetries (e.g.

ergonomic features)

Car steering system compensates for camber in road

Wing design compensated for asymmetric flow produced by propeller

Turbomachinery design takes account of boundary layer flows (‘end-bend’)

C - If an object is asymmetrical, increase its degree of asymmetry.

Use of variable control surfaces to alter lift properties of an aircraft wing

Special connectors with complex shape/pin configurations to ensure correct assembly

Introduction of several different measurement scales on a ruler

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 6

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 5. Merging
A - Bring closer together (or merge) identical or similar objects or
operations in space

Automatic rifle/machine gun

Multi-colour ink cartridges

Multi-blade razors

Bi-focal lens spectacles

Double/triple glazing

Strips of staples

Catarmaran/trimaran
B - Make objects or operations contiguous or parallel; bring them together
in time

Combine harvester

Manufacture cells

Grass collector on a lawn-mower

Mixer taps

Pipe-lined computer processors perform different stages in a calculation
simultaneously

Vector processors perform the same process on several sets of data in a single
pass

Fourier analysis – integration of many sine curves

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 7

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 6. Universality

A - Make a part or object perform multiple functions; eliminate

the need for other parts

Child's car safety seat converts to a stroller

Home entertainment centre

Swiss Army knife

Grill in a microwave oven

Radio-alarm clock

Work-mate

CD used as a storage medium for multiple data types

Use of Standards in e.g. data exchange

Cleaning strip at beginning of a cassette tape cleans tape heads

Bathroom light-switch starts extractor fan

Car glove compartment lid incorporates cup-holders

Cordless drill also acts as screwdriver, sander, polisher, etc

Fishing stool/container

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 8

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 7. Russian Dolls “Nested Doll”

A - Place one object inside another

Place a safe inside a wall or under floorboards

Retractable aircraft under-carriage

Introduce voids into 3D structures

Injected cavity-wall insulation

Paint-brush attached to inside of lid of nail-varnish, etc

Lining inside a coat
B - Place multiple objects inside others

Nested tables

Telescope

Measuring cups or spoons

Stacking chairs

Multi-layer erosion/corrosion coatings
C - Make one part pass (dynamically) through a cavity in the other.

Telescopic car aerial

Retractable power-lead in vacuum cleaner

Seat belt retraction mechanism

Tape measure

Stacked charge ammunition

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 9

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 8. Anti-weight

A - To compensate for the weight of an object, merge it with

other objects that provide lift

Kayak with foam floats built into hull cannot sink

Aerostatic aeroplane contains lighter-than-air pockets

Hot air or helium balloon.

Swim-bladder inside a fish

Flymo cutting blade produces lift

B - To compensate for the weight of an object, make it interact

with the environment (e.g. use aerodynamic, hydrodynamic,
buoyancy and other forces)

Vortex generators improve lift of aircraft wings

Wing-in-ground effect aircraft

Hydrofoils lift ship out of the water to reduce drag

Make use of centrifugal forces in rotating systems (e.g .Watt governor)

Maglev train uses magnetic repulsion to reduce friction

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 10

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 9. Preliminary Anti-action

A - If it will be necessary to perform an action with both harmful

and useful effects, this action should be replaced with anti-
actions to control harmful effects

Make clay pigeons out of ice or dung in order that they do not have to
be collected afterwards.

Masking objects before harmful exposure: Use a lead apron on parts of
the body not being exposed to X-rays, use masking tape when painting
difficult edges, etc.

Predict effects of signal distortion / attenuation and compensate before
transmitting

Buffer a solution to prevent harm from extremes of pH
B - Create beforehand stresses in an object that will oppose
known undesirable working stresses later on.

Pre-stress rebar before pouring concrete.

Pre-stressed bolts

Pre-shrunk jeans

Decompression chamber

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 11

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 10. Preliminary Action

A - Perform, before it is needed, the required change of an object

(either fully or partially)

Pre-pasted wall paper

Sterilize all instruments needed for a surgical procedure.

Self-adhesive stamps

Holes cut before sheet-metal part formed

Pre-impregnated carbon fibre reduces lay-up time and improves "wetting“

Explosive reactive armour

B - Pre-arrange objects such that they can come into action from the
most convenient place and without losing time for their delivery

Manufacture flow-lines

Pre-deposited blade in a surgery cast facilitates removal.

Car jack, wheel brace, and spare tyre stored together

Collect all the tools and materials for the job before starting

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 12

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 11. Beforehand Cushioning

A - Prepare emergency means beforehand to

compensate for the relatively low reliability
of an object (‘belt and braces’)

Magnetic strip on photographic film that directs the
developer to compensate for poor exposure

Back-up parachute

Dual channel control system

Air-bag in a car

Spare wheel

Relief valve

Emergency lighting circuit

Battery back-up

Automatic save operations performed by computer
programs

Zip-files

Mask borders of objects to be painted, use stencils

Crash barriers on motorways

‘Touch-down’ bearing in magnetic bearing system

Multiple hydraulic systems

“Slime” puncture avoidance fluid

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 13

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 12. Equipotentiality

A - If an object has to be raised or lowered, redesign the object’s

environment so the need to raise or lower is eliminated or
performed by the environment

Canal locks

Spring loaded parts delivery system in a factory

Mechanic’s pit in a garage means car does not have to be lifted.

Place a heavy object on ice, and let ice melt in order to lower it.

Angle-poise lamp; changes in gravitational potential stored in balancing
springs

Descending cable cars balance the weight of ascending cars

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 14

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 13. “The Other Way Round”

A - Invert the action(s) used to solve the problem (e.g. instead of
cooling an object, heat it)

To loosen stuck parts, cool the inner part instead of heating the outer part.

Vacuum casting

Test pressure vessel by varying pressure outside rather than inside the vessel

Test seal on a liquid container by filling with pressurised air and immersing in
liquid; trails of bubbles are easier to trace than slow liquid leaks

Place nuts in a vacuum to get them out of their shells

“Upside-down” motorcycle forks

B - Make movable parts (or the external environment) fixed, and

fixed parts movable)

Hamster wheel

Rotate the part instead of the tool.

Wind tunnels

Moving sidewalk with standing people

C - Turn the object (or process) 'upside down'

Clean bottles by inverting and injecting water from below; the water then drains
by itself.

Turn an assembly upside down to insert fasteners

Open tinned beans from the bottom to get out beans that would otherwise have
stuck to the bottom due to storage

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 15

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 14. Spheroidality - Curvature

A - Instead of using rectilinear parts, surfaces, or forms, use
curvilinear ones; move from flat surfaces to spherical ones; from
parts shaped as a cube (parallelepiped) to ball-shaped structures

Use arches and domes for strength in architecture.

Introduce stress relieving holes at the ends of slots

Change curvature on lens to alter light deflection properties
B - Use rollers, balls, spirals, domes

Spiral gear (Nautilus) produces continuous resistance for weight lifting.

Use spherical casters instead of cylindrical wheels to move furniture

Archimedes screw
C - Go from linear to rotary motion (or vice versa)

Rotary actuators in hydraulic system.

Switch from reciprocating to rotary pump

Linear motors
D - Use centrifugal forces

Centrifugal casting for even wall thickness structures

Spin components after painting to remove excess paint

Watt governor

Vortex/cyclone separates different density objects

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 16

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 15. Dynamics

A - Allow (or design) the characteristics of an object, external
environment, or process to change to be optimal or to find an optimal
operating conditionA

Adjustable steering wheel (or seat, or back support, or mirror position...)

Gel fillings inside seat allow it to adapt to user

Shape memory alloys/polymers.

Racing car suspension adjustable for different tracks and driving techniques

Telescopic curtain rail allows for "one size fits all"
B - Divide an object into parts capable of movement relative to each other

Articulated lorry

Folding chair/mobile phone/laptop/etc

Brush seals

C - If an object (or process) is rigid or inflexible, make it movable or

adaptive

Bendy drinking straw

Flexible joint
D - Increase the degree of free motion

Use of different stiffness fibres in toothbrush – easily deflected at the edges to
prevent gum damage, hard in the middle

Loose sand inside truck tyre gives it self-balancing properties at speed

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 17

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 16. Partial or Excessive Actions

A - If 100 percent of an object is hard to achieve using a given
solution method then, by using 'slightly less' or 'slightly more' of
the same method, the problem may be considerably easier to solve

Over spray when painting, then remove excess.

When painting walls, don't use the roller right up to the ceiling; touch up with
a brush

Fill, then "top off" when pouring a pint of Guinness.

Shrink wrapping process uses plastic deformation of wrapping to
accommodate variations in vacuum pressure.

‘Roughing’ and ‘Finish’ machining operations.

Over-fill holes with plaster and then rub back to smooth.

(Use of Pareto analysis to prioritise actions when not all can be achieved
with the available resources.)

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 18

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 17. Another Dimension

A - If an object contains or moves in a straight line, consider use of
dimensions or movement outside the line

Serrated or scalloped edges on a knife blade or hole punch

Curved bristles on a brush

Coiled telephone cable

“Stacked” elevator Petronas towers

B - If an object contains or moves in a plane, consider use of

dimensions or movement outside the current plane

Spiral staircase uses less floor area

Introduction of down and up slopes between stations on railway reduces train acceleration
and deceleration power requirements

Conical instead of plain flange joint

C - Use a multi-storey arrangement of objects instead of a single-

storey arrangement

Cassette with 6 CDs to increase music time and variety

Multi-storey office blocks or car-parks

D - Tilt or re-orient the object, lay it on its side

Dump truck

E - Use 'another side' of a given area.

Mount computer chip components on both sides of a silicon card

Fix a leaking car radiator or pipe by adding fluid sealant to the inside rather than trying to
seal from outside

Nokia QWERTY phone
Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 19
James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 18. Mechanical Vibration

A - Cause an object to oscillate or vibrate

Electric carving knife with vibrating blades

Shake/stir paint to mix before applying

Hammer drill

Vibrate during sieving operations to improve throughput.
B - Increase its frequency (even up to the ultrasonic)

Ultrasonic cleaning

Non-destructive crack detection using ultrasound
C - Use an object's resonant frequency

Destroy gall stones or kidney stones using ultrasonic resonance.

Ease bottle cleaning by pulsing washing action at resonant frequency of
bottles
D - Use piezoelectric vibrators instead of mechanical ones

Quartz crystal oscillations drive high accuracy clocks.

Piezoelectric vibrators improve fluid atomisation from a spray nozzle
E - Use combined ultrasonic and electromagnetic field oscillations.

Mixing alloys in an induction furnace

Ultrasonic drying of films – combine ultrasonic with heat source

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 20

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 19. Periodic Action

A - Instead of continuous action, use periodic or pulsating actions

Hitting something repeatedly with a hammer

Pile drivers and hammer drills can exert far more force for a given weight

Replace a continuous siren with a pulsed sound.

Pulsed bicycle lights make cyclist more noticeable to drivers

Pulsed vacuum cleaner suction improves collection performance

Pulsed water jet cutting
B - If an action is already periodic, change the periodic magnitude or
frequency

Replace a pulsed siren with sound that changes amplitude and frequency.

Washing machine/dish-washer water injection operates uses different cycles
for different load types.

Dots and dashes in Morse Code transmissions

Use AM, FM, PWM to transmit information
C - Use pauses between actions to perform a different action

Clean barrier filters by back-flowing them when not in use.

Inkjet printer cleans heads between passes

Brush between suction pulses in vacuum cleaner.

Multiple conversations taking place along the same telephone transmission
line.

Use of energy storage means – e.g. batteries, fly-wheels, etc

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 21

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 20. Continuity of Useful Action

A - Carry on work continuously; make all parts of an object work at
full load or optimum efficiency, all the time

Flywheel stores energy when a vehicle stops, so the motor can keep running
at optimum power.

Constant output gas-turbine in hybrid car, or APU in aircraft, runs at highest
efficiency all the time it is switched on.

Constant speed/variable pitch propeller

Self-tuning engine – constantly tunes itself to ensure maximum efficiency

Heart pacemaker

Improve composting process by continuously turning material to be
composted.

Continuous glass or steel production
B - Eliminate all idle or intermittent actions or work

Self-cleaning/self-emptying filter eliminates down-time

Print during the return of a printer carriage--dot matrix printer, daisy wheel
printers, inkjet printers.

Digital storage media allow ‘instant’ information access (as opposed to tapes
which require to be rewound)

Kayaks use double-ended paddle to utilise "recovery" stroke

Computer operating systems utilise idle periods to perform necessary
"housekeeping" tasks.

Rapid-drying paint

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 22

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 21. Skipping

A - Conduct a process , or certain stages (e.g. destructible,

harmful or hazardous operations) at high speed

Use a high speed dentist's drill to avoid heating tissue.

Laser eye surgery

Cut plastic faster than heat can propagate in the material, to
avoid deforming the shape.

Break toffee with an impulsive blow from a hammer

Drop forge

Flash photography

Super-critical shaft – run through resonant modes quickly

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 23

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 22. Blessing in Disguise

A - Use harmful factors (particularly, harmful effects of the

environment or surroundings) to achieve a positive effect

Use waste heat to generate electric power.

Use waste heat from engine to heat passenger cabin

Recycle waste (scrap) material from one process as raw materials for
another (e.g. chipboard)

Use centrifugal energy in rotating shaft to do something useful – e.g.
seal, or modulate cooling air

Use pressure differences to help rather than hinder seal performance

Centrifugal clamping in high speed chuck
B - Eliminate the primary harmful action by adding it to another
harmful action to resolve the problem

Add a buffering material to a corrosive solution (e.g. an alkali to an acid,
or vice versa)

Use a helium-oxygen mix for diving, to eliminate both nitrogen narcosis
and oxygen poisoning from air and other nitrox mixes.
C - Amplify a harmful factor to such a degree that it is no longer
harmful

Use a backfire to eliminate the fuel from a forest fire.

Use explosives to blow out an oil-well fire.

Laser-knife cauterises skin/blood vessels as it cuts

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 24

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 23. Feedback

A - Introduce feedback (referring back, cross-checking) to

improve a process or action

Automatic volume control in audio circuits

Signal from gyrocompass is used to control simple aircraft autopilots.

Engine management system based on exhaust gas levels more efficient
than carburettor

Thermostat controls temperature accurately

Statistical Process Control - Measurements are used to decide when to
modify a process

Feedback turns inaccurate op-amp into useable accurate amplifier

B - If feedback is already used, change its magnitude or

influence in accordance with operating conditions

Change sensitivity of an autopilot when within 5 miles of an airport.

Change sensitivity of a thermostat when cooling vs. heating, since it uses
energy less efficiently when cooling.

Use proportional, integral and/or differential control algorithm combinations

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 25

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 24. Intermediary

A - Use an intermediary carrier article or intermediary process

Play a guitar with a plectrum

Use a chisel to control rock breaking/sculpting process

Drink coasters

Dwell period during a manufacture process operation

B - Merge one object temporarily with another (which can be easily

removed)

Gloves to get hot dishes out of an oven

Joining papers with a paper clip

Introduction of catalysts into chemical reaction

Abrasive particles enhance water jet cutting

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 26

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 25. Self-service

A - Make an object serve or organise itself by performing

auxiliary helpful functions

A soda fountain pump that runs on the pressure of the carbon
dioxide that is used to "fizz" the drinks. This assures that drinks
will not be flat, and eliminates the need for sensors.

Halogen lamps regenerate the filament during use--evaporated
material is redeposited.

Self-aligning/self-adjusting seal

Self-locking nut

Self-cleaning oven/glass/material

Self-repairing structures

Abradable materials used in engines such that initial running-in
‘cuts’ optimum seals into lining

“Self-healing” cutting mat.
B - Use waste resources, energy, or substances

Use heat from a process to generate electricity: "Co-generation".

Use animal waste as fertilizer.

Use food and lawn waste to create compost.

Use pressure difference to reinforce seal action

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 27

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 26. Copying

A - Instead of an unavailable, expensive, fragile object, use simpler
and inexpensive copies

Imitation jewellery.

Astroturf

Crash test dummy

UAV excludes pilot
B - Replace an object, or process with optical copies

Do surveying from space photographs instead of on the ground.

Measure an object by scaling measurements from a photograph.

Laser anemometry

Virtual reality

Virtual mock-ups/electronic pre-assembly modelling
C - If visible optical copies are already used, move to infrared or
ultraviolet copies

Make images in infrared to detect heat sources, such as diseases in crops,
or intruders in a security system.

Use UV as a non-destructive crack detection method

UV light used to attract flying insects into trap

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 28

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 27. Cheap Short-Lived Objects

A - Replace an expensive object with a multiple of inexpensive
objects, compromising certain qualities, such as service life

Disposable nappies/paper-cups/plates/cameras/torches/etc

Matches versus lighters

Throw-away cigarette lighters

Industrial diamonds used in cutting tools

Sacrificial coatings/components

Post-Its

Discarding-sabot armour piercing round.

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 29

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 28. Mechanics Substitution

A - Replace a mechanical means with a sensory (optical, acoustic, taste
or smell) means

Replace a physical fence to confine a dog or cat with an acoustic "fence" (signal
audible to the animal).

Finger-print/retina/etc scan instead of a key
B - Use electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields to interact with the
object

Magnetic bearings

Electrostatic precipitators separate particles from airflow

Improve efficiency of paint-spraying by oppositely charging paint droplets and
object to be painted.
C - Change from static to movable fields, from unstructured fields to
those having structure

Early communications used omnidirectional broadcasting. We now use
antennas with very detailed structure of the pattern of radiation.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner
D - Use fields in conjunction with field-activated (e.g. ferromagnetic)
particles

Heat a substance containing ferromagnetic material by using varying magnetic
field. When the temperature exceeds the Curie point, the material becomes
paramagnetic, and no longer absorbs heat.

Magneto-rheological effect – uses ferromagnetic particles and variable
magnetic field to alter the viscosity of a fluid
Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 30
James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 29. Pneumatics and Hydraulics

A - Use gas and liquid parts of an object instead of solid parts (e.g.
inflatable, filled with liquids, air cushion, hydrostatic, hydro-
reactive)

Transition from mechanical to hydraulic or pneumatic drive

Inflatable furniture/mattress/etc

Gel filled saddle adapts to user

Hollow section O-rings

Hovercraft

Gas bearings

Acoustic panels incorporating Helmholz resonators

Hydraulic tappets

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 31

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 30. Flexible Shells and Thin Films

A - Use flexible shells and thin films instead of three dimensional
structures

Use inflatable (thin film) structures.

Taut-liner trucks

Tarpaulin car cover instead of garage

Webbing

Store energy in flexible/stretchable bags – e.g. accumulators in a hydraulic
system

Membrane keyboards

B - Isolate the object from the external environment using flexible

shells and thin films

Bubble-wrap

Bandages/plasters

Egg-box

Tea bag

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 32

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 31. Porous Materials

A - Make an object porous or add porous elements (inserts,
coatings, etc.)

Drill holes in a structure to reduce the weight.

Cavity wall insulation

Transpiration film cooled structures

Foam metals

Use sponge-like structures as fluid absorption media

Goretex fabric

B - If an object is already porous, use the pores to

introduce a useful substance or function

Use a porous metal mesh to wick excess solder away from a joint.

Store hydrogen in the pores of a palladium sponge. (Fuel "tank"
for the hydrogen car--much safer than storing hydrogen gas)

Dessicant in polystyrene packing materials

Medicated swabs/dressings

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 33

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 32. Colour Changes

A - Change the colour of an object or its external environment

Use safe lights in a photographic darkroom.

Use colour-changing thermal paint to measure temperature

Light-sensitive glasses

Camouflage

Employ interference fringes on surface structures to change colour (as in butterfly
wings, etc)

Colour changing plastic/temperature sensitive for child feeding spoon
B - Change the transparency of an object or its external environment

Use photolithography to change transparent material to a solid mask for
semiconductor processing.

Smoke-screen
C - In order to improve observability of things that are difficult to see, use
coloured additives or luminescent elements

Fluorescent additives used during UV spectroscopy

Use opposing colours to increase visibility – e.g. butchers use green decoration to
make the red in meat look redder
D - Change the emissivity properties of an object subject to radiant heating

Use of black and white coloured panels to assist thermal management on space
vehicles.

Paint object with high emissivity paint in order to be able to measure it’s temperature
with a calibrated thermal imager
Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 34
James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 33. Homogeneity

A - Make objects interacting with a given object of the same material
(or material with identical properties)

Make the container out of the same material as the contents, to reduce
chemical reactions.

Friction welding requires no intermediary material between the two surfaces
to be joined.

‘Liquid paper’ for correcting mistakes when writing

Temporary plant pots made out of compostable material

Human blood transfusions/transplants, use of bio-compatible materials

Make ice-cubes out of the same fluid as the drink they are intended to cool

Join wooden components using (wood) dowel joints

Graphite “solid” pencil.

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 35

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 34. Discarding and Recovering

A - Make portions of an object that have fulfilled their functions go
away (discard by dissolving, evaporating, etc.) or modify these
directly during operation

Use a dissolving capsule for medication.

Ice structures: use water ice or carbon dioxide (dry ice) to make a template
for a rammed earth structure, such as a temporary dam. Fill with earth, then,
let the ice melt or sublime to leave the final structure.

Bio-degradable containers, bags, etc.

Casting processes – lost-wax, sand, etc.

Sacrificial anode
B - Conversely, restore consumable parts of an object directly in
operation

Self-sharpening blades – knives/lawn-mowers/etc

Strimmer dispenses more wire automatically after a breakage.

Self-tuning automobile engines

Propelling pencil

Automatic rifle

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 36

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 35. Parameter Changes

A - Change an object's physical state (e.g. to a gas, liquid, or solid)

Transition from mechanical to fluid or electrical drives

Vaporise (or freeze) mercury to ease placing of very small amounts into fluorescent light-bulb
B - Change the concentration or consistency

Liquid versus bar or powder detergents.

Abradable linings used for gas-turbine engine seals
C - Change the degree of flexibility

Use adjustable dampers to reduce the noise of parts falling into a container by restricting the
motion of the walls of the container.

Compliant brush seals rather than labyrinth or other fixed geometry seals
D - Change the temperature

Raise the temperature above the Curie point to change a ferromagnetic substance to a
paramagnetic substance.

Lower the temperature of medical specimens to preserve them for later analysis
E - Change the pressure.

Pressure cooker cooks more quickly and without losing flavours.

Electron beam welding in a vacuum.
F - Change other parameters

Shape memory alloys/polymers

Use high conductivity materials – e.g. carbon fibre
Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 37
James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 36. Phase Transitions

A - Use phenomena occurring during phase transitions (e.g. volume

changes, loss or absorption of heat, etc.)

Latent heat effects in melting/boiling

Soak rocks in water, then freezing causes water to expand – thus opening
fissures in rock, making it easier to break

Heat pumps use the heat of vaporization and heat of condensation of a
closed thermodynamic cycle to do useful work.

Volume expansion during water-to-steam transition

Superconductivity

Phase change hand-warmers

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 38

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 37. Thermal Expansion

A - Use thermal expansion (or contraction) of materials

Fit a tight joint together by cooling the inner part to contract, heating the
outer part to expand, putting the joint together, and returning to equilibrium

Metal tie-bars used to straighten buckling walls on old buildings

Thermal switch/cut-out

Shape memory alloys/polymers

Shrink-wrapping
B - If thermal expansion is being used, use multiple materials with
different coefficients of thermal expansion

Bi-metallic strips used for thermostats, etc

Two-way shape memory alloys.

Passive blade tip clearance control in gas-turbine engines.

Combine materials with positive and negative thermal expansion coefficients
to obtain alloys with zero (or specifically tailored) expansion properites – e.g.
cerro-tru alloy used in the mounting and location of fragile turbine blade
components during manufacture operations

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 39

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 38. Strong Oxidants

A - Replace common air with oxygen-enriched air

Scuba diving with Nitrox or other non-air mixtures for extended endurance

Use of nitrous oxide injection to provide power boost in high performance engines
B - Replace enriched air with pure oxygen

Cut at a higher temperature using an oxy-acetylene torch.

Control oxidation reactions more effectively by reacting in pure oxygen
C - Expose air or oxygen to ionising radiation

Irradiation of food to improve preservative qualities.

Use ionised air to destroy bacteria and sterilise food

Positive ions formed by ionising air can be deflected by magnetic field in order to
(e.g.) reduce air resistance over an aerodynamic surface
D - Use ionised oxygen

Speed up chemical reactions by ionising the gas before use.

Separate oxygen from a mixed gas by ionising the oxygen (using a platinum
activator)
E - Replace ozonised (or ionised) oxygen with ozone.

Oxidisation of metals in bleaching solutions to reduce cost relative to hydrogen
peroxide

Use ozone to destroy micro-organisms and toxins in corn

Ozone dissolved in water used to remove organic contaminants from ship hulls
Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 40
James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 39. Inert Atmosphere

A - Replace a normal environment with an inert one

Prevent degradation of a hot metal filament by using an argon atmosphere.

MIG/TIG welding

Electron beam welding conducted in a vacuum

Vacuum packaging

Food packaging done in CO2 or nitrogen rich atmosphere to prevent
spoilage

CO2 fire extinguisher

B - Add neutral parts, or inert additives to an object

Naval aviation fuel contains additives to alter flash-point.

Add fire retardent elements to titanium to reduce possibility of titanium fire.

Add foam to absorb sound vibrations – e.g. hi-fi speakers

Fluidic dampers

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 41

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
 Concept design; TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch )

Principle 40. Composite Materials

A - Change from uniform to composite (multiple) materials

where each material is tuned to a particular functional
requirement

Aircraft structures where low weight and high strength are
required. (With fibres aligned according to loading conditions –
including multiple layers of fibres aligned in different
directions.)

Composite golf club shaft aligns structures to give low weight,
high shaft-wise flexibility and high torsional stiffness.

Concrete aggregate.

Glass-reinforced plastic

Fibre-reinforced ceramics

Hard/soft/hard multi-layer coatings to improve erosion, etc
properties.

Non-stick coatings on cooking pans.

Oils, etc contain additives to improve certain properties – e.g.
sulphur improves lubricity

Module SESA3002a; Aerospace Design 42

James Scanlan; School of Engineering Sciences
FACTA UNIVERSITATIS
Series: Mechanical Engineering Vol. 8, No 1, 2010, pp. 77 - 88

APPLICATION OF THE TRIZ METHOD FOR SELECTING

THERMAL TREATMENT PROCEDURE AND OBTAINING
ENERGY FROM WASTE
UDC 351.777.61: 662.994

Jelena Milisavljević, Mladen Tomić,

Dušan Marković, Vojislav Miltenović
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Nis, Serbia
E-mail:[email protected]

Abstract. The paper discusses the problem of municipal waste disposal and utilization in
the region of Nis. A detailed analysis was carried out of the existing technical solutions
thermal treatment and extraction of landfill gas from municipal waste, with an emphasis on
energy efficiency. On the basis of accessible data on the quantity, composition and heating
power of municipal solid waste, obtained by measurements made in situ, a detailed analysis
is carried out of the existing solutions for thermal treatment of waste obtained energy. The
basis of the TRIZ methods are given for solving technical contradictions, as well as
application of the TRIZ methods for generating innovative ideas. The use of the TRIZ
methods is meant to improve the existing procedure for the extraction of landfill gas from
municipal solid waste. The preliminary plant design is given for extraction of landfill gas
with the impact analysis of suggested improvements for extraction procedure.
Key words: Municipal Waste, Incineration, TRIZ, Landfill, Gas Extraction

1. INTRODUCTION
The conditions of modern business and ever stricter environmental requirements
contribute to the fact that the most wanted systems and processes that treat new raw
materials are waste materials. The municipal solid waste disposal is one of the serious
problems of contemporary urban areas. Despite the innovative technology, modern logistics
solutions and marketing strategies aiming at raising environmental awareness of urban
environment, waste per capita continues to grow despite the improvements in the process of
waste management. Utility companies remove solid waste through three main procedures:
composting, incineration and disposal at landfills. Composting is a process that is based on
the use of certain strains of bacteria that have the ability to decompose organic waste [1].
With composting it is possible to treat all organic waste, even municipal organic waste, but
this procedure is commonly used for plant origin waste treatment, because in addition to the

Received January 31, 2010

78 J. MILISAVLJEVIĆ, M. TOMIĆ, D. MARKOVIĆ, V. MILTENOVIĆ

effect of reducing the volume of waste, the remains of the composting process are used as
organic fertilizers in agriculture. A large number of authors examine the process and
parameters of municipal solid waste composting process [2], while some authors deal with
the influence of communal waste upon the characteristics of agricultural land [3].
Incineration is the process of thermal treatment of solid waste, which in addition to ef-
fectively reducing the volume of waste, releases energy contained in it. The above men-
tioned energy is used most frequently to produce steam or electricity. Although some authors
[4] believe that the process of incineration is more economically justified than the recycling
process, during incineration of communal waste, harmful chemical compounds (primarily
dioxins) and heavy metals are released into the atmosphere. A large number of authors deals
with cases of inhibition of harmful chemical compounds and heavy metals [5,6,7]. Also, the
process of incineration is not economically justified at already formed landfill, which re-
duces the possibilities for its application in the Republic of Serbia. The analysis of com-
posting process and incineration leads to the conclusion that the process of incineration is,
economically speaking, more beneficial in comparison to the composting process.
Disposal of waste at landfills is the cheapest way of municipal waste disposal; it is the
dominant one in our region. Disposal of waste at landfills is linked to the process of
recycling. Municipal waste includes many components, which can be used successfully as
high-quality secondary raw materials. The above mentioned raw materials are extracted
from municipal waste before its transport to the landfill. Disposal of waste at landfills has
far-reaching effects on the environment. In addition to a huge and otherwise useful area it
takes up, the process also leads to chemical processes that pollute the atmosphere and can
cause their ignition or even an explosion. Today there are technical solutions for
extracting harmful and flammable gases from landfills [8], which are used as transmission
materials in the production of the electricity. The lack of existing procedures of extraction in
relation to the process of incineration is reflected in the fact that in incineration the available
energy is released immediately, while at the process of extracting that process takes up to 30
years. The direct consequence of the above-mentioned lack is that with extraction process
the remains that are important for the area are used as opposed to the process of incineration.
The paper has given a general idea of the improved extraction procedure, which signifi-
cantly reduces the duration of the extraction process, and therefore raising the efficiency and
economic viability of extraction process of landfill gas. The authors have come upon a new
extraction procedure by using TRIZ methods for solving technical contradictions.

2 ANALYSIS OF CURRENT SITUATION IN WASTE INCINERATION AND EXTRACTION OF

LANDFILL GAS
In view of the present situation, two methods have been applied for destruction of
municipal waste:
- destruction without exploitation,
- destruction with exploitation.
The thermal waste treatment includes:
Incineration-there are two variants of burning the waste:
- waste incineration without energy recovery,
- waste incineration with energy use.
 Application of TRIZ Method for the Selection Procedure of Thermal Treatment and Obtaining Energy from Waste 79

Waste incineration is applied in order to reduce their quantity and utilization of ob-
tained energy. With waste incineration, the available chemical energy, defined with ther-
mal power, is translated into the physical energy of flue gases, defined with gas tempera-
ture. However, there are positive and negative sides of incinerators: energy use from flue
gases after combustion, combustion process destroying all microorganisms including
pathogens, effective problem solving of hazardous waste, reduction of the volume of
waste, water pollution, air and soil.

Solid waste

Inceneration

Heavy metals
Furans, dioxins,
mercury, lead, Ash and clay
HCL, HF, NOX,
chromium,
SO2
arsenic,beryllium

Fig. 1 Product of waste combustion

Pyrolysis-represents the thermal decomposition of organic waste components without

presence of oxygen, whereby gases are formed while condensed products and solid
carbon remain. Pyrolysis of organic part occurs at two levels:
- Primary decomposition: forming H2O, CO2, NH3, HCI, H2S, CH4 and other aliphatic.
- Secondary supporting reactions as polymerization of primary products of decomposition
in ter.
Advantages of pyrolysis in relation to incineration: lower temperature level at pyroly-
sis process and thus a slight separation of heavy metals and chlorine hydrocarbons, less
production of flue gases, flexible process management in changeable composition of
waste, less elimination of harmful substances into the environment.
Disadvantages pyrolysis in relation to the burning: need grinding and homogenization
of waste, a slight reduction of weight (about 400 kg of solid residue per ton of waste),
poor energy efficiency due to soot content (15%) in coke and inflammable carbon,
increased content of heavy metals and toxic organic substances in solid pyrolytic residue,
due to lower temperature reactions with poor level of bonding.
Gasification-waste refers to waste heat which contains air in the presence of air or steam in
order to obtain fuel gases. According to heat source the gasification process are divided to:
- alotermne- heat is provided by external sources of heat,
- autotermne- heat required for gasification is provided by oxidation a certain quantity
of fuel in circulating air or oxygen.
80 J. MILISAVLJEVIĆ, M. TOMIĆ, D. MARKOVIĆ, V. MILTENOVIĆ

Plasma-using technology plasma burner waste can be translated into carbon rich gases
and hydrogen and small clay rich with metals. Metals from the slag may be regenerated
with appropriate treatment and gases can be used as fuel.
Decomposition of waste at place of its deposit is carried out through physical, chemi-
cal and biological processes which operate at the same time, until the biodegradable part
of municipal waste is not degraded, or is not stabilized.
Generation of methane occurs in the methanogenic anaerobic stage of waste decompo-
sition. At this stage the organisms convert the organic substances present in the delayed
municipal waste into methane and carbon dioxide. Research has confirmed that this phase, as
a rule, established after a period of time from 3 to 9 months after the deposit of waste.
Landfill gas, particularly its methane component, has an energy value of the order of
38 MJ/ m3, which makes it a sufficient fuel for gas-powered engine, or for obtaining
electricity. Landfill gas can be used for obtaining heat through its combustion in a variety
of technical systems or heating pipe systems, and as fuel for landfill leachate treatment in
the process of evaporation. In addition, with further purification of landfill gas and its im-
provement, its delivery is made possible within the existing network for distribute natural
gas, and there are several locations where the refined and compressed landfill gas is used
to drive landfill hatchback, refuse collection trucks, buses and cars.
With the extraction of landfill gas the air pollution would be reduced, as well as the
spread of odors from the landfill. Exploitation of landfill gas for leachate treatment di-
rectly affects the reduction of negative impacts on groundwater.
First system of thermal waste treatment has been developed in Switzerland between
1985 and 1992, where the test facility, capacity 110 tons per day, was built in Italy [4].
Larger commercial institution, with a larger capacity of 792 tons per day, was built in
Karlsruhe, Germany 1999 [4]. During nineties in the 20th century the Japanese were inter-
ested in the waste treating process and in 1999 began building the first factory in Japan, in
the city of Chiba. There is a tendency to increase the capacity of such factories, the ca-
pacity achieved up to date is 2000 tons per day [9] to enable the treatment of increased
amounts of waste as a result of the increasing population and economic development. The
tendency of capacity growth of existing factories and future ones needs to increase by
7.5%, until 2030 [9]. Due to increasing population and economic growth, emission will
also significantly increase.
The first plant for the methane extraction was built in 2002 in Spartanburg. Extracted
methane is used to produce steam, whose energy is transformed into electric energy. In
this way, 60% of electricity is obtained in the BMW fabric, located in nearby of Spartan-
burg. Since the beginning of methane extracting process savings were made of five mil-
lion dollars a year in the cost of electricity required for operation in the factory.
The analysis in Fig. 2 clearly shows that the systems thermal waste treatment is in the
phase of three technological S curves, where it can be concluded that further development
of these systems is associated with significant costs.
 Application of TRIZ Method for the Selection Procedure of Thermal Treatment and Obtaining Energy from Waste 81

Historical development of waste handling in human society

Pyromex Technology
of waste treatment

Sudden use of Pyrolytic

process in the U.S.
The first plant
obtaining energy
waste incineration
put into operation in the U.S.
In Nottingham, England New York
the device was made (destructor) The first plant
in which the waste is burned and extraction of landfill methane
gets electricity and obtaining electricity
in America, Spartanburg

1874 1898 1978 2002

Time

Fig. 2 Curve of the historical development of landfill gas extraction and thermal treatment
of waste

3 ANALYSIS OF POSSIBILITIES OF APPLICATION OF THERMAL TREATMENT AND LANDFILL

GAS EXTRACTION OF MUNICIPAL WASTE IN THE CITY OF NIŠ
The daily amount of waste generated by households from one resident in the city of
Niš is 0.386 kg. On annual basis this amounts to 140.89 kg. In the springtime, the amount
per capita is 0.418 kg, while in the autumn it is 0.354 kg [9].

Table 1 The amount of generated waste in kilograms

The amount The amount The amount
The amount per year/city
Type of waste per day per year per day
[×103]
/resident /resident /city
Total waste 0.386 140.89 105378 38462.97
Organic part 0.280 102.2 76440 27900.6
Inorganic part 0.106 38.69 28938 10562.37
Plastic 0.036 13.14 9828 3587.22
Paper 0.034 12.41 9282 3387.93
Glass 0.012 4.38 3276 1195.74
Metal 0.0024 0.876 655 239.148
Rest 0.022 8.03 6006 2192.19
82 J. MILISAVLJEVIĆ, M. TOMIĆ, D. MARKOVIĆ, V. MILTENOVIĆ

The collected data lead to the fact that the daily content of organic waste is 0.280 kg
per capita, and inorganic 0.106 kg. In percentages, this is 72.54% for the organic part of
waste and 27.46% for the inorganic part of waste. This is followed by plastic with 9.32%
in total quantity of waste, and then paper with 8.80% and glass with 3.11%. The amount
of metal in the total waste is very small and it is 0.62%.
The value of waste heat can vary greatly from town where it came from. In Western
Europe the value of waste heat can be between 3000-10000 kJ/kg while in the U.S. it is
between 6000 and 14000 kJ/kg [9]. The average value of thermal power waste from cities in
Germany is 9200kJ/kg and in Switzerland 10000kJ/kg [9]. According to data obtained in
Subotica the lower heat value of municipal solid waste power for that region is ap-
proximately 8400 kJ/kg. Thermal power of the collected waste in Niš is larger than Europe
and rest of Serbia and it is approximately the size of our lignite thermal power (13.5-
20.0MJ/kg) [9]. The acquisition of reliable data on waste characteristics (quantitative,
qualitative analysis) is ensured by the years of research done by the established methodology
using the current standards. In the Republic of Serbia, such tests have not been carried out
yet.
Thermal energy that would be given by complete combustion of solid waste generated
in one day, in the territory of Niš is:
105378 kg x 14297 KJ / kg ≈ 1506589266 ≈ 1506589,266 MJ (1)

Based on this analysis, it can be concluded that this waste can be effectively used as
fuel (e.g. in the cement industry), or destroyed by burning in which the received thermal
energy would be used.
The average daily amount of crude oil in winter time for the heat plant at the Faculty
of Mechanical Engineering is 5500 kg. Thermal power of the crude oil is 44000 kJ/kg.
Daily amount of heat for heat plant is:
5500kg × 44000 KJ / kg ≈ 242000000 ≈ 242000MJ (2)

Table 2 Thermal power of solid waste

Daily Thermal power
Mass share of
Components amount of components
components [%]
[kg/city] [MJ/kg]
Organic materials 76440 75.27 14.7
Plastic 9828 9.68 15.0
Paper 9282 9.14 15.0
Rest (textiles, rubber, leather) 6006 5.91 16.3
Total 101556 100 14.851

The above-mentioned analysis shows that the thermal energy obtained by combustion
of waste is nearly six times higher than the combustion of fuel oil. However, complete
combustion is difficult to achieve, the efficiency is lower than with crude oil combustion.
If we take into account cost of raw materials, in spite of the inaccuracies in the analysis, it
can be concluded that with the combustion of municipal waste a considerable amount of
energy is released by multiple lower cost compared to the classic fossil fuels.
 Application of TRIZ Method for the Selection Procedure of Thermal Treatment and Obtaining Energy from Waste 83

4 SOLVING TECHNICAL CONTRADICTIONS

The introduction of innovative products, processes and services is a very complex pro-
cedure that requires the application of integrated development strategies that are based on
modern systems, methods and processes [10].
TRIZ method is a modern method which is used for solving technical problems and
contradictions, developed by Altsulera (G. Altshuller) in the USSR [11].
Construction of the model function and the correct formulation of the problem are the
first steps towards the solution of technical problems using the TRIZ. After the formula-
tion of technical problems and contradictions arising from technical problems with Alt-
shuller`s matrix, which contains 39 principles for solving technical contradictions, the
contradiction solutions are obtained. (Example: increase the volume and structure without
increasing the weight of structure). Responses to the contradiction are offered by the prin-
ciples which differ depending on the contradictions.

Table 3 Technical contradictions

Power, capacity (21)

2
14
17-Temperature
17
25
Material losses (23)
21
36
17-Temperature
39
31
Adverse factors that are
induced in the object (31)
3
35
26-The amount of material
40
39

17-Temperature
Undesirable changes which increase:
21- Power, capacity (2, 14, 17, 25),
23- Material losses (21, 36, 39, 31).
26-The amount of material
Undesirable changes which increase:
31- Adverse factors that are induced in the object (3, 35, 40,39).
84 J. MILISAVLJEVIĆ, M. TOMIĆ, D. MARKOVIĆ, V. MILTENOVIĆ

On the basis of the principles for resolving technical contradictions 2b, 3c, 25b and
36, the conclusion is that the methane and other gases are, which are the products of bio-
chemical reactions and are a potential source of explosion, to be used as desirable fuel.
The optimal temperature for conducting biochemical reactions according to (2) is 41oC,
where it should be remembered that at temperature higher than 50oC all biochemical
processes cease.

5 THE SOLUTION OF EXISTING LANDFILL

Given the high price of pyrolysis plant and capacity occupancy at the landfill in Niš
and energetic potential which it contains, we will take into consideration the potential use
of the existing landfill.
At the existing landfills gases are released of which 50% is methane. These gases have
high thermal power and can be used as fuel. At landfill in Niš there is no adequate system
for the utilization of these gases. By observing other landfills in the world which use the
system for methane extraction and other gases of high thermal power, it is evident that
after long time interval (on the order of ten years), using that gases the landfill is
becoming self payable.
Since the biochemical processes are at issue here, under the environmental conditions,
it is logical to assume that increasing the temperature of biochemical processes in the
trash accelerates its decomposition.
Extraction of methane can be expressed by following equation:
n 1
Q CH4 = ∑ ∑ k L 0 M i (e
− k t ij
) (3)
i =1 j = 0,1

Fig. 3 Graphical description of the changes characteristic of the landfill with age [20]

The temperature has a significant effect on micro-biological degradation and destruc-

tion. The most commonly used equation which gives the speed to dependence of methane
extraction in the function of temperature is Van't Hoff-Arrhenius's equation [21]:
 Application of TRIZ Method for the Selection Procedure of Thermal Treatment and Obtaining Energy from Waste 85

(t − 20) (4)
k =k x θ
t 20
From this dependence it can be seen that the increase of the temperature from 20 to
30oC constant k is increasing from value 0,23 to 0,4. With this it can be concluded that
speed separation of methane according to equation (3) is increasing for 30%.

5.1 Economic Analysis

Investments into the system for the landfill gas extraction depend on the amount of en-
ergy and distance to which the generated energy can be delivered. The system consists of
two subsystems: a system for gathering and evacuation systems.
A system for landfill gas collection, which consists of the vertical tubes placed after
the deposit of waste, or horizontal wells, which are set during deposit of waste. The aver-
age level of investment for both variants of the system, for the dump of average depth 10
meters is 15 000 - 30 000 USD per hectare.
A system for evacuation of landfill gas is composed of vacuum pumps. Price depends on
the system of control and management and volume of landfill gas which will be evacuated. The
average investment price for the landfill of 10 meters depth is from 7 000 to 30 000 euro.
The landfill in Nis has an area of 31 ha. Since from that is the store space 350 m of
width and 750 m in length, and 21 ha, and the average depth is 16 m. Total investment
into these two systems at landfill in Nis is around 1.5 million.
By increasing the medium temperature of landfill to 30 оС, and coefficient k of value
from 0.23 to 0.4, it is possible to form expression (3) to calculate a relative increase in the
amount of the extracted methane:
n 1

∑ ∑ 0, 23
−0,23 t ij
L 0 M i (e )
QCH430o C i =1 j= 0,1
= n 1
(5)
QCH420o C
∑ ∑ 0, 4 L0 M i (e
−0,4 t ij
)
i =1 j = 0,1

If we assume that coefficients k and L0 are constant, the relative ratio of methane
extraction can be easily calculated from relation (5). The results are shown in Table (5).

Table 4 Relationship between the amounts of extracted methane in years

The relative ratio
Time in years
amounts of the extracted methane
1 1,42
2 1,345
3 1,286
4 1,231
5 1,184
6 1,143
86 J. MILISAVLJEVIĆ, M. TOMIĆ, D. MARKOVIĆ, V. MILTENOVIĆ

Since the results in Table 4 are obtained from exponential expression (3) i.e. (5),
exponential extrapolation of the results is given, for a better view, in Table (5).

R CH 4 = 1,471e −0,043t (6)

On the basis of expression (6) it can be concluded that the relative extraction of meth-
ane after a period of 9 years is equal to one, as well as the middle value of relative meth-
ane extraction after a period of 20 years is equal to one.
From the above mentioned it can be seen that it is necessary to increase the
temperature of the landfill in order to speed up the process of the landfill gas extraction.
Bringing to the optimum temperature can be achieved by using solar energy that would
heat working fluid, which in the heat exchanger via a closed pipe system flows through
the landfill and warms the waste. The solar energy use can help avoiding additional
energy consumption, which is necessary for the process development at optimum
conditions.

CH4

Radiated sun
energy
;
Solar energy
absorber

Fig. 4 The accelerated process of methane extraction

The amount of energy that is needed to maintain waste temperatures, at a level of

approximately 30оС is:
Qst = α ⋅ S ⋅ ∆T (7)

Part of this heat is already obtained from solar radiation and it amounts to:
∆Q = q ⋅ S ⋅ η ⋅ sin ϕ (8)
 Application of TRIZ Method for the Selection Procedure of Thermal Treatment and Obtaining Energy from Waste 87

The difference between the submitted the amount of heat and obtained amount of heat is
13.25 MW. This difference in the amounts of heat can be compensated by increasing co-
efficient η at value of 0.6. If the heating is done through the exchanger, then we have:
∆Q = m c w ∆Tw (9)

Required water flow, which would provide for an appropriate amount of heat is 189
kg/s.

11. CONCLUSION
On the basis of above mentioned, it can be concluded:
1. Disposal of communal waste is a major problem of urban environments. The prob-
lem can be solved in many ways and the most significant is composting, incinera-
tion and extraction of landfill gas.
2. Extraction of landfill gas from energy view is the most efficient process in waste
problem resolving.
3. The application of modern methods, processes and systems product development
can lead us to innovative solutions to waste problem disposal.
4. Application of the TRIZ methods accelerate the process of landfill gas extraction,
which raises the level of utilization facilities for the extraction and reduce the cost
and time of extraction.

REFERENCES
1. Eliot Epstein: The science of composting, CRC Press LLC, Unated States of America, 1997.
2. Benny Chefetz, Patrick G. Hatcher, Yitzhak Hadar and Yona Chen: Chemical and Biological
Characterization of Organic Matter during Composting of Municipal Solid Waste, Journal of Environ-
mental quality 25:776-785, 1996.
3. P. L. Giusquiani, M. Pagliai, G. Gigliotti, D. Businelli and A. Benetti: Urban Waste Compost: Effects on
Physical, Chemical, and Biochemical Soil Properties, Journal of Environmental quality 24:175-182, 1995.
4. G Finnveden, T Ekvall: Life-cycle assessment as a decision-support tool-the case of recycling versus
incineration of paper, Resources, conservation and recycling, 1998.
5. Gordon McKay: Dioxin characterisation, formation and minimisation during municipal solid waste
(MSW) incineration: review, Chemical Engineering Journal, Volume 86, Issue 3, 28 April 2002, Pages
343-368.
6. A. Jakob, S. Stucki, P. Kuhn: Evaporation of Heavy Metals during the Heat Treatment of Municipal
Solid Waste Incinerator Fly Ash, Environmental Science and Technology, 1995, 29 (9), pp 2429–2436.
7. Kari Tuppurainen, Ismo Halonen, Päivi Ruokojärvi, Juhani Tarhanen and Juhani Ruuskanen: Formation
of PCDDs and PCDFs in municipal waste incineration and its inhibition mechanisms: A review,
Chemosphere, Volume 36, Issue 7, March 1998, Pages 1493-1511.
8. Milan Tica: The use of evolutionary principles and Altschuler matrixes in determination of direction of
further lumber scraps pelleting system develompent, FACTA Universatis: Series Mechanical Engineer-
ing, University of Nis.
9. Dušan Marković, Termički tretman komunalnog otpada, Diplomski rad, Машински Mašinski fakultet
Univerziteta u Nišu, Niš, 2007.
10. Manić, Vojislav Miltenović, Miloš Stojković, Feature Models in Virtual Product Development, FACTA
Universatis: Series Mechanical Engineering, University of Nis.
11. Vojislav Miltenović, Product development, University in Niš-Mechanical faculty; Niš 2003.
12. Thome - Kozmiensky, K. J., Verbrennung von Abfallen, EF - Verlag, Berlin 1985.
88 J. MILISAVLJEVIĆ, M. TOMIĆ, D. MARKOVIĆ, V. MILTENOVIĆ

13. Prof. dr Radomir Mihallović, Possibilities of using heat from municipal waste, PhD work, Mechanical
faculty, Belgrade 1977.
14. C.S. Psomopoulos, A. Bourka and N.J. Themelis. Waste-to-energy, A review of the status and benefits
in USA, Waste Management, Volume 29, Issue 5, May 2009, Pages 1718-1724.
15. Vladimir Strezov, Tim J. Evans.Thermal processing of paper sludge and characterization of its py-
rolisis product, Waste Management, Volume 29, Issue 5, May 2009, Pages 1644-1648.
16. Vladimir M. Wolpert, Incineration of municipal solid waste combined with energy production - latest
developments, Renewable Energy, Volume 5, Issues 5-8, August 1994, Pages 782-785.
17. Ni-Bin Chang, Ying-Hsi Chang, W. C. Chen, Evaluation of heat value and its prediction for refuse-de-
rived fuel, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 197, Issues 1-3, 30 April 1997, Pages 139-148.
18. S. Sakai, S. E. Sawell, A. J. Chandler, T. T. Eighmy, D. S. Kosson, J. Vehlow, H. A. van der Sloot, J.
Hartlén, O. Hjelmar, World trends in municipal solid waste management, Waste Management, Volume
16, Issues 5-6, 1996, Pages 341-350.
19. W.K. Buah, A.M. Cunliffe, P.T. Williams, Characterization of Products from the Pyrolysis of Municipal
Solid Waste, Process Safety and Environmental Protection, Volume 85, Issue 5, 2007, Pages 450-457.
20. Đorđe Vukelić, Janko Hodolič, Tone Vrečič, Peter Kogej: Development of a system for statistical quality
control of the production process, FACTA Universatis: Series Mechanical Engineering, University of Nis.
21. Wastewater Engineering: Treatment, Disposal, and Reuse, Metcalf and Eddy, Inc., 1991.

PRIMENA TRIZ METODE ZA IZBOR POSTUPKA TERMIČKOG

TRETMANA I DOBIJANJE ENERGIJE IZ OTPADA
Jelena Milisavljević, Mladen Tomić,
Dušan Marković, Vojislav Miltenović
U radu je razmatran problem odlaganja i iskorišćenja komunalnog otpada komunalnog
otpada u niškom regionu. Izvršena je detaljna analiza postojećih tehničkih rešenja termičnog
tretmana i ekstrakcije deponijskog gasa iz komunalnog otpada, sa naglaskom na stepen
iskorišćenja energije. Na osnovu raspoloživih podataka o količini, sastavu i toplotnoj moći
komunalnog otpada na niškoj deponiji, kao i terenskih ispitivanja, izvršena je uporedna analiza
procesa ekstrakcije deponijskog gasa i termičkog tretmana komunalnog otpada. Date su osnove
TRIZ metode za rešavanje tehničkih protivurečnosti, kao i primena TRIZ metode za generisanje
inovativnih ideja. Primenom TRIZ metode, predloženo je poboljšanje postojećih postipaka za
ekstrakciju deponijskog gasa iz komunalnog otpada. Dato je idejno rešenje postrojenja za
ekstrakciju deponijskog gasa uz analizu uticaja predloženiih poboljšanja na postupak ekstrakcije.
Ključne reči: komunalni otpad, inseneracija, TRIZ, deponija, ekstrakcija gasa
 1023

A combined DFMA and TRIZ approach to the

simplification of product structure

P F Bariani, G A Berti and G Lucchetta*

DIMEG, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

Abstract: In order to tackle the problem of part count reduction more effectively, an approach that
combines the design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) method with the theory of inventive
problem solving (TRIZ) is presented in this paper. This new approach was developed by merging
the common characteristics and connecting the complementary aspects of the two methods, which
were then applied to the redesign of a satellite antenna.

Keywords: DFMA, TRIZ, product simplification, satellite antenna

1 INTRODUCTION that do not satisfy the minimum part criteria. Since no

design rule for the elimination of such parts has been
Part count reduction yields the largest contribution to developed to date, the designer needs to resort to the
the decrease in manufacture and assembly costs. In trial-and-error method. The number of trials varies
order to simplify a product’s structure, the design for depending on the complexity of the elimination/integra-
manufacture and assembly (DFMA) method recom- tion problem and the designer’s creativity, but it may
mends examining each component in the assembly increase significantly if the solution to the problem
order and then candidating it for elimination if it does does not lie within the designer’s experience and knowl-
not satisfy at least one of the following minimum part edge field. There is, therefore, a need for a method able to
criteria [1]: manage the design synthesis process in a more effective
way. This paper presents an approach that combines
1. The part moves with respect to all the parts already
the theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ) in com-
assembled.
bination with DFMA in order to tackle the part count
2. The part has to be made of a different material with
reduction problem more effectively.
respect to all the other parts already assembled.
3. The part is separate from all the other parts already
assembled because necessary assembly or disassembly
2 TRIZ
would otherwise be impossible.
When examining the components, technical or economic According to TRIZ, problems are solved by analogy,
limitations should be ignored in order to encourage following the general approach shown in Fig. 1 [2]. A
breakthrough thinking by removing the mental con- specific technical problem, which in part count reduction
straints of existing solutions. consists of reducing the number of the separate com-
DFMA also gives specific advice on how to redesign ponents of a complex product, is first translated into
the product by pointing out what can be done to improve an abstract model. This is usually carried out in three
an existing design and provides the designer with design stages.
rules that are extracted from good design practice. How-
ever, the DFMA guidelines for decreasing the part count 1. A function model of the product is built by defining
concern the elimination/integration of only two kinds of the components in and around the system, including
components: fasteners and connectors. DFMA does not the interactions between all the components, con-
give any advice on how to eliminate all the other parts sidered in pairs. All the interactions are classified as
either useful, harmful, insufficient or excessive. A
hierarchical model of the system is defined by arran-
The MS was received on 17 December 2003 and was accepted after ging the components and relevant functions accord-
revision for publication on 29 March 2004.
*Corresponding author: DIMEG, University of Padova, Via Venezia 1, ing to the distance of each of them from the main
35131 Padova, Italy. useful function (MUF) of the whole system.
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1024 P F BARIANI, G A BERTI AND G LUCCHETTA

Fig. 1 The TRIZ general model for product structure simplification

2. Beginning from the lower levels of the hierarchical model of the solution is constructed. Finally, the design
model (i.e. far from the MUF), each component is team adapts the model of the generic solution to the
analysed in order to state its ideal final result (IFR). specific problem domain.
According to TRIZ, all technical systems evolve in
the direction of increasing their degree of ideality,
which is defined as the ratio between the valuable 3 DFMA AND TRIZ
results of the system’s functioning and the expenses
needed to perform this function, such as costs, time, 3.1 Comparison between DFMA and TRIZ
energy and resources. The IFR of any technical
system will eventually be the state in which the A comparison of the DFMA and TRIZ approaches
system itself disappears while its functionality is still reveals that they share two common characteristics [3]:
performed. The underlying concept of increasing
(a) the use of a psychological tool that encourages
ideality implies achieving functionality with fewer
breakthrough thinking by removing the mental
and fewer components and the maximum exploita-
constraints of existing solutions, respectively the
tion of the remaining ones.
minimum part criteria and the ideal final result, and
3. The function model may eventually be simplified by
(b) the use of product simplification techniques based
means of the trimming technique and according to
on the reduction of part count.
the IFRs stated in the previous step. A component
may be eliminated only after both the functions it A more accurate analysis indicates that the two methods
performs and the ones directed towards it have been are more complementary than similar:
trimmed (because they are not needed) or reassigned
1. From the point of view of the design approach,
to other existing or new components or to external
DFMA is mostly focused on the analysis phase of
resources.
the design work rather than on the synthesis activities
As a result of the trimming process, a simplified func- [4]. On the other hand, although TRIZ does not
tion model, which should be closer to the IFR, and a list support any evaluation process aimed at comparing
of new problems, which have developed during simplifi- the alternative product concepts, it has proved to
cation, are obtained. Basically, these new problems, be a very powerful method for creating new design
which must be solved in order for the new simplified solutions.
model to work properly, deal with how the remaining 2. As far as focusing on the design phase is con-
components can perform or be the object of those func- cerned, since DFMA is based on the analysis of
tions that were respectively executed or directed towards geometrical part features, it is typically used as a
the trimmed parts. post-analysis design tool in the detailed design
In order to solve these problems TRIZ provides the phase, i.e. when the design details are known and
design team with several problem-solving tools, which the product is more or less well defined [5]. Con-
have been developed through the analysis of patents versely, TRIZ analysis does not consider design
and inventive solutions from different fields of engineer- details such as part geometry, but it does take into
ing. These tools link the generic problem model to the account component functionalities and interactions.
solution principles extracted from previously well- TRIZ may thus be regarded as a conceptual design
solved analogous problems. As a result, an abstract tool.
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 A COMBINED DFMA AND TRIZ APPROACH TO THE SIMPLIFICATION OF PRODUCT STRUCTURE 1025

Table 1 Combined application of DFMA and TRIZ

Design phase Design approach Process steps

Conceptual design Functional analysis 1. Perform a hierarchical function analysis of the system.
2. Identify the components that cannot be eliminated according to the minimum part criteria and the
functional hierarchy.
3. Simplify the function model by means of the trimming technique.
Synthesis 4. Apply TRIZ problem-solving tools to the problems that have arisen during the simplification.
Detailed design Economical analysis 5. Perform a DFMA analysis to estimate assembly and manufacturing costs and compare alternative
design solutions.
Synthesis 6. Optimize the geometrical features of the parts for assembly and manufacture according to the
DFMA guidelines.

3. DFMA makes reliable estimations of the assembly and 4 DESIGN OF A NEW SATELLITE ANTENNA:
manufacturing costs available during the design phase A CASE STUDY
in order to compare alternative product concepts. On
the contrary, TRIZ function analysis lets the designer The original satellite antenna, which is shown in Fig. 2,
redefine the design problem in a new and more consisted of 29 components including the low noise
problem-solving-oriented way for the creation of block (LNB), which is not illustrated in the figure. A
innovative conceptual design solutions; however, it hierarchical function analysis of the system was carried
does not provide any relationship between cost infor- out and is reported in Fig. 3. Fasteners and connectors
mation and design decisions. were excluded since the DFMA already provides
designers with guidelines for their elimination or integra-
tion. A full pair-wise comparison of all the components
3.2 Combining DFMA with TRIZ according to the DFMA minimum part criteria and the
function hierarchy revealed that, theoretically, only the
The combination of DFMA and TRIZ was carried out by
following three parts were necessary:
merging the common characteristics and connecting the
complementary aspects highlighted above. This combi- (a) the LNB, since it is a standard component excluded
nation made it possible to develop a framework for from the analysis and some of its parts must be made
enhancing the application of the two methods in both of a different material;
the analysis and synthesis activities of conceptual and (b) the reflector, since it is the highest-level component
detailed design. This framework is based on a structured that can incorporate the back structure and the
sequence of the six design process steps reported in LNB support, clamp and arm;
Table 1. To clarify how the tasks involved in the proposed (c) the azimuthal elevation bracket, since it is the
six design process steps may be performed, the redesign of highest-level component that can incorporate the
a satellite antenna is illustrated as a case study. pole holder.

Fig. 2 Original design of the satellite antenna

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1026 P F BARIANI, G A BERTI AND G LUCCHETTA

Fig. 3 Original (left) and simplified (right) hierarchical function models of the satellite antenna. Rectangles,
hexagons and ovals represent respectively components, the supersystem elements and the system
products. Arrows stand for useful interactions between each pair of components

All the other parts were trimmed and their functions, 1. Local quality. Change an object’s structure from
as well as the actions directed towards them, were uniform to non-uniform to enable each part of the
eliminated or reassigned to the necessary parts. As a object to function in locally optimized conditions.
result, a more ideal system model was defined, but 2. Flexible shells and thin films. Isolate the object from
problems related to the reassignment of functions the external environment using flexible shells and
arose. In particular, in order to make the azimuthal thin films.
elevation bracket hold the reflector directly, a protrusion
had to be designed on the back surface of the reflector These principles are likely to trigger the designer’s
without modifying the profile of the front surface. Such creativity, leading to innovative solutions, such as:
a complex part could not be made of sheet metal but (a) coating the front surface with conductive paints,
could easily be manufactured by injection moulding. (b) overmoulding a layer of conductive polymer on it or
However, the reflector had to be made of a conductive (c) attaching a metallized film to it by the in-mould
material to reflect the electromagnetic waves. This is a decoration process.
typical case in which a problem is discovered by means
of DFMA but no aid or suggestion is given on how to Once all the problems to the reassignment of functions
solve it. were solved, the alternative product concepts developed
In TRIZ terms this problem represents a physical in the previous step were evaluated and compared by
contradiction, i.e. a situation in which contradictory means of DFMA early cost estimation techniques. In par-
requirements are placed on only one specific engineering ticular, the metallized film option proved to be the most
parameter (or feature) of the system: the reflector had to convenient, even though the new plastic reflector had a
be conductive and non-conductive. Physical contradic- cost that was considerably higher than the original one.
tions may be solved by separating the contradictory According to a design for injection moulding analysis,
requirements in space, in time, on condition or by a this was mainly due to the excessive volume of material
transition to a different level of the system [6]. In this required to make the reflector stiff enough to minimize
case, it was possible to separate the contradiction in its deflection under the worst weather conditions. There-
space: the reflector had to be designed with different fore, the solution to be sought was an optimal rib location
features on the front and back sides. Had this solution aimed at minimizing the component’s volume while
appeared too abstract, the TRIZ inventive principles maintaining its maximal deflection. Finally, in order to
relevant to each of the above-mentioned separation minimize assembly and manufacturing costs, the
strategies could have been used to seek further aid. DFMA guidelines were used to support the detailed
These principles for inventive problem solving represent design of the other geometrical features. These final
the abstract solution schemes adopted by other people engineering changes made the new design economically
who have addressed analogous problems. In particular, feasible, cutting the manufacturing cost down to a value
the separation in space is related to the following inven- that was just slightly lower than the cost of the original
tive principles: process and reducing the assembly time by 43 per cent.
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 A COMBINED DFMA AND TRIZ APPROACH TO THE SIMPLIFICATION OF PRODUCT STRUCTURE 1027

5 CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES

This paper addresses the need to improve the effectiveness 1 Boothroyd, G., Dewhurst, P. and Knight, W. Product Design
of DFMA in tackling the part count reduction problem. for Manufacture and Assembly, 2nd edition, 2002 (Marcel
The combined application of DFMA and TRIZ in the Dekker, New York).
synthesis of new design concepts was investigated. By 2 Altshuller, G. S. Creativity as an Exact Science, 1988
(Gordon and Breach, New York).
merging the common characteristics and connecting the
3 Bariani, P. F., Berti, G. A., Cornolò, R. and Lucchetta, G. A
complementary aspects of the two methods, a structured
combined DFMA and TRIZ approach to the design of
sequence of six design process steps was developed. The satellite antennas. In Proceedings of the 2002 International
application of this sequence of steps to the redesign of a Forum on DFMA, Newport, Rhode Island, 10–12 June
satellite antenna demonstrated how this combination 2002, pp. 225–240.
enhances the effectiveness of the two methods in both 4 Lenau, T. The missing element in design for manufacture.
the analysis and synthesis activities of conceptual and Ann. CIRP, 1996, 45(1), 105–108.
detailed design, fostering the designer’s creativity and 5 Hsu, W., Fuh, J. Y. H. and Zhang, Y. Synthesis of design
eventually leading to innovative solutions. Further appli- concepts from a design for assembly perspective. Computer
cation of the approach is needed to determine which Integrated Mfg Systems, 1998, 11(1–2), 1–13.
TRIZ problem-solving tools are most effective in solving 6 Mann, D. L. Hands-on Systematic Innovation, 2002 (Creax
Publishing, Ieper, Belgium).
the part count reduction problem and what kind of
product they are better suited to.

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 Axiomatic Design And TRIZ:
Compatibilities and Contradictions

Darrell Mann
Systematic Innovation
5A Yeo-Bank Business Park
Kenn Road, Clevedon BS21 6UW, UK
Phone: +44 (1275) 337500 Fax: +44 (1275) 337509
E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract
The paper examines Axiomatic Design in the light of its possible links to an evolved
version of the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, TRIZ. The paper highlights
incompatibilities between the the Independence Axiom and the Ideality concept contained
within TRIZ, but also several areas of mutually beneficial integration between the two
methods – at philosophical, methodological and working tool levels.

Introduction
TRIZ (1, 2) offers a high level philosophical construct, plus a wide-ranging series of tools
and methods to help designers and inventors to solve problems in creative and uniquely
effective ways. For the most part these methods have evolved independent of many of
the design strategies developed outside Russia. TRIZ-based research work taking place
at the University of Bath includes activities to compare and contrast TRIZ with some of
these non-TRIZ methodologies. The aim has been to produce tools and techniques
coherently combining the best features of each method.
The paper focuses on Axiomatic Design (AD) concepts and ideas and their possible
relationship with TRIZ; firstly from the perspective of how TRIZ might benefit designers
more accustomed to AD methods, and then looking more closely at how Axiomatic Design
might be usefully applied within a TRIZ context. The paper explores somes of the
compatibilities and contradictions between Axiomatic Design’s analytical design Axioms
and the powerful design solution-generating capabilities of TRIZ. The discussion takes
place through use of case studies from The Principles of Design and real world case
study examples taken from a range of application arenas from pizza boxes to automobile
wheel covers to next-generation aircraft undercarriage design.
The paper ends by proposing means of overcoming the contradictions between the two
design approaches to create a sum greater than the individual parts.

The Design Process

The simplest – most superficial connection between TRIZ and Axiomatic Design comes
from the map of the design process (Figure 1) found in The Principles of Design (3), into
which TRIZ may be seen to fit exactly into the ‘Ideate and Create’ activity. Undoubtedly
TRIZ offers designers and problem solvers in general considerably more in the form of
substance than the usual instruction to ‘now go and brainstorm some ideas’ (also known

1
as the ‘insert miracle here’ instruction in some circles) found in just about every other
available method.

Figure 1: Schematic of Design Process

At a slightly deeper level, the two methods have in common the basic guiding principle of
distillation and codification of excellence into a deployable form. TRIZ’s scope has been
somewhat wider, taking in the systematic analysis of close to 2 million examples of
engineering success, plus large proportions of known physical, chemical, biological,
mathematical, and business success, plus several hundred person-years study of the
psychological aspects of creativity. Consequently its findings have been somewhat more
comprehensive. As illustrated in Figure 2, the include a hierarchy of philosophical
concepts widening out to a complete systematic innovation process, which in turn
contains a broad array of different tools and strategie for problem solving in its

Ideality
Resource Philosophy
Functionality
Contradiction
Space/Time/Interface

Several versions of ARIZ Method

Several other
processes

Inventive Principles IFR

Trends
Contradiction Matrix
S-Fields
Function Knowledge/ Subversion
Analysis
Tool
PI Tools Analysis Effects

Trimming Resources Separation Principles

multitudinous forms.

Figure 2: Schematic of Overall TRIZ Structure

It is at the broad philosophical level that we may find the first area of incompatibility
between TRIZ and Axiomatic Design. Both methods recognise the importance of function
2
and functionality in the systems we design, but then have different views of what defines
‘good’ness. In terms of the Independence Axiom, ‘good’ness is measured by one-to-one,
independent mapping between functional requirements (FRs) and design parameters
(DPs). In simplified terms, ‘one bit for every function’. TRIZ on the other hand, having
studied the manner in which systems evolve (and hence the directions designers evolve
the systems they design) suggests evolution tends towards an end-point (called ‘Ideal
Final Result’) in which the ideal system delivers the function, but doesn’t exist (or rather,
more specifically, has zero cost or harm).
In terms of the well-worn faucet example, AD identifies the ‘good’ design as the one
where the two functions ‘control temperature’ and ‘control flow’ are delivered by one lever
with two independent motions. In terms of the TRIZ Ideal Final Result, the ‘good’ solution
is the one where we obtain the functions, but there is no faucet. If this sounds rather
abstract, what is likely to happen to help achieve this goal is that something (from the
Resources part of TRIZ) already in the bigger picture system (from the
Space/Time/Interface part of TRIZ) – like the sink unit, like the pipe-work, like the sink-top
– takes on the function of the faucet. In TRIZ terms also, comes the image of hierarchical
system structures in which components at the bottom end of the hierarchy gradually
disappear as their function is taken on by things higher up the hierarchical chain.
The net result of this evolutionary direction is that as higher level systems take on more
functions the one-to-one mapping of FRs to DPs may well not apply. Or; evolution
towards increasing ideality says that it is possible to do better than one-to-one. Or, to put
it another way, although the Independence Axiom represents a good ‘rule’, it is not – in
TRIZ terms – an Axiom.

Function and Attribute Analysis

Before leaving faucets to discuss some of the compatibilities between AD and TRIZ, it is
probably instructive to examine how the faucet design problem would be handled from a
TRIZ perspective. A common (although not compulsory) start point to the creative design
process is the construction of a function and attribute analysis (FAA – Reference 4) model
of an existing system.
AD unfortunately resorts to matrix algebra as the principle mechanism for determining the
independence of functions (unfortunate because ‘matrix algebra’ and ‘designer’ seem to
mix like oil and water in around 95% of cases). FAA modelling seems to offer a rather
more visual perspective on whether designs are coupled or not, and it is that we will focus
on now in order to elicit the useful rules that Axiomatic Design offers during use of the
Trimming part of the TRIZ toolkit.

For the standard, coupled faucet design, a simplified FAA model would look something
like the image reproduced in Figure 3.

The first thing we look to from this figure is what are the factors that show us that the
design is coupled and therefore doesn’t meet the Independence rule? The answers to this
question are twofold:

1) the main product (a known amount of warm water) is produced through a

combination of other things, and,
2) there are multiple (in this case two) control actions

3
 User

adjusts adjusts
informs

Cold Water supplies supplies Hot Water

Cold Tap Hot Tap
Pipe Pipe

dispenses dispenses

Cold Water Hot Water

produces produces

Warm Water

Figure 3: Simplified FAA Model of Hot and Cold Tap System

In abstracted form, these two answers present a good test of a coupled design, and can
be used in this way. From the trimming perspective, the existence of such coupling effects
should then present us with the following good rule:

If there are coupled elements in a system, one or more of those elements is a prime
candidate for trimming.

The second useful rule to take from this example and therefore from Axiomatic Design, is
that after we have successively trimmed the system – see Figure 4 showing the
equivalent FAA model for the mixer tap – we should continue to endeavour to maintain
independence between the functional requirements. In other words, at least one of the
two answers above, should no longer be true – so that either the product comes from one
thing, or there is one control action, or both.
1) 2)
User User

adjusts adjusts
supplies Hot Water supplies Hot Water
Pipe Pipe
informs Mixer Tap informs Mixer Tap
(Temp) (Flow)
Cold Water Cold Water
dispenses supplies dispenses supplies
Pipe Pipe

Warm Water Warm Water

Figure 4: Simplified FAA Model of Mixer Tap System

Note also how to truly reflect what happens in the mixer tap, the FAA model is drawn at
two different times – the usual mode of operation being that the user first adjusts the
faucet to the right temperature, and then adjusts for desired flow rate. In TRIZ terms,
independence has been achieved by separating the two functions in time – i.e. the two
functions happen sequentially and not in parallel.

4
Strict examination of the Independence rule suggests that the two FRs are actually only
independent insofar as we have made this separation in time. If we think about the two
functions being delivered in parallel, as far as the control signals heading back to the brain
from the faucet are concerned, the two functions are most definitely coupled, no matter
what the matrix algebra suggests. The usual response of most practically oriented faucet
users seems in fact to be to uncouple the flow and temperature functions by setting flow
rate to maximum (higher level functional requirement: ‘fill sink in the shortest time
possible’) throughout the process of adjusting the temperature.

Meanwhile, let us now explore some of the other compatibilities and contradictions
between AD's analytical design rules and the powerful design solution-generating
capabilities of TRIZ using some design cases from The Principles of Design.

A Simple Example - Reduction of Materials Cost

Suh discusses the case of a major US instrument maker looking to reduce the cost of the
impact-grade polystyrene it used each year (Reference 3, pp30-31). Seeing that material
cost for the parts under consideration constituted 75% of the manufacturing cost, Suh
describes how the R&D team at the company was asked to devise a means of reducing
cost of materials by 20% without sacrificing the mechanical properties of the part.

As in the large majority of other approaches, Suh also sees problem definition as the key
to achievement of successful design. In Suh's terms, problem definition is an iterative
process centred on the definition and optimisation of the Functional Requirements of a
design.

In the case in question, Suh derives two FRs:-

FR1 = reduce the material cost by 20%

(i.e. reduce the material usage by 20%)
FR2 = toughness of the plastic part to equal or exceed that of
the original part.

In terms of synthesising possible solutions to the problem, the book offers little to detail
how the ‘ideate and create’ black box derived viable solutions other than by stating that
the designers tried a few different ideas (e.g. 'insert fillers', insert very small fillers') and
eventually came up with the idea of 'microvoids'. The description in the book very much
implies that the ‘process’ of discovering the solution was a somewhat nebulous affair.

At this point, then, it is very interesting to introduce how TRIZ might have been usefully
deployed in reaching such a design solution:-

Contradictions - the problem of how to reduce the amount of material being used, while
maintaining strength should hopefully immediately suggest a design contradiction and
hence the use of Altshuller's Contradiction Matrix. The Matrix suggests ‘Parameter
Change’, ‘Curvature Increase’ and ‘Preliminary Action’ as means used by others to
inventively solve this QUANTITY OF SUBSTANCE versus STRENGTH technical
contradiction. The first two suggestions in particular point immediately to a void-based
solution (e.g. ‘curvature increase should suggest the idea of making ‘bubbles’/voids in the
material smaller).

5
Evolutionary Trends - even more encouraging is the 'space segmentation' evolution
trend spotted by Altshuller and his team - Figure 5 - i.e. a trend in which voids are
introduced into a structure in ever smaller fashion:

Structure Porous
Capillary/
Monolithic Hollow With Structure
Porous
Solid Structure Multiple With Active
Structure
Hollows Elements

Figure 5: TRIZ ‘Space Segmentation’ Evolution Trend

In both instances, TRIZ has vividly replaced the somewhat nebulous ideation stage in the
reference description with a systematic solution synthesis.

Once derived, Suh demonstrates (albeit extremely briefly) how the Axioms may be used
to determine that the microvoids solution is a good one and, perhaps more importantly (in
Chapter 6) how the axiomatic approach may be used to quantitatively establish the most
appropriate size and volume fraction of microvoids for the detailed, final solution. In this
way, Suh’s approach may be seen to be complementary to TRIZ: TRIZ equals synthesis
tool, Axiomatic design equals analytical tool.

The Wright Brothers and Freezer Doors

Problem definition is everything. According to Suh, the key to successful problem

definition is the formulation and minimisation of Functional Requirements (FRs). He cites
birds' wings as an example. Birds' wings have to satisfy many FRs; vertical take-off,
horizontal take-off, climb, dive, cruise, hover, pitch, yaw, roll, retract, provide thermal
insulation, etc. Initial human attempts at flight looked to mimic the bird wing design. They
failed to recognise that not all of the bird wing FRs were necessary to achieving flight and
hence they failed to fly. Suh suggests that the genius of the Wright brothers was in
minimising the number of FRs to only those necessary for near-horizontal take-off, slow
cruise speed and limited need for change in direction.

In many senses, this minimization of FRs is a solid test of 'good' design. It is however not
the whole story. It is not the whole story for two important reasons:-

1) It fails to recognise evolutionary trend towards increasing ‘value’ or ‘ideality’;

minimising the number of FRs might be the only way to achieve any form of solution – as
was the case with the Wright brothers - but as capability increases, so we will seek to
introduce more FRs in order to increase customer 'value'. For example, sticking with the
case of wing design, think of the evolution from the Wright brothers fixed wing, to simple
flaps, to complex multi-flap designs, to swing wing aircraft, to smart structures, etc (NB
note also TRIZ's 'Dynamisation' trend – Figure 6.)

Fully Fluid or Field

Immobile Jointed
Flexible Pneumatic Based
System System
System System System

Figure 6: TRIZ ‘Dynamisation’ Evolution Trend

6
 2) It fails to recognise the 'delight' aspects when a customer buys a product to do
one thing and later finds out it can also do something else as well.

When we reduce the FRs to a minimum (or simply define them inappropriately) - as in
Suh's example of freezer door design (Figure 7); where the Requirements are reduced to
1) minimise energy (cold air) loss, and, 2) provide good access - we may well actually be
shutting ourselves off from a significant sector of the actual customer base.

Figure 7: Nam Suh’s ‘Bad Design’ Freezer

Of course, the freezer design case cited in The Principles of Design is merely used as a
convenient demonstration of his idea of Functional Requirements. In the real world of very
high levels of competition and consumer choice, however, when he describes the vertical
hinged door as ‘bad design’ because it does not meet his FRs, he is failing to recognise
that they actually might well not be the most important requirements. Or that a very large
proportion of freezers sold are of the vertically hinged variety.

The ‘customer delight’ aspect is also interesting. “Good design is about giving customers
what they want. Great design is about giving customers what they didn’t expect” to quote
Tom Peters (Reference 4). A great example of a product which turned out to offer
customers something they didn’t expect is the AV-8B (Harrier) vertical take-off and
landing (VTOL) aircraft. The Harrier was –and, thirty years later, still is – a great aircraft.
At least a small part of it’s longevity is due to the realisation some considerable time into
it’s service life that if pilots used the swivelling nozzles during flight (as well as for the
initially designed vertical-to-horizontal flight transition functional requirement), they were
able to produce manoeuvres capable of defeating just about any kind of enemy threat:
‘Vectoring In Flight’ – VIFing – an unexpected additional functional capability.

Problem definition continues to be the single greatest challenge facing designers. Apart
from the recognition of the importance of function, AD does not appear to have much to
offer in this regard. The TRIZ ‘Ideal Final Result’ philosophy, as discussed earlier is a
rather more effective and practical alternative in most instances, although, as we shall see
later, the appropriate definition of FRs can offer new problem solving insights in certain
regards.

Wheel-Covers

The Principles of Design also contains many examples of use of the Axiomatic design
analysis approach. While the main purpose of the examples is to demonstrate the
underlying principles of the AD methods, they, unfortunately, do not always demonstrate
his stated belief in the importance of effective problem definition. The example of the
wheel-cover design (pp289-93) is one such case. More interesting than simply providing a
demonstration of how the axiomatic approach may be used to find a good ('right') answer

7
to the wrong question, however, is the role it might help to play in highlighting both the
power inherent in the TRIZ methodology and the future potential for integration between
the two approaches.

The example comes from work done at General Motors. Back in the early 80s, the
designers at GM had a problem with wheel covers. GM wheel covers at the time were
held on by simple spring clips. The problem the designers faced was that, if spring force
was too small, the wheel covers fell off, and, if the spring force was too high, vehicle
owners found it difficult to remove the cover when a wheel change was required. Suh’s
book describes the high degree of scientific rigour and customer focus employed by the
GM designers during the search for a problem solution: They conducted a series of
sophisticated customer trials using wheel covers with different spring forces and
systematically measured how satisfied the customers were with each of the different
cases. The results are summarised in Figure 8. Very simply, they found that 100% of
customers were satisfied from the perspective of ease of cover removal if the force
required to remove the cover was 30N or less, and that 100% of customers were happy
that their wheel-covers wouldn’t fall off if the retention force was 35N or more.

120
Customer Respnse (%)

100

80 Dissatisfied - difficult
to remove
60
Dissatisfied - cover
40 falls off

20

0
0
10

18

23

30

41

49

59

Retention Force (N)

Figure 8: Wheel Cover Retention Force Design Point Selection

As well as being customer focused scientists, the example shows how the GM designers
were very much cast in the non-TRIZ ‘design is a trade-off’ mind-set. Given the customer
data, the ‘design-is-a-trade-off’ mindset says that the ‘optimum’ spring retention force
needed to be somewhere between 30 and 35N. Being scientists, they also recognised
that mass-production would mean some statistical variation in the achievable spring force.
The Functional Requirement for the wheel cover spring design, therefore, became
‘Provide a retention force of 34±4N’.

In non-TRIZ terms, they had done the best they could. In effect they had come up with a
solution which was ‘optimum’ because it dis-satisfied the minimum number of customers.
In fact, their data had shown that a 34±4N solution would dis-satisfy somewhere between
2 and 6% of their customers. Or, put another way, probably somewhere around 100,000
per year.

The AD analysis of the problem is subsequently somewhat complex, but nevertheless

shows how the approach was able to best tune the design variables to achieve the
defined Functional Requirements.

8
TRIZ, on the other hand, would immediately identify the GM wheelcover problem as a
design contradiction. The TRIZ approach is built on a ‘design without compromise’
philosophy. It is about eliminating contradictions rather than accommodating them. The
contradiction present in the wheelcover case is a Physical Contradiction. It is a physical
contradiction because the wheelcover retention force is required to be be HIGH (to retain
the cover) AND LOW (to make it easy to remove). Altshuller’s analysis of the patent
database has allowed him to see how inventors across all industries and specialities have
successfully eliminated such contradictions. Specific TRIZ Inventive Principles, then,
recommended to solve problems of the wheelcover type, include:-

• ‘Preliminary Action’ (e.g. push-and-twist type wheel covers)

• ‘Skipping’ (e.g. eliminate the spring and use some other means of holding the
wheelcover – e.g. Peugeot sometimes use the wheel-nuts to hold the cover as
well as the wheel)
• ‘Discarding and Recovering’ (e.g. eliminate the spring altogether – e.g. alloy
wheels (the wheel is the wheel-cover))

In other words, the GM designers were using AD to optimise the wrong design. The ‘right’
design – according to TRIZ – is the one which eliminates the trade-offs rather than
seeking to balance between them. The ‘Contradictions’ part of TRIZ provides designers
with a systematic approach to finding means of eliminating those contradictions.

The Axiomatic approach may have some use in analysing and optimising the
conceptual solutions derived from TRIZ in some cases. In a simple case like the
wheelcover, it is perhaps difficult to see what additional benefits the Axioms might bring.
Moving along to look at the AD/TRIZ connection story from the perspective of how
Axiomatic Design might be usefully applied to help produce a ‘better’ TRIZ solution, we
can see that this need not always be the case.

Pizza Box

US patent 5,472,139 is a commonly cited example amongst TRIZ users of the ‘geometric
evolution of linear constructions’ technology evolution trend. The patent uses the trend as
the basis for contouring the base of a pizza box in order to introduce thermally insulating
air-gaps between the pizza and the base of the box – i.e. a harmful planar contact surface
will evolve towards aline-based contact (and ultimately towards a point-based contact). A
sketch of the pizza box design is illustrated in Figure 9.

Figure 9: US Patent 5,472,139 Pizza Box

The basic idea of the patent is to improve the heat retaining properties of the box such
that the pizza stays hotter for longer.

9
In terms of Axiomatic design, the invention sees the introduction of a Functional
Requirement ‘improve heat insulation’ to the basic pizza box FR of ‘protect pizza’.

A more complete functional analysis of the pizza-box using AD, however, might well also
register the presence of a Functional Requirement to be able to slice and serve the pizza
direct from the box. The 5,472,139 invention has not been conceived with this
requirement fully in mind (NB despite the fact that the invention is an upgrade of a
previous patent by the same inventors specifically to try and improve ‘slice and serve’
performance). The simple fact is that the contoured base of the box is not amenable in a
sufficiently practical sense to the use of a cutter to slice in situ pizza.

The pizza box example demonstrates the importance of identifying all the necessary FRs
to be achieved in a given design. Axiomatic Design methods, while not always able to
help identify what ‘all’ means – Suh in fact recommends QFD for this task – can be very
usefully employed to ensure the chosen FRs are independent and thus consistent with
good design practice. Or perhaps it is merely sufficent that AD forces designers to give
the matter of Functional Requirement definition due consideration.

Conclusions/Final Thoughts

It is still early days for integration between TRIZ and Axiomatic Design (applying TRIZ
trends to TRIZ suggests that eventually they will join – Reference 5). Preliminary
evidence, however, suggests that the analytical methods of AD do complement the
synthesising capabilities of TRIZ in at least three significant areas:-

1) a very important philosophical aspect of AD is that there exists a necessary process

of iteration between FR’s and physical design attributes. In other words, it is not
sufficient to simply define a set of Functional Requirements and then set about the
process of translating them into Design Parameters. The method says that if we are
to achieve ‘good design’ – i.e. design satisfying the two Axioms – the design
parameters must be allowed to influence the form and content of the Functional
Requirements.

2) As well as recognising the relationship between Functional Domain and Physical

Domain, Suh further extends the AD model to include what he describes the
Process Domain (Reference 1, Section 4.10). In other words, AD demands that
manufacturability issues are given appropriate consideration during the process of
iterating to achieve the most appropriate form of the design Functional
Requirements. This is an area where TRIZ is rather unspecific at this point in time.

3) Perhaps the most significant difference between AD and TRIZ becomes apparent
when considering the hierarchial nature of design problems. Aspects of this
difference may be seen in a previous discussion regarding the design of a helicopter
particle separator (Reference 6). Basically, meanwhile, AD places careful emphasis
on the importance of recognising the hierarchial nature of design and, particularly to
ensure that the process of iteration between Function Requirements in the
Functional Domain and selection of Design Parameters in the Physical Domain is
carried out in a systematic manner.

10
 TOTAL TOTAL
SYSTEM SYSTEM

SYSTEM SYSTEM
INTEGRATORS INTEGRATORS

MAJOR MAJOR
ASSEMBLIES ASSEMBLIES

MAJOR MAJOR
COMPONENTS COMPONENTS

SUB- SUB-
COMPONENTS COMPONENTS

MATERIALS MATERIALS

FUNCTIONAL DOMAIN PHYSICAL DOMAIN

Figure 10: Hierarchial Nature of Functional Domain – Physical Domain Mapping

As may be seen in Figure 10, this systemisation occurs through an essentially top-down
approach; definition of System Level FRs permits derivation and iteration of System Level
DPs and then – most importantly – definition of the System Level DPs is necessary before
FRs at the next level down in the hierarchy may occur; and so on right through each level
of the hierarchy. In effect, AD suggests that finalisation of top level FRs can only really be
achieved after each layer of the problem hierarchy has been given due consideration and
iterated accordingly.

It would appear that Axiomatic Design has much to offer TRIZ in terms of providing a
better understanding of both the hierarchial nature of design and the need to pay due
attention to the inter-connections which exist between successive hierarchial layers.

References

1) Altshuller, G., ‘Creativity As An Exact Science’, (New York, Gordon And Breach,
1988).
2) Mann, D.L., ‘Hands-On Systematic Innovation For Engineers’, (CREAX Press,
Belgium, 2002)
11
3) Suh, N.P., ‘The Principles of Design’, (Oxford University Press, 1990).
4) Peters, T, ‘The Circle Of Innovation’, Hodder & Stoughton General, London, 1997.
5) Mann, D.L., ‘Evolving The World’s Systematic Creativity Methods’, paper presented at
7th European Association for Creativity and Innovation conference, University of
Twente, The Netherlands, December 2001.
6) Mann, D.L., ‘Case Studies in TRIZ: A Helicopter Engine Particle Separator’, TRIZ
Journal, December 1998.

12
 Proceedings of ICAD2000
First International Conference on Axiomatic Design
Cambridge, MA – June 21-23, 2000
ICAD56

A COMPARISON OF TRIZ AND AXIOMATIC DESIGN

Kai Yang Hongwei Zhang
[email protected]
Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Department of Industrial and Manufacturing
Engineering, Wayne State University Engineering, Wayne State University
4815 fourth street 4815 fourth street
Detroit, MI 48201 Detroit, MI 48201

ABSTRACT
This paper compares the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) The remaining body of paper is divided into 4 parts. Section 2
and Axiomatic Design (AD). Both AD and TRIZ are briefly reviewed gives a brief review of AD and TRIZ. Section 3 gives the
and their possible similarities and relationships are analyzed and comparisons of AD rules and TRIZ tools. Section 4 provides a
listed. A case study is given.
case study and section 5 is the conclusions of this paper.
Keywords: axiomatic design, TRIZ, designs
2. REVIEW OF AXIOMATIC DESIGN AND TRIZ
1. INTRODUCTION
It is self-evident that decisions made during design stage of 2.1. REVIEW OF AXIOMATIC DESIGN
product and process development will profoundly affect the
product quality and productivity. Traditionally, product and The design process usually consists of several steps as follows.
process have been designed based on know-how and trial-and- • Establish design objectives to satisfy a given set of
error; however the empiricism of a designer is limited and can customer attributes
lead to costly mistakes. Axiomatic Design and the Theory of • Generate ideas to create plausible solutions
Inventive Problem Solving have been developed to aid design • Analyze the solution alternatives and select the best one
decision making and related problem solving. • Implement the selected design

Axiomatic design is a general methodology that helps Axiomatic Design theory has been developed to aid above
designers structure and understand design problems, thereby decision making process. It is based on the following
facilitating the synthesis and analysis of suitable design important concepts [1] [8]:
requirements, solutions, and processes. This approach also
provides a consistent framework from which the metrics of 1) There exist four domains in the design world, customer
design alternatives can be quantified. domain, functional domain, physical domain and process
domain.
TRIZ offers a wide-ranging series of tools to help designers
and inventors avoid trial-and-error in design process and solve 2) Solution alternatives are created by mapping the
problem in a creative fashion. The most part of TRIZ tools requirements specified in one domain to a set of characteristic
were created by means of careful research of the world patent parameters in an adjacent domain. The mapping between the
database (mainly in Russian), so they have been evolved customer and functional domains is defined as concept design;
independently and separately from many of the design the mapping between functional and physical domains is
strategies developed outside Russia. product design; the mapping between physical and process
domains corresponds to process design.
This paper compares and contrasts TRIZ and Axiomatic
Design problem solving methods, analyzes their compatibility 3) The mapping process can be mathematically expressed in
and discusses the possibility of integration of them. The long- terms of the characteristic vectors that define the design goals
term goal of this work is to develop a generic framework and and design solution.
tools to help designers understand and make correct design
decisions. 4) The output of each domain evolves from abstract concepts to
detailed information in a top-down or hierarchical manner.
Hierarchical decomposition in one domain cannot be
performed independently of the other domains, i.e.,

235
 First International Conference on Axiomatic Design
Cambridge, MA – June 21-23, 2000
decomposition follows zigzagging mapping between adjacent 2.2. REVIEW OF TRIZ
domains.
TRIZ is Russian acronym for The Theory of Inventive Problem
Solving that originated from extensive studies of technical and
5) Two design axioms provide a rational basis for evaluation of
patent information. Studies of patent collections by Altshuller,
proposed solution alternatives and the subsequence selection of
the founder of TRIZ, indicated that only one per cent of
the best alternative. The two axioms can be stated as follows:
solutions were truly pioneering inventions, the rest represented
the use of previously known ideas and concepts but in a novel
Axiom 1 (independence axiom): maintain the
way [2]. Thus, the conclusion was that an idea of a design
independence of the FRs.
solution to a new problem might be already known. However,
Axiom 2 (information axiom): minimize the information
where this idea could be found? TRIZ, based on the systematic
content of the design.
view of technological world, provides techniques and tools to
help designers create a new design idea and avoid numerous
The first axiom is the independent axiom, and it focus on the
trials and errors during a problem solving process.
nature of the mapping between “what is required” (FRs) and
“how to achieve it” (DPs). It states that a good design
Any problem solving process involves two components: the
maintains the independence of the functional requirements.
problem itself and the system in which the problem exists.
The second axiom is the information axiom and it establishes
Successful innovative experience shows that both problem
information content as a relative measure for evaluating
analysis and system transformations are equally important to
alternative solutions that satisfy the independence axiom. problem solving. Accordingly, TRIZ methodology includes the
analytical tools for problem analysis and the knowledge base
Many corollaries and theorems are derived from these two tools for system changing. The theoretical foundations of
fundamental axioms. these tools are the patterns of evolution of technological
systems. Figure 1 illustrates the basic structure of TRIZ.

Contradiction
40 Principles
Analysis

Patterns of
Evolution of Problem Su-Field 76 Standard Suggested
Analysis
ARIZ Solutions Solutions
Technological Models
Systems

Required Function
Analysis Effects
Database

T heoretical Analytical Tools Knowledge Solutions

Fundations Base Tools

Figure 1. Structure of TRIZ Mothodology

Copyright © 2000 by the Institute for Axiomatic Design 236

 First International Conference on Axiomatic Design
Cambridge, MA – June 21-23, 2000
THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS a physical contradiction. A technical contradiction might be
solve using contradiction table that identifies 39 characteristics
most frequently involved in design process. A physical
The Patterns of Evolution of Technological System are the
contradiction might be solved by separation principles. A
theoretical foundations of TRIZ methodology. These patterns
technical contradiction may be transformed to a physical
indicate that there exist basic laws for engineering system
contradiction in some circumstances. Contradiction analysis is
development, and understanding them enhances ones ability to
the fundamental step to apply 40 inventive principles, one of
the design problem solving. There are eight patterns and each
the knowledge base tools [2] [5] [7] [10].
pattern consists of several sub-patterns or lines [9].
(1) Stages of evolution of a technological system
(2) Evolution toward increase ideality
(3) Non-uniform development of system elements F

(4) Evolution toward increase dynamism and controllability

(5) Increased complexity followed by simplification
(6) Matching and mismatching elements
(7) Evolution toward micro-level and increased use of fields S1 S2
(8) Evolution toward decrease human involvement
Figure 2. Substance Field Model
Patterns and their lines serve as “soft equation” or “function”
describing the system “life curve” in the evolution space.
Based on them, the further configurations of a system can be Required function analysis refers to select the objective of the
reliably “calculated or forecasted” if the current system system and match it with the function list in the TRIZ Effect
configuration is given [5]. Knowledge Base. Required function analysis is the first step to
use this knowledge base to search for the recommendations for
TRIZ ANALYTICAL TOOLS accomplishing the objective [10].

TRIZ analytical tools, which include ARIZ, substance field ARIZ refers to Algorithm for Inventive Problem Solving, a set
analysis, contradiction analysis and required function analysis, of successive logical procedures directed at reinterpretation of
are used for problem modeling, analysis and transformation. a given problem. In TRIZ standpoint, a technical problem
These analytical tools do not use every piece of information becomes an invention one when a contradiction is overcome.
about the product where the problem resides. The way they However, “real world” problems do not always appear as
generalize a specific situation is to represent a problem as contradictions. Furthermore, Su-field analysis and required
either a contradiction, or a substance-field model, or just as a function analysis may not be applied directly in some
required function realization. ARIZ is such a sophisticated situations. Thus, it is not obvious how to apply TRIZ
analytical tool that it integrates above three tools and other knowledge base tools to aid the problem solving. ARIZ is a
techniques. step-by-step method, whereby, given an unclear technical
problem, the inherent contradictions are revealed, formulated
Substance field analysis is a TRIZ analytical tool for building and resolved [5].
functional model for problems related to existing or new
technological systems. Each system is created to perform a KNOWLEDGE BASE TOOLS
certain function. Typically, a function represents some action
toward a certain object, and this action is performed by another TRIZ knowledge base tools include 40 Inventive Principles, 76
object. This situation can be modeled by a triangle whose Standard Solutions and Effects of Knowledge Base. These
corners represent objects and an action or interaction (called a tools are developed based on the accumulated human
field). A substance may be an article or tool and the field may innovation experience and the vast patent collection. The
be some form of energy. In general, any properly functioning knowledge base tools are different from analytical tools in that
system can be modeled with a complete triangle as shown in they suggest ways for transforming the system, while analytical
figure2. Any deviation from the complete Su-field triangle, for tools help changing the problem statement in favor of problem
example missing elements or occurring inefficient and solving [7].
undesired functions, reflects the existence of a problem [2] [8]
[9]. Forty Inventive Principles are used to guide the TRIZ
practitioner in developing useful “concepts of solution” for
Contradiction Analysis is a powerful tool of looking problem inventive situations. Each of solutions is a recommendation to
with the new perspective. In TRIZ standpoint, a challenging make a specific change to a system for eliminating technical
problem can be expressed as either a technical contradiction or contradictions. Contradiction table recommends which

Copyright © 2000 by the Institute for Axiomatic Design 237

 First International Conference on Axiomatic Design
Cambridge, MA – June 21-23, 2000
principles should be considered in solving approximately 1250 has to select an appropriate function the system performs
contradictions. (based on the required function analysis), then the knowledge
base provides many alternatives for delivering the function.
Seventy-six Standard Solutions were developed for solving
standard problems based on the Patterns of Evolution of
Technological Systems. These Standard Solutions are grouped 3. COMPARISONS OF AD RULES AND TRIZ
into five classes according to their objectives; the order of PROBLEM SOLVING TOOLS
solutions within the classes reflects certain directions in the
evolution of technological systems. To use these tools, one The following table summarizes the possible relations between
identifies (based on the model obtained in Su-field analysis) Axiomatic Design rules and TRIZ problem solving tools.
the class of a particular problem and then chooses a set of Seven corollaries and three theorems in AD are selected to
Standard Solutions accordingly. The standard solution is a compare with TRIZ tools. Seven corollaries, which serve as the
recommendation as to what kind of system transformation design rules, are derived from two axioms directly, so
should be made to eliminate the problem. comparing these “lower level design rules” with TRIZ tools is
useful to understand these two methodologies. Only three
Effects of Knowledge Base is probably the most easy to use theorems are selected because we do not think other theorems
tool in TRIZ. Very early in his research, Altshuller recognized in AD can be linked with TRIZ. Mann gives the general
that given a difficult problem, the ideality and ease of comparisons of AD and TRIZ at the level of domain, mapping,
implementation of a particular solution could be substantially hierarchies and axioms [6].
increased by utilizing various physical, chemical and
geometric effects. Up to now, a large database has been
developed. In applying Effects of Knowledge Base tool, one

AXIOMATIC DESIGN TRIZ

Corollary 1 (Decoupling of Coupled Design) Contradiction concept in TRIZ is similar to the functional
Decouple or separate parts or aspects of a solution if FRs are coupling in AD. Overcoming contradiction in TRIZ means
coupled or become interdependent in the proposed design. the removal of functional coupling in AD.

This corollary states that functional independence must be There are two types of contradictions: technological
ensured by decoupling if a proposed design couples the contradiction and physical contradiction. A technological
functional requirements. Functional decoupling may be contradiction is derived from a physical contradiction. So,
achieved without physical separation. However, in many certain changes of the physical structure of a technological
cases, such physical decomposition may be the best way of system guided by Contradiction Table and 40 Inventive
solving the coupling problem [1] [3]. Principles or Separation Principles are often required to
remove contradiction.

Corollary 2 (Minimization of FRs) Ideal Final Result (IFR) philosophy corresponds to

Minimize the number of functional requirements and Corollary 2 in AD.
constraints.
IFR states that a system is a “fee” for realization of the
Corollary 2 states that as the number of functional required function and IFR will be realized if the system
requirements and constraints increases, the system become does not exist, but the required function is performed. IFR
more complex and thus the information content is increased. helps an engineer to focus on concepts that minimize
This corollary recommends the designer strive for maximum requirements in substance, energy and complexity of
simplicity in overall design or the utmost simplicity in engineering product and process.
physical and functional characteristics.

Copyright © 2000 by the Institute for Axiomatic Design 238

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Corollary 3 (Integration of Physical Parts) Evolution Pattern 5, Increased Complexity followed by

Integration design features into a single physical process, Simplification.
device or system when FRs can be independently satisfied in
the proposed solution. This pattern states that technological systems tend to
develop first toward increased complexity (i.e., increased
Corollary 3 states that the number of physical components quantity and quality of system functions) and then toward
should be reduced through integration of parts without simplification (where the same or better performance is
coupling functional requirements. However, mere physical provided by a less complex system).
integration is not desirable if it results in an increase of
information content or in a coupling of functional Line Mo-Bi-Poly reflects that Mono-function products
requirements. evolve into bi-function or poly-function products through
integration of physical embodiments.

Corollary 4 (Use of Standardization) No patterns, principles or tools correspond to this corollary.

Use standardization or interchangeable parts if the use of TRIZ focus its studies on inventive problem solving, so it
these parts is consistent with FRs and constraints. pays less attention to the standardization and
interchangeability of physical components.
The corollary states a well-known design rule: use standard
parts, methods, operations and routine, manufacture, and
assembly. Special parts should be minimized to decrease
cost. Interchangeable parts allow for the reduction of
inventory, as well as the simplification of manufacturing and
service operations, i.e., they reduce the information content.

Corollary 5 (Use of Symmetry) Principle 4, Asymmetry (one of 40 Inventive Principles)

Use symmetrical shapes and/or arrangements if they are in TRIZ is in opposition to Corollary 5 in AD.
consistent with the FRs and constraints.
The reason why TRIZ and AD propose opposite principles
It is self-evident that symmetrical parts are easier to is that AD theory states the general rules of engineering
manufacture and easier to orient in assembly. Not only should design, but TRIZ methodology concentrates its studies on
the shape be symmetrical wherever possible, but hole location the inventive problem solving techniques. These
and other features should be placed symmetrically to techniques are derived from the patent database, which
minimize the information required during manufacture and relates to novel methods and unique ideas.
use. Symmetrical parts promote symmetry in the
manufacturing process.

Corollary 6 (Largest Tolerance) No corresponding tools are found in TRIZ.

Specify the largest allowable tolerance in stating functional Corollary 6 is a general rule of design and it is nothing to
requirements do with invention.

Corollary 7 (Uncoupled Design with less Information) 40 Inventive Principles

Seek an uncoupled design that requires less information than 40 Inventive Principles provide the techniques to overcome
coupled designs in satisfying a set of FRs. contradictions.

This corollary states if a designer proposes an uncoupled

design which has more information content than a coupled
design, then the designer should return to the “drawing
board” to develop another uncoupled or decoupled design
having less information content than the coupled design.

Copyright © 2000 by the Institute for Axiomatic Design 239

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Theorem 1 (Coupling Due to Insufficient Number of DPs) Substance Field Analysis states any properly functioning
When the number of DPs is less than the number of FRs, system can be modeled with a complete Su-field triangle
either a coupled design result or the FRs cannot be satisfied. and any deviation from a “complete” triangle, for example
missing one element, reflects the existence of a problem.

Theorem 2 (Decoupling of Coupled Design) Building Su-field Models, class 1 of 76 Standard

When a design is a coupled due to the greater number of FRs Solutions, shares the same idea with Theorem 2 in AD.
than DPs (m>n), it may be decoupled by the addition of the This Standard Solution states: if a given object is
design new DPs so as to make the number of FRs and DPs unreceptive (or barely receptive) to required changes and
equal to each other, if a set of the design matrix containing the problem description does not include any restriction for
n×n elements constitutes a triangular matrix. introducing substances or fields, the problem can be solved
by completing the Su-field model to introduce the missing
element.

Theorem 5 (Need for New Design) Enhancing Su-field Model, Class 2 of 76 Standard
When a given set of FRs is changed by the addition of a new Solutions, corresponds to Theorem 5.
FR, or substitution of one of the FRs by a new one, or by The addition of a new FR, or substitution of one of the FRs
selection of a completely different set of FRs, the design by a new one means the previous system is an inefficient
solution given by original DPs cannot satisfy the new set of Su-field model. In this case, enhancing Su-field model is
FRs. Consequently, a new design solution must be sought. required to improve the system functions.

4. A CASE STUDY: USING INDEPENDENCE The problem is how to decouple a coupled design. It is
AXIOM IN AD AND SEPARATION PRINCIPLES IN obvious to modify design matrix to be either diagonal or
TRIZ triangular. In practice, many coupled designs undergo
changes and become a decoupled design through a trial and
Independence Axiom in AD implies that the design matrix be error process that is in opposition to TRIZ methodology.
of a special form. The consequences of applying Axiom 1 to
the design matrix are as follows: In TRIZ methodology, a coupled design is defined as the
existence of a contradiction. Removal of dependency of
(1) It is desirable to have a square matrix, i.e., n=m coupling means to overcome a technical or physical
(2) The matrix should be either diagonal or triangular. contradiction by applying inventive principles or separation
principles. Thus, these principles can serve, with AD
In real design situation, we need to search for DPs that yield a corollaries and theorems, as the guidelines of de-coupling a
diagonal or triangular design matrix. The degree of coupled design.
independence can be treated as the definition of tolerance.
The design process of the Paper Handling Mechanism [11]
There are a hierarchy in both the functional domain and the illustrates how separation principles in TRIZ aid to satisfy
physical domain, and a zigzagging process between two Axiom 1 in AD.
domains in design process. The domain process is most
straightforward when the solution consists of uncoupled Paper Handling Mechanism Case Study
design at each level. When the design is uncoupled, we can
deal with the individual FRs of a hierarchical level without The function of the paper handling mechanism used in an
considering other FRs of the same level and proceeding automatic teller machine is “isolate one bill from pilled bills”,
hierarchical levels. When the design is coupled, we must which is the first FR of the system. Several physical structures
consider the effect of a decision on other FRs and DPs. can be used to realize this functional requirement, such as
Therefore, the designer should try to find solutions by friction, vacuum, leafing etc. Friction method is selected and
attempting to uncouple or decoupled design in every level of its mechanism is showed in figure 3.
design hierarchy.

Copyright © 2000 by the Institute for Axiomatic Design 240

 First International Conference on Axiomatic Design
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• What happens if there are three or more bills are inserted
between the two rollers at the same time?
What happens after the first bill is sent forward if the
Rubber roller
•
roller keeps rotating?
Pressure • What happens when the quality of the bill changes?

To solve these problems, the following four FRs are defined.

FR3: slant the cross section of the piled bills to make isolation
Figure 3. Basic concept of friction mechanism easy.
FR4: pull out the isolate bill
FR5: adjust the friction force.
FR6: decrease the forward force after one bill is gone
However, this DP does not always work correctly because the
friction is changeable under some circumstances. If the In AD theory, these six FRs are the minimum set of
friction force working on the tope of bill becomes too large by independent requirements that completely characterize the
some accident, two or more bills will be sent forwards, and if design objectives for the specific needs of the paper handling
it becomes too small, the top bill may not be isolated. mechanism. Six DPs in the physical domain are selected as
Therefore, we have to decompose the first level functional follows and the mechanism is illustrated in figure 5.
requirement into two functional requirements: “give a
forward force to the first bill” and “give a backward force to DP1: upper rollers
the second bill”. To satisfy these two requirements, the new DP2: lower roller
DP of this design is a pair of rollers rotating in the same DP3: wedge-shaped floor guide
direction shown in figure 4. Furthermore, the friction DP4: carriage pinch rollers
coefficient of the upper roller is larger than that of the lower DP5: press plate
roller. DP6: cam

The function of cam (DP6) is to reduce the forward force after

one bill is gone. However, when the cam turns, it also affects
µ 1> µ 2
FR1, FR2, FR3 and FR5 because it changes the pressure and
µ1 slope of the floor guide.

The design equation is as follows. Clearly, this is the coupled

µ2 design.
Figure 4. Basic concept of paper isolation mechanism
 FR 1  X 0 0 0 0 x   DP 1 
 FR 2  0 X 0 0 0 x   DP 2 
     
The design equation is:  FR 3  0 0 X 0 0 x   DP 3 
  =  ×
  
 FR 4  0 0 0 X 0 0   DP 4 
 FR 5  0 0 0 0 x   DP 5 
FR1   A11 A12   DP1    
X
  
 = ×   FR 6   0 0 0 0 X   DP 6 
FR 2  A21 A22  DP 2
x

FR1: give the a forward force to the first bill However, from TRIZ standpoint, FR1 and FR6 can be viewed
FR2: give a backward force to the second bill as a technical contradiction because FR1 requires a large
DP1: upper roller forward force and FR6 requires a small forward force. The
DP2: lower roller technical contradiction can be overcome by applying
contradiction table and 40 inventive principles. However, if
A11 represents the friction between upper roller and the first the technical contradiction can be transformed to a physical
bill; A22 is the friction between lower roller and the second contradiction, the separation principles can be utilized to
bill. A12 and A21 represent the friction between two bills, so solve the problem.
A12 is equal to A21. Compared to A11 and A22, A12 and
A21 can be ignored, thus two requirements can be satisfied In this case, FR1 and FR6 require the friction between upper
independently. roller and the first bill should be large and small. Physically,
two factors control the friction force between the upper roller
The remaining questions are: and the first bill: pressure and friction coefficient. This means
that the pressure, or the friction coefficient or both of them

Copyright © 2000 by the Institute for Axiomatic Design 241

 First International Conference on Axiomatic Design
Cambridge, MA – June 21-23, 2000
should be large and small. Since FR1 and FR6 are not
required at the same time, the pressure and friction coefficient
should not be same all the time. Therefore, the separation of Bills Press Plate

opposite properties in time, one of TRIZ separation Pressure

Floor guide
principles, can be utilized to overcome the contradiction.

One design solution, making the pressure large and small, is

given in figure 5. Another design alternative is illustrated in
figure 6. A partial rubber roller is used to satisfy the FR1 and Pressure

FR6 because its friction coefficient is large at one time and

small in another time when it turns. Thus, the technical Drive roller
Gate roller

contradiction is transformed to the physical one and the

contradiction is overcome using TRIZ separation principles.
Carriage pinch roller
In figure 6, two DPs are integrated into one part and five Partial rubber
roller
components are used to satisfy six functional requirements
independently. Figure 6 Design of paper isolation mechanism (Solution 2)

The design equation is:

 FR 1 X 0 0 0 0 0   DP 1  5. CONCLUSIONS
 FR 2 0 X 0 0 0 0   DP 2 
     
 FR 3  0 0 X 0 0 0   DP 3  1. The basic premise of the axiomatic approach to design is
  =   ×   that there are basic principles that govern decision
 FR 4 0 0 0 X 0 0   DP 4 
 FR 5 0 0 0 0 X 0   DP 5  making in design. Two basic principles, Independence
      Axiom and Information Axiom, are derived from the
 FR 6   0 0 0 0 0 X   DP 6 
generation of good design practices. The corollaries and
theorems, which are direct consequences or are derived
This is the uncoupled design. It is clearly that the design
from the axioms, tend to have the flavor of design rules.
solution in figure 6 is better because it is the uncoupled
design and has the simpler structure too. Simple structure
2. The main axiom of TRIZ is that the evolution of
means less information and easy to produce.
technological systems is governed by objective patterns.
These patterns can be employed for conscious
development of technological system and inventive
Bills Press Plate
problem solving, replacing the inefficiencies of blindly
Floor guide
Pressure searching. These patterns and other TRIZ tools are
revealed by analysis of hundreds and thousands of
inventions available in the world patent database.

3. Axiomatic design pays much attention to the functional,

Pressure physical and process hierarchies in the design of a
system. At each layer of the hierarchy, two axioms are
Lower roller used to assess design solutions. However, TRIZ abstracts
Drive roller
the design problem as either the contradiction, or the Su-
field model, or the required function realization. Then
Cam Carriage pinch roller corresponding knowledge base tools are applied once the
problem is analyzed and modeled. Though approaches to
Upper roller
the solutions are of some differences, many design rules
Figure 5 Design of paper isolation mechanism (Solution 1)
in AD and problem-solving tools in TRIZ are related and
share ideas in essence. However, Axiomatic design lacks
the vast knowledge base to support the application of its
theory, so the creative process of conceptualizing and
devising a solution is not very clear.

Copyright © 2000 by the Institute for Axiomatic Design 242

 OPPORTUNITY EXPANSION: ENHANCING TRIZ WITH
DR. DEMING’S PHILOSOPHY

Ellen Domb, Ph.D.

PQR Group, 190 N. Mountain Ave., Upland, CA 91786 USA
+1(909) 949-0857 [email protected]

William Bellows, Ph.D.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, P.O. Box 7922, Canoga Park, CA 91309 USA
+1 (818) 586-6579 [email protected]

ABSTRACT
Many attempts to introduce TRIZ into organizations have suffered from a lack of
application results with “bottom line” impact. When TRIZ methods are utilized, the
authors have found that the results are not routinely implemented. Where TRIZ
applications have lead to implementation, experience has shown that TRIZ is often used
to solve problems that are narrowly focused. Such a pattern of practice leaves ample
room for challenges from TRIZ critics in search of returns on implementation efforts.

An awareness of Dr. Deming’s system of “profound knowledge”, as the basis for

organizational transformation and operation, will help TRIZ practitioners gain
management acceptance of the innovative ideas that TRIZ approaches and solutions
offer. In return, the TRIZ community has much to offer the Deming community on the
topic of innovation. Whereas Dr. Deming’s management theory does not include
specific guidance on how to generate ideas for system improvement, TRIZ methods are
well suited to this task. Improving the dialog between the TRIZ community and the
Deming community will provide “win-win” prospects for both communities. The aim
of this paper is to encourage and advance this dialog.

TRIZ UTILIZATION: PROBLEM DEFINITION

Got Milk ? Got TRIZ ?

TRIZ applications have not progressed as broadly as would have been predicted by TRIZ
practitioners upon their introduction to the “west” in the early 1990’s. One significant
reason for the slow acceptance of TRIZ in organizations is the perception on the part of
many members of management that TRIZ does not produce results that lead to a bottom
line impact. This perception leads to two additional problems that reinforce this
perception:
 1. TRIZ practitioners are often positioned to claim that TRIZ creates exciting,
breakthrough solutions to problems, without resources to invest in
demonstrating their claim.

2. TRIZ is not used on applications that are significant to the organization.

It follows that TRIZ successes are often associated with applications that are not
considered worthwhile investment opportunities. A related challenge for TRIZ
practitioners is the understandable reluctance of organizations possessing significant
TRIZ application and implementation success to publicize these accomplishments and
case studies, such that proprietary interests are preserved.

TRIZ Implementation Efforts

A recent conference at Stevens Institute of Technology (Ref. 1) provided considerable

data on the difficulties of implementing organization-wide use of TRIZ methods.
Reports from Johnson & Johnson, Eaton, Agilent, and Rohm & Haas were remarkably
similar in their conclusions:

• Individual TRIZ advocates keep the methods alive in their companies. In most
cases, these are individuals with outstanding reputations as innovators in their
organizations, and the survival of TRIZ has depended on their personal
reputations.
• Management wants to see tests on significant projects, and in some cases
authorizes the initiation of those projects, but terminates them before the tests can
be completed. TRIZ is then relegated to the status of personal tool for the
individual user, not corporate methodology.
• The issues surrounding the choice of TRIZ-related software, the cost of the
software, and the complexity of training people on both the TRIZ methodology
and the use of software complicate the decisions related to TRIZ, and frequently
result in an early decision against the use of TRIZ.

Dana Clarke of Ideation International presented a classification of TRIZ adoption

patterns among large companies that reinforces these observations:

1. Systematic implementation, fully supported by management—2 companies

2. Repeated attempts, spending large amounts each time, then losing momentum—
20 companies
3. Started, or made some attempts, no support—30 companies

The presentations by Domb in this forum on the use of TRIZ with Total Quality
Management and Six Sigma Quality (Refs. 2-4) contain similar data. Many companies
recognize that their quality improvement initiatives require a method for creative problem
solving, but even those that have introduced TRIZ as a tool or technique have usually
failed to integrate it with their organization-wide systems.
Taguchi Methods Implementation Efforts

In the authors’ experience with repeated applications of Taguchi Methods involving

highly visible problem resolution activities, the high potential of these techniques became
more and more evident. The early applications also revealed the narrow focus of these
applications – to fix or repair products and processes. An obvious “reactive” application
pattern was developing. In borrowing from the concepts of Dr. Deming, a theory was
developed to explain why this costly “intervention” application pattern was apparently
widespread across industries. Dr. Deming’s management theory offers an explanation for
how organizations can provide for more strategic applications of both TRIZ and Taguchi
Methods.

The Prevailing Style of Management

Dr. Deming used the term “the prevailing style of management” (Ref. 5) to describe the
administration style of organizations that are characterized by activities that promote
widespread local sub-optimization. Additional symptoms of these organizations are the
apparent existence of a “most important part” (as opposed to a strong sense of the
purpose of all parts), a prevalence of blame placed on individuals (rather than the system
in which they work), and a general lack of creativity on the part of a significant
percentage of the work force. The management actions that unknowingly sustain such
non-systemic behaviors are driven by an unrecognized and, therefore, un-stated, set of
beliefs and assumptions. The tell-tale signs of these beliefs are management practices
that ignore, if not underestimate, non-linear causal loops. Instead, organizational actions
are viewed as linear (“cause and effect”) and orientations such as “upstream” and
“downstream” are used to denote endpoint positions within it.

Contrast the linear view of organizational actions and activities with the recursive model
that Deming advocated (Figure 1), where a so-called “zeroth stage” action set the system
in motion with the initial “design” idea. Organizations that follow the Deming
management model are characterized by a widespread awareness of non-linear system
dynamics, especially as related to the “plan-do-study-act” (PDSA) learning cycle (Ref.
6). These attributes, coupled with a high value placed on innovation and a sense of unity
(“one company”) that extends beyond the organization to include suppliers and
customers, result in low levels of sub-optimization and, therefore, high levels of
profitability.

Transformation of an organization, from one that resembles the “win-lose” environment

of the “prevailing style of management” to one that is Deming-based (“win-win”), has
been shown repeatedly to require systemic change (Refs. 7-10). Vital to this
transformation is “better thinking” by individuals in these organizations about systems,
variation, knowledge, and psychology. In such an environment of enlightened thinking,
the introduction of new tools and techniques becomes much easier, since this atmosphere
offers freedom for employees to experiment, innovate, integrate, and learn. In his 1993
text, The New Economics (Ref. 5, Chapter 4), Dr. Deming offered this perspective;

“The prevailing style of management must undergo transformation. A

system can not understand itself. The transformation requires a view
from outside.”

Without the ability to “see the forest through the trees”, organizations that have been
weakened by the “prevailing style of management” are unlikely to be unaware that
problems exist or that opportunities for investment are being over looked.
A Deming-based transformation is often a challenging road for organizations to travel
upon, with ample opportunities for the organization to become detoured or even reverse
course and chart a path back to the “prevailing system of management”. Organizations
that have embraced a Deming transformation have become models for successful change
in many areas. These may well be the most likely organizations to adopt TRIZ and
maintain application momentum. Herein lies a vast investment opportunity for many
TRIZ practitioners.

Design
Consumer
and
research
redesign

Consumers
Suppliers of
materials and
equipment
Receipt and
A test of Distribution
materials Production, assembly, inspection
B

D
Tests of processes
machines, methods,
costs

Figure 1. “Production viewed as a system”, as introduced by Dr. Deming to

Japanese engineers and managers in the summer of 1950. (Ref. 5)

TRIZ UTILIZATION: SOLUTION PROPOSAL

Guidance From a System of Profound Knowledge

The proposed solution to the TRIZ utilization problem follows directly from the use of
Deming’s management philosophy, as detailed in The New Economics (Ref. 5). Quoting
from Chapter 4, Deming states;
 “The aim of this chapter is to provide an outside view - a lens - that I call
a system of profound knowledge. The system of profound knowledge
provides a lens. It provides a map of theory by which to understand the
organizations that we work in.”

More specifically, Deming’s concept of a “system of profound knowledge” offers TRIZ

practitioners a framework in which they can better understand the organizational
dynamics that can serve to hinder or promote the implementation of TRIZ solutions. The
elements of Deming’s system of profound knowledge consist of the four parts below, and
their interrelationships.

1. Appreciation for a system

2. Knowledge about variation
3. Theory of knowledge
4. Psychology

Awareness of systemic behaviors and interrelationships, between people or elements of

an automobile is crucial to the concept of profound knowledge. So, too, is the realization
that variation exists in the performance and content of all systems and sub-system
elements. Deming’s concept of profound knowledge integrates these fundamentals with
the explicit assumption that “management is prediction” and “predictions are based on
theories” (Ref. 5).

The authors propose that the introduction of TRIZ solutions, be they concepts for new
systems, new processes, or new products, will be much more successful in an
environment that has been studied through the “lens” of profound knowledge than one in
which such efforts are not considered. Lacking an appreciation of Deming’s system of
profound knowledge, one may unwittingly introduce new ideas into organizations that
routinely act to slow their implementation and eventually, to abandon and/or reject them.

The authors have guided implementations of a wide variety of new methods in large,
moderate, and small organizations, including the following:

• Quality Function Deployment

• Statistical Process Control
• Design of Experiments
• Taguchi Methods
• Six Thinking Hats
• Policy Deployment (Hoshin Kanri)
• Total Quality Management
• Business Process Re-Engineering
• TRIZ

Aided by this experience, the authors have learned that the more an organization is
guided by profound knowledge, the more the organization will choose applications of
these techniques that are based on its vision and values and principles. In keeping with
Deming’s management philosophy, the influences of the business situation, customers,
suppliers, employees, and society on the acceptance of these new ideas will also be
considered.

Water Logic and Rock Logic

There are many underlying causes of an under-use of TRIZ, as well as the narrow focus
of TRIZ applications. The guidance of better thinking about systems, variation,
psychology, and knowledge, and their inter-relationships is proposed as being essential to
expanding the use of TRIZ. A brief explanation of some aspects of such “better
thinking” follows.

First, consider the simple question, “What is this part of ?” Embedded in this question
is an explicit reference to a connection. The systemic thought is revealed by the concept
“part of”, as opposed to “part”. Without the “of”, one could only inquire about the part,
as in the question, “What is this part?” Given this inquiry, the connections would be lost
as we return to a worldview of “fragmented pieces”.

From Where ? This Part  Lead To ?

In reference to the “from-this-to” sequence, questions such as “What is this part of?”
“Where did this come from?” and “What will this lead to?” represent the essence of
understanding relationships and inter-connections. The thinking revealed by these
questions has been termed “water logic” by the noted thinking consultant and author, Dr.
Edward De Bono (Ref. 11). By contrast, references to events, parts, and pieces, are
termed “rock logic”.

To view the world with “rock logic” is to view it in the form of an “exploded view
diagram” - parts floating in space without any apparent connections. Rock logic also
leads to disconnected, mechanistic perspectives, such as “black”/“white”, “good”/“bad”,
and “us”/“them”. Compare this with water logic and its holistic, continuous
perspectives, such as “continuous shades of gray”, “continuous improvement”, and “one
company”. It follows that to view the world with “water logic” is to view it without
seeing parts, as in the environmental sentiment of the “circle of life”. Such a view
reveals the world to be a pattern of relationships.

Advice is offered here on a likely point of confusion. It does not follow that water logic
is better than rock logic. Rather, it can be said that they are different as well as
complementary. “Better thinking” is needed to recognize the difference between these
perspectives, as well to understand their relative strengths and weaknesses. In doing so,
one should recognize the need for a decision and utilize the appropriate logic in the
appropriate situation.

TRIZ practitioners should note that there is complete harmony between the “water logic”
viewpoint of Edward De Bono and Genrich Altshuller’s understanding of a system. In
keeping with the “Su-Field” modeling language, a system consists of at least two objects
and the field that links them or two objects and the action that links them, coupled with
the environment in which they operate, using more general modeling language.

Investment Thinking

Next, consider two age-old adages: “a stitch in time saves nine” and “an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure”. What these two adages have in common is an
awareness of connections - a sense of water logic. Notice also that the pro-action, the
addition of a stitch and the application of an ounce, are far cheaper than the nine stitches
or the pound of cure. To act in this manner, with a consciousness of connections, is to
practice the economics of “investment thinking” (Ref. 12). To pick up nails to prevent a
flat tire is to “minimize loss to society” and be reminded of Dr. Genichi Taguchi’s
concept of quality (Ref. 13).

The general attributes of investment thinking are an allocation of resources (time, money,
energy, etc.) to prevent a greater expenditure of resources, or to cause a greater gain in
resources. Both scenarios are heavily dependent on water logic. Subject to a distorted
view of these connections, as in a rock logic view of activities, many investment
decisions would be needlessly delayed, if not overlooked entirely. Take, for example,
the classical (if ungrammatical) dictum, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, a decision
guideline easily attributed to the “prevailing style of management”. This dictum is a
natural extension of a rock logic contrast of a given situation, that is, a “good” – “broken”
set of positions with nothing in between. To not act until “it” breaks is to overlook a
potentially valuable application of a “stitch in time” or “a preventive ounce”. To wait
until “it” is broken is to miss this investment opportunity and pay the expense of a
potentially costlier intervention.

A greater degree of appreciation of rock logic and water logic, as related to investment
thinking, are needed to improve decision making related to TRIZ implementation in
many organizations. That is, better thinking about management decisions related to the
allocation of corporate resources-- money, time, people or energy-- towards these
applications. The challenge is to move acknowledge the limitations of “If it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it” and entertain TRIZ applications that are guided by better investment
thinking.

Better Thinking
In keeping with the theme of water logic, a theory on the role of better thinking about
systems, variation, knowledge, and psychology is offered. This theory is presented,
step-by-step, in Figure 2 as a non-linear model. As proposed, educational programs and
mentoring activities that cultivate better thinking (“increase awareness on better
thinking”) will provoke a challenge to the belief systems rooted within the “prevailing
system of management”. These actions will, in turn, “change the way we behave” in
these systems, where “we” is a reference to all members included in the stated system.
Subsequently, these members will “change the way we work together”, as when
information, ideas, or products are delivered in a condition that a member would deliver
to themselves. In turn, “we” will then “change the way we run the organizations” (to
treat others as we would treat ourselves is to change the operation of the organization.)
Such behaviors will have a reinforcing effect on “increasing awareness on thinking”
leading to higher and higher levels of system consciousness and “working together.”

Figure 2. Awareness of better thinking translates into a change in

organizational behaviors. (Ref. 14)

Individual Solutions
The solutions to the resistance to TRIZ implementation that have been discussed here
deal with organizations. But, many of the successes of TRIZ have been at the level of
individuals who learn TRIZ well enough to apply it to their own problems, and become
convinced that TRIZ will work for them on the problems that they encounter in their own
environment. Individuals who work in organizations governed by “the prevailing style
of management” may be very successful using TRIZ in their own areas, without waiting
for the company to adopt the use of TRIZ as a general policy. Ian Mitchell of Ilford
Film (Ref. 15) presented an excellent set of examples at the ETRIA meeting, showing
how he is applying TRIZ to the maintenance of complex equipment, and using his
experience to organize a community TRIZ discussion group for individual TRIZ
advocates from 10 other companies.
This could be considered another example of using TRIZ thinking to solve the problems
of TRIZ implementation. Figure 3 shows the application of the system operator (9-
windows) to this problem.

Past Present Future

Sub-system Individual learning Individual using TRIZ on
TRIZ technical and business
projects
System Local department Lead individual helps others
under-utilizing/ use TRIZ when they are ready
resisting TRIZ use
Super-system History of use Organization under- Organization-wide use of
of other tools utilizing/ TRIZ in Deming-based
resisting TRIZ use organization

Figure 3. The system operator for the problem of resistance to TRIZ use.
The individual who is interested in TRIZ can use the “future/sub-system” or
“future/system” solutions, even if the “future/super-system solution is out
of reach. (Ref. 16)

CONCLUSION

The authors’ experience with the pattern of introduction, acceptance, utilization, and
eventual decline in use of quality control and quality improvement systems over the last
two decades suggest significant parallels between the current status of TRIZ
implementation and the experiences of total quality management (TQM) advocates since
1980. Given these similarities, it is likely that many of the obstacles to broader TRIZ
implementation are not unique to TRIZ and the general lessons learned by TQM
advocates may be of broader use.

In exchange for the invaluable TRIZ implementation guidance that can be gained by an
increased awareness of profound knowledge, the TRIZ community has much to offer the
Deming community. Whereas Dr. Deming’s philosophy invites solutions that offer “win-
win” prospects for the stakeholders in the affected system, his methods do not offer
specific guidance on how to generate exact solutions that possess these attributes. By
comparison, this is a function that TRIZ performs well.

REFERENCES

1. Proceedings of the Consortium for Creative Engineering, Nov. 9,2001. Stevens

Institute of Technology. Published at http://www.ceconsortium.stevens-tech.edu
2. E. Domb, Proceedings of the Altshuller Institute, TRIZCON99, March 1999.

3. E. Domb, Proceedings of the Altshuller Institute, TRIZCON2000, April 2000.

4. E. Domb, Proceedings of the Altshuller Institute, TRIZCON2001, April 2001.

5. W. E. Deming, The New Economics, published by the Center for Advanced

Engineering Study (CAES) at MIT, 1993.

6. W. E. Deming, Out of the Crisis, published by the Center for Advanced Engineering
Study (CAES) at MIT, 1986.

7. N. Mann, The Keys to Excellence, published by Prestwick Books, 1986.

8. W. Scherkenback, Deming’s Road to Continual Improvement, published by SPC

Press, 1991.

9. H. Neave, The Deming Dimension, published by SPC Press, 1993.

10. K. Delavigne and D. Robertson, Deming’s Profound Changes: When Will the
Sleeping Giant Awaken ?, published by Prentice-Hall, 1994.

11. E. De Bono, Water Logic, published by Viking Press, London, 1993.

12. W. Bellows, “Revisiting Deming’s Management Theories in the 21st Century: An

Introduction to Water Logic, Rock Logic, and Investment Thinking”, to be published in
the Journal of Management History, 2002

13. G. Taguchi, Introduction to Quality Engineering, published by Asian Press

Organization, 1983.

14. W. Bellows, “ Losses to Society and Opportunities for Companies”, presented at the
NASA Training Workshop on Non-deterministic Approaches and Their Potential for
Future Aerospace Systems, NASA-Langley Research Center, May 2001.

15. I. Mitchell, Proceedings of the European TRIZ Association, November 2001.

16. D. Mann. “Tutorial on the Systems Operator (9 Windows)”, The TRIZ Journal,
http://www.triz-journal.com, September, November, December 2001 and January 2001.
 Keynote Lecture Outline of Talk
"Innovation" in technologies is crucial for industries today.
Held by the Coorperative Board of
TRIZ Promoters and Users in Japan, For achieving innovations, we need philosophy and
September 1-3, 2005, Shuzenji, Izu
methodology for "Creative Problem Solving".

A New Generation of TRIZ TRIZ has developed such a set of methodology, containing:
Philosophy, Thinking ways, Knowledge-bases,
Software tools, Training/Education, etc.
Toru Nakagawa TRIZ has been penetrating into western countries,
(Osaka Gakuin University) but still meets much difficulty.

We need a new generation of TRIZ; simpler and more effetcive.

The First TRIZ Symposium in Japan
USIT will meet such needs, I believe.
September 1, 2005
Shuzenji, Izu TRIZ/USIT can lead the practices of technical innovations.

Overview of TRIZ (1) Philosophy of TRIZ

(a) Philosophy: Recognition of evolution of technical systems and
Essence of TRIZ:
Philosophy in the thinking ways Recognition that
(b) Methods: Methods and procedures for creative problem solvin technical systems evolve
(c) Knowledge bases: A system of knowledge organized for better towards the increase of ideality
utilization of science and technology
by overcoming contradictions
(d) Software tools: Realization of knowledge bases and methods
mostly with minimal introduction of resources.
(e) Practices: Training of engineers, industrial practices, services,
school education, etc. Thus, for creative problem solving,
TRIZ provides with a dialectic way of thinking,
Historically, these have been constructed via bottom-up i.e.,
through the analysis of patents, etc.
to understand the problem as a system,
to make an image of the ideal solution first, and
This lecture discusses in the order of (a) --> (c)(d) --> (b)
for better understanding of the overview and to solve contradictions.
for clarifying the problems in the practices of TRIZ. Toru Nakagawa at TRIZCON2001, March 25-27, 2001
 (2) Knowledge Bases of TRIZ TRIZ Knowledge Bases and Software Tools

TRIZ Methodology for Problem Solving Classical TRIZ: Genrich Altshuller and his followers
Analyzed a huge number of patents and
World of Information Science & Technology DB Patents DB
in Science & Technology constructed a system of knowledge bases.
Set ups Effects Problem Solution
In 1990s: Emigrated to USA and made software tools
Knowledge bases working smoothly on PCs.
World Extracted Inverse retrieval solving contradictions TechOptimizer (Invention Machine), etc.
by TRIZ of technology
Trends of Principles &
Target Method, Contra- Principles of `
Examples In 2000 - 2003: Darrell Mann and CREAX (Belgium)
Systems Method, ... diction Invention
of Invention Analyzed all the US Patents granted since 1985 till present
by using Altshuller's approach and
Support of
Problem Definition
Revised the whole TRIZ knowledge bases.

World of Your Textbook: "Hands-On Systematic Innovation"

Own Problem Description of
Data book: "Matrix 2003"
Solution for
Your Own Problem Your Own Problem Software tool: 'CREAX Innovation Suite'

(3) Methods of Problem Solving in TRIZ TRIZ (+USIT) Ways of Thinking:

(1) Understand the Problem as a system
Basic Principles/Models of Problem Solving in TRIZ
z Think over the System of Problem, and focus the probelm to solve.
1. Generalization model Knowledge Bases (Principles and Examples)
Solution z Consider the super- and sub-systems of the technical system of problem,
(b) Generalized Generalized and examine the past, present, and future of them (i.e. 9-Windows)
problem solution
(c) on the basis of Trends of Evolution of Technical Systems.

Abstraction Concretization z Analyze the system with respect to Objects, Attributes, and Functions.

Specific Specific z Analyze the Functional relationship of the system,

(a) (d)
problem solution with additional attention to insufficient and harmful relationships.

z Consider the mechanism in the problem system,

2. Understand the problem as a system. examine Root Causes (and/or Root Contradictions), and
3. Make an image of Ideal Solutions first. reveal the attributes relevant to the problem. (i.e. Attribute Analysis)

4. Formulate the Contradictions and solve them. z Reveal the characteristic nature of the probelm and its system
in terms of Space and Time.
 9-Windows Method (Outline of an application example)
TRIZ (+USIT) Ways of Thinking:
Past (10 yrs ago) Present Future (in 5 yrs)
(2) Make an image of Ideal Solutions first
6 3 Keywords of
Super-System

Society systems Society systems 7 future society z Think over the System of Problem, and focus the probelm to solve.
at higher levels at higher levels
Future z Consider the super- and sub-systems of the technical system of problem,
Telephone Mobile phone
information technology
network system network system and examine the past, present, and future of them (i.e. 9-Windows)
and network systems
on the basis of Trends of Evolution of Technical Systems.
Telephone
1 Mobile phone 8 Mobile information
4 z Analyze the system with respect to Objects, Attributes, and Functions.
System

& comunication device

Other devices
Other devices "i-base" (pocketable)
whose functions have been z Analyze the Functional relationship of the system,
brought into possibly relevant in future
(including Notebook PC) (wrist-watch type, pen type, with additional attention to insufficient and harmful relationships.
the mobile phone
card type, accessary type)
z Consider the mechanism in the problem system,
5 Basic functions 2 9 Functions of
Sub-System

examine Root Causes (and/or Root Contradictions), and

of telephone "i-base" reveal the attributes relevant to the problem. (i.e. Attribute Analysis)
Functions of
mobile phone
Various usages Functions of
of telephone smaller-sized devices z Reveal the characteristic nature of the probelm and its system
in terms of Space and Time.

Toru Nakagawa & Kazuaki Kamiya (2004)

TRIZ (+USIT) Ways of Thinking:
SLP (Smart Little People) Modeling
(3) Formulate the Contradistions and Solve them
Application example: Preventing a staple from being crashed
z Formulate the problem as a Technical Contradiction,
Observation:
Just before being crashed, where improving the system in one aspect worsens in another aspect,
the staple bends into the inner and solve the contradiction by using Inventive Principles
space forming an M-shape. recommended with the Contradiction Matrix.

z Formulate the problem as a Physical Contradiction,

where requirements exist in the opposite directions
in an aspect of the system,
and solve the contradiction by using the Separation Principle and
Inventive Principles recommended through it.
Methods to Solve Contradictions TRIZ Case Study of Solving a Physical Contradiction:
(= Biggest contribution of TRIZ to science/technology) 'Water-Saving Toilet'
by Hong Suk Lee and Kyeong Won Lee (Korea), TRIZ Journal, Nov. 2003.
Physical Contradiction: opposite requirements in one aspect of the system
Task: Reduce the amount of flashing water
necessary for the toilets.
Apply the Separation Principle. Able to find solutions surely. -- Needs over the world.
(1) Examine the requirements to separate them Current problem: For flashing the waste,
with respect to Space, Time, or any other condition. water of 6 to 13 liters is used.
(2) For the separated situations,
find separate solutions satisfying each requirement. Analysis: S-pipe is necessary to block the bad odour from coming up,
and is effective for flashing all with the ciphone effect.
(3) Then, find a way to use the solutions in combination.
S-pipe is not disirable for reducing the amount of flashing water.
A break-through is necessary at the Combination stage (3).
Physical Contradiction: S-pipe is required to exist and not to exist.
Apply some Inventive Principles.
Refer to Mann's textbook HOSI or "Matrix 2003". Separation Principle: Separable in Time:
Required to exist -- during most of the time except flashing
A nice case study: 'Water-saving Toilet' by Kyeong-Won Lee (Korea). Required Not to exist -- during the time of flashing

Solution: Instead of the rigid S-shaped pipe, Overall Procedure in TRIZ [Flowchart]
a flexible plastic tube is used and is lowered during flashing. (in the modernized form by Darrell Mann)
Define Select Solve Evaluate
Technical contradictions/
( 9-Windows)
Inventive principles
Physical contradictions
Problem/opportunity Su-Field analysis/
(3) at the end (1) usually Inventive standards
explorer
of flashing Function/attribute Trends of technological
analysis Select evolution Solution
tool evaluation
S-curve analysis Resources
(2) during flashing Knowledge/Effects
Ideal Final Result ARIZ
Trimming
Ideal Final Result
Results: Flashing with only 3 liters of water Psychological Inertia Tools
Subversion analysis
Implementation: Experiments of usage, maintenance-free, durability, etc.
The amount of water is adjustable to environments and regulations. So many methods, so complex procedure.
Can we and should we learn them all? -- Learn one by one. (Mann)
Overall Structure of TRIZ Problem Solving [Data-flow diagram]
TRIZ Models TRIZ in the traditional way:
(generalized problem generalized solution)
Principal Models for Solution Generation request
Inventive Standards
their own analysis methods (for abstraction):
Contradiction Matrix + Inventive Principels
Contradiction Matrix Inventive Principles
[Trends of Evolution]
Su-Field analysis Inventive Standards
[Effects Database]
(Problem ARIZ (for formulating Physical Separation Principle
(Solution Illustrative
analysis) SLP modeling Generation)
Contradictions)
Su-Field modeling examples
(Function & attribute analysis)
Separate analysis methods provide
Physical Contradiction method
Technical Contradiction method insufficient and narrow understanding of the problem.
(Problem The solution process is confusing and not effective enough.
definition)
9-windows method
Cause-Effect analysis Concretization
Abstraction
The lack of a clear overall structure in TRIZ is
User's specific User's specific
the root cause of the “TRIZ slow-penetration problem”.
problem solution

Let's reconsider the essence of TRIZ: USIT (“Unified Structured Inventive Thinking”)

Developed by Ed Sickafus (at Ford) Refined in Japan

Penetration of TRIZ in industrial practices is slow
(1995 - )
not because TRIZ is poor,
but because TRIZ is so rich. "USIT Operators"
Simplified and unified from TRIZ
A system of solution generation
methods
Darrell Mann has expalined TRIZ easier to understand (Nakagawa, Kosha, Mihara, 2002)
but has not made TRIZ easier or simpler to apply. Clearily defiened, effective process Clear overall structure
Define the problem, "6-Box Scheme"
Instead of handbook-type knowledge in TRIZ, Analyze the problem, and A new paradigm for problem solving
Generate solutions. (Nakagawa, 2004)
we should better learn the essence of TRIZ.
Essence of TRIZ is simple!!! (See it in 50 words.)
Readily applicable to real industrial problems
We need a simple and effective process for problem solving. for obtaining conceptual solutions.
That's USIT !!! Do not depend on the use of tables, handbooks, or software tools.
 Four-Box Scheme Using Models in Knowledge Bases
Re-examine the Basic Scheme for Problem Solving:
[Analogical Thinking]
Basic Four-Box Scheme for Problem Solving Basic scheme in TRIZ (in reality)
= Basic Scheme in many other scientific/technological methods
Solution
(b) Generalized Generalized Models in Knowledge Bases
problem (c) solution
A Selected Known Model
Abstraction Concretization
Generalized Generalized
problem solution
(a) Specific (d) Specific
problem solution
Abstraction Concretization

? Contents of these boxes depend specifically Specific Specific

on the fields, models, and problems; problem solution
thus are not explainable any further in general terms.

Four-Box Scheme of Problem Solving with Analogy

Equivalent Transformation Thinking
TRIZ (in reality) and many other scientific/technological methods
Developed by Kikuya Ichikawa
How can we select
Do we need a model among many?
Models in Knowledge Bases A big source of Creativity Study in Japan
different
ways of Tried to go further than analogical thinking
abstraction
A Selected Known Model
depending on
the model Sca - i
selected? Generalized Generalized
problem solution How
can we? c
Abstraction Concretization
How
O
can we? Specific
problem
Specific
solution
vi
Scb - i
Overall Structure of (Toru Nakagawa, Jul. 2005) Overall Structure of Problem Solving in USIT
Equivalent Transformation Thinking
TRIZ Knowledge bases
Conditions (generalized problem) (generalized solution)
specific to A
Scai Understanding of
USIT
Operators
Essencial the present system Ideas for
Re-
and a new system
Real example Abstraction conditions c construction
the ideal system
used as a hint and Constructed
Solution B

(Concretization)
A Function Problem Solution generation
to be achieved

(Abstraction)
analysis
Situation where Situation of
the hint exists Search Problem Well-defined Conceptual
(Starting situation o) Conditions to be solved specific problem solutions
specific to B (Goal situation )
Scbi Problem Implementation
A view of Function to
the problem Focusing be achieved definition
Vi User's specific User's specific
problem solution
Problem definition

USIT Procedure [Flowchart] [T. Nakagawa, Mar. 2005]

Problem
Usage of USIT: Example: “Picture Hanging Kit Problem”
Define the Problem in a Well-defined Form
Definition
Function and Attribute Analysis
Problem Definition Stage: Well define in the follwing points:
Problem of the Present System (Closed World Method)
Analysis The picture frame is apt to tilt sometime later.
(1) Undesirable effect:
Space and Time Characteristics Analysis

Ideal Solution and (2) Problem statement: Improve the picture hanging kit, which
Desirable Actions and Properties (Particles Method) is currently composed of a nail, a string, and two
(in 1 or 2 lines)
Pluralization Dimensional Change Distribution
of Objects in Attributes of Functions (3) Simple sketch of
Solution
Generation problem situation
Combination of Generalization
Solution Pairs of Solutions (4) Plausible root causes Offset of the center of mass of the frame, vibratio
A frame, two hooks, a string, a nail, and wall
Build Up Conceptual Solutions
(5) Minimum set of
After
USIT ( Implementation) ( Implement into Real Solutions ) relevant objects:
 USIT: Problem Analysis Stage (T. Nakagawa, Dec. 2004)
Functional Analysis in USIT Picture Hanging-Kit Problem

Draw a diagram of functional relationships [T.N. Sept.18, 2003]

Analyze the (Functional Analysis) (Closed-World Diagram) Information on alignment
current system
List up the attributes relevant to the problem Generate
(Closed-World Method)
(Attribute Analysis) (Quality Change diagram)
Frame
Analyze the Space Align (or Positioning)
Space and Time Analysis
and Time characteristics
Two Hooks
Make an image of the ideal solutions, first. Positioning [by the lengths of the two parts]
Analyze the image Draw the Particles (supposed to be magical agents) String
[Hold slightly]
of ideal systems
Describe actions desirable to be carried out
(Particles Method)
Positioning [Set and hold the
by the Particles
difference in length of Wall
List up properties desirable for the Particles. Nail the two parts.]
[The holding function is not sufficient.]

Space & Time Analysis in USIT

Attribute Analysis in USIT Picture Hanging Kit Problem
Qualitative Change Graphs for Picture Hanging Kit Problem Space
Characteristics:
(increasing (decreasing Offset of the frame's center of mass
Unwanted effect: relationship) relationship)
from the vertical line below the string
x is the main cause of the problem.
tilting of
the frame

immediate fault fault happening later

Time Tilting
Objects and their attributes Objects and their attributes
Characteristics:
frame: offset of the center of mass Wall/frame bottom: friction
frame: asymmetry in the shape time
nail/string: friction
hooks: offset from shocks
symmetric position hooks: location adjustment
Adjusting Holding
wall: causing vibration Time (in detail)
 Analysis of Ideal Systems in USIT Picture Hanging Kit Problem Solution Generation in USIT: "USIT Operators"
Particles Method (Action & property diagram)
Desirable actions:
Pluralization Dimensional change Distribution
of of of
Objects Attributes Functions

Combination Generalization
of of
Solution pairs Solutions

Desirable properties:
Lengths of the Friction Constructing Solution Concepts
two parts of Horizontal Smoothness Fixing the Recovery
the string position of the nail string at power Roughness of
of the frame surface the nail Elastic the nail
Offset of surface
center of mass Vertical Smoothness Strength of Self adjustment
The five solution generation methods (i.e., USIT Operators) are
position of the string fixing Pressure
Adjustment of the frame surface Electric operated onto their possible operands, as shown in their names.
at the hook Adhesion magnet Strength of
Freedom of Pressing to fix holding
Support by the wall adjustment
Automatic adjustment
Preventing The USIT Operators are applied repeatedly in any order.
shocks

USIT Solution Generation Methods: USIT Operators Nakagawa, Kosha,

Mihara (2002) USIT Solution Generation Methods (1c)
(1) Object Pluralization Method (3) Function Distribution Method
a. Reassign to a different Object
a. Eliminate b. Divide the compound Functions (1c) Divide the Object (into 1/2, 1/3, ..., 1/ ).
b. Multiply into 2, 3, ..., and assign them separately
c. Divide into 1/2, 1/3, ..., 1/ c. Unify multiple Functions
d. Unify d. Introduce a new Function KB
e. Introduce or modify KB e. Vary the Function in space, Divide the Object into multiple parts (1/2, 1/3, ..., 1/ ),
f. Introduce from the Environment. use space-related Functions.
g. From solid to powder/liquid/gas
f. Vary the Function in time. modify the parts (slightly,
g. Detection/measurement Function.
(2) Attribute Dimensionality Method h. Enhance adapting/coordination/control or differently for different parts),
i. With a different physical principle
a. Deactivate a harmful attribute
(4) Solution Combination Method
and combine them for using together in the system.
b. Activate a useful attribute KB
c. Enhance a useful or suppress a harmful a. Combine functionally
attribute b. Combine spatially
c. Combine temporally
P1 Segmentation
d. Introduce a spatial attribute or
vary in space d. Combine structurally
e. Combine at the principle level.
P2 Taking away
e. Introduce a temporal attribute or
vary in time f. Combine at the super-system level
P3 Local quality
f. Change the phase or the inner-structure
(5) Solution Generalization Method
g. Attributes at the micro level P15 Dynamicity
a. Generalize/specify
h. Properties of the system as a whole
b. Hierarchical system of solutions
 Examples of Application of USIT Operators: (Part) A case of solution
Picture Hanging Kit Problem
Picture Hanging Kit Problem. USIT Operators are applied to the nail.
This idea can be generated in five different ways in USIT:
c) d)
Current system (a) Object Pluralization Method

Plura
Divide the Nail Object into halves, change the smoothness of the two parts,
a) j) and use them in combination.

lizati e) (b) Attribute Dimensionality Method

Change the values of the Smoothness Attribute in parts of the Nail.
on
b)
k)
(c) Function Distribution Method
ge f)
han The Adjusting and Holding Functions of the Nail are re-assigned to different parts
l C tes of the Nail.
o na ibu l)
si tr (d) Solution Combination Method
en At g) h)
im in The solution of making the Nail smooth for easier adjustment and
D
the solution of making the Nail rough for better holding
m) are combined in space by dividing the Nail.
i)
are combined in time. [This interpretation of the idea is most important.]
Multiple ways of generating an idea = Redundancy in USIT Operators
for making the application easier.

USIT Solution Generation Methods (5a)

New Scheme of Creative Problem Solving (6-Box Scheme in USIT)
Implication (1) Refinement of the basic 4-Box Scheme
(5a) Generalize/specify the solution
for associative thinking. (generalized problem) (generalized solution)
USIT
Understanding of
Operators
Replace the technical/specific terms in a solution the present system Ideas for
with plain/generic terms, and a new system

(Concretization)
the ideal system
form a plain solution template,

(Abstraction)
and then obtain new specific conceptual solutions Problem Solution generation
analysis
in an associative way.
(specific problem) (specific solution)

Well-defined Conceptual
H18 Generification specific problem solutions
Problem
H19 Solution templates Implementation
definition

Heuristics User's specific User's specific

problem solution
by Ed Sickafus
 New Scheme of Creative Problem Solving (6-Box Scheme in USIT) New Scheme of Creative Problem Solving (6-Box Scheme in USIT)
Implication (2) Real World and Thinking World Implication (3) Idea Generation as the Jump

(generalized problem) (generalized solution) (generalized problem) (generalized solution)

USIT USIT
Thinking Understanding of Understanding of
Operators Ideas for Operators
the present system the present system Ideas for
World a new system
and the ideal system and a new system
the ideal system

(Concretization)
Methodology Problem

(Concretization)

(Abstraction)
analysis Solution generation
(Abstraction)

Problem Solution generation

(specific problem) analysis
(specific solution)
(specific problem) (specific solution)
Well-defined Conceptual
specific problem solutions Well-defined Conceptual
Real specific problem solutions
World Problem Problem
Implementation Implementation
definition definition
Technology/
Business/ User's specific User's specific User's specific User's specific
Society problem solution problem solution

Practices of Training/Applying USIT in Japan USIT 2-Day Training Seminar in Japan

USIT 2-Day Training Seminar in Japan First morning (2 hrs): Introductory lectures on TRIZ and USIT
10:00 9:00 1.7 Days (14 hrs): Group practice for solving problems with USIT
(L4) Problem Analysis 2
(L1) Introduction to
(Particles Method)
TRIZ/USIT 3 Real problems are brought in and solved by group practices.
(Ex 3) Group Work
12:00 Important, un-solved, and clearly definable problems.
Lunch (D3) Presentations & Discussions
11:20 Needs technical background knowledge and passion to solve the problem.
13:00 (L0) Introduction
(L5) Solution Generation
(D0) Presentation of Problems 12:15 15 to 25 Participants: Engineers, staff, managers, etc.
14:00 Lunch Novices in TRIZ/USIT are welcome.
(L2) Problem Definition 13:15
Solution Generation 1
Problem Definition
(Ex 4) Group Work Groups of 4 to 8 members for practicing each problem:
(Ex 1) Group Work Bring different knowledge and specialty together. Non-specialists are useful
(D4) Presentations & Discussions
15:15
16:20 (D1) Presentations & Discussions
15:30
5 Step-by-step sessions with USIT procedure: Each session has:
16:30 Solution Generation 2 Short lecture on the concrete way of the step;
(L3) Problm Analysis 1 (Ex 5) Group Work Group practice in parallel (each group solves one problem);
Problem Analysis 1
Presentation by the groups to the whole members, for discussion.
(D5) Presentations & Discussions
(Closed World Method) 17:15
(Ex 2) Group Work 17:30 (L6) Promotion in Industries
Participants can master USIT to the level able to apply it in their jobs.
(D2) Presentations & Discussions (D6) General Discussion
19 00 18 00
Serves as the model for trainings and practices in industries.
 Open Multi-company Training Seminar
Needs a prior 'Win-Win-Win' agreement by smaller 'Loss-Loss-Loss' How to Use USIT in Industrial Practices
Win (Win more than ordinary) Loss (Loss more than ordinary)
(1) USIT is much easier to learn than (traditional) TRIZ.
Solve his own problem by USIT, Allow public disclosure of the
Master the problem solving method, technical contents after 2 years, Bring up one or several USIT experts in a company,
(A)
Problem
Obtain the whole results with IP rights Take a risk of leakage of and then train many engineers in in-house training programs.
including contributions from others, information of some degree of
Propo-
Exclusive rights for 2 years to utilize the company secret (2) USIT fits well for group work.
ser
results and to develop them further,
and to file the patents Joint team of 1-2 USIT experts and 4-8 engineers for problem solving.
Master the problem solving method Discarding any rights of his own USIT experts may lead the discussion or better pose appropriate
by real application, contribution to the solutions, questions along the USIT process.
(B) Able to report the method and the case Duty of non-disclosure of the
Other studies (including technical details) inside technical contents outside his
partici- his company, company for 2 years, (3) USIT is applicable to real problems to obtain conceptual solution
pants Able to apply the method in his company, Having no rights of further Apply USIT to real important problems in the company and obtain results.
Able to publicly report the method developing the technical contents Introduce USIT in the regular procedures of R&D whenever appropriate.
of the case for 2 years. Selecting problems and implementing USIT solutions must be done in real world.
Experiences of applying the method Discarding any rights of his own
to real problems, contribution to the solutions,
(C)
Rights of improving and publishing the Duty of non-disclosure of the
(4) Use USIT and TRIZ software tools in a comlementary way.
Inst- Use USIT in a group as the guiding process of human thinking.
method and its application method, technical contents outside his
ructor
Rights of publishing the case study company for 2 years. Use TRIZ software tools mostly personally as knowledge-bases.
(including technical details) after 2 years

Strategies for Introducing TRIZ into Industries Concluding Remarks: Significance of TRIZ/USIT
Hurry and Forcing Steady Strategy Slow-but-Steady
(Nakagawa, Jan. 2003) (Nakagawa, Oct. 1999)
In a complete form Understanding the essence of TRIZ, Starting with the TRIZ/USIT has provided
of the whole TRIZ, understandable parts of TRIZ,
Using USIT Process for problem A new view and new philosophy of technologies,
Using the full ARIZ solving Using USIT process
algorithm, (I.e. a simplified TRIZ),

Teaching system analysis,

Using USIT analysis & solution Using TRIZ data base and
Knowledge bases and software tools
from the beginning, methods and USIT, at the beginning, powerful for innovation in technologies,
TRIZ knowledge bases,
With top-down leadership With bottom-up grass-root
organization, Authorizing and enhancing organization,
Pracical methods for creative problem solving.
the grass-root organization,
Ordering to all/many By groups of volunteer 6-Box Scheme in USIT gives
employees, employees,
By core groups of volunteer employees, a new paradigm of creative problem solving.
Changing current R&D Introducing into the current
style drastically, Introducing into R&D activities, USIT has now become "A New Generation of TRIZ".
the current R&D activities,
Believing in its Proving its effectiveness
effectiveness, Providing results by practices , by ourselves, TRIZ/USIT will carry
Rapidly, extensively, Without hurrying; a new movement of innovation in technology in future
Steadily, deeply, and widely
and widely steadily, and deeply
(because it has provided the quality improvement movement
gradual progress with a new pillar of technological view).
Limited success, anti-reaction Steady penetration
BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ
FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT:
AN OVERVIEW

Valeri Souchkov

ICG Training & Consulting

www.xtriz.com
March 2007

© 2007 Valeri Souchkov. All rights reserved.

 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT: AN OVERVIEW
Valeri Souchkov
ICG Training & Consulting
www.xtriz.com
March 2007

In conflict rooted,
With inventive principles
A problem solved!

Russell Sutcliffe, TRIZ Practitioner, London, UK

INTRODUCTION

Business and management innovation has always been among the most crucial drivers of
success, but today it becomes clear that innovation is not luxury but necessity. The business
world gets extremely dynamic and fast, information technology and global networking
eliminate borders which used to keep businesses comfortable, the market demands better
services, competition even between small companies moves to a global scale. At the same
time there is no solid and proven method that would help us with business innovation. In
search for a solution, more and more business people turn their attention to TRIZ.

TRIZ is a term which is used for the Theory of Solving Inventive Problems1. TRIZ was
originated in the middle of the 20th century in the former Soviet Union as an attempt to
develop a method which would support a process of generating new ideas and breakthrough
solutions in a systematic way. Although relatively little known outside ex-USSR before the
end of last century, today TRIZ is really taking off: more and more companies and
organizations worldwide start recognizing TRIZ as the best practice of innovation. For
instance, Samsung in Korea employs over 100 full-time TRIZ specialists, and each innovative
project goes through TRIZ expertise [5].

1 TRIZ is a Russian acronym written in Latin characters. In Russian it stands for “Teoria Resheniya
Izobretatelskikh Zadatch”

2
 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

If TRIZ is rather well known and used in technology and engineering2, applications of TRIZ
in business and management areas have been practically unknown. This should not be
surprising: TRIZ was created by engineers for engineers. But recently, within last 5-7 years,
several TRIZ experts started to extend application of TRIZ techniques to business and
management problems and tasks [3,10,13,14]. Results appeared to be more than encouraging:
seemingly unsolvable business and management problems were solved very fast. However,
still today, the majority of TRIZ professionals work in the area of technology rather then
business: this is their comfort zone. In addition, many TRIZ experts working in the
technology areas are vaguely familiar with specifics of business environments, therefore
direct applications of “technological” TRIZ are not always successful. TRIZ for Business and
Management was needed.

Thus a new direction within TRIZ was born: TRIZ for Business and Management, and it has
been actively developed during recent years. A major step in further promotion of “business
TRIZ” was made by Darrell Mann’s book “Hands-On Systematic Innovation for Business and
Management” [7]. There were a number of successful cases of using TRIZ approach within
business and management areas. This article proposes a brief overview of essential parts of
TRIZ for Business and Management which are already successfully used to generate new
business ideas and solutions, and is intended for both groups of readers – familiar with TRIZ
and those who never heard about TRIZ.

WHAT IS TRIZ?

Originally, TRIZ was developed as a method to support solving “non-ordinary” problems: that
is, problems which can not be solved in a formal way. For instance, there are many types of
problems that can not be solved with mathematics due to a lack of a problem-solving method.
Usually we refer to solutions to such problems as “innovative” or “inventive”. To develop
TRIZ, Genrich Altshuller (the originator of TRIZ) and his associates studied a vast massive of
technological solutions, patents, inventions, and revealed a number of common patterns
which existed among them [1,2]. Another important achievement of TRIZ researchers was
that they uncovered mechanisms which help to transform a problem to a solution by
processing the problem at abstract level. They also introduced a number of techniques for
solving inventive problems based on systematic approach.

Till now, TRIZ has been evolving for about 50 years, and a number of different techniques
and tools were introduced and are still introduced to enhance its power. More introductory
information about classical “technological” TRIZ can be found in [8,15].

In general, regardless of an application area, TRIZ methods and techniques can be used in
four situations:

1. To solve a specific problem, which is formulated as a negative or undesired effect (a

product degrades too fast, engine breaks, projects fails, sales drop, and so forth).

2 According to the list compiled by D. Kucharavy (INSA, Strasbourg), there are 141 books (including
translations) on TRIZ published in 9 different languages.

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 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

2. To explore a system (business or technological), and find existing bottlenecks and

undesired effects which can be further improved with TRIZ tools and techniques.
3. To analyze evolutionary potential of technological or a business system and propose
next generations of the system.
4. To predict potential failures in new products and processes and help with their
prevention.

TRIZ SOLUTION PATTERNS AND INVENTIVE PRINCIPLES

ABSTRACT ABSTRACT
PROBLEM SOLUTION

PROBLEM SPECIFIC SPECIFIC

SPECIFIC
SPECIFIC
ANALYSIS PROBLEM SOLUTIONS
SOLUTION
SOLUTIONS

TRIALS & ERRORS

SEARCH SPACE

One of the core principles of TRIZ: Instead of directly jumping to solutions, TRIZ offers
to analyze a problem, build its model, and apply a relevant pattern of a solution from the
TRIZ databases to identify possible solution directions.

Modern TRIZ is a large body of knowledge [17], which is a combination of a theory of solving
inventive problems and systems evolution, analytical tools and methods for problem solving
and analysis, collections of patterns of strong solutions, databases of specific effects and
technologies, and techniques for creative imagination development.

Map, diagnose, decompose and Improvement of existing product

structure problem situations /process /service
EVOLUTION FORECAST
PROBLEM SOLVING

Root Conflict Analysis; Function Analysis; Function Analysis; System Transformation

Contradiction Analysis; Multi-screen Patterns; Functional Idealization;
Diagram; OTSM-TRIZ Disruptive Analysis; OTSM-TRIZ

Forecast Future Product / Service

Solve Specific Immediate
Evolution
Problem
Genetic Analysis and Models of Evolution;
40 Inventive Principles; System
Multi-screen Diagram of Thinking;
Transformation Patterns; Inventive
Evolutionary Potential Analysis;
Standards; Algorithm for Solving Inventive
Hybridization; Trends, Lines and Patterns of
Problems; Science knowledge bases
Evolution; Demand/Trend Matrix

Creative imagination Selection, evaluation, assessment

development

Techniques for overcoming mental inertia; Comparative Ranking;

Techniques for creative imagination Multi-criteria Decision Matrix;
development Collaborative Networking Assessment

Areas of application, methods and techniques of modern TRIZ

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 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

WHY DOES TRIZ WORK FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT?

If a role of TRIZ has to be defined in a single sentence, TRIZ provides creative phases of
innovation with knowledge-based systematic support. While most of the basic TRIZ
principles were drawn from the studies of technological inventions, the ways we solve
problems and generate ideas are rather similar in virtually every area. For instance, TRIZ
postulates that one of the major driving forces of technology evolution is resolution of
contradictions (which was known as a philosophical concept long before TRIZ, but TRIZ
developed this concept further within the area of technological innovation). The same idea
appears to be true for many other domains: social, political, business, economic. As an
example, an old and seemingly solid business model will not survive when its business
environment changes because the model starts facing contradictions; and in many cases the
model has to be radically changed since compromising and optimizing will only help to
incrementally improve the model.

One of the most significant contributions of TRIZ was that it identified strategies and patterns
for resolving contradictions: both very generic like resolving contradictions in time and space,
and more specific, like "Consider doing the opposite action instead of an intended one". The
high degree of abstraction makes major discoveries and principles of TRIZ domain-
independent with respect to creative problem solving and systems evolution. To my opinion,
even current system of generic principles and patterns of TRIZ can be applied to all
artificially created systems that are created to deliver a certain value. Today we know that
TRIZ is used in business, software architectures, marketing and advertisement, pedagogy. In
many schools of the former USSR kids learn to think with TRIZ – via games, puzzles, fairy
tales. Although originally created for engineering applications, today TRIZ gradually
develops to a meta-theory, which is based on a heuristic approach to explain how we solve
problems and generate breakthrough ideas.

An answer to the question “Why TRIZ DISCOVERIES:

does TRIZ work for other areas”
resides in understanding the
• 99.7% of inventions use already known solution principle
underlying mechanisms of our • Less than 0.3% are really pioneering inventions
thinking when we deal with non- • A breakthrough solution is a result of overcoming a
ordinary problems – solutions to contradiction
• Inventors and strong thinkers use common patterns
which are unknown and a • Creative problem solving patterns are universal across
problem-solving method is not different areas
available. Does our brain use • Evolution of man-made systems is governed by certain
regularities and trends
different mechanisms to solve two • New innovative ideas can be produced in a systematic way
seemingly different problems by reusing previous experience and patterns of previous
which require resolving two, solutions

again, seemingly totally different

conflicts? At the first glance, yes – but is it so? For instance, we can use the same brainstorm
or a method of analogies to solve very diverse problems in different areas, why not to suppose
that there is a more exact method for solving different problems in a systematic way? And as
TRIZ proves, such method exists.

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 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Let us have a look at two such problems. The first problem is technological: to launch and
bring a spaceship to an orbit, the ship needs to overcome the Earth gravity force. Which
means the ship has to carry many tons of fuel to reach the speed needed to break the gravity
barrier. But after the largest part of fuel has been burned, the remaining part has to carry the
entire ship including very large and massive empty fuel tanks! This drastically decreases the
useful load of the ship.

Now let us have a look at the second problem. When a start-up company turned to growth,
the company board decided to aggressively invest to marketing activities. But all of a sudden
the expected marketing budget was cut and the company’s marketing executive was
confronted with a problem: he already defined a size of a new marketing team which would
be needed to reach the targets and even started to hire, but then under the new budget
limitations the company would not be able to participate in all exhibitions that were planned.
And vice versa, if the size of the marketing team remains small, the company would
participate in all exhibitions, but then the overall performance of the marketing team would
not be as desired by the end of the next year. To increase the budget was not possible.

There are two ways to approach both problems. The first way is to apply optimization
methods. We can find an optimal ratio between the capacity of fuel tanks and the weight of
useful load in a spaceship. In the second case, we can optimize a number of hired specialists
and the number of exhibitions. Most likely, both solutions will not satisfy us since they offer
trade-offs. We sacrifice either the useful load of the ship in the first case or the performance
of the marketing team in the second case. Probably, optimal solutions will work, but only to a
certain extent. When an optimal solution stops meeting our growing demands, we should
come up with a breakthrough. How? We need to forget about optimization and apply
breakthrough thinking.

Before TRIZ, this part remained a mystery. There was no systematic method to support
problems solving process except brainstorm, which is still completely based on trials and
errors. None of the psychological methods of boosting our creativity deal directly with a
problem – they deal with our creative capabilities, imagination, and divert us to explore
different directions that we would not look at with “ordinary” thinking. However what
directions to explore and how – remains completely unclear in these methods.

In fact, the originator of TRIZ, Genrich Altshuller was the first who applied empirical
scientific approach to understand how we solve difficult problems which require creative
thinking and which can not be handled with formal methods. During many years he studied
hundreds of thousands solutions from different areas of technology and made a conclusion
that a seemingly great diversity of inventive solutions complies with a relatively small set of
abstract solution patterns. He also identified what a “breakthrough solution” means. The
breakthrough solution emerges as a result of eliminating a contradiction: a major barrier
which does not let us to solve a problem. We used to think in terms of optimization and
trade-offs, while breakthrough solutions require breakthrough thinking.

Breakthrough thinking is difficult for many reasons. First of all, we all (or at least, most of us)
are the prisoners of “psychological inertia” inherent to every human being. To bring our

6
 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

thinking out of the box, we need to distract ourselves from concepts associated with a specific
problem that we try to solve, forget about existing solutions (which won’t help anyway), to
see a problem under a new angle, or even many new angles. Brainstorm and its modifications
were introduced to help with this process. However, brainstorm is not guiding us towards
solutions. For relatively simple problems, brainstorm works pretty well. For more complex
and difficult problems we have to make thousands of trials, and there is no guarantee that we
find a solution we want.

Let us see how we can model both problems in TRIZ terms. A contradiction in TRIZ is
represented by a couple “positive effect vs. negative effect”, where both effects appear as a
result of a certain condition. For instance, if we make the fuel tanks of large capacity, we will
be able to bring a ship to the orbit, but at the same time the useful load will be low (Situation
“A” at the picture). Both positive and negative effects will be replaced by each other if we
design fuel tanks of small capacity (Situation opposite to “A”, we indicate it as “-A”):

SITUATION “A” SITUATION “-A”

POSITIVE EFFECT POSITIVE EFFECT

NEGATIVE EFFECT NEGATIVE EFFECT
Low weight of useful Ship reaches Ship might not High weight of
load orbit reach orbit Useful load

High capacity of fuel tanks Low capacity of fuel tanks

CONDITION “A” CONDITION “-A”

As we can see, to satisfy both demands the fuel tanks to have both high and low capacity at
the same time. This does not seem to be possible, so we need to find a solution which will
satisfy both demands in some other way.

The same way of modeling can be applied to the problem with the marketing team:

SITUATION “A” SITUATION “-A”

POSITIVE EFFECT POSITIVE EFFECT

NEGATIVE EFFECT NEGATIVE EFFECT

Poor marketing High number of Low number of High marketing

performance exhibitions exhibitions performance

Small size of a marketing team Large size of a marketing team

CONDITION “A” CONDITION “-A”

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 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Now, after we identified the contradictions the next step is to solve them. Not to compromise
or optimize, but to eliminate a contradiction in a “win-win” way. To help with that, TRIZ
proposes a range of tools which can be applied depending on a complexity of a contradiction.
The most popular technique for a majority of problems is a collection of 40 Inventive
Principles and so-called “Contradiction Matrix” which provides a systematic access to the
most relevant subset of Inventive Principles depending on a type of a contradiction. Although
40 Inventive Principles look similar for both Technology and Business applications, the
matrices are different. While the Matrix for Technology and Engineering was originally
developed by Altshuller in the 1960s, a Contradiction Matrix for TRIZ in Business and
Management was developed by Darrell Mann and introduced in [6,7]. If a contradiction can
not be resolved with a Matrix, there are more sophisticated techniques to deal with
contradictions, such as ARIZ (stands for Algorithm for Solving Inventive Problems).

Suppose, we identified the following pattern which can be applied to both above mentioned
problems: Inventive Principle #2: “Taking Away” (only “business” definition of the principle
is shown):

#2: TAKING AWAY Examples

Removing dangerous manufacturing unit
outside the city.

Separated development and production
activities.

Separating manufacturing and reparation.

Take away an interfering part of the
Strategies and recommendations business process and outsource it.

Outsourcing non-core parts of business
systems and business processes.
 If some part of your system or your
process interferes with other parts or
It is possible to increase sales by bringing
creates negative effect, “take out” an the product to a customer’s side.
interfering part of your system or your
Letting customers remove those parts of
process by separating it from the object, the product that they do not need before
removing or isolating it from the system purchase.
or the process.
“Isolate” in time or space a part of a
 If some property of a system interferes business system or a process that creates
with other properties of functions of the tension.
system, find out what part of the system
Distant learning.
is a carrier of the property and separate it
Working from a home office.
from the system by creating another
Lean manufacturing.
system or transferring the property to
Activity-Based Costing instead of
some other part of the system.
allocation cost accounting.
 “Single out” the only necessary property
of a system by creating another system
which has the required property only.

As seen, an Inventive Principle does not offer an exact solution. Instead, it proposes a number
of rather generic strategies and recommendations which still have to be translated to a
specific solution. However, these strategies and recommendations already successfully
resolved similar contradictions in the past, which means that by re-using them we
significantly increase our chance to find a needed solution. Now our task is to apply these
recommendations and come up with new ideas within the context of our problems. Examples
of using 40 Inventive Principles in various non-technological areas can be found in [9].

8
 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

According to the Inventive Principle shown

above, if the fuel tanks have high capacity and
thus are too heavy, they simply have to be “taken
away” from the spaceship. A solution proposed by
Robert Goddard, one of the pioneers of space
flight, was to make the launch boosters detachable,
so that they are separated and thrown away right
after all fuel in them burned out. Thus the useful
load could be increased not just few per cent, but
by orders of magnitude.

Now, what to “take away” in the second problem? Exhibitions are needed to expose products
of the company. Therefore the products should be taken away! A solution to the marketing
problem was to complete the marketing team as planned, and participate in full only in most
important exhibitions with the company’s own booths. As soon as new marketing
professionals joined the company, they were requested to search for those businesses which
would be willing to share a booth and co-promote products, thus significantly cutting
expenses for the exhibition fees. Was contradiction resolved in a win-win way? Certainly yes,
since the company increased their marketing force just as planned, and at the same time
exhibited their products at all exhibitions, exactly as planned. Of course, someone can argue
that co-promoting products might decrease the marketing performance, but this is already a
new problem which again might require breakthrough thinking. How to make co-promotion
of products to be more effective? Even more effective, than just promotion of a single
product? Is this problem solvable? Absolutely, yes. We just have to find how, and we have
tools for that. To some, the solution with co-
promotion might seem to be to far away from the
recommendation “take away”. It is not so if you
know TRIZ. First of all, the inventive principles
serve as triggers to activate our creative
imagination. But second, if you know TRIZ well,
you know one of the underlying mechanisms of
systems evolution: integration to more complex
structures by merging two or more systems. This
An example of products co-promotion
between Nintendo and Pepsi in knowledge helps to come up with best ideas much
conjunction with the Japanese launch of quicker. We will discuss TRIZ trends of systems
Pepsi Twist evolution below in the article.

Another important issue is what to treat as “business innovation”. In technology, innovation

means successful introduction of an invention to the market, which is a patented or a
patentable solution thus unknown to anyone in the past. In business, a particular solution can
be new just for a single organization, and as long as it solves a problem, it can be also regarded
as innovative. For instance, the idea of product co-promotion could be well known in the
business world, but never used within the context of promoting one or another specific
product; therefore it can be treated as innovative as well. But the degree of “innovativeness”
of solutions can be different. TRIZ recognizes 5 different levels of innovative solutions [1],
and their description can be found in almost every introductory TRIZ text.

9
 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

The bottom line: working with TRIZ on difficult and complex problems, instead of time-
consuming and often ineffective exploration of all possible ideas, we are directly guided
towards the area of so-called “strong” solutions, and, ultimately, to the area of solutions with
the highest degree of ideality.

“Strong”
“Strong”Solutions
Solutions

All Most
MostIdeal
IdealSolutions
AllSearch
SearchSpace
Space Solutions
(best
(bestvalue/costs
value/costsratio)
ratio)

Systematic Methods

TRIZ
Random Methods

Brainstorm
Synectics
Lateral thinking
...

Dealing with psychological inertia. With random methods, we might be looking for a
black cat in a dark forest without a flashlight. The bigger the forest is, the less chance is to
find the cat. With TRIZ, we are directly directed to the area of strong solutions which are
relevant to our situation.

THINKING WITH IDEALITY

Ideality is one of the key concepts of TRIZ. The degree of ideality indicates a ratio between
the value delivered by a certain system and all types of expenses and investments needed to
produce this value. In short, the degree of ideality is defined as useful functionality of a
system minus all negative factors that diminish its value, and divided by costs.

Improve existing functionality, add new Reduce negative effects

functionality

Everything that creates and Factors that

increases overall value reduce overall value

USEFUL EFFECTS – NEGATIVE EFFECTS

DEGREE OF IDEALITY =
COSTS:
Material, energy, information, HR…

All expenditures needed to create

the overall value

Reduce costs, material, energy, information, HR…

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 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

For instance, if I have a notebook PC with excellent performance, but it is too heavy and
noisy, I probably will not buy it. I will also avoid buying a very lightweight, silent but slow
notebook PC. What I want is an “ideal” notebook PC: with great performance, without any
negative side effects, and preferably for free! Which means, in the TRIZ terms, I want an
“ideal” laptop. In TRIZ, the formula of ideality is qualitative, and usually serves to compare
different solutions to the same problem.

Ideality is a powerful concept since it requires defining an ultimate system – an “ideal”

system. An ideal system is a system which does not exists, but its function is delivered.
Altshuller noted that increasing of the degree of ideality is a trend along which most of
technical systems evolve. The same happens with business systems: the more we can deliver
with less, the more effective and efficient the system will be. For instance, introducing IT
helps businesses to greatly reduce expenses by automating business processes. Using web-
based marketing tools helps entrepreneurs reach millions of potential customers around the
globe without leaving a house. Of course, a completely ideal system may not exist due to the
law of energy preservation, but keeping the concept of ideality in mind when solving
problems or designing new systems provides a platform for the “right thinking”. Although
modern management methods, such as “Lean” and Six Sigma also increase the degree of
ideality, they only do it within certain intervals, while TRIZ techniques help to provide
qualitative jumps and drastically increase ideality of systems. This is why many Six Sigma
specialists take TRIZ training and integrate TRIZ with Six Sigma practices; see, for instance,
[3].

FINDING A PROBLEM IS A PROBLEM TOO

In many situations, just to define and attack a single contradiction might not be enough.
Difficult problems and complex challenges are usually featured by many interrelated
contradictions. In many cases, resolving one contradiction might not necessarily give us
expected results. Changing one part of a system usually causes changes in the other parts too,
therefore we need to recognize and deal with system complexity to move in a right direction,
and try see “a whole picture” as much as possible. The better we define all involved and
underlying sub-problems which compose an overall problem, the easier it will be to
understand the roots of contradictions and find exactly at what level a problem has to be
solved.

TRIZ proposes several tools and techniques to recognize and present problems within
technological and business systems, and one of the most known is Analysis of Functional
Interactions (also known as Function Analysis for technical systems, [20]). This technique
helps to identify negative, insufficient, or poorly controllable interactions within a system,
and locate “sore” points in various types of systems. The techniques can be applied in
technology, supply chains, organizations, business services, and so forth. What is also
important, analysis of functional interactions helps to reveal “hidden” undesired interactions
which either lower the system’s performance or can be sources of potential failures, thus
uncovering potential for further improvement.

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 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

sells wrong ticket Air

loses
sells keeps breathes
aromatizes

Ticket officer informs Passenger irritates Deodorant

irritates
reads
visits informs
attracts
stays in line
Café Trash bin Information display

Insufficient effect
Positive effect
Negative effect
Excessive effect

A fragment of a typical Diagram of Functional Interactions. Dotted, dashed and double

lines represent undesired effects resulting from interactions.

Another technique which is based on exploring a system functionality to extract problems

and based on causal approach is “Problem Formulator”, developed and introduced by Ideation
International. There are reports available about successful application of this technique for
Business Process Improvement [12,13].

To define problems in terms of contradictions, at ICG T&C, we introduced a technique called

“Root-Conflict Analysis” (RCA+). The technique helps with top-down decomposition of a
general problem defined as a negative effect to a tree of interrelated contradictions [16,18].
Depending on a problem, a resulting RCA+ diagram can include from 1 to 20-30 and even
more contradictions. RCA+ also includes specific recommendations how to select
contradictions to solve the problem in most effective and efficient ways.

Although RCA+ was introduced only few years ago, it has been already successfully applied to
almost hundred of real-life projects from both technological and business areas. In addition to
its modeling power, the use of RCA+ considerably structures and clarifies thinking with
TRIZ, and helps to learn TRIZ faster.

12
 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Low profit from software sales

Sales volume is low

Unwillingness by customers to pay much for the software

Higher revenues

Happy
customer Inadequate reaction to the high price High price of the package
Extended
functionality
Used to free software Customers do not match
Technology is Easy to use
supplied with products value and price
explained well
Software is complex
Business value for customer is not
explained well Interface is too Size of the market
simple segment is small Considerable effort to
Focus on technical aspects
create software
only
Understanding of the customer’s Too narrow
Good technical value chain is poor application area Complex specifications
Lack of business competence by
competence
sales force
Market analysis is not
sufficient
Sales people are Cooperation with customer is Understanding was not
engineers insufficient included to strategy Low-cost
marketing

Technical excellence CEO’s focus on technical and Lack of competence Only in-house marketing team
not business issues by the internal team is involved

A typical RCA+ Diagram of a business problem

The RCA+ modeling is performed within the scope of three tasks:

1. To solve a specific problem related to a certain specific product, service or a process

(e.g. to increase sales of a specific service produced by a specific company, to
eliminate failure of a specific product).
2. To solve a broad problem related to a whole class of products, processes or services
(e.g. to prevent all ships from sinking, eliminate a possibility of an error made by a
pilot during flights, eliminate errors by a call center, etc.)
3. To predict and eliminate possible and potential failures within systems and processes
(e.g. to identify possible causes of project failure).

“xTRIZ Lite” PROCESS

To support a problem solving process with TRIZ for Business and Management, we developed
a six-step process called “xTRIZ Lite”:

1. Situation Analysis: Understanding customer needs and demands, documenting a

problem, defining solution criteria, constraints, goals, and targets.
2. Problem Mapping and Decomposing: application of RCA+ to decompose a
general problem and create a map of manageable contradictions.
3. Root Conflict Selection: Identifying what conflicts (contradictions) should be
resolved to achieve the expected results.

13
 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

4. Using TRIZ Patterns to Generate Solution Ideas: application of TRIZ

techniques, such as Contradiction Matrix and Inventive Principles to eliminate
selected conflicts, generation of new solution ideas.
5. Building Ideas Portfolio: composing a tree of generated ideas.
6. Scoring and Selection of best Solution Candidates: applying Multi-Criteria
Decision Matrix to evaluate the Idea Portfolio and identify best solution candidates.

# TARGET SCORE # STRATEGY

1 Weneedtoincreasesoftwaresalesby30-50% 8 1 ReplaceCEO
Weight 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
2 Weneedtoachievesalesincreasewithin2-4month 7 2 Transfersoftwaretoanewindependentcom
pany Size 6 6 6 -6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
3 Enrichsalesteamwithbusinesspeople
# CONSTRAINT SCORE
4 Enrichsoftwarewith“power”functionality
Hire new 2 2 2 -2 2 2 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 Wecannotincreasesizeofthecompany 6
5 Hireexternalm
arketingexpertise
2 Wecannothirenewsalespeoplefromoutside 5
6 Studycustomer’svaluechainandadjustsalesstrategy Price reduce 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 0
3 Wedonotwanttoreducetheprice 3
7 Launchwebsitewithself-explanatorysim
ulations
4 Wedonotwanttoremovethesoftwarefromthedevice 1 8 Establishconsultingunit,useengineersfromsalesasconsultants
Remove sw 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0
5 Wedonotwanttorewritethesoftware 2 9 Tiesoftwarewithfreeconsultinghours Rewrite sw 4 4 4 4 -4 4 4 4 4 -4 -4 0 4 4 4 4
6 Wedonotwanttomakeconsiderableinvestments 4 10 Linkem
beddedsoftwarewithserversoftwaretogetcustom
izedreports
TRIZCriteria 11 Transferpartlysoftwaretoaserverforanalysis(paidservice)
Investing 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 0 0 0 5 5 5 0 5
7 Conflictmustbeeliminated 12 Introducem
onthlypaym
entsysteminsteadofone-timeprice Sales incr. 8 8 8 8 0 8 8 0 8 8 0 8 0 0 0 0
8 Win-winsolution 13 Launchinteractivecustom
erfeedbackservice
2-4 months 7 -7 -7 7 -7 0 -7 -7 0 0 7 7 7 -7 -7 7
9 Ideality 14 Launchfreeexplanatoryworkshopsforcustom
ers
10 Noharmful sideeffects 15 Introducetwoversionsofthepackage
11 Extrabenefits 16 … Total: 11 17 10 -4 19 10 4 21 13 11 28 28 14 9 24

USING TRIZ SCORING

PROBLEM
ROOT PATTERNS BUILDING AND
SITUATION MAPPING
CONFLICT AND TOOLS IDEAS SELECTION
ANALYSIS AND
SELECTION TO GENERATE PORTFOLIO OF BEST
DECOMPOSING
IDEAS CANDIDATES

This process supports a logical transition from a problem to a number of innovative ideas.
Each step of the process provides output data which serve as input data for the next step. A
case study with xTRIZ Lite is presented in [18].

THERE IS MORE IN TRIZ: CREATING WHAT’S NEXT

In the previous part of the paper, we had a look at a “problem-solving” part of TRIZ.
However, TRIZ is not only about problem solving. In fact, problem solving in TRIZ is
regarded as a part of a process of systems evolution, and therefore a large part of modern
TRIZ is formed by the Theory of Technical Systems Evolution. This theory studies patterns,
trends, and regularities which govern evolution of the technological world [19]. Again, both
technological systems and business systems are examples of artificial systems created by a
human mind; therefore we can assume that again, the underlying principles of systems
evolution are if not identical, then at least similar. During evolution, these systems experience
similar types of barriers, and we use quite similar patterns to overcome these barriers. Many
people with TRIZ knowledge and experience can quickly recognize the patterns of “classical”
TRIZ in virtually every area of human activity.

Breakthrough solutions, which are sometimes called “disruptive” innovations, do not appear
out of the blue: they emerge as a response to the necessity to go beyond limitations and
constraints imposed by old solutions. Just like digital photography replaced analog photo films
and disrupted the photo industry, a new business model of combining Apple’s iPod™ with
iTunes™ service disrupted already existing market of digital music players. iPod™ itself was
not a big innovation – there were already dozens of brands on the market, but it won over
thanks to Apple innovative business model.

14
 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

A question is: are such changes predictable? And the answer is, yes. This is due to the fact
that TRIZ explores not only certain specific trends, but generic lines of evolution which
specify successive transformations experienced by a system’s or some system component
structure from the moment of starting delivering the needed functionality to delivering
functionality with the highest degree of ideality. Compare the first Ford car and a modern
Ferrari. Or a start-up company and a major player on the global market it wants to eventually
become. During evolution, both systems experience many qualitative transformations to
respond changing and growing market demands – quality, safety, reliability, comfortability,
and so on. Yes, both systems operate on radically different principles: a car is based on the
laws and principles of physics and chemistry, while a company is based on business,
psychological, market, and social laws and principles. But when we consider both systems at a
higher plane, we will see that both a car and a company can be presented as networks
(systems) of generic components which deliver certain functions, process either material or
information, are engaged in transactions, interact with other components of outer systems,
provide reactions and feedback, and so forth. If you feed wrong oil to a car engine, the car
will break. If you feed wrong information to a company, the company will break, too.

Thus a while ago, we formulated a daring hypothesis: many of the generic evolution lines
which were uncovered by “technological” TRIZ could be successfully used within the
business systems and environments. Over the time, it appeared to be true. Let us have a look,
for example, at one of the trends of evolution of classical TRIZ: a so-called “Trend of
Dynamics Growth”, which states that “A component of a system, which experiences the
ever-growing demands of environment, tends to increase its degree of dynamics (or, degree
of freedom in other words) during evolution.” This line of evolution for technical (physical)
systems looks as follows:

TREND: Object is
replaced by
System of two System of many Completely a field producing
Non-segmented System of two segments with segments with flexible (elastic) needed
object segments flexible link flexible links object functionality

EXAMPLE:

Mobile phone with a Phone as a wrist watch: A flexible phone A projecting

Traditional Flip-flop phone
sliding part which its bracelet is made of (Nokia concept) phone?
mobile phone. of two parts
contains a microphone with a hinge. segments, which might
and protects keyboard. contain different
electronic parts.

One of the contradictions driving evolution of a mobile phone is a size of a phone vs.
ergonomics and functionality. A particular contradiction is that we want to have a large
screen, but we do not like to increase the overall dimensions of the phone. This contradiction
is being solved in many different ways, and one of them is to increase the degree of dynamics

15
 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

of the phone. For instance, a “flip-flop” design of the phone makes it possible to have both a
large screen and large keypad, and to avoid increasing the overall sizes of the phone when the
phone is not used. Finally, a screen of the phone can be reduced if we can use a projecting
system which projects image on a wall or any other available surface.

This line of evolution does not mean that products created at each new step will replace
products created at the previous steps, since all depends on the ideality and purposes of newly
proposed solutions. It is not always the case when a new product will be superior in every
aspect, therefore both new generations and previous generations can co-exist and take their
own niches on the market.

Now, the same trend of Dynamics Growth for business systems and services. Its formulation
is slightly different from the “technological” trend:

TREND:
Non-changeable System or service Increasing the Systems/services with Dynamically Virtual system/
fixed system or consisting of degree of freedom dynamically appearing- appearing service
service different parts with of system’s parts disappearing part(s) and disappearing
flexible relationships and service system/service
events/transactions

EXAMPLE:

A large company A network of Interim management, A company Completely

A company with
with non-flexible independent mobile company parts which is created to automated
several units having
hierarchical companies deliver a function web-based
their own freedom
structure and disappear service

Let us have a look, for example, at the evolution of a news media company: from a large
company of the beginning of the 20th century which used numerous staff to gather news, and
then printed and distributed newspapers, to a network of companies which delivered
different functionality and, as one of the possible scenarios of the nearest future – to a
completely web-based media company which uses sophisticated software and numerous
bloggers to present and comment on the latest news. Will this be the final step in evolution of
mass media delivering news? No. Because thanks to TRIZ we know how systems tend to
evolve even when they reach a final phase of evolution along a certain trend.

In a “flat” world [4], where the borders of a physical world are quickly removed, only
dynamic business structures will succeed. If yesterday a circle of potential clients for a one-
man consulting business could be reliable protected by geographic location, today, thanks to
the Internet, a consultant in Boston can lose against a consultant from Singapore if the latter
takes a higher position among search results produced by Google or Yahoo. But application of
this trend should always be considered at both macro- and micro-scales: When we look at the
first phase of a system – non-dynamic system, we can talk about both some large company
itself and a small group in that company. They both can be considered non-dynamic and

16
 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

follow the evolutionary path defined by the trend of Dynamics Growth. As well as a large
business process and any its smaller event.

Why iPod™ is winning? Not only because of design and sound quality. But because in
combination with online services, it offers great dynamics and flexibility. You can quickly
find and upload songs, delete songs you do not like, shuffle, create play lists, watch video,
connect, etc. Should business services be similar to iPod™? Certainly. They already tend to
become more and more dynamic. These companies which will permanently upgrade their
services, add new parts to the existing service, eliminate unneeded parts, customize
configurations, involve third parties and users to the process will win, or, at least, stay alive.

Therefore it is not a surprise that the Trend of Dynamics Growth complies with one the rules
defined by Jack Welch’s (former CEO of General Electric) key business strategy:

“Business leaders who treat change like the enemy will fail at their jobs. Change is
the one constant, and successful business leaders must be able to read the ever-
changing business environment.” [11].

ROADMAPPING THE FUTURE

Thanks to TRIZ, now we better understand mechanisms of evolution of man-made systems.

Knowing TRIZ trends of evolution we can evaluate where our business system or business
product is today, how it has been evolving, what contradictions drive evolution of the system
and identify its evolutionary potential.

Identifying Evolutionary Potential of business systems by mapping a current system or a

service to the evolution trends, which are represented as spokes in this radar plot.

17
 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Understanding the underlying mechanisms of man-made systems evolution, knowledge of

the trends and patterns of evolution help us to organize and establish a process of
“forecasting” what will happen next with our system, product, or service. But this is not
exactly a forecast process. By applying the patterns of evolution, we come up with new ideas
and solutions during the process. Therefore we do not merely forecast but create new ideas
during the process, and the output of such process is a roadmap with a number of new ideas
on what to turn our system into in the future.

1
Selection: Selecting a of a product/service or its part that will
be assessed and evolved

2
Assessment: Identifying how a current structure of a product/service
is developing: what current and critical market trends/demands are,
what key contradictions, key driving forces and problems are (by
using S-Curve Analysis, RCA+, Multiscreen Diagram)
3
Radar Plotting: Completing a Radar Plot Diagram which visualizes
the potential of a product/service to be evolved
4
Using Demand/Trend Matrix (DTM): Selecting “undeveloped”
lines of evolution and filling in “Demands and market trends” part
of the DTM
5
Idea Generation and Roadmapping: Generating new ideas by using evolution
patterns along each line of evolution that has unexplored potential and
addresses critical and emerging market demands

Forecasting and “future roadmapping” process with TRIZ

TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT: A ROADMAP

TRIZ is not a single technique or a method, therefore we need a roadmap which helps to
select which techniques of TRIZ should be used to deal with one or another situation and
define a strategy in each particular situation. A sample roadmap which we introduced at ICG
T&C divides all situations to four categories and proposes a relevant set of tools/techniques
together with a process for each category. Some parts of the Roadmap are already well
elaborated, and some require additional research and polishing.

This roadmap is only limited to presenting key techniques of TRIZ for Business and
Management, and each process might include a number of additional tools which are used
during the process, such as Multi-Screen Diagram, Comparative Ranking, Multi-Criteria
Decision Matrix, and so forth.

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 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

PROBLEM SOLVING / SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT CREATING WHAT’S NEXT

Problem Solving System/Products/ System/Product Service
Process Improvement Evolution Evolution

Root Conflict Analysis of Functional Function Evolutionary

Analysis Interactions Identification Assessment

Function/
Radar Plot Channel
Contradiction Diagram
Patterns of System Change Population
Matrix

Demand/ Trend
ARIZ 40 Inventive Principles Matrix

Trends and lines of Evolution

ICG T&C Roadmap to TRIZ for Business and Management

EXAMPLES OF USING TRIZ IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Since 1999, I have been more and more involved to developing and using TRIZ for Business
and Management Applications. The list below is based on real experience and highlights some
real projects where TRIZ was used:

• Increasing sales effectiveness (industry)

• Generating a new marketing concept which helped to increase sales (IT services)
• Resolving a number of conflicts within a supply chain (industry)
• Inventing a new business model (marketing services)
• Resolving conflicts during corporate merger (telecom industry)
• Increasing performance of a training process (financial services)
• Discovering a new market for a service (agriculture)
• Defining new business products and combinations “product-service” (agriculture)
• Increasing the degree of ideality of a service: increasing value while lowering costs
(automotive services)
• Predicting potential failures of a new business model (financial services)
• Generating radically new advertising concepts (IT industry)
• Predicting short- and long-term evolution of a specific service (IT services)

CONCLUSIONS

This paper was supposed to provide a reader with a very brief overview of what TRIZ can
bring to the business world to enhance and accelerate business and management innovation.
Modern TRIZ for Business and Management is not yet as thoroughly elaborated as TRIZ for
Technology and Engineering. We need to further study business-specific trends and patterns
of business systems evolution, create business-specific databases, and so forth. But the same

19
 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

applies to TRIZ itself – it has been ever-evolving science. And as practice shows, even with a
current body of TRIZ knowledge for Business and Management we can successfully solve
problems and come up with new innovative solutions. The power of analytical tools of TRIZ
is that they can be used to identify broad range of problems and challenges, while TRIZ
patterns and problem solving techniques can help to generate better ideas. TRIZ can also be
integrated with other methodologies, like QFD, FMEA, Technology Roadmapping, Six Sigma.

But what really matters is not amount of information in the TRIZ databases, but a new way of
breakthrough thinking proposed by TRIZ: through eliminating contradictions towards
ideality. Instead blind search and jumping to ideas and conclusions too fast, we thoroughly
analyze a situation, reveal contradictions, and resolve them in “win-win” way. Understanding
of the mechanisms of evolutionary transitions and the TRIZ trends of evolution can help
businesses to define strategic development based on a systematic approach rather than on
guesses, trials and errors. This way of thinking will enrich everyone who wants to stay at the
leading edge of innovation.

Let us say, today’s TRIZ for business and management is like a car which can bring us to
many destinations. No doubt, one day we will have a space ship.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Karel Bolckmans and Dmitry Kucharavy for useful comments which
helped me to write this paper.

About the author:

Valeri Souchkov has been involved with TRIZ and Systematic Innovation since co-
founding Invention Machine Labs in Minsk, Belarus in 1988. Since that time he
partnered with several organizations and trained and consulted customers
worldwide, among which are a number of Fortune 500 companies. He is the author
or RCA+, a technique which is used to support analysis of innovative situations. In
2000, he initiated and co-founded the European TRIZ Association ETRIA and since
2003 heads ICG Training and Consulting (www.xtriz.com), a company in the
Netherlands that develops, uses and promotes techniques and tools of Systematic
Innovation for commercial and government organizations in technology and business areas. Valeri
Souchkov is also an invited lecturer of the University of Twente in TRIZ and Systematic Innovation.
He can be reached at [email protected]

REFERENCES

1. Altshuller G., Creativity as an Exact Science, Gordon and Breach Publishers, 1994,
ISBN: 978-0677212302
2. Altshuller G, The Innovation Algorithm. TRIZ, Systematic Innovation, and Technical
Creativity. Translated, edited and annotated by L. Shulyak and S. Rodman, First
Edition. Technical Innovation Center, Inc., Worcester, 1999, ISBN: 978-0964074040

20
 BREAKTHROUGH THINKING WITH TRIZ FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

3. Averboukh E. “I-TRIZ for Six Sigma Business Process Management”, The Online TRIZ
Journal, December 2003.
http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/2003/12/i/09.pdf
4. Friedman T., The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century, Farrar,
Straus and Giroux; Expanded and Updated edition, 2006, ISBN: 978-0374292799
5. Kim Jung-Hyeon & Lee Jun-Young South, “The Acceleration of TRIZ Propagation in
Samsung Electronics”, in Proc. ETRIA TRIZ Future 2005 Conference, Graz, Austria,
November 16-18, 2005, Leykam Buchverlag, 2005.
6. Mann D. & Domb E., “40 Inventive (Management) Principles With Examples”, The
Online TRIZ Journal, September, 1999.
http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/1999/09/a/index.htm
7. Mann D., Hands-on Systematic Innovation for Business and Management, Lazarus
Press, 2004.
8. The Online TRIZ Jounal, http://www.triz-journal.com
9. Contradiction Matrix and the 40 Principles for Innovative Problem Solving, The
Online TRIZ Journal,
http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/contradiction_matrix/
10. Ruchti B. & Livotov P., “TRIZ-based Innovation Principles and a Process for Problem
Solving in Business and Management”, The Online TRIZ Journal, December 1999.
http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/2001/12/c/index.htm
11. Slater R., 29 Leadership Secrets From Jack Welch, McGraw-Hill; 1 edition, 2002,
ISBN-10: 0071409378
12. Smith H., What Innovation Is - How Companies Develop Operating Systems For
Innovation, SCS White Paper, 2004
http://www.csc.com/features/2004/uploads/innovation_update05.pdf
13. Smith H., “P-TRIZ Formulation”, #2 in a series, BPTrends.com, March 2006.
http://www.aitriz.org/ai/articles/InsideTRIZ/0207.pdf
14. Souchkov V., “M-TRIZ: Application of TRIZ to Solve Business Problem”, Insytec
white paper, 1999.
15. Souchkov V., Accelerate Innovation with TRIZ, ICG T&C White Paper, 2005,
http://www.xtriz.com/publications/AccelerateInnovationWithTRIZ.pdf
16. Souchkov V., “Root Conflict Analysis (RCA+): Structuring and Visualization of
Contradictions”, in Proc. ETRIA TRIZ Future 2005 Conference, Graz, Austria,
November 16-18, 2005, Leykam Buchverlag, 2005.
17. Souchkov V. Annotated List of Key TRIZ Components. ICG T&C White Paper, 2006,
http://www.xtriz.com/Annotated%20list%20of%20main%20TRIZ%20tools%20and%
20techniques.pdf
18. Souchkov V., Hoeboer R. & van Zutphen M., Application of RCA+ to Solve Business
Problems, The Online TRIZ Journal, February 2007,
http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/2007/02/06/
19. Zlotin B. & Zussman A., Directed Evolution: Philosophy, Theory and Practice,
Ideation International Inc, 2001.
20. Goldfire Innovator™, www.invention-machine.com

21
This article has been published previously at TRIZCON 2009-03-30, California, USA

Prospecting new business models with TRIZ

Author: José M. Vicente Gomila1

Abstract:
The view of systems is not exclusive to TRIZ, however the integration of a systemic
vision, functions described as s-fields interactions and the ideality law of evolution are
about TRIZ, and these bundled together can help organizations to value better its
business model and so try to go one step beyond by easily defining new business
models and assessing better the new technologies that may enable them.
The author tries to show this approach by analysing several cases, two known cases plus
a still existing case which is yet to evolve.

Introduction

Firstly the author would like to stress that the model proposed in this article relates to
invention and not to innovation which the author acknowledges as a broader term
implying the successful introduction of inventions or changes in the market and thus
creating value. Whereas invention is an intellectual activity, innovation is a social one.
The structure and direction that TRIZ elements can bring to business models may help
to ‘invent’ new business models. It is the task of the inventors and developers to
transform it into an innovation.

1. Business Models
The importance of Business Models
Business models have been and are attractive to industry leaders and business
researchers because there is probably no other so breakthrough key element for a
particular company whose change can transform totally the incumbents of the same
industry. Schumpeter (1) when defining innovation as a creative destruction, it is
implicitly considering a change either in a breakthrough technology, an architectonic
innovation (2) capable of sweeping an entire industry to bring in another, or a change of
the game, of a company or of an industry, i.e. a change in the business model.
Business models are also important because the concept helps to understand more
comprehensively the success of some of the recent innovations. Many people may
think Apple’s Ipod and Iphone are successful product innovations but as other
competitors also brought similar products without success, product innovation alone
cannot explain the success. It has been very often reported that Apple’s innovations

1
This article should be cited as follows: Vicente-Gomila, J.M., (2009) Prospecting new business models
with TRIZ
Jose M. Vicente-Gomila all mentioned brands are property of their respective owners and are mentioned for
explanation of the cases only.
went farther as business model innovations which were not followed by any other
product competitor and so this fact helps to explain better the unique success of Apple.
In a time where research activity points towards the short term and market applications,
technology breakthroughs are the exception more than the rule. Increasingly, the key
innovative movements are being business model innovations. Innovations bringing new
business models that cannot easily be imitated.
Changes in the business model are difficult for competitors to follow because it requires
considerable organizational changes and because the business model of a company, as
its strategy, involves creating an own fit or system among company activities (3) which
is or should be, different from competitors.
It is interesting therefore to find ways to invent and to innovate with new business
models that make sense and are affordable to companies but not to competitors. It is
also interesting for corporate management to find ways to understand and represent
business models.
Yet a company pursuing to change or to invent a new business model finds also
difficulties because it implies a supersystem change and pursuing innovation at a
supersystem level is a more difficult task (4). But focusing in the conceptual phase of a
business model innovation, that is inventing a new one is the first difficulty a company
might face. It has been studied (5) that companies need a defined method, a roadmap to
organize their thinking, and seeing the benefits of changing a business model into a new
one.

What is a business model

Realizing the importance of a good and new business model, the questions start by
asking what a business model is and how this articles defines it. The author starts by the
simple definition of ‘a formula for doing business’, this implicitly includes the creation
of value otherwise the company would not produce benefits. It is interesting to notice
more detailed definition of Margretta (6) describing a business model as system in
which the pieces of a business fit together. Also to notice that several articles even
reviews (7)(8) although differently, use a group of common features comprising value
proposition, resources, profit model, customers, providers, etc. Recently a good
definition of Johnson, et.al.(5) offer a detailed yet holistic view of a business model
which comprises the customer value proposition (customer, offering and need to be
satisfied), the key resources, a profit formula (how the money can be made) and the key
processes.

2. TRIZ

In the study of the vast technical literature of patents documents, an invaluable source
for the Theory of inventive Problem Solving TRIZ, Altshuller (9) brilliantly realized,
among other key facts, that technology, as well as other elements in our Universe, is
grouped in systems, a relation of components that together bring more value than the
addition of the values of that components unrelated. Altshuller identified as well that
inventions could take place at different levels of a system. In that sense, solutions for
problem solving and invention should be sought in the subsystem (components) then in

Jose M. Vicente-Gomila all mentioned brands are property of their respective owners and are mentioned for
explanation of the cases only.
the system (relation of such components) and finally in the supersystem (the
environment world).
Altshuller and his collaborators, also identified the importance of functions and
interactions in a system, and developed a model of substance-fields (S-fields) to
represent the interactions within systems and so functions. Later on S. Litvin extended
the usage of s-fields as functions to relate subsystems into a system and at the same time
with supersystems, appearing in the Invention Machine’s software Techoptimizer2.
SAO’s

Fenergy tool object

FUNCTION S1
tool object S2

S2 S1
System – function - Object SsFO

Fig 1 Representation of S-field as system-function-object

In this article the notation of s-fields as SsFO elements will be used for representing
business models, although related to the time dimension.
In studying systems and technology Altshuller identified the evolution of technical
systems, uncovering clear patterns, repeatable through different technical domains. Such
patterns were abstracted and formalized as laws of the evolution of technical systems
and can be applied to better understand the potential progress of any technical domain.
Some TRIZ practitioners as well as other observers may argue that technological
inventions, in the last years seem to start focusing more in the subsystem level,
materials and particles (e.g. nanoparticles, genetic engineering, spintronics), rather than
in technical systems or even higher in social issues as Altshuller states (9).
Although the author does not disagree with this opinion, it should be noticed that such
new elementary particles or materials are increasingly being applied to existing systems
enhancing their properties and performance to new levels, or generating new systems by
themselves as in the molecular manufacturing of nanosystems development.(10)

3. New representation of business model

The representation of business models proposed in this article retains the concept of
Margretta (6) but having in mind the elements of Johnson et al. (5) This new
representation combines the systemic view of TRIZ represented by the relation-
interaction of components and takes into account the course of time as in a Gantt
diagram, to represent the business flow and assuming that the value proposition
(customer, job to be done and offering) is covered by the functions or interaction
surrounding the customer. The Gantt diagram helps the SsFO diagram since it lays out

2
TechOptimizer is now embedded in GoldFire Innovator a more comprehensive innovation platform
(www.invention-machine.com)

Jose M. Vicente-Gomila all mentioned brands are property of their respective owners and are mentioned for
explanation of the cases only.
the order in which functions/tasks need to be carried out. According to many authors, a
business model is not a process model and so this new representation.

A basic example of the new representation is presented in fig. 2

CUSTOMER SPEND
PROVIDER
MONEY 2
INCREASES CAPITAL
PROVIDE USE
INFORM

INCREASES CAPITAL
MATERIAL COMPUTER

USE
MONEY 1 DELIVER
SPEND
MANUFACTURER

EXTERNAL PROVIDE
RESOURCES time

In figure 2, the timeflow is represented by either the length and or the position in the
horizontal axis. Differences in the horizontal axis when the firm pays or when it earns,
do matter for the profitability. For the sake of a clearer representation, the parameters
modified in each of these functions are not depicted. For instance, the element
‘Manufacturer’ has as parameters its key internal resources to operate in the market. It is
internally decomposed in all the key processes. It should be noticed however that this
model is a conceptual model for the conceptual phase of the innovation, the time for
thinking, visualizing and realizing. Costs can also be included although it is not an exact
accountable model. Elements as resource velocity (5) and revenue model are easily
represented by distance along the horizontal axis and parameters of money earned or
expended. The author is working in further studying variations for better representation
and is open to collaboration in such sense.
An aspect that should be well represented is the value proposition (5). Taking into
account the example of figure 2 and focusing in the main function, the figure 3 shows
the customer, the offering and, although not depicted, the parameters of the main
function represented by the blue double arrow. It represents the job the customer is
trying to achieve (11) . It should be noted that the main function in the business model
is not directly produced by the system but rather by the customer. It is the usage and the
parameters that govern such usage, what the customer interacts with the business system
for. In searching for how the business system may improve its products and services, it
should study how to improve all the functions and elements interacting with the
customer. Of course to be considered as a system, it cannot be forgot that energy
conductance and transmission are in all the elements and actions of this system (12)

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explanation of the cases only.
 CUSTOMER

SPEND
USE
INFORM
MONEY 2
COMPUTER
INCREASES CAPITAL

DELIVER

time

Fig 3 Representation of the value proposition in terms of SsFO’s

Functions diagrams which do not use resources and do not identify components, the
system and the supersystem (13) may represent processes (14) but are not enough to
represent business models . Barkan (15) states, that despite such process
representations, a better modelling should include system operator and other TRIZ
elements.
By using the representation proposed by the author, companies as well as business
researchers and analysts can have a simpler yet comprehensive view of the business
model which depicts most of the elements and which allows to see changes quickly and
systemically as will be showed later.

4. Trends for existing business models

It is not new that being the business model a system, several of the laws and trends of
system evolution analysed and stated in TRIZ can be applied to prospect possible
evolutionary paths.

In the present article the trend of increasing idealness is used as example, although other
laws and trends can be applied. The ideality law states that systems evolve by using
resources more efficiently and by consuming and impacting the environment less and
less. The other law used as example but not limited to is the law of transition to a
supersystem.

5. Examples with the new representation (representing how the next business model
was achieved)

The following cases try to show how the new representation and specially the tools of
TRIZ help to visualize and to explain the shifts that led from an existing business model
to another one that has been successful.

The case of Apple is showed in figure 4

Jose M. Vicente-Gomila all mentioned brands are property of their respective owners and are mentioned for
explanation of the cases only.
 FIG 4 Mp3 player business model and Ipod business model

provider
increase capital produce
produce provider
money 2 increase capital produce
material
produce
money 2
spend material
use technology increase capital spend
CUSTOMER increase capital
buy use technology
use search CUSTOMER
inform purchase
develop use purchase
Manufacturer MP3 store
Player Music p2p
produce store
produce Manufacturer Itunes Splitted
collect?, buy? IPOD Music (song
spend develop
annoy by song)
Music
spend split
provide
produce please
Music
money 1

Music industry money 1 produce

Music industry

Boxes represent system elements whereas hexagons represent supersystem elements

time

The job the customer is trying is to hear selected music, safely, a function which is enabled by the new system model

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Figure 4 shows how the model integrates the product apple into a super-system by
creating a new component, the ITunes system according partially to the law of transition
to super-system. Every company should think whether its products can be integrated
into a super-system which includes part of the job the customer is trying to get done.

The next case is the Dell Computer Corp. case known for its direct sales plus pre-order
assembly just in time. The figure 5 shows in a different representation art where the
SsFO -Gantt diagram has partially been embedded within a transposed 9 windows frame
(subsystem-system-supersystem; past-present-future).
From the two models (past and present) it can be clearly seen that applying the
inventive principle nº 13 ‘The other way around’ (‘invert the actions’, ‘make it the
opposite way’), to some of the key elements and actions of the prior business model, the
new one can be outlined. It is the application of this principle that makes the real
difference. Of course the new business model has to be supported by enabling
technologies and superior performance, but these are operational effectiveness, whereas
the shift of turning upside down the order of actions is a strategic choice.(5)

Jose M. Vicente-Gomila all mentioned brands are property of their respective owners and are mentioned for
explanation of the cases only.
FIG 5 Dell simplified business model in the transposed 9 window-Gantt graph
CUSTOMER SPEND
PROVIDER
MONEY
INCREASES CAPITAL
USE 2
PROVIDE
INFORM

INCREASES CAPITAL
MATERIAL COMPUTER PAST
USE
MONEY DELIVER
SPEND 1

MANUFACTURER

time time

CUSTOMER MONEY 2
SPEND
INFORM TAILORED INCREASES CAPITAL
SELECTION
PRESENT
USE
MANUFACTURER
DELIVER TAILORED
COMPUTER
USE MATERIAL
SPEND
PROVIDE MONEY
PROVIDER 1
Period 1 INCREASES CAPITAL Period 2

FUTURE

Jose M. Vicente-Gomila all mentioned brands are property of their respective owners and are mentioned for explanation of the cases only.
The last example is the known case of photography whose diagram will not be depicted
mainly because it is a well known case. The photo film industry was a wealthy business
until the middle of 90’s when the digital photograph, paradoxically already adopted by
film makers as Kodak, Agfa Gevaert and Fuji, became popular and film labs
disappeared and film large number of jobs were lost.

Here the ideality law of evolution has come to scene due to a technological change. The
first follow the path of this law, trimming all the steps, and simplifying resources and
time devoted to develop the negative film and making the positive copies (photos) was
Edwin Land in 1947 when he demonstrated his instant camera.

Similarly, in 1970, Smith and Boyle had built the CCD into the world's first solid-state
video camera and five years later, they demonstrated the first CCD camera with image
quality enough for broadcast television. It should be noticed that Sony was also a
pioneer with its Mavica camera in 1981 and that Kodak invented and developed the first
megapixel sensor with 1,4 million pixel in 1986 (16)
Any existing business model can study how to increase the system idealness for
example, by trimming some of the steps or more interestingly trimming the steps of the
job the customer has to do to get the job done, may result in new business models. By
doing so it is also advisable to look for technologies that may enable such increase in
idealness. The business model represented in this article allows for a detailed trimming
taking care of the functions and allowing to explore more rationally the resulting
scenarios. With the aid of specific software tools as GoldFire, it can be done faster.

6. Case: The Cement tile industry

The next case shows an industry which has not yet changed of business model yet but
applying the law of increasing idealness and the law of transition to a super-system, a
new business model can be planned and so, to start looking for technologies capable of
enabling the new business model.
There is a manufacturer of concrete roof tiles in Spain in the region of Avila, capable of
extruding from one single installation near to 130 tiles per minute, weighting 4,3 Kilos
each tile and working in two shifts totalling 16 hours production per day. As the
concrete tiles freshly extruded are still very soft, each tile needs an aluminium metallic
support shaped as the wavy tile. Such metallic mould will support each tile for the next
four days. After the four days, the tiles must harden and rest for almost 28 days before
being able to be transported.
Therefore, the existing business model needs to maintain a stock of moulds nearing half
a million of moulds which needs a large almost unproductive infrastructure for such
moulds (cleaning after each use, storing in a proper warehouse, and finishing since
concrete is abrasive). Figure 6 show this existing current business model.
By trimming some of the operations and transferring other functions to the super-
system, a new business model can be devised. For instance, by trimming transportation
of tiles, the corresponding long storage is no longer needed so the special regulated
atmosphere warehouse for the tiles can be drastically reduced. Another further step can

Jose M. Vicente-Gomila all mentioned brands are property of their respective owners and are mentioned for
explanation of the cases only.
be done eliminating also the transport, but if transport is eliminated, how could the tiles
arrive to the customer? Here the transference to the super-system can be applied. In the
new scenario, the customer, a construction facility beside the house or buildings in
construction, or near a small quarter with several buildings under construction, can have
a small version of the extruder and manufacture at small scale its own tiles. The
manufacturer rents the new manufacturing miniplant to the customer who manufactures
its own tiles, and the supports can be adapted to be fitted in the roof permanently. Of
course new trimmings could be done. The new business model is partially represented
in figure 7. Of course new technologies and changes in the processes should be made
but these are being studied and the author knows from the end of 90’s of already
existing manufacturing plants the size of one container cargo to be shipped everywhere
where the manufactured material is needed.

Jose M. Vicente-Gomila all mentioned brands are property of their respective owners and are mentioned for
explanation of the cases only.
Fig 6 Cement tiles business model and new possible business model in the SAO - Gantt

Jose M. Vicente-Gomila all mentioned brands are property of their respective owners and are mentioned for explanation of the cases only.
FIG 7 New cement tile business model BUILDING
In the SAO-Gantt representation SITE

MINI
WAREHOUSE

HOLD INSTALL

REGULATED AIR
CONCRETE

HARDEN
HANDLE

MINI FORM
EXTRUDER TILES

PUSH

SUPPORT
TRANSPORT
MOLD

TRANSPORT
RENT
TRUCKS
CONVEYOR

SALES CLIENT MONEY MONEY MONEY

CONVINCE SPEND
Increases capital

time

Jose M. Vicente-Gomila all mentioned brands are property of their respective owners and are mentioned for explanation of the cases only.
7 Conclusion

Despite not few analysts and researchers are not sure on what a business model should
or should not contain, the author proposes a model that not only gives a view of almost
all the elements of the business model with a visual representation but also shows
clearly the value proposition and makes easier to apply the different tools of TRIZ for
change or evolution. The proposed representation has been used by the author in
different industrial cases and it should further evolve.
The laws of evolution as well of other tools of TRIZ offer a good approach for
companies to step by step exploring new scenarios for new business models which can
produce a profound impact in their current industries. In times where firms as Google
are closing existing leaders of other industries as Microsoft (17) companies should
revise and study different alternatives for new business models.

References:
(1) Schumpeter, J. A. (1942) Capitalism, Socialism & Democracy, Harper & Row
(2) Abernathy W.J. & Clark, K.B., (1985) Mapping the winds of creative destruction,
Technology Review
(3) Porter, M. 1996 “What is strategy? Harvard Business Review, Nov.Dec 1996
(4) Vicente-Gomila, J.M., (2007) Por qué es mas importante saber qué problema
resolver, antes que resolver el problema 2nd Ametriz Congress, Monterrey, Oct.
2007
(5) Johnson, M., Christensen C.M., Kagermann H. (2008) Reinventing your business
model, Harvard Business Review, Dec 2008
(6) Margretta, J. (2002) Why business Model Matter Harvard business Review May
2002, Harvard Bs. Sc. Publishing
(7) Schafer, S.M., Smith J.H., Linder Jane, (2005) The power of business models,
Business horizons (2005) 48, 199-207
(8) Skarzynski, P., Gibson, R. (2008) Innovation to the Core: a blueprint for
transforming the way your company innovates, Harvard B.S. Publishing, Corp.
(9) Altshuller (1984) Creativity as an exact science; translated by Anthony Williams;
Gordon & Breach, Science Publishers, Inc.
(10) Keenan, D. (2005) New frontiers in nanomanufacturing. The NanoTechnology
Group.
(11) Bettencourt, L.A., Ulwick, A.W. (2008) The customer-centered innovation map,
Harvard Business Review, May 2008
(12) Domb, E. , Miller, J.(2006) Appliying the law of the completeness of a
technological system to formulate a problem, Triz Journal Jan 2007;
www.triz.journal.com

Jose M. Vicente-Gomila all mentioned brands are property of their respective owners and are mentioned for
explanation of the cases only.
(13) Verbitsky, M. (2002) Business TechOptimizer, Invention Machine User
Meeting, Bergamo , Italy.
(14) Smith, H. (2007) Process Innovation, A BPTrends Column, www.bptrends.com
(15) Barkan, M. (2009) Risk.Free Business Innovation, Triz Journal Jan 2009.
www.triz-journal.com
(16) http://www.bobbrooke.com /DigitalStudio/digitalhistory.htm
(17) http://www.elpais.com /articulo/red/Google/continua/cercando/Office/Microsoft/
elpeputec/20090205elpcibenr_3/Tes

About the author

Jose M. Vicente-Gomila an industrial superior engineer of background, learned about
TRIZ in 1995 and translated the book of Altshuller in 1997. He has got an original
letter of congratulations signed by G.S. Altshuller. Since that year is teaching to Spanish
technicians and Spanish speaking technicians of Countries as Spain, Mexico,
Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Costa Rica. Is TRIZ specialist level four MATRIZ
certified, and has applied TRIZ to a very diversified variety of leading companies.
Is founder of the company triz XXI since 1998 and assoc. professor of the Polytechnic
University of Valencia.
The author can be reached at [email protected]; www.triz.es

Jose M. Vicente-Gomila all mentioned brands are property of their respective owners and are mentioned for
explanation of the cases only.
 PARADIGM-BREAKING BUSINESS CONCEPT
INNOVATION USING TRIZ AND OTHER TREND
PREDICTION TOOLS

Simon Dewulf
CEO
CREAX n.v., Ieper, Belgium
Phone: +32 57 229480
Fax: +32 57 229481
E-mail: [email protected]

Darrell Mann
Systematic Innovation
Bristol, UK
Phone: +44 (1275) 337500
Fax: +44 (1275) 337509
E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT
Business concept innovation (BCI) is the process of re-inventing the way organisations
conduct their business. It is being cited as THE major success factor that will determine
whether organisations will be successful or not in the current economic climate of rapid
change and major uncertainty. At this point in time there is no theory underpinning how
organisations should actually ‘do’ BCI. The paper describes how derivatives of the
technology evolution trends uncovered by TRIZ researchers are being combined with
customer and market evolution trends to provide organisations, for the first time, with the
framework of a systematic business concept innovation methodology. The paper
illustrates the new capability through a number of real world case study examples.

INTRODUCTION
Business concept innovation (BCI) is the process of re-inventing the way organisations
conduct their business. It is being cited as THE major success factor that will determine
whether organisations will be successful or not in the current economic climate of rapid
change and major uncertainty. At this point in time there is no theory underpinning how
organisations should actually ‘do’ BCI. The paper describes how derivatives of the
technology evolution trends uncovered by TRIZ researchers are being combined with
customer and market evolution trends to provide organisations, for the first time, with the
framework of a systematic business concept innovation methodology.

The paper combines TRIZ findings with the work of leading BCI proponents (1, 2) to
demonstrate how TRIZ trends can be used to identify not only the ‘what’s, but the
‘where’ and ‘when’s of new ways for organisations to conduct their business. The five
crucial elements making this capability a practical reality are the TRIZ evolution trends
and corresponding understanding of the evolution towards ideality, their
business/strategic equivalent evolution towards ‘free, perfect and now’, recognition of
useful functions, understanding of the factors and dynamics that determine innovation
timing, and last and most important, the will, energy and commitment to see the
innovation through to a successful end – Figure 1.

Figure 1: Five Essentials of Successful Business Concept Innovation

Function
Trends
Management

Market
The Vital Link
Dynamics
Technology
Trends

Energy/Commitment
In placing the will, energy and commitment essential on one side, we record that the
predominant influencing factor in business evolution direction is determined by whether
the prevailing technology evolution precedes or lags behind customer expectations.
Where technology lags behind customer expectation (as in many service industries or the
design of many household products), the paper shows that the existing TRIZ technology
trends can be expected to play a major role in bridging the gap. Where technology
evolution exceeds the expectations of a significant number of customers – as may be seen
in a large number of case studies by Christensen (2) such as computer hard-drives, earth-
moving equipment and accounting software – and the market becomes ripe for the
emergence of ‘disruptive’ technology insertions, the paper shows how modified
definition and application of the TRIZ trends can also be used to develop potent BCI
solutions. We unfold the emerging BCI methodology through a series of case study
examples.
Technology Lagging Behind Customer Expectation
Previous articles in TRIZ Journal have discussed the subject of innovation timing (3).
The picture reproduced in Figure 2 serves to illustrate the frequently observed scenario in
which the fundamental limitations of a given solution become overtaken by customer
expectations. This situation results in an ‘administrative contradiction’ – the customer
knows what they want, but the system is unable to deliver it. This inadequacy of the
system relative to expectation is a vital innovation driver – and represents a significant
element of the ‘form follows failure’ thesis found in Henry Petroski’s excellent ‘The
Evolution of Useful Things’ book (4).

The characteristic of the customer expectation curve follows the trends suggested by the
Kano diagram and the inevitable shift of customer expectations as they become more
familiar with products. The Kano model tells us that while we used to be excited by the
idea of air-conditioning in a car, for example, we now almost take it for granted that the
car will have this facility. In a similar manner, the idea of in-car GPS is still seen as an
‘exciter’ – something that would actively delight us when we see it in the car. The rising
characteristic of the customer expectation line in this scenario (and reference 3 records
that it is particularly dominant in e-commerce based businesses) is in direct conflict with
the inherent limitations created by the s-curve characteristics of a system.

Figure 2: Common Innovation Driver I – Customer Need Exceeds Solution

Capability
Measure
Customer
of ‘Value’ Expectation
or
‘Ideality’

System
Capability
Innovation
demand
occurs here

Time

The expectation curve and the system capability s-curve are of course plotted as averages.
Particularly in the case of the customer expectation curve, this is a highly dangerous
assumption. The TRIZ management trend regarding market segmentation suggests that
organisations will increasingly have to plot these expectation pictures for every
individual customer (leaving one or two important mass-customisation contradictions to
be solved along the way!) if they are to truly understand the dynamics of when the
innovation demand occurs.

The emergence of the administrative contradiction in this ‘expectation exceeds

technology’ scenario meanwhile acts as the spur to innovation. The flattening of the top
of the s-curve is symptomatic of the presence of a limiting contradiction in the system.
The creation of a new or modified system that enables this s-curve to be lifted – i.e.
presents the customer with sufficiently high new level of ideality or value – will only
come about through resolution of a contradiction. This can be achieved through use of the
Contradictions part of TRIZ, or, using the Trends of Evolution – where, although over-
simplistic – it is possible to say that each new step along the trend patterns is a new s-
curve opportunity.

In this ‘expectation exceeds capability’ scenario, then, it is evident that the innovation-
timing question is answered by a definite ‘now’.

The real key to identification of this scenario is finding the administrative contradictions
where the customer expectation is hidden from view. A good example of this is the recent
emergence of pizza-boxes which are better able to keep delivery pizzas warm – this
following probably close to 10 years of customers apparently ‘accepting’ the fact that the
pizza that arrived on their doorstep was cold.

The two most useful tools to help identify these ‘hidden’ dis-satisfactions are QFD and a
variant of subversion analysis in which we might use provocations of the form ‘how
could a customer be unhappy with this product?’ or ‘who doesn’t buy our product, and
why?’.

Technology Exceeds Customer Expectation

Our thrust in this section now shifts to look at a different scenario connecting customer
expectation to solution capability – that of the case where solution capability exceeds
customer expectation (Figure 3). This scenario is the basis for much of the work reported
by Clayton Christensen in the essential ‘Innovator’s Dilemma’ book (2).

The central thrust and paradox of the Innovator’s Dilemma is that traditional ‘good’
management practice can lead organisations into big trouble when the solutions they offer
exceed the needs of their customers. In Christensen’s words, these situations lead to
opportunities for the entry into the market of ‘disruptive’ technologies. A disruptive
technology is essentially one which changes the prevailing business model. Historically
speaking, companies almost inherently fail to thrive (or often even survive) in situations
where the market is expecting less of a product than it is capable of delivering.

One of the aims of this paper is to encourage readers to think about possible disruptive
technology opportunities or threats in their business, and, more importantly, to show how
the TRIZ technology evolution trends are uniquely placed to help determine what the
‘right’ disruptive jumps might be.
 Figure 3: Common Innovation Driver II – Solution Capability Exceeds
Customer Need

Company R&D Direction

Measure
of ‘Value’
or ‘Inherent’
System Average of
‘Ideality’ Customer
Capability
Expectations

Disruptive innovation
opportunity
begins here

Time

Case Study – Earth-Moving Equipment

In realising that probably not all of our readers are interested in heavy earth-moving
equipment, we hope that everyone can nevertheless extract some useful learning points
from this discussion. Those that feel happier thinking about computer disc-drives or
accounting software or retail shopping or electric cars might like to explore the details
given for those cases given in Christensen’s book and see the uncanny parallels to the
earth-moving equipment case illustrated here.

Christensen details the evolution of earth-moving equipment from the original steam-
driven mechanical devices of the type illustrated in Figure 4 to the hydraulic machines
prevalent in today’s earth moving environment. The introduction of hydraulic machines
was indisputably ‘disruptive’ to the mechanical excavator business model.

To over-simplify grossly (and yet hopefully justifiably), the evolution of mechanical

excavators was largely driven by the manufacturers (initially correct) belief that their
markets were interested in moving ever greater amounts of earth per shovel load, and that
this was particularly so for their most profitable customers. Consequently ‘sound’
management practice meant that the evolution of mechanical excavators was targeted at
the earth-moving needs of the most profitable customers. As time went on, the industry
found that it was possible to make bigger and bigger machines capable of moving more
and more earth.
Figure 4: Mechanical Earth-Moving Equipment – Using Cables To Transmit
Loads

Further evolution of the earth movers to increase shovel load size, however, although
serving customers at the high end of the market began to exceed the requirements of
other customers to whom shovel size increase was not worth the increase in cost and
other down-sides that came attached to such big machines. These customers were
becoming ripe for a disruptive technology insertion.

They got one when JCB introduced the first hydraulically powered earthmovers in 1947.
The first hydraulic ‘backhoes’ were inferior to the cable-actuated mechanical machines in
just about every traditional performance measure used by the existing customer base: to
these (high profit generating) customers the new machine was not particularly attractive.
On the other hand, the new machines did offer a considerable number of new advantages,
not least of which was a whole new level of compactness, portability and flexibility of
operation, and a marked improvement in safety if something went wrong.

The new hydraulic machines thus carved themselves a whole new market of customers to
whom the new advantages outweighed the deficiencies of a smaller load carrying
capability. The new machines began to sell in large quantities, but principally to a newly
created customer base.

As is so often then the case, the revenues from this new customer base (albeit they were
still not sufficient to be of great interest to the established cable-activated machine
manufacturers – hence ‘good management practice’ said to ignore them) funded the
development of increasingly capable hydraulic systems. The hydraulic machine evolution
entered a phase where it was able to rapidly catch-up with the performance capabilities of
the mechanical machines. It did this whilst simultaneously preserving the advantages of
compactness, portability, flexibility and safety. In another highly reproducible evolution
pattern, the increasing capability of the hydraulic machines was happening at a rate
greater than the changing requirements of the customers with the highest earth-moving
requirements. Before too long the net value of the evolving hydraulic machines thus met
and exceeded both the customer expectation and the fundamental ideality limits of the
mechanical machines – Figure 5. As is so often the case, the disruptive technology
eventually won the day – and today the mechanical, cable actuated earthmovers are
restricted to very small niche applications.

The connection with TRIZ here is that it helps predict the evolution of systems, and in
this case, specifically suggests the evolution from mechanical to fluid-based systems.

Figure 5: How The Disruptive Technology Overcomes The Established

Technology

Incumbent Technology drives to

evolve away from average customer
To high-profit, high-performance customers
Measure
of ‘Value’ Increasing
or Capability
‘Ideality’ Of Disruptive
Technology

Average of
Customer
Expectations
Disruptive Technology
Becomes The Dominant
Player

The disruptive technology Time

emerges

The trend (Figure 6), in other words, could have been used to predict the eventual
dominance of the hydraulic systems over the mechanical. The trend, however, doesn’t
end with the hydraulic system; it suggests that these will eventually be overtaken by
field-based systems;
Figure 6: Partial View of TRIZ ‘Dynamization’ Trend

Fully Fluid or Field

Flexible Pneumatic Based
System System System

Seeing as the hydraulic backhoe (Figure 7) is the currently dominant earth-mover, we

might now switch from historical analysis to future prediction mode by using the TRIZ
trend alongside Christensen’s disruptive technology model to have a go at showing what
both together would tell us about the future of earth-moving:

Figure 7: Present Day Backhoe Earth Mover

Field-Based Earth Movers

As described in the Reference 5, the reasons systems jump from fluid to field based
solutions are various – increased reliability, increased design flexibility (positioning of
components), increased efficiency, increased controllability, increased safety, reduced
harm from leaks, etc.

As far as load-carrying capability is concerned, however, an electrically actuated backhoe

using the best of today’s electrical actuation capability will not match the earth-moving
performance of the hydraulic systems. The current customer base is thus unlikely to be
attracted to an electrical machine.

According to the disruptive technology model, the new electrically based earth mover
needs to find a new customer base to whom shovel load size performance is not as
important as some of the inherent benefits of shifting away from hydraulics if it is to
define a foundation from which to grow. Almost inherently, these customers don’t exist
today, or, if they do, they are highly unpredictable in terms of what they actually want.
Hypothetically, for an electrical earth-mover, they might include a growing market of
domestic users (see how the market for sit-on lawn-mowers evolved for example), or
anyone requiring to dig lots of small holes with as little human labour as possible – e.g.
cable companies – where the increased controllability and flexibility (i.e. the tool needs
connecting to the power source by a simple wire only) of an electrically operated system
would outweigh the reduced shovel-load performance. According to the model, these
applications will in the short term be less profitable than the high performance hydraulic
systems (which explains why the incumbent hydraulic companies are unlikely to be
interested – at least based on historical evidence).
The next part of the prediction then goes something along the lines that because the
electrical system is at the start of its evolutionary potential path, it doesn’t need nearly so
much investment to begin increasing the performance of the machines. Revenues from
the new customer base fund development of higher shovel load systems; the electrical
systems will then eventually become able to match the performance of the hydraulic
systems, while retaining the other flexibility, controllability, reliability, etc advantages
the hydraulic systems will never match – Figure 7.

Figure 7: Disruptive Technology Wins Because Technology Evolution

Commonly Exceeds Customer Expectation
Increasing
Capability
Measure Of Disruptive
of ‘Value’ Technology
or
‘Ideality’

Average of
Current Customer
Expectations

Time

Eventually, the electrical systems will achieve the performance capabilities of the
hydraulic systems, after which point, the days of hydraulics will be numbered.

THOUGHTS
Disruptive technologies usually ‘win’ because technology performance capability often
rises more quickly than customer expectations.
The disruptive technology is highly likely to be initially inferior in terms of the traditional
performance measures of the incumbent technology. The disruptive technology thus
usually has to find a new customer base to sustain it in the initial development stages.
The new customer base is unlikely to match the profitability of the existing market in the
short term. ‘Good management practice’ thus means the existing companies will not
exploit the new technology (NB Christensen’s book offers strategies to remedy this
problem – albeit they are almost inherently painful and come attached to a short term
drop in profit.)
The cycle repeats every time an established technology ‘grows’ away from the evolving
customer requirement.
When a customer’s appetite for ‘performance’ is sated, they will increasingly make
purchase decisions based on reliability, convenience and price – we will return to these
areas in future newsletter articles.
In the meantime, the major point of this paper is to implant readers with the vital
connection between the disruptive technology business model and the TRIZ evolution
trends. It is highly likely that the form of the disruptive technologies can and will be
predicted by TRIZ. Almost the absolute key to successful business concept innovation in
this ‘technology exceeds expectation’ scenario is the identification of the new markets
(and new players) that will suit the apparently ‘inferior’ disruptive product.
The Christensen example of electric cars being more likely to emerge from the industries
making golf-carts and milk-vans rather than any of the big car manufacturers is
particularly apposite in this BCI scenario. The more organisations look outside their
current self-imposed boundaries, the more likely it is that they will identify the threats,
and (in the case of the golf cart manufacturers) opportunities awaiting those who can spot
the discontinuities. Reference 7 discusses this side of the equation in more detail.
To a large extent, four of the five essential elements of successful business concept
innovation – technology trends, business trends, function and market dynamics are all in
place. Whether the same will one day be able to be said about the fifth element is more
debatable.

Final Thought - Relationship to TRIZ

It is perhaps interesting to examine TRIZ in the context of this ‘disruptive technology’
model. In many senses, in the West, TRIZ presents a richness that is considerably in
advance of the expectations of most organisations. Whether this apparent ‘over-
capability’ of TRIZ is genuine or due to the mis-selling and poor placement by the TRIZ
community, it is not surprising to see the emergence of simplified versions like SIT. The
community would do well to heed the warnings of the Christensen model.

REFERENCES
1) Hamel, G., ‘Leading The Revolution’, Harvard Business School Press, 1999.
2) Christensen, C.M., ‘The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great
Firms To Fail’, Harvard Business School Press, 1997.
3) Mann, D.L., Domb, E., ‘Using TRIZ to Overcome Business Contradictions:
Profitable E-Commerce, TRIZ Journal, April 2001.
4) Petroski, H., ‘The Evolution of Useful Things’, Vintage Books, 1994.
5) CreaTRIZ V2.1, Advanced Trends Tab, www.creax.com
6) CREAX Newsletter, ‘Problems and Opportunities’, www.creax.com/newsletter,
October 2001
 TriS Europe
Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

TRIZ and Innovation Management

Dr.-Ing. Pavel Livotov

Innovative Product Development and

Theory of Inventive Problem Solving
Pavel Livotov, Ph.D.,
author of more than 70 patented
inventions and 30 publications,
TRIZ experience since 1981,
co-founder and member of the Executive Board
of the European TRIZ Association ETRIA.
Founder and General Manager of
TriSolver Consulting and TriS Europe GmbH
E-mail: [email protected]

Content

Preface ....................................................................................................................... 2
Origin and Components of TRIZ ................................................................................. 4
Principles for the Resolving of Technical Contradictions ............................................ 7
System of 76 Standards for Technical Problem Solving ........................................... 11
Algorithm for Inventive Problem Solving ARIZ .......................................................... 14
Database of Technological Effects ........................................................................... 18
Computer Aided Innovation CAI ............................................................................... 19
Anticipatory Quality Control using TRIZ .................................................................... 20
TRIZ for Business and Management ........................................................................ 22
Success Potential of TRIZ and CAI .......................................................................... 26
Implementation of TRIZ and CAI in Companies ....................................................... 27
Contradiction-oriented ways of thinking .................................................................... 28
Literature .................................................................................................................. 29

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Preface
TRIZ innovation technology is regarded today as the most comprehensive, sys-
tematically organized invention knowledge and creative thinking methodology known
to man.

TRIZ has the following advantages over traditional innovation supporting methods:
• Marked increase in creative productivity.
• Rapid acceleration in the search for inventive and innovative solutions.
• Scientifically founded approach to the forecasting of the evolution of technological
systems, products and processes.

R&D QM

TRIZ
Value
Innovation
Engineering

Marketing Business

[Fig.1] Application fields of TRIZ

The right integration of TRIZ into Innovation Management enables companies to

utilise the full potential of TRIZ for following tasks and application fields:

• Conceptual development of new products, processes und business strategies.

• Forecasting of the evolution of technological systems, products, processes.
• Inventive and technical problem solving.
• Comprehensive search for solutions and protection of company expertise with
patent ‘fences’.
• Evaluation of the hidden wants and needs of the customer; customer-driven
market segmentation.
• Anticipatory failure identification and troubleshooting of new and existing
products.
• Advanced solutions for idea and knowledge management.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Nowadays, companies have to deal with many things simultaneously. They

constantly have to develop new products and services to strengthen their market
position and win new markets with innovative ideas. Today it is not enough to satisfy
the customer. Customers want to be ‘excited’. Only those companies that meet these
high demands will be able to keep their customers in the long run.

The so-called ‘excitement elements’ and new product features can be accurately and
quickly predicted with the help of the evolution patterns of technical systems as the
most important TRIZ component. The conventional and modern methods of market
research are effectively assisted by TRIZ in the analysis of future market
requirements.

As a further development of the QFD method (Quality Function Deployment), the real
but often hidden expectations of the customers can be determined and the most
effective product features defined. Having completed this phase, the TRIZ tools can
now considerably help to implement the required features into the new technical
solutions and the innovative product. Such a systematic linking of marketing and
TRIZ know-how can lead to a unique market position.

[Fig.2] Linking Marketing and Engineering

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Origin and Components of TRIZ

Origin of TRIZ

TRIZ is the internationally acknowledged Russian abbreviation for Teorija Resenija

Isobretatelskih Zadac, which can be translated as the Theory of Inventive Problem
Solving, also shortened to TIPS.

TRIZ was developed between 1960 and 1980 by the Russian scientist Genrich
Altshuller (1926-1998) and his staff (first publication in 1956). In contrast to the common
“trial and error” problem solving methods such as brainstorming, synectics,
morphological analysis etc., TRIZ only relies on the unbiased laws of evolution of
technical systems and therefore enables a focussed search for possible solutions. The
discovery and structuring of these laws, as well as other TRIZ components, has been
the result of the study and analysis of globally available patents over a period of several
decades.

In the 1990’s, TRIZ technology became very popular, particularly in the USA, and was
used by a large number of renowned companies such as General Motors, Johnson &
Johnson, Ford Motors, Lockheed, Motorola, Procter & Gamble, Rockwell Int., and Xerox
etc. It also gained favour amongst German companies including DaimlerChrysler,
Siemens, Mannesmann, Hilti, BMW, Bosch and many others.

Technical Contradictions

What TRIZ essentially does is identify, exaggerate and eliminate technical and physical
contradictions in technical systems and processes instead of trying to find a “half-
hearted” compromise.

The term “technical contradiction“ (TC) – is the key to the TRIZ concept. A TC
represents two contradictory properties of a technical system: improving one part or
property of a machine (e.g. engine power) automatically changes another property for
the worse (e.g. weight or fuel consumption). According to TRIZ, a problem is solved
only if a TC is recognized and eliminated. So-called ‘habitual blindness’, psychological
inertia and the all too common tendency to make compromises are all overcome in a
logical way. Not only is the scope of the search considerably reduced in size even in the
most difficult of cases, TRIZ also opens up completely new ways of thinking.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

TRIZ Components

The most important components in TRIZ innovation technology can be summarised in

the illustration below. The simpler methods, for example, the 40 inventive principles, can
be integrated more easily to be used as active tools but have some restrictions as to
their efficiency in solving complex problems. The following Table and Fig. 2 show the
TRIZ structure and the paths between the individual methods with regard to the different
ways of solving technical problems.

[Table 1] The most important components of TRIZ

No. TRIZ – tools, methods Fields of application

40 Inventive Principles for eliminating technical Simple to moderately difficult
1 contradictions; system of their application in form otasks, recommended for
the Contradictions Table. newcomers to TRIZ.
System of 76 Standards for solving technical
2 Simple to difficult tasks.
problems: 5 classes / 76 Standards.
Step-by-step techniques or algorithms for inventiveExtremely difficult problems,
3 problem solving (abbr.: ARIZ). Universal tool for comprehensive search for
solving all kinds of problems. solutions.
4 Substance-Field analysis of technical systems. Tools for methods nos. 2 and 3.
Separation principles for eliminating physical
5 ARIZ tool (no.3).
contradictions.
6 Methods for analysing of system resources. Tool for nos.2 and 3.
Database of physical, chemical, geometrical and TRIZ knowledge base; tools for
7
other effects and their technical applications. components nos. 1 to 5.
Methods to increase creative thinking, to reduce
psychological inertia and to “leave beaten tracks”: Psychological aids for all TRIZ
8
operator DTC (dimensions-time-cost), simulation components.
with “Little People” etc.
Method of Anticipatory Failure Identification (AFI) i Analysis and prediction of possib
9
technical systems. sources of failures.
Prediction for the development of
10 Patterns of evolution of technical systems (TS). technical systems, creation of
patent fences.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

[Fig. 2] TRIZ structure for solving technical problems

Patterns of Evolution of Technical Systems

Patterns of evolution of technical system (TS) are at the heart of TRIZ innovation
technology. Some of the most important ones are:

• Evolution or life cycle of a TS.

• Completeness and minimal functionality of all parts of the TS.
• Flow capability of energy and information inside the TS.
• Increase in Ideality (e.g. cost-to-performance ratio).
• Co-ordination and synchronisation of the system dynamics in a TS.
• Transition of a TS to the super-system and from the macro level to the micro level.
• Increase in controllability and flexibility of TS.

Practical applications of these laws are to be found in the various TRIZ tools, in the
comprehensive search of solutions and creation of protecting patent fences or in the
revealing of the market niches for new products. They are also strategic tools for the
analysis of stages in a development and the prediction of the evolution of technical
systems.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Principles for the Resolving of Technical Contradictions

40 Inventive Principles

The analysis of several thousand patents led to the conclusion that inventive tasks and
technical contradictions from all kinds of industrial branches could be solved by a limited
number of basic principles (techniques). Modern TRIZ contains 40 basic Inventive
Principles. Here are some examples:

11. Principle of the “safety cushion in advance” (preventative measure).

18. Principle of the utilization of mechanical vibration.
22. Principle of the conversion of harmful influences into beneficial ones.
27. Principle of disposability (using of cheap short-livings objects).
28. Replacement of the mechanical system.
35. Transformation of the physical and chemical properties.

Contradiction Table

The application of these principles takes place in a matrix called a Contradiction Table
with 39 lines and 39 columns (see Fig. 3). The 39 engineering input parameters are the
most important characteristics of technical systems:

• Mass, length, volume.

• Reliability.
• Speed.
• Temperature.
• Waste (loss) of material.
• Accuracy of measurement.
• Accuracy of manufacturing.
• Convenience of use; etc.

These parameters appear in the table as the properties of a technical contradiction and
help to formulate a technical contradiction in a system in standardized terms, for
example:

• Speed vs. Reliability

• Mass vs. Strength
• Temperature vs. Accuracy of measurement etc.

As a result of the analysis of the many hundred thousand patents the table shows the
inventive principles which are most likely to resolve the formulated technical
contradiction. Even though not all of the cells of the Contradiction Table are filled in, it
still gives solution principles for more than 1200 types of technical contradictions,
substantially reducing the scope of the search to only the most appropriate solution
concepts.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Which properties of 1 ... 27 28 ... 39

the system change

Mass of the moving

for the worse?

measurement
Accuracy of

Produktivity
Reliability
object
Properties ... ...
of the system
to be modified
or improved
Mass of the moving 3, 11 28,27 35, 3
1
object 1, 27 35,26 24,37

... ...
2, 28 11,35 28,32
9 Speed
13,38 27,28 1, 24
8, 1 3, 35 35,10 3, 28
10 Force
37,18 13,21 23,24 35,37

... ...
35,26 1, 35 1, 10
39 Productivity
24,37 10,38 34,28

[Fig.3] Search for Solution Principles using the Contradiction Table (detail)

Examples

At speeds of over 60mph, the risk of serious car accidents due to a tyre damage
is greatly increased. This already formulates a technical contradiction and can
directly be put into the table: increasing the speed of the vehicle (row 9) has a
negative influence on the reliability of its running gear (column 27). Looking up
the intersection of row 9 and column 27 (table cell 9/27), we find the following
solutions in the following order of priority: 11, 35, 27, 28 (see illustration).
According to principle 11, the insufficient reliability is to be compensated for by
the pre-installation of damage prevention equipment. A possible solution would
be to fix a steel disk behind each rim, which in the case of a tyre damage, keeps
the car in a level position, thus reducing the risk of a serious accident (US Pat.
2879821).

Another example of the principle no. 11 “safety cushion in advance” is to be

found in the pharmaceutical industry. Sleeping pills are covered with a thin film of
an emetic substance. If more than the prescribed number of pills is swallowed at
one time, the concentration of the emetic substance reaches a threshold value in
the stomach, which then provokes vomiting.

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 TriS Europe
Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Magic of Contradiction Matrix

Holding no less power of attraction is the Contradiction Matrix, as a method of using the
40 principles. As known, the Matrix - as a result of about 7 years of investigation work –
delivers an approach on how to select the best principles to resolve one specific
technical contradiction, in order to reduce the trial-and-error work involved in applying all
40 principles.

In spite of the fact that in TRIZ cradle - Russia even in the 1980’s the Matrix was no
longer the most recommended of strong TRIZ tools, a lot of attempts to improve this
empirical and early TRIZ method are still known nowadays:

• Adding/reducing the number of lines or columns,

• Changing the titles of 39 technical parameters,
• Up-dating the matrix cells or filling the «empty» matrix cells,
• «Customising» matrix:
The user can re-invent the matrix according their experience,
• Other mathematical experiments, up to random choice of matrix cells etc.

Although such attempts are being undertaken with the best intentions, they do not
contribute to TRIZ significantly, neither practically nor theoretically. Also, the best and
fullest matrix would not guarantee the solution of difficult problem. Not the Matrix but the
Principles are crucial for problem solving. They are good to enhance technical creativity
but only scratch the surface of the problem in complicated situations.

In practice one should warn all newcomers to TRIZ about «blind trust» to the Matrix.
One can remember the earlier experience of using the matrix in Russia, still in printed
form: the pointer often unintentionally hit the false matrix cell, but nevertheless it did
work.

For the matrix-fans we recommend hence formulating several contradictions for one
problem situation, forming a set of recommended principles and as the next step using
those principles which were recommended more than once. The correct application of
the matrix in this case gives a small number of principles, which were recommended
3…8 times (e.g. principles N.35 - 8 times; N.5 - 5 times, N.19 - 3 times etc.), and a
longer «tail» of principles which were recommended only once. In any case this
approach helps to understand and to document the bundle of underlying technical
contradictions in the system that may be of high importance for problem analysis.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Longevity of 40 Principles

Although formulated about 30 years ago, the 40 Altshuller’s Innovation Principles have
remained till now the most popular and usable TRIZ tool. How could it happen that the
Principles, suitable only for simple to moderately difficult tasks [Altshuller, Creativity as
an exact science, 1979] and good for newcomers to TRIZ, are still playing such
important role in industrial TRIZ practice? As a seemingly «inevitable» piece of TRIZ
classics, one can find them - sometimes slightly modified - almost in every modern TRIZ
book or software. A lot of researchers and practitioners since the 1970’s till now have
been inspired to re-invent, improve or up-date the Altshuller’s work, for example:

• To modify principles for management and organisational tasks (Voronkov , 1973)

• To create double «direct-reverse» principles (Flikstein, 1973)
• To add new principles or sub-principles (Polovinkin, 1976)
• To adapt the principles for radio-electronics (Gutkin, 1976)
• To simplify principles or to reduce their number,
• To adapt principles for food, science, architecture, software, advertising etc.

The reason for such «affection» for the principles is obvious: principles are simple to
use or modify and can be easily integrated in brainstorming or daily engineer’s work.
One established part of industrial practice is the composition of the specific groups of
principles for solving different kinds of problems, for example:

• Statistically most often usable principles for general problems

(Principles 35, 10, 1, 28…)
• Most suitable principles for solving product design problems
• Principle sets for cost reduction or system evolution
• Customized principle sets etc.

We gained some more objective reasons for the longevity and attractiveness of the 40
principles through a scientific analysis of innovation and invention process in about 100
German companies in 2000-2002 [see Proceedings of the ETRIA Conference TRIZ
Future 2003, Strasbourg, Nov. 2002]. This investigation confirmed the fact that although
the importance of systematic and directed problem-solving and innovation in the
industry is high, the level of satisfaction with the existing methods and processes is also
relatively high. Hence there is no broad natural impulse to use more effective and
comprehensive TRIZ methods in general, at least in daily work.

We have found that about 52% of all technical problems in the industry are being solved
through corporate technical know-how and common sense. The next 37% of problems
can be cracked with simple creativity methods such as brainstorming and morphological
analysis or with the help of direct feature or technology transfer from other technology
fields. For both these segments the engineers’ work and creativity can be enhanced
effectively by relatively simple TRIZ-methods, i.e. 40 principles. For the mighty TRIZ
methodology there remains only 11% of all problems.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

System of 76 Standards for Technical Problem Solving

76 Standards Solutions

The 40 inventive principles and the Contradiction Table are the simplest TRIZ tools. The
analysis of more complex tasks revealed that they could only be solved by the
simultaneous use of several such principles, together with various physical effects.
Such a particularly effective combination of principles and effects forms the system of
Standard solutions of inventive tasks.

TRIZ Standards are general laws for the synthesis and transformation of technical
systems (TS). They are based on the patterns of evolution of TS. Some of the
Standards directly represent the practical application of these laws. The modern system
of Standards leads to structured and highly systematic working methods and can further
be used to analyse the technical evolution of the systems and products. It consists of 76
Standards, which are classified into 5 classes and 18 groups:

• Class 1: Synthesis and transformation of the technical systems.

• Class 2: Enhancement of efficiency of the technical systems.
• Class 3: Stages of evolution of the technical systems.
• Class 4: Measurement and detection in technical systems.
• Class 5: Assistance in the application of the Standards.

Substance-Field Analysis

The Standards operate with abstract models of technical systems, which are easy to
build using so-called substance-field analysis. Each technical system can be described
in terms of available substances, fields and their interaction. “Substances” are objects or
parts of the system regardless of their degree of complexity. The term “field” not only
covers the four classical physical fields such as electromagnetic field, gravitational field
and the fields of strong and weak nuclear interaction. In TRIZ, the term “field” also
includes all other forms of “technical” fields such as the field of temperature, field of
centrifugal force, pressure field, the acoustic field, field of smell, etc.

Example 1

The minimal number of components for a complete substance-field model of a

technical system is two substances and one field, which form a triangle through
their interaction. Once a substance-field model has been formulated, a suitable
standard solution can be suggested as illustrated in the following example.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Metal balls are transported by compressed air through a system of pipes, which
has many bends. As a result of the continuous impacting of the balls, the bends
of the pipe ware quickly. Additional coatings (a typical compromise solution) have
a higher resistance to the balls but still wear. This means that

between two substances of a technical system (balls and pipe), there is an

harmful interaction, which has to be eliminated.

To eliminate such harmful effects in technical systems, Class 1 standards are used. A
possible solution is detailed in Standard 1.2.2 “Eliminating harmful effects by system
resources” (see illustration):

“If the contact of two substances S1 and S2 leads to harmful effects, a third substance
S3 is to be introduced as a modification of one or both of the existing substances”.

[Fig. 4] Substance-field transformation of the standard solution 1.2.2

The result is shown below. The inside of the pipe bend is lined with a layer of the same
type of balls. They are either positioned in a pocket or, alternatively, are held in place by
a permanent magnet. The stream of balls no longer hits the walls of the pipe but rather
the other balls instead. If one of the balls is knocked out of place, another replaces it.
The technical contradiction is resolved: there is no more wear of the pipe bends.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

[Fig. 5] Illustration of a Standard application

Example 2

Using the same principle, a problem from another field of industry can be solved.
The wings of hydrofoils are often subject to cavitation erosion when passing
through water at high speeds. Small imploding air bubbles gradually destroy the
hydrofoil’s wings, even if they are made of highly resistant material. There is
obviously a harmful interaction between two substances: water and metal, which
can be eliminated using the Standard mentioned above by modifying one of the
substances present in the process. If we think of ice and vapour as a kind of
“modified water”, one of the possible solutions could be found: the part of the
hydrofoil wing in question is cooled to a degree where a thin protective,
constantly renewable layer of ice is formed.

These examples clearly demonstrate the advantages of modifying one of the existing
substances in the process rather than introducing a third substance, which in most
cases, leads to further complications.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Algorithm for Inventive Problem Solving ARIZ

ARIZ Procedures

The algorithm for inventive problems solving (abbr.: ARIZ) is the most universal and
powerful step-by-step TRIZ method for the solving of all kinds of problems, starting with
the analysis of the problem and the system resources and concluding with the
evaluation of all possible solutions. It is normally used if the 40 Inventive Principles or
Standards don’t provide a satisfactory result. ARIZ helps the user to:

• analyse a problem,
• recognise technical contradictions,
• formulate the ideal final result,
• identify the physical contradictions on which the problem is based and then to
resolve them.

These main procedures in ARIZ will be further demonstrated by an example. The full
ARIZ process (TriS Version) comprises 9 stages with around 70 steps.

[Fig. 6] Main stages of the Inventive Algorithm ARIZ

Example

Initial Situation
The first stage when using ARIZ is to analyse the initial situation and to formulate
the problem. In the manufacture of seamless tubes, a hot cylindrical billet (tube)
is pierced by a pointed forming tool (piercing plug). The tube is supported and
rotated by rollers. After the insertion of the piercing plug into the hot tube, it often
starts to wander inside the tube. The problem is aggravated as the length of the
tubes is increased, up to a value of 6 m or more. How can the wandering of the
plug be eliminated?

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

cylindrical billet

forming tool

[Fig. 7] Using ARIZ to solve a problem

Formulation of the Technical Contradiction

The technical contradiction is as follows: with the increasing length of the tube
(desired result), the support for the piercing plug decreases. As a result, the
accuracy in the manufacture and dimensioning of the tube decreases (undesired
effect). At this stage, an effort to resolve the technical contradiction with the help
of the Contradiction Table or the system of Standards could be made.

Formulation of the Ideal Final Result

The Ideal Final Result (IFR) for the problem solution would be like this: an
infinitely long tube supports and guides the piercing plug precisely into its centre.
The technical contradiction is amplified by such a formulation. The IFR is
targeting now the perfect solution. Every technical contradiction has definite
physical reasons, which are described in the following stage.

Formulation of the Physical Contradiction

To accomplish the IFR, the tube has to have two mutually exclusive physical
properties: on the one hand it has to be hard to support itself and the piercing
plug, and on the other hand it has to be soft to allow the piercing plug to
penetrate into its centre.

This represents a physical contradiction. To resolve it, ARIZ uses the Separation
Principles for resolving physical contradictions, the Class 5 Standards as well as
a database of more than 1000 physical, chemical and geometrical effects.

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Separation Principles
One of the simplest methods for resolving physical contradictions is to separate
the controversial properties either in time or space, using the Separation
Principles. The tube has to be hard, particularly on the outside, but soft on the
inside. All that now has to be done is to search the database for a physical effect
that can influence the hardness of the steel.

Utilisation of System Resources

Before “external” means are applied, it is always favourable to first thoroughly
analyse the system’s “internal” resources (substance, fields, time, space,
information, function) and use them wherever possible to solve the problem.
Such an analysis is one of the most important stages in ARIZ.

Resolving of the Physical Contradiction

The hardness of the material is a function of the temperature. As the tube is
heated anyway to allow the piercing plug to penetrate it, all the system requires is
a suitable distribution of the heat: cold on the outside and hot towards the centre.
This can easily be achieved by spraying the tube with cold water. The piercing
plug now automatically takes the easiest route – towards the warmest and
therefore softest point in the tube, i.e. exactly in the middle.

Comprehensive Search for Solutions with ARIZ

The case illustrated above represents a very simplified example for the application of
ARIZ. In reality, practically every problem consists of several technical and physical
contradictions. One of the significant advantages of ARIZ application for the industry is
the possibility of systematically defining the complete search field for a concrete
technical system (TS) or task.

The systematic resolving of these using ARIZ procedures normally leads to a large
number of solutions being suggested (generally between 30 to 100). The entire scope of
the search can be completely described through this approach, and made transparent
to the user as well. The result is a unique opportunity for a comprehensive and
systematic search for solutions in accordance with defined priorities.

An important role here is played by the first part of the method - Problem Analysis with
following elements:
• System components and function analysis
• System resources, existing solution principles and anticipated results
• System levels from the sub- to super-systems and definition of the search field
• Technical conflicts - decomposition of the initial situation to particular problems

As an initial problem situation in a technical systems (TS) usually consists of several

particular problems or technical conflicts, the conflicting system components or several
conflicting pairs (CP) can be identified (Fig. 8).

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

A conflicting pair consists of components of the TS, whose interaction is responsible for
causing a negative property or undesired effect. The conflicting pairs represent all
relevant interactions and problems within the technical system.

The sequence of their analysis, according to their importance and beginning with most
important particular problem, should be defined for the further problem solving process.
After the analysis of the core CP was initially chosen, all other conflicting pairs are then
subsequently analysed for the comprehensive search for solutions.

For each conflicting pair several technical contradictions, ideal final results and physical
contradictions on the macro and micro level are to be formulated. Due to this approach,
a complete search tree with typically more than 100 formal physical problems could be
created and solved with the known tools and separation principles as shown in the Fig.
8. The TriSIDEAS software supports a multi-path computer-aided application of the
method and all TRIZ-principles, standards and checklists including contradiction matrix,
effects pointer and main 22 lines of evolution as well.

[Fig. 8] Graph of the comprehensive search for solutions

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Database of Technological Effects

Many perfect technical solutions are based on the combination of physical, chemical,
geometrical and other effects. Many times though, engineers do not have a reliable link
between the practical task and physics. This shortcoming is solved with the TRIZ
database of effects.

For each desired action or operation, which is demanded by a physical contradiction,

there is a list of corresponding effects and practical examples as illustrated in the table
below. Almost every effect in the database has an input and output cell, naming the
effect and the result that can be achieved by applying it, e.g. thermo-mechanical effect
or mechanical-electrical effects. This allows the combination of different effects to solve
complex tasks.

[Table 2] Fragment of the database of physical effects

Desired Effect Physical Effects, Methods

Electromagnetic induction, eddy currents, skin effect, dielectrica

Increasing temperatur heating, thermo-electric effects, exothermic reactions,
absorption of radiation, etc.

Ultrasound, cavitation, diffusion, electrolysis, electrophoresis,

Mixing of materials,
magnetic fields in combination with ferromagnetic substances,
forming of solutions
electric fields, geometrical effects, etc.

Changing the Thermo-mechanical effects (thermal expansion, memory of

dimensions of an metals), deformation, magneto-electrical striction, piezoelectric
object effect, phase change, chemical reactions etc.

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 TriS Europe
Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Computer Aided Innovation CAI

Origin of Computer Aided Innovation

After the introduction of TRIZ into the USA in the early 1990’s, its techniques and
databases were used as the basis of innovation software, as well as being modified for
computer-based applications. This was the birth of a new field of technical engineering -
Computer Aided Innovation, CAI.

Advantages of CAI

The different TRIZ components have to be used according to the complexity of the task.
In practice, it has been shown that provable results can only be achieved by users who
have knowledge of at least 10-15% of the whole potential of TRIZ, without having to
consult a handbook or an electronic thesaurus.

In other words, it is not the computer programs that do all the thinking or deliver
inventions at the click of a mouse button. They assist the qualified user in solving
technical problems and developing ingenious new products by providing contradictive
thinking methods, TRIZ tools and the patterns of evolution of technical systems. The
CAI software then accelerates the innovation process and ensures the quality of
possible solutions.

[Fig.9] Web-based software package TriSIDEAS organizes innovation as a

controllable process, making innovation success predictable and repeatable.

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 TriS Europe
Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Anticipatory Quality Control using TRIZ

Anticipatory Failure Identification AFI

New production methods and systems often only achieve an acceptable standard of
reliability after a large number of breakdowns. Therefore, methods of anticipatory
failure identification are growing in importance. They help to determine the risk of
potential breakdowns even when the experience is lacking.

The TRIZ tool for anticipatory failure identification, AFI for short, is an effective and
creative method. Amongst the most important applications for this method are the
analysis of previous breakdowns which have happened for no apparent reason, as
well as the prediction of hidden sources of potential breakdown scenarios or damage.

AFI Procedures

The general procedures of the AFI method can be performed with or without the aid
of software and are made up of the following main stages:

• Inverting the task: “What actions will definitely cause a system to fail?” With this
method sources of errors are systematically “generated” using both the whole
potential of TRIZ and the checklists of typical faults.
• Functions are not only analysed as to whether they are performed or not, but also
whether they might be excessively or incompletely carried out.
• Sources of errors are taken to the theoretical extreme. Resources from the
system and the surroundings are utilised with the occurrence of each fault.
• After re-inverting the task, TRIZ tools for the development of fault-avoidance
measures are used. This approach helps to overcome the general tendency to
accept compromises.

FMEA Supplementation

The anticipatory failure identification can effectively supplement existing quality

control methods such as FMEA method (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis),
HAZOP/PAAG (Hazard and Operability Analysis) or be integrated into other methods
(Fig.10)

The AFI method prevents “mental blockages” and motivates the user to find new,
inventive solutions. The method is so effective that the user are sometimes frustrated
by the large number of errors identified in technical system (machines, procedures
etc.) and it amazes them that the system had worked at all in the first place. This is
quite normal, since the sources of errors are only possible sources of errors. The
engineers’ job then is to prevent these identified errors from happening, as is
illustrated in the example below.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Example of the AFI Method

When analysing the probability of faults occurring in waterproof electrical and

electronic circuits using the classic FMEA method, hardly any consideration is
given to the possibility that the individual system components could be
exposed to moisture, and thus fail. Such a risk is generally regarded as highly
improbable.

This is not the case however when AFI methods are utilised. Even if a circuit
were thought to be completely waterproof, various ways of how moisture could
enter the ‘protected’ area would be found. One of the possible connections to
the external surroundings is, in this case, through cables or insulated
conductors. Very often there is a thin layer of woven material under the
insulation, which can carry the moisture along its fibres through capillary
action. The ‘subversive’ capillary effect can be further aggravated by voltage.

Methods for Failure Prevention

Search for
Fault and
hidden faults Application Check- HAZOP/
event FMEA AFI
depending on field lists PAAG
trees
difficulty
Causes of
Analysis of
inexplicable
3 random
failures and
critical faults
accidents

Failure modes New products

3 by lack of and
experience technologies

Hidden failure
Reinforced
modes and
2 quality
chains of
assurance
failures

Standard
Typical failure
1 quality
modes
assurance

[Fig. 10] Overview of methods for failure prevention and risk analysis.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

TRIZ for Business and Management

TRIZ for Executives

Applying the TRIZ ‘thinking’ tools of inventive problem solving in engineering

successfully replaces the unsystematic trial-and-error method in the search for
solutions in the everyday life of engineers and developers. The majority of
organisational management decisions made by the executives and managing
directors however are still based on their intuition and personal experience. Therefore
often complex contexts are extremely simplified, alternatives ignored, constraints
avoided, risk not evaluated correctly and resources, knowledge and potentials not
utilised for the best problem solving at the right time.

This is part of the reason for the growing demand from management people for
systematic and powerful thinking tools, which assist the executives processing the
information and making the right decisions in time.

The TRIZ Innovation Technology offers such thinking tools. TRIZ knowledge and
professional TRIZ application experience together with TRIZ-based thinking for
management tasks helped to identify the technology tools which come into play:
ƒ TRIZ tools, such as Innovation Principles for Business and Management as well
as Separation Principles for resolving organisational contradictions and conflicts,
for example.
ƒ Substance-Field Analysis for visualizing highly complex systems.
ƒ Procedures and checklists of the anticipatory failure identification for prediction
and evaluation of risks.
ƒ Operators for revealing and utilising system resources as a basis for effective and
cost-saving decisions.
ƒ Patterns of evolution of technical systems to support systematic and multi-
dimensional thinking.

Components of the Thinking Structure

If agreement is obtained that management decisions should be based on more

methodology, the TRIZ knowledge base along with its analytic methods can
effectively be used. TRIZ for business and management basically use these five
components:

1. Identification and theoretical exaggeration of conflicts

Non-technical conflicts such as organisational or administrative contradictions
and conflicts on different levels (personnel, team, company area, entire
company, branch of industry etc.) should be identified, theoretically
exaggerated and then solved in the next stages. The desired result is to
substantially decrease or even eliminate all negative tendencies and features,
while at the same time keeping and intensifying all positive and useful factors.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

2. A positive attitude towards complexity

Instead of simplifying complex combinations and interactions when analysing
a task, the TRIZ methodology allows even highly complex and multi-
dimensional interconnections to be clearly explained. The complexity of a task
itself becomes the prerequisite to finding the best solution.

3. Consideration of patterns of evolution

The hierarchic and systematic consideration and evolutionary development of
the conflicting entities and factors play an important role in the analysis and
evaluation of possible decisions. Further TRIZ evolutionary criteria such as
adaptability, controllability and periodic occurrences complete the systematic
approach to the problem.

4. Anticipatory evaluation of risks

Decisions and strategies are tested by the method of the Anticipatory Failure
Identification. The strength of this method is to find weaknesses within the
proposed management solution by systematically trying to “prove them
wrong”. All available resources are utilised deliberately to cause the concept
failure. Hidden risks of a decision are effectively revealed and can be avoided
in further steps.

5. Utilisation and expansion of resources and knowledge

The central function of knowledge and idea management is to utilise the
personal and collective knowledge in time, to broaden the boundaries of
knowledge and to provide timesaving access to knowledge and idea pools.
The TRIZ database with its many thousands of effects and examples offers a
solid basis for the effective knowledge management.

The process for problem solving in business and management

For the first step a non-technical problem should be formulated in terms of a conflict
or contradiction with positive and negative aspects similar to the technical
contradiction. This conflict can then be strengthened in terms of deepened physical
contradiction. By using the 12 double innovation principles or the separation
principles for the deepened conflicts the problem can be overcome.

The amount of generated ideals is considerably faster and higher compared with the
solutions managers usually come up with. Especially for critical cases a problem
solving process with the following main phases is suggested: Function and Conflict
Analysis, Mobilisation of Resources, Generating of Ideas, Evaluating of the Results
and Anticipatory Risk Analysis (Fig. 12).

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 TriS Europe
Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Situation Definition Function Conflict Mobilising Generating Anticipa-

and of goals analysis analysis of of ideas tory
problem and resources risk
analysis search analysis
field

[Fig. 12] The process for problem solving in business and management

12 innovation principles for business and management

The 12 double principles for Business and Management (Table 3) assist the user
resolving organisational contradictions and conflicts. They broaden the individual
experiences and intuition of the manager and in addition help them to quickly
formulate several different approaches to difficult situations.

Each principle represents two contradictory lines of action, which have to be taken
into consideration when searching for solutions. There is no recommendation as to
which action is the more suitable. The user is thus stimulated to think in a dialectic
and creative way.

[Table 3] 12 Principles for solving organizational tasks in business and management

1. Combination – Separation 8. Action - Reaction

2. Symmetry – Asymmetry 9. Continuous action – Interrupted
3. Homogeneity – Diversity action
4. Expansion – Reduction 10. Partial action – Excessive action
5. Mobility – Immovability 11. Direct action – Indirect action
6. Consumption – Regeneration 12. Preliminary action – Preliminary
counteraction
7. Standardisation – Specialisation

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 TriS Europe
Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Example
In companies quite often problems arise due to difficulties in communication.
As an example the communication lack between a highly technically
competent and thus important individual and the rest of the staff can be used.
The resulting personal conflicts then have a negative effect upon the
productivity and the working climate. Here are some suggestions using the
principles as to how to defuse the problem:

Principle 1. Combination - Separation:

• “Isolate” the person for the staff to avoid direct contact and organize a
central counsellor.
• Arrange for the “difficult” person to work at home or to have flexitime.
• Set up a database or an Expert System to make the expertise of the
person available to others.

Principle 2. Symmetry - Asymmetry:

• Reduce asymmetry in company expertise; internally train or hire several
experts.

Principle 3. Homogeneity – Diversity:

• Encourage psychological homogeneity and raise the tolerance threshold of
the colleagues.

Principle 4. Expansion – Reduction

• Reduce the individual’s direct involvement with colleagues and in projects.

Principle 5. Mobility – Immovability:

• Reduce the individual’s sphere of movement within the company through
organizational means.

Principle 7. Standardisation - Specialisation:

• Standardise company knowledge and working methods. Introduce
knowledge management.
• Use the unique (or specialist) knowledge of the individual to build up the
knowledge management system or have them organise this task.

Principle 8. Action - Reaction:

• Arrange a social and psychological guidance program for the individual.

Principle 9. Continuous action - Interrupted action:

• Only involve the individual in a consultative role and in certain phases of a
project.

Principle 10. Partial action – Excessive action:

• Reduce the amount of time that the individual spends in projects.

Principle 11. Direct action – Indirect action:

• Provide a mediator or a social buffer for the individual in the team or in the
company.

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 TriS Europe
Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Success Potential of TRIZ and CAI

The advantages and the success potential of using TRIZ and Anticipatory Failure
Identification (AFI) have technical and psychological aspects.

Technical Aspects
• Completely new approaches for solving problems in the most important company
divisions: Research and Development, Quality Control, Marketing, optimising of
products and processes etc.
• Faster and more effective problem solving and innovation processing by rigorously
avoiding trial-and-error methods. Reduced risks and costs during the development
stage.
• Forecasting the development of technical systems, creating protecting patent
fences, revealing uncovered product niches.
• Enhanced quality control and optimised products through a focussed search for
alternative solutions and the application of anticipatory failure identification.
• Generating of ideas in seemingly hopeless situations, where practically all
conceivable solutions are covered by competitor’s patents.
• Optimal use of system resources: e.g. eliminating negative effects in a machine or
process by only slightly modifying the technical system.
• Integration and supplementation possibilities with DFMA (Design for Manufacture
and Assembly), FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis), QFD (Quality Function
Deployment), Value Engineering, Taguchi (Robust Design) and other methods.

Psychological Aspects
• TRIZ increases the creativity and inventiveness of engineers and project teams.
• TRIZ eliminates ‘habitual blindness’.
• TRIZ encourages systematic thinking processes and the will to search for less trivial
solutions.
• TRIZ improves teamwork; the invention process becomes a controllable procedure
and is no longer an act of pure inspiration.

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 TriS Europe
Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Implementation of TRIZ and CAI in Companies

Industrial experience

A great number of users confirm that the TRIZ Methodology is much too extensive to be
successfully introduced parallel to the usual business and daily work.

Therefore, a systematic support by experts in the field of the TRIZ methods can be very
helpful in the starting phase. Firstly, it helps to integrate the TRIZ techniques into the
working processes of the company and secondly, it builds up competence within the
company through the training of a team of TRIZ experts.

Corporate Training in TRIZ

The desire to give one’s own management and development teams the necessary
knowledge about the methods of systematic and inventive problem solving often
conflicts with busy schedules and the general shortage of time during the working day.

To overcome this conflict, TriS Europe Company has developed a special training
programme for business and industry.

The training programme consists of 4 application-specific stages each lasting 2 to 4

days. The following options are then open to the company,
ƒ The training of their own TRIZ experts through the participation in all levels of the
programme.
ƒ Having a greater number of employees trained through a rotation-system.
The contents, number and duration of the levels are tailored to match the requirements
of the company. This way, the complete training cycle can be completed within 2 to 12
months depending upon the time available.

Gaining TRIZ competence

Depending on requirements, TRIZ knowledge can be conveyed through practical

training or, even more effectively, by conducting pilot projects for solving actual tasks.
The recommended distribution of TRIZ knowledge within a company is illustrated below
(Fig.13). The basic knowledge, such as “contradiction-oriented ways of thinking” should
be widely spread throughout all company levels.

The use of special TRIZ tools or software applications should be restricted to a limited
number of specialists within the company. It is also advisable to carefully choose how
you advance from the simple methods to the more complex methods and tools in order
to prevent disappointment in applying TRIZ.

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 TriS Europe
Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Computer-
aided tools

Technological
effects

Patterns and laws of

technical evolution

TRIZ innovation tools

and principles

Contradiction-oriented ways of thinking

[Fig. 13] Recommended distribution of TRIZ knowledge within a company

The figure 14 demonstrates three types of task levels in accordance to problem

difficulty, wherein on task level C (partial system improvement) the satisfactory
solution could be found in 2 days, and on the levels B (improvement of entire system)
and A (development of totally new products) the projects can be completed
successfully in 4 and 12 weeks respectively.

A. New product
development
A - 15%

B - 60% B. Improvement of
C. Modification of
entire system
system components

[Fig. 14] Three typical levels of TRIZ support of the innovation tasks

Platform for innovation and quality management

In comparison to the well-known methods of quality control and product development

such as QFD, FMEA, DFMA, Taguchi and many others, TRIZ, as a complex innovation
technology and consisting of various methods and tools, has to be highly rated. It helps
to create an expandable internal platform for innovation and quality management in the
companies. With dynamically growing global competition, a rapid implementation of
TRIZ might not only invigorate and strengthen a company, it might just save it.

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Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

Literature

1. Altshuller G.S., Shapiro P.B. (1956): On the psychology of inventive

creativity, Moscow 1956 (rus.) - first publication about TRIZ.
2. G.S. Altschuller: Erfinden – Wege zur Lösung technischer Probleme.
VEB Verlag Technik Berlin, 1984. Limitierter Nachdruck 1998, 280
Seiten, ISBN 3-00-002700-9
3. Pavel Livotov, Vladimir Petrov: Innovationstechnologie TRIZ.
Produktentwicklung und Problemlösung. Handbuch. 2002, Hannover,
302 Seiten, ISBN 3-935927-02-9
4. Terninko, John, B. Zlotin, A. Zusman: TRIZ - der Weg zum
konkurrenzlosen Erfolgsprodukt. Landsberg/Lech: Verlag Moderne
Industrie, 1998, 288 Seiten, ISBN 3-478-91920-7
5. H. Teufelsdorfer, A. Conrad: Kreatives Entwickeln und innovatives
Problemlösen mit TRIZ / TIPS. Einführung in die Methodik und ihre
Verknüpfung mit QFD. Verlag Publicis MCD, 1998, 120 Seiten,
ISBN 3-89578-103-7
6. Rolf Herb, Thilo Herb, Veit Kohnhauser: TRIZ - Der systematische
Weg zur Innovation. Werkzeuge, Praxisbeispiele, Schritt-für-Schritt-
Anleitungen. Landsberg/Lech: Verlag Moderne Industrie, 2000, 260
Seiten, ISBN 3-47891-980-0
7. Bernd Gimpel, Rolf Herb, Thilo Herb: Ideen finden, Produkte
entwickeln mit TRIZ. Taschenbuch, Hanser Fachbuch, 2000, 180
Seiten, ISBN 3446211594
8. Tilo Pannenbäcker: Methodisches Erfinden in Unternehmen. Bedarf,
Konzept, Perspektiven für TRIZ-basierte Erfolge. Gabler Verlag, 2001,
324 Seiten, ISBN 3409118411
9. Michael A. Orloff: Grundlagen der klassischen TRIZ. Ein praktisches
Lehrbuch des erfinderischen Denkens für Ingenieure. Springer-Verlag
Berlin Heidelberg, 2002, 270 Seiten, ISBN 3540668691
10. Bernd Klein: TRIZ/TIPS - Methodik des erfinderischen Problemlösens.
Taschenbuch, Oldenbourg, Mchn, 230 Seiten, 2002, ISBN
3486259520
11. Manfred von Ardenne, Gerhard Musiol u. Siegfried Reball: Effekte der
Physik und ihre Anwendungen, Verl. HARRI DEUTSCH, 1997, 891
Seiten, ISBN 3817111746
12. G.S. Altshuller: Creativity as an Exact Science. The Theory of the
Solution of Inventive Problems. Gordon & Breach Science Publishers,
1984, ISSN 0275-5807
13. Genrich Altshuller: And Suddenly the Inventor Appeared. TRIZ, the
Theory of Inventive Problem Solving. Technical Innovation Center,
1996, ISBN 0964074028
14. G. Altshuller, U. Fedoseev, S. Rodman, L. Shulyak: 40 Principles:
TRIZ Keys to Technical Innovation. Technical Innovation Center,
1997, 141 pages, ISBN 0964074036

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 TriS Europe
Dr. Pavel Livotov TRIZ and Innovation Management

15. Victor R. Fey, Eugene I. Rivin: The Science of Innovation - A

Managerial Overview of the TRIZ Methodology. The TRIZ Group,
1997, 82 pages, ISBN 0965835901
16. Genrich Altshuller: The Innovation Algorithm - TRIZ, Systematic
Innovation and Technical Creativity. Technical Innovation Center,
1999, 312 pages, ISBN 0964074044
17. Yuri Salamatov: TRIZ - The Right Solution at the Right Time. A Guide
to Innovative Problem Solving. Insytec, Hattem, The Netherlands,
1999, 256 pages, ISBN 90-804680-1-0
18. John Terninko, Alla Zusman, Boris Zlotin: Systematic Innovation - An
Introduction to Triz (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving). Saint Lucie
Pr., 1998, 150 pages, ISBN 1574441116
19. TRIZ Research Report: An Approach to Systematic Innovation, 1998,
ISBN: 1879364999
20. Vladis Kosse: Solving Problems with TRIZ. Ideation International Inc,
1999, 123 pages, ISBN 1928747019
21. B. Zlotin, A. Zusman G. Altshuller, V. Philatov: Tools of Classical TRIZ.
Ideation International Inc., 1999, 266 pages, ISBN: 1928747027
22. Ideation Research Group: TRIZ in Progress. Ideation International
Inc., 1999, 248 pages, ISBN: 1928747043
23. Ph.D. Stan Kaplan, S. Visnepolschi, B. Zlotin, A. Zusman: New Tools
for Failure & Risk analysis. An Introduction to Anticipatory Failure
Determination (AFD) and The Theory of Scenario Structuring. Ideation
International Inc., 1999, ISBN 1928747051
24. Semyon D. Savransky: Engineering of Creativity: Introduction to TRIZ
Methodology of Inventive Problem Solving. CRC Press, 2000, 394
pages, ISBN 0849322553
25. Boris Zlotin and Alla Zusman: Directed Evolution: Philosophy, Theory
and Practice. Ideation International Inc., 2001, 103 pages
26. Kalevi Rantanen: Simplified TRIZ: New Problem Solving Applications
for Engineers. St. Lucie Press, 2002, 280 Seiten, ISBN 1574443232

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 Structured Innovation Empowered by TRIZ

The Innovation Dilemma

Most companies today face an innovation dilemma. The world has become intensely
competitive. China, Mexico, and other countries have much cheaper labor costs. Raw material
costs are lower in the Middle East, China, South America and other areas. And recently,
professional jobs are being outsourced to India and other Asian and Southeast Asian countries.
American firms can no longer simply rely on existing technology to provide a low cost position.
It is necessary to be innovative. Innovation is the key driver of competitive advantage, growth,
and profitability. There are many parts to the whole field of innovation: Business innovation,
marketing innovation, organizational innovation, open innovation, process innovation, product
innovation, strategy innovation, technology innovation, suggestion systems, etc.

Much time has been devoted to developing ways to manage the innovation process but little has
been done to develop more reliable and systematic innovation methods. The typical state-of-
the-art innovation management process is shown in Figure 1. Ideas are generated from a
number of sources. The marketing and sales organization interacts with customers on a regular
basis, and gain insight into customer
Front End of
Innovation
New Product
behavior and needs. Manufacturing
New Business Options Process Commercialization personnel operate the plants and identify
opportunities to improve performance or
Improved Stage Gatereduce costs. Many of these ideas are
very good and some of them are
Platform Technology
Options essential to survival, but they are often
Business Unit
Business Team
•Commercial
incremental in scope and do not offer
Ideas
•Manufacturing sustainable differentiation. Platform
•Finance
•R&D technologies are those existing
Figure 1 technologies used to manufacture
products or deliver services. R&D and
Engineering groups are well schooled in
these platform technologies. Ideas derived from platform technologies can offer larger profit
impact, but they often require extensive research commitments, and require a long time to
commercialize. Finally, there are new business options. Mergers and acquisitions create
opportunities for innovation, but the investment is often very significant and the risks
considerable. This is the so-called “fuzzy front end” (FFE) of innovation. The problem we face
in the FFE is twofold. First, we must be able to generate a lot of good ideas in a short period of
time, and second, we must select only those ideas which have a high probability of success.

Once the selection process is complete, we must effectively manage the development process.
Stage gate methods are commonly used here. A cross functional business team consisting of
management representatives from the Commercial, Manufacturing, Finance, R&D, Legal and
other functions are assigned responsibility for shepherding projects through to
commercialization. It is important that they not only move projects along, but also that they kill
projects that run into insurmountable road blocks. Every organization has limited resources and
spreading these resources too thinly, over a large number of projects usually results in a little bit
of progress being made on a lot of fronts, but no projects brought through the process to
commercial success.

Copyright 2005 Pretium Consulting Services, LLC

Pretium Consulting Services (PCS) Value Based TRIZ Methods
Systematic Value Advancement (SVA) Process
Pretium’s SVA process is based largely on TRIZ
principles, but it also incorporates best practices
1. Problem
Definition
from Six Sigma, Brainstorming, Value Engineering,
Systematic Value Advancement
Function Analysis System Technique (FAST) and
2. Ideal
Vision other well established problem solving techniques.
3. Problem The SVA process has five steps as shown in Figure
Formulation
2. Pretium brings three (3) essential resources
together to execute the SVA process: TRIZ
4. Idea
Generation

Figure 2
Master(s) from Pretium, Facilitator(s) from Pretium
and Subject Matter Experts from the client. The
5. Concept
Development

combination of these resources and using a

structured innovation process such as SVA
produces three to ten times the number of out-of-
the-box ideas than traditional brainstorming methods.

Pretium’s Structured TRIZ Roadmapping Process

The SVA process is a very useful and

Roadmapping powerful problem solving method.
IDEALITY Ideal Vision
However, it is based upon existing
Current Paradigm
systems and the useful and harmful
Sub-system 1 functions that comprise the system. This
means that SVA is limited to developing
Sub-system 2
Selected
Roadmap the next generation of product or service.
In order to develop a business or
Sub-system 3
Intellectual Property (IP) strategy that is far
reaching, we must be able to identify how
a system is likely to evolve. To
Sub-system 4
accomplish this, Pretium utilizes the
Figure 3 primary TRIZ postulate: Technological
systems evolve not randomly, but
according to objective patterns. Based of these evolutionary patterns, Pretium’s Roadmapping
process (Figure 3) facilitates the development of fact-based scenarios which become the basis
for strategy development. Mere extrapolations of the past tend to develop strategies that are
short lived. The evolutionary patterns which form the basis of Roadmapping are abstract
patterns that have been revealed from an exhaustive analysis of the patent fund to identify
evolutionary patterns that are broadly applicable.

“Every organization - not just business - needs one core competence: innovation”
- Peter F. Drucker

“73 percent of companies worldwide will increase spending on innovation in 2005, up from 64
percent in 2004. In addition, more than 90 percent said that generating growth through
innovation has become essential for success in their industry.”

- Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Copyright 2005 Pretium Consulting Services, LLC

Intellectual Property (IP) Enhancement

Pretium applies the SVA process and the

Intellectual Property Enhancement Roadmapping process to patents to
strengthen and broaden Intellectual Property
Stronger
Patent
Strategic (IP) value (Figure 4). The SVA process is
5

Patent
Original Claim
Structure
Portfolio used to identify critical process steps that
1

Patent
Claim might be eliminated from a patent. This
Structure 5 5
results in a stronger patent claim structure or,
5

Road
1
SVA
1
Mapping
1
in the case of a competitor’s patent,
1

2 2 2 opportunities to circumvent the patent. In

2

3 3 3 addition, alternative solutions to the method

4 4
taught in the patent are identified. By
5

enhancing the useful functions identified in the

1

Figure 4 SVA functional modeling step, improvements

to an existing patent are possible. Application
of Roadmapping to patents identifies future generations of products and technology. These
future generations represent the basis for an Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio that becomes a
patent fence protecting future markets and opportunities.

Pretium’s Structured Innovation Process

Pretium leverages its three TRIZ based methods,

Structured Innovation Process
Systematic Value Systematic Value Advancement (SVA), TRIZ
Roadmapping Advancement
Intellectual Roadmapping and Intellectual Property (IP)
Property
Front End of Enhancement Enhancement, to dramatically improve the
Innovation
New Product
New Business Options Process Commercialization
innovation process. The Roadmapping process
brings focus to the fuzzy front end of innovation by
Improved Stage Gate creating fact based scenarios to identify future
Platform Technology
generations of products and technology. The SVA
Options
Business Team
process greatly facilitates the new product
Business Unit
Ideas
•Commercial
•Manufacturing development process by rapidly creating high
•Finance
•R&D value solutions to specific problems encountered in
Figure 5 the development process. Finally, Intellectual
Property (IP) Enhancement assures that the new
products, processes and services which result from the structured innovation process are robust
and provide a basis for strong patents that contribute to economic value.

Pretium Consulting Services (PCS) Structured Innovation Process: From the

Fuzzy Front End (FFE) of Innovation to Sustainable Economic Value.

"I predict that TRIZ will become a standard practice worldwide and will be widely taught to adults
and students to assist them in increasing innovation skills."

– Daniel Burrus, leading technology forecaster

Copyright 2005 Pretium Consulting Services, LLC

Senior Leadership

Dr. David Bonner - Managing Partner - Pretium Consulting Services

Senior technology and engineering executive with broad global experience in both public and
private organizations. Demonstrated ability to set strategy, create change, and operate business
units with full P&L responsibility. Dr. Bonner has been a pioneer in the application of TRIZ
technology in the chemical industry, and is skilled in leading innovation teams, developing new
products, negotiating and managing licenses, joint ventures, and all Intellectual Property (IP)
matters. Dr. Bonner most recently was President / COO of Ideation International, has been Vice
President & Chief Technology Officer at Cabot Corporation, Global Director of Technology at
Rohm & Haas; Vice President Research & Development, The Chao Group International; Vice
President Research & Development, Premix, Inc; and Vice President Research & Development,
B. F. Goodrich Company. Dr. Bonner holds a PhD, from the University of California, Berkeley -
Chemical Engineering, M.S, University of Texas, Austin - Chemical Engineering,
B.S, University of Texas, Austin, - Chemical Engineering.

Pete Hanik - Managing Partner - Pretium Consulting Services

Mr. Hanik has an extensive management background in many disciplines including general
management, research & development, manufacturing, information technology, e-business,
quality, and health-safety-environmental. Strong and effective leader able to establish vision
and strategy and build consensus across functions to achieve the organization’s goals, as well
as developing new products, negotiating and managing licenses, joint ventures, and all
Intellectual Property (IP) matters. Mr. Hanik most recently was Senior Vice President of Ideation
International, has held positions of Senior Vice President Technology, Millennium Chemicals;
President and CEO, Millennium Petrochemicals; Vice President Chemicals & Supply Chain,
Quantum Chemical; Vice President Reengineering and Information Systems, Quantum
Chemical. Mr. Hanik holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology
and an MBA from the University of Chicago

Technology / Process Leadership

Sergey Malkin – Vice President of Technology, Pretium Consulting Services

Mr. Malkin is a well-known TRIZ Master, trained by the method’s founder, Genrich Altschuller.
He has more than 20 years experience in TRIZ application and implementation. Was one of the
first in the world to combine and implement TRIZ & Value Engineering. He was most recently
the Director of Software Development at Ideation International Inc, has held positions of CEO of
Private Enterprise Eurotecton; Manager of TRIZ & VE Department, Foton Corp.

Len Kaplan – Managing Director, Outcompete (Strategic Partner)

Mr. Kaplan is a well known and highly respected TRIZ Master, has 25 years experience in
business process improvement across multiple industries, and has successfully managed more
than 80 innovative projects. Len's expertise includes identifying, analyzing (modeling and
operations research), scoping, forecasting, optimization and delivering quantifiable business
value that is consistent with the client's revenue growing and strategic objectives. Before
founding Outcompete, Len was a project manager for Ideation International.

Copyright 2005 Pretium Consulting Services, LLC

 2012 2nd International Conference on Economics, Trade and Development
IPEDR vol.36 (2012) © (2012) IACSIT Press, Singapore

Using TRIZ-based Method to Improve Health Service Quality: A

Case Study on Hospital

Shu-Ping Lin1, Chia-Pei Chen2+ , Jeng-Shyong Chen3

1
Department of Technology Management, Chung-Hua University, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan
2,3
Program of Technology Management, Chung-Hua University, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan

Abstract. The service quality of healthcare is highly related to the health and satisfaction of the patient,
hence, how to enhance the service quality of healthcare and how to reduce patient’s complaint is always very
important topic. To improve the service quality of healthcare, contradictory phenomenon is usually
encountered in traditional problem solving process, hence, TRIZ has been successfully applied in the
engineering and management fields through innovative thinking, through the setup of contradiction matrix
and through systematic solving of specific problem.
However, there are very few studies in applying TRIZ in the improvement of the service quality of healthcare,
in this study, through the use of TRIZ, solution for the improvement of the service quality of healthcare has
been developed for individual case. The result shows that TRIZ can indeed solve the special problem of the
individual case through the development of generalized solving procedure by aiming at the special problem
of the individual case, hence, it can provide a very important reference for solving problems for people
providing healthcare service.
Keywords: TRIZ, Service Quality, Contradiction Matrix

1. Introduction
As the quality of life has been enhanced, people have more demand on the service quality of healthcare,
Healthcare service provider cannot just emphasize on the hospital operation efficiency and cost reduction,
instead, it has to enhance the satisfaction of the patient and the family. However, innovative project usually
has to face contradictory dilemma, which usually leads to the difficulty of implementation or pending of the
innovative thinking or project.
The main condition for TRIZ to solve problem is to improve one or more features without damaging
other features. In other words, if it is only tradeoff among mutually contradictory attributes causing the
problems, it is not really a solution for the problem.
Currently, the researches of TRIZ are mostly focusing on finding innovative solutions in physics and
technological fields for engineering project [1,2]. Some scholars applied it in developing innovative
management solutions for e-commerce and traveling service [3,4], and there are very few researches
focusing on healthcare quality improvement. +

2. Literature Review
2.1. TRIZ
TRIZ is the abbreviation of the first letter of Russian Theoria Resheneyva Isobretatelskehuh Zadach,
which means Theory of Innovative Problem Solving (TIPS) [5]. This is a methodology that that can create
systematic innovation and improve the designer’s thinking process. In the period from 1956 to 1971, 39
parameters and 40 principles are summarized, and the theoretical basis of TRIZ was then well settled down.
This method is widely used in technical field to solve innovative problem. In recent year, some scholars

+
Corresponding author. Tel.: +886-37325012; fax: +886-37366340.
E-mail address: [email protected].
62
introduced the concept of this method to the non-technical field, for example, politics, social and commercial
management fields [2]. TRIZ was always a methodology that takes care of both generalization and delicate
science. Anyone who has received such training will be able to create new idea.

2.2. Service Quality Management

Generally speaking, quality means product or service characteristic can meet customer’s expectation, and
the “service quality model” proposed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry [6] was most widely accepted.
PZB not only used ten items such as reliability, speed and guarantee to define service quality, so as to
enhance the quality and to satisfy the customer’s need. Therefore, in the subsequent empirical analysis,
investigation is going to focus on this point.

2.3. Indexes Related to the Service Quality of Healthcare

To sum up the content in the related literature, this study has summarized all the attributes mentioned in
the literature as in table 1.
Table 1 List of how the service quality of healthcare affects the attributes

Attribute Definition Reference No.

Courtesy Politeness, respect, consideration, and friendliness of physicians and [7,8,9,10,11]
medical staff.
Access Approachability and ease of contact. [7,8,11]
Communication Keeping patients informed in the language they can understand and [7,8,9,10,11]
listening to them.
Understanding Making the effort to know patients and their obligations. [7,8,9]
Empathy Caring, individualized attention provided to patients. [7,8,9,10,11]
Reliability Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately [7,8,9,10,11]
Tangibles Appearance of physical facilities, equipment, staff, and communication [7,8,9,10,11]
material.
Responsiveness Willingness to help patients and provide prompt service. [7,8,10]
Competence Possession of the required skills and knowledge to perform the service. [7,11]
Assurance Knowledge and courtesy of physicians and their ability to convey trust [7,11]
and confidence.

3. Research Methods
3.1. Research Steps
The research steps are described as in the followings:
Step 1: First, the research scope is defined, that is, the service quality of healthcare industry is used as the
analysis target.
Step 2: The attribute summarized in the literature survey is fitted to the technical attribute of TRIZ.
Step 3: Discussion is made to five experts in the healthcare industry aiming at the fitting result.
Step 4: Statistical method is used to confirm and test the final fitting result, and contradiction matrix
applicable to service quality of healthcare is constructed.
Step 5: Case study is used to study the application of innovative principle in the matrix.
Step 6: Project for improving the service quality of healthcare is proposed.

3.2. Fitting between TRIZ Attribute and Attributes Affecting the Service Quality of
Healthcare
In this study, in order to apply the concept of this matrix to the quality field of healthcare service
industry, attribute that will affect the service quality will be found out first so as to investigate the situation
63
when any two of the attributes are in contradiction, how to use the newly constructed contradiction matrix to
solve the problem.
In this study, 39 parameters in the TRIZ contradiction matrix and attributes affecting customer’s
satisfaction on service quality will be fitted, and the fitting result is shown in table 2.
Table 2 Fitting between TRIZ attribute and attributes affecting healthcare service quality

Attribute TRIZ Parameter

1 Courtesy 30.Harmful factors acting on subsystem
2 Access 33.Convenience of use
3 Communication 28.Accuracy of measurement
4 Understanding 29.Accuracy of manufacturing
5 Empathy 35.Adaptability
6 Reliability 27.Reliability
7 Tangibles 12.Shape
8 Responsiveness 25.Waste of time
9.Speed
9 Competence 14.Strength
10 Assurance 39.Productivity

3.3. Establishing Contradiction Matrix

According to the above fitted 10 attributes, the number in the crossing grid of TRIZ contradiction matrix
is used to construct contradiction matrix for this study that is applicable to the service quality of healthcare,
which is as shown in table 3.
Table 3 Contradiction matrix of the service quality of healthcare

Improving parameters Worsening parameters Inventive Principles

(33) Access (19)Energy Spent by a moving object 01, 13, 24
(28) Communication (25)Loss of time 24, 34, 28, 32
(29) Understanding (09)Speed 10, 28, 32
(09)Speed
(35) Empathy 35, 10, 14 ; 35, 28
(25)Loss of time
(27) Reliability (36)Complexity of a device 13, 35, 01
(12) Tangibles (26)Amount of substance 36, 22
(27)Reliability
(25) Responsiveness-Time 10, 30, 04 ; 24, 26, 28, 18
(29)Accuracy of manufacturing
(28)Accuracy of measurement 28, 32, 01, 24
(09)Responsiveness-Speed
(29)Accuracy of manufacturing 10, 28, 32, 25
(14) Competence (36)Complexity of a device 02, 13, 25, 28
(39) Assurance (34)Repairability 01, 32, 10, 25

4. Case Analysis
In order to enhance the service quality and reduce complaint, complains occurred in D hospital from
2010 to 2011 are in the following order: service personnel attitude: It includes parameters such as empathy
and communication; the second is environment and facility: It includes traffic facility, parking space, chair
and toilet, etc.; the third one is the process and system: This item is related to waiting time and disorder.
64
During the process of solving the problem, any complaint items possibly generated within the service
process should be generally considered instead of just solving single item.

4.1. Invention Principle and Solutions

For these complaints, through the invention principle corresponds to contradiction matrix of table 3, the
following solutions are developed for those principles appear more than twice.
Principle 1.Segmentation
Based on segmentation principle, it is recommended to separate the registration and price making desk.
Separate the first visit and return visit patient because first visit patient usually will need longer diagnosis
time and check, then the diagnosis can be finished quickly, and the diagnostic time can then be shortened
greatly.
Principle 10.Prior action
We can also develop application software for the registration of smart phone user, or the automatic
registration machine can be set up in the lobby of the hospital to reduce effectively the head counts in the
on-site registration, and the waiting time of the registration can then be shortened greatly.
Principle 13.Do it in reverse
Some patients in D hospital need cross-department clinic, hence, through the application of reverse
operation principle, the attending doctor can make the diagnosis first, then the video conference device can
be opened, and doctor from other department can then make the on-site co-diagnosis and issue the
prescription, patient’s efforts for cross-department visit can then be greatly reduced.
Principle 24.Mediator
For patient with communication difficulty (old person with hearing difficulty, disabled person, or
foreigner, etc.), communication can be achieved through nursing person with language training.
Principle 25.Self-service
The patient can use self-service principle, with the payment machine set up at each floor, hence, after the
doctor has issued the medical prescription, the patient can then present the prescription to the payment
machine, then enter the prescription number to display the medicine price, then through money remittance,
cash or credit card, the payment process can then be finished.
Principle 28.Replacement of mechanical system
Through the use of the principle of ” Replacement of mechanical system”, smart notification system will
be used to notify and remind the clinical visit date to the patient actively through the use of text message of
the mobile phone, and through the reply of the confirmation of clinical visit from the patient through the
mobile phone, the clinical visit head count at that date can then be confirmed.
Principle 32.Changing the color
Through the color changing principle, male and female space partition can be well distinguished, for
example, blue is used for the male, and pink is used for the female, which can avoid the occurrence of error
due to unclear labeling.
Principle 35.Transformation of properties
It can provide a space for leisure time spending, it can provide a restaurant with elegant atmosphere, it
can be a commercial center equipped with wireless internet surfing, and it can also be a fitness center for the
adult; therefore, through the change of the hospital property, the service quality of healthcare can then be
enhanced.

5. Discussions
In this article, it was thought that the solution of each inventive principle can be integrated and included
into a larger solution, in other words, not a single solution is used as the only solution to the solving of a
specific problem, instead, integrated solution for enhancing the entire service quality is found out.

65
 From the results, it can be seen that in the integrated solution of individual case, TRIZ develops solution
in different angles so that hospital can develop solution for the solving of the enhancement of specific service
quality based on the hospital’s characteristic, instead of the difficulty of selection from different alternative
solutions. hence, subsequent researches are needed to be performed to make performance assessment on the
improvement solutions and current situations.

6. Conclusion
This article has proposed a systematic and innovative method for enhancing the service quality
of healthcare based on the basis of TRIZ, and it can provide help for the practical job in the hospital to
solve specific problem, meanwhile, it also helps us to understand that TRIZ can, in addition to traditional
problem solving method, provide a new method and new thinking to solve the problem.
The main topic to be investigated in this article is to enhance the service quality of healthcare, in the
future, the application feasibility of TRIZ in other topics of healthcare, for example, healthcare technique,
nursing and rehabilitation will also be studied, and contradiction matrix will be set up to enhance the quality
of the entire medical, nursing and management.

7. References
[1] J. Zhang, K. H. Chai, K. C. Tan. 40 inventive principles with applications in service operations management. The
TRIZ Journal. 2003, December.
[2] N. Leon. Putting TRIZ into production design. Design Management Journal. 2003, 14(2): 58-64.
[3] S. Phadnis, A. Bhalla. Applying TRIZ to Business Process Reengineering. The TRIZ Journal. 2009, October.
[4] Y. Kai. Inventive Principles of TRIZ with China's 36 Strategies. The TRIZ Journal. 2010, January.
[5] K. Rantanen, E. Domb. Simplified TRIZ: new problem solving application for engineers and manufacturing
professionals. CRC Press, New York. 2002.
[6] A. Parasuraman, V. A. Zeithaml, L. L. Berry. A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and Its Implications for
Future Research. Journal of Marketing. Ssci. Eng. 1985, 49 (Fall): 41-50.
[7] H. Youssef. Patient’s satisfaction and medical care service quality. International Journal of Business and Public
Administration. 2011, Spring, Volume 8, Number 2.
[8] J. K. Sharma, R. Narang. Quality of Healthcare Services in Rural India: The user perspective. VIKALPA.
2011,Vol.36(1), Jan-Mar, pp.51-60.
[9] I. A. Sulieman, A. A. Saad, M. M. Ayat. Quality Level of Health Care Service Provided by King Abdullah
Educational Hospital from Patients' Viewpoint. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business.
2011, March, Vol 2, No 11,
[10] A. W. Fisher, Patient, Evaluation of Outpatient Medical Care, Journal of Medical Education, 1971, 46-58.
[11] A. Donabedian, Explorations in Quality Assessment and Monitoring. Health Administration Press, 1980, 1(1)：
97-124.

66
A TRIZ-Based Method for
New Service Design
Kah-Hin Chai
Jun Zhang
Kay-Chuan Tan
National University of Singapore

This article demonstrates the viability of applying the Metters, and Pullman 2003) and tended to not engage in
theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ) to services by formal ways of idea generation (Easingwood 1986). One
proposing a new approach to new service design. Tradi- potential pitfall of such practices is that the novelty and the
tionally, the effectiveness of new service design is unpre- quality of new service ideas are severely affected. This is
dictable as service design relies largely on inspiration and due partly to psychological inertia in human thinking,
the past experiences of service designers. By integrating which focuses the mind on only what is known, and avoid-
TRIZ problem-solving tools and its knowledge base, the ing unknown paths (Savransky 2000). Indeed, service
authors propose a new TRIZ-based approach to address design has been identified as an important research area
this weakness in service design. Through two case studies, where more studies should be conducted on the opera-
the proposed model is verified. This demonstrates the rele- tional tools employed for successful NSD (Menor,
vance of TRIZ to service design. It is hoped that this article Tatikonda, and Sampson 2002). Similarly, Johnston
will raise awareness among service researchers so that (1999) suggests that good design tools and techniques in
more studies in this direction are conducted. service development need to be further explored.
Building on Zhang, Chai, and Tan (2005), this article
Keywords: service design; TRIZ; new service develop- demonstrates the viability of applying the theory of inven-
ment; systematic innovation tive problem solving (TRIZ) to services by proposing a
new method to identify, generate, and evaluate possible
solutions to service problems. The outcome of the model
In the past two decades, the trend of formalizing the is a series of possible solutions that can be further devel-
process of service development has led to a series of new oped into service concepts (Clark, Johnston, and Shulver
service development (NSD) models. Although many NSD 2000; Edvardsson and Olsson 1996; Johnson et al. 2001).
models comprise a set of development steps starting from The article is arranged in the following manner. We first
product initialization to final commercialization, they are review previous research in service design and the relevant
usually oversimplified and lack detailed guidelines for tools. This is followed by a description of the theoretical
operational use. In particular, recent studies have found framework of TRIZ methods. Two empirical case studies
that the idea generation stage, despite its importance to the are used to illustrate the application of TRIZ in service
overall service development process, has not been ad- design. Finally, we discuss the contributions and manage-
dressed adequately by researchers (Bowers 1989; Edgett rial implications of the study. Based on the limitations
1996; Kelly and Storey 2000). Hence, service developers identified, several directions for future research are
often have had to use ad hoc processes (Metters, King- suggested.

Journal of Service Research, Volume 8, No. 1, August 2005 48-66

DOI: 10.1177/1094670505276683
© 2005 Sage Publications
 Chai et al. / A TRIZ-BASED METHOD FOR NEW SERVICE DESIGN 49

LITERATURE REVIEW Although idea generation is widely agreed to be impor-

tant, it is one of the weakest links in NSD (Bowers 1989).
According to Johnson et al. (2000), NSD comprises Many service companies tend not to engage in formal idea
four major phases: design, analysis, development, and full generation in that they find it relatively easy to generate
launch. Although the NSD process cycle might represent a new service ideas (Easingwood 1986). However, recent
progression of planning, analysis, and activity execution, studies report that successful service firms establish sys-
the process is iterative and nonlinear in nature (Menor, tems and procedures for stimulating idea generation on a
Tatikonda, and Sampson 2002). Each phase revolves long-term basis (Edgett 1996; Felberg and DeMarco
around the design and configuration of service concept 1992; Robinson and Moak 1997). Techniques for stimu-
elements where resources such as development teams and lating ideas must be created and maintained on an ongoing
tools play a key function. For example, the design stage basis to keep generating innovations (Crawford 1994).
involves formulation of new services objectives, strate- Another focus of research in service design is the devel-
gies, idea generation, screening, and concept development opment of tools and techniques. Service design tools such
and testing. As one of the essential components in the NSD as service blueprinting (Baum 1989; George and Gibson
process, service design focuses on the operational basics 1991; Kingman-Brundage 1988; Shostack 1984), func-
of the development work. It involves understanding and tional analysis (Berkley 1996), structured analysis and
planning the interaction of a variety of physical, elec- design technique (Congram and Epelman 1995), quality
tronic, and human elements (Edvardsson, Thomasson, and function deployment (QFD) (Ermer and Kniper 1998;
Øvretveit 1994). Other definitions include “the idea to Franceschini and Terzago 1998; Selen and Schepers 2001;
design high quality into the service system from the outset, Stamm 1992), and root cause analysis (RCA; Duffy 2000)
and to consider and respond to customer expectations in have been developed to assist service designers in devel-
designing each element of the service” (Zeithaml, Berry, oping design concepts for services. Although these ser-
and Parasuraman 1990, p. 157), the concretization of the vice design tools may be effective in describing and ana-
service concept in drawing flowcharts (Gummesson lyzing service problems, they have limited capacity in
1991), and “the work of specifying an idea about a new generating ideas and overcoming pitfalls identified in the
service in drawings and specifications” (Norling, design process. This limitation in overcoming psychologi-
Edvardsson, and Gummesson 1992, p. 57). Previous work cal inertia affects both the quantity and the quality of sub-
in service design has identified the need to incorporate sequent design solutions. The challenge is compounded
more customer elements throughout the process of NSD. by the ill-structured nature of design problems, in which
One good example of this is the development of an inven- often one or more steps (or states) are either unknown or
tory of activities that needs to be carried out in involving incoherent, there is insufficient information in the initial
users in NSD projects (Alam 2002). Another example is state, and the properties of the goal state are never fully
the use of consumer choice modeling in e-services, which specifiable in advance (Goldschmidt 1997). For example,
provides insights in understanding consumer choices and as part of QFD analysis, the house of quality (HoQ) is fre-
preferences for design and operation strategy formulation quently used by service researchers to identify problems,
in NSD (Iqbal, Verma, and Baran 2003). such as unveiling contradictory relationships among dif-
Among the many activities in service design, idea gen- ferent service product attributes (Rovira and Aguayo
eration is one of the most critical activities. Ideas for new 1998). However, apart from problem identification, it is
product can arise almost anywhere (Robinson and Moak noted that HoQ often fails to provide effective solutions to
1997). They can arise inside the company by taking eliminate the contradictions without making compromises
employees as an important source of new product ideas between conflicting requirements. Another example is
(McGuire 1973), or they can come from outside the com- RCA, which is often used in identifying potential service
pany by listening to customers’ feedback or copying from failure points. The preventive solutions generated are
competitors (Easingwood 1986; Sheuing and Johnson based mainly on past experiences of designers rather than
1989). Conventional idea search methods include brain- as the result of RCA. Moreover, because RCA is closely
storming, solicitation of ideas from employees and cus- allied to the optimization of existing processes (Mann
tomers, lead-user research, and learning about competitors 2002), if service designers rely wholly on the outcome of
(Zeithaml and Bitner 2000). However, these methods rely its analysis, it would be very difficult to find novel
very much on service designers’or customers’past experi- breakthrough solutions.
ences, which contain unavoidable psychological inertia.
Thus, the adoption of these methods might probably
restrict the generation of creative and breakthrough ideas.
50 JOURNAL OF SERVICE RESEARCH / August 2005

SERVICE DESIGN BASED ON TRIZ Not surprisingly, contradictions in technical areas are
more tangible and easier to formulate. These contradic-
To overcome the limitations in service design tools and tions are often clear-cut conflicts between two design
idea generation practices, TRIZ, a systematic problem- parameters. These have been summarized in the original
solving methodology, is proposed in this study to close the TRIZ contradiction matrix (Altshuller 1997). However, it
gaps. TRIZ was first developed by Genrich Altshuller and is possible to formulate problems in services in the form
his colleagues in the former USSR, starting in 1946. The of contradiction despite its intangible nature. For exam-
hypothesis of TRIZ research is that there are universal ple, “mass customization” is a typical service contradic-
principles of invention that are the basis for creative inno- tion with implications in many service sectors. How can a
vation. If these principles could be identified and codified, service firm deliver personalized service offerings, based
they could be taught to people to make the process of on individual customer requirements, to a large group of
invention more predictable. Through the analysis of more customers without incurring additional costs brought
than 2 million patents, a number of innovation patterns and about by the personalization? Is there any breakthrough
laws of ideality were identified. In addition, the work also solution that could lead to a win-win situation without
reveals the following: compromising either “standardization” (to achieve econ-
omy of scale) or “customization”? Because TRIZ has the
• Problems and solutions were repeated across indus- ability to eliminate contradictions and generate break-
tries and sciences. through solutions, it is possible to use TRIZ to find cre-
• Patterns of technical evolution were repeated across ative win-win solutions. To explore this opportunity, a
industries and sciences. revised version of the 40 inventive principles (see Appen-
• Innovations used scientific effects outside the field
dix A, adapted from Zhang, Chai, and Tan 2003) was
where they were developed.
developed with the aim of applying them in resolving ser-
vice contradictions.
Therefore, TRIZ can be described as a structured
The other positive overlap between TRIZ and services
problem-solving process with the integration of a set of
is the research on the patterns of innovations. Through the
problem definition and resolution tools that was created on
analysis of many examples, Berry and Lampo (2000) cate-
the basis of patent analysis. A distinct characteristic of
gorized five typical ways of redesigning service offerings
TRIZ problem solving is systematic problem resolution
(i.e., self-service, direct service, preservice, bundled ser-
without compromise. The entire problem-solving process
vice, and physical service). This suggests that the patterns
is guided by TRIZ tools, which direct the problem solver
of service innovations can be predicted. This assumption
to explore solutions in directions that have previously been
is similar to the underlying philosophy of the TRIZ 40
proven successful. A typical TRIZ problem-solving pro-
inventive principles. The comparison shown in Table 1
cess comprises three stages: problem definition, problem
indicates many similarities between these five service re-
resolution, and solution evaluation. At each stage, a vari-
design patterns and the 40 inventive principles. One impli-
ety of TRIZ tools can be used. For instance, the Innovative
cation of this comparison is that if service designers under-
Situation Questionnaire, the ideal final result, and function
stand the patterns of innovations that TRIZ has
analysis are frequently used in problem definition. The 40
successfully demonstrated for physical products, the
inventive principles, 4 separation principles, the algorithm
process of service design and innovations can be made
of inventive problem solving (ARIZ), and 76 standard
more predictable.
solutions are often used in problem resolution.
Service Design Based on TRIZ
The Relevance of TRIZ to Services
TRIZ can help to eliminate the psychological inertia in
According to TRIZ methodology, most problems have
the minds of service designers, thus enhancing the capac-
so-called inherent contradictions. A typical contradiction
ity of service idea generation in service design. The
is a conflict due to two conflicting requirements to the
knowledge-based toolkit provided by TRIZ caters exactly
same element in a system. It could result also from two
to the needs of helping problem solvers to overcome their
conflicting elements in the same system. The identifica-
own psychological inertia, which is often considered the
tion of an inherent contradiction is a critical step in TRIZ
hardest part in solving difficult problems (Altshuller
problem analysis. Once a contradiction is formulated,
1984). Mann and Dewulf (2002) also argued that in terms
selected TRIZ knowledge-based tools can be used to elim-
of its toolkit and method, TRIZ is the most comprehensive
inate the contradiction. The resolution of the contradiction
of all available models. Compared to traditional idea gen-
usually leads to the resolution of the main problem as well
eration methods such as brainstorming, synectics, lateral
as other minor problems.
 Chai et al. / A TRIZ-BASED METHOD FOR NEW SERVICE DESIGN 51

TABLE 1
Similarities Between Service Redesign Patterns and TRIZ 40 Inventive Principles
Service Redesign Pattern Match of 40 Inventive Principles

Self-service: Customer assumes role of producer Principle 25: Self-service. Make an object serve itself by performing auxiliary helpful func-
tions. Use waste resources, energy, or substances
Direct service: Service delivered to the customer’s Principle 2: Taking out. Separate an interfering part or property from an object or single out the
location only necessary part (or property) of an object.
Preservice: Streamlines activation of the service Principle 10: Preliminary action. Perform, before it is needed, the required change of an object.
Prearrange objects such that they can come into action from the most convenient place and
without losing time for their delivery.
Bundled service: Combines multiple services into a Principle 5: Merging. Bring closer together (or merge) identical or similar objects, and assem-
package ble identical or similar parts to perform parallel operations. Make operations contiguous or
parallel; bring them together in time.
Physical service: Manipulation of tangibles associ- Principle 15: Dynamics. Allow (or design) the characteristics of an object, external environ-
ated with the service ment, or process to change to be optimal or find an optimal operating condition.

NOTE: TRIZ = theory of inventive problem solving.

thinking, morphological analysis, and mind mapping, tion, or some other new problems occur after solution
Savransky (2000) argued that only TRIZ is useful for solv- evaluation, the problem-solving process will be iterated
ing most difficult problems, which are classified into the back to the first stage to redefine the original situation. The
type that has unknown causes and unknown search direc- next few paragraphs describe the three stages in more
tions. Because those traditional methods are frequently detail.
used in service idea generation (Edvardsson et al. 2000), it
is also likely that TRIZ can be applied to and benefits ser- Stage 1: Problem Definition
vice design.
However, a search on previous studies applying TRIZ The objective of problem definition is to translate prob-
in the service domain reveals that little work has been lem information into the language of TRIZ for the prepa-
done, with the exception of some preliminary works by ration of problem resolution. This stage consists of four
Low et al. (2001) and Rantanen and Domb (2002), who steps: (a) situation analysis, (b) problem modeling, (c)
briefly mentioned the possibility of applying TRIZ to ser- problem formulation, and (d) result analysis.
vices. To explore the viability of applying TRIZ to ser-
vices, we developed a method for new service design. Situation analysis. Situation analysis is used to conduct
The following section describes this approach and its preliminary analysis and elicit useful information about
application. the problem situation. Based on the Innovative Situation
Questionnaire (Terninko, Zusman, and Zlotin 1998) of
TRIZ, we developed a set of questions (see Table 2) to help
Theoretical Framework
service designers to better understand the in-depth situa-
tion of the original problem. Detailed answers to the ques-
Based on the principles of TRIZ, we propose a new tions will be used to stimulate the generation of innovative
approach to systematic service design that comprises three solutions at the next stage of problem resolution.
main stages (see Figure 1). The input to the method is an
identified service problem. At Stage 1, the identified prob- Problem modeling and formulation. After obtaining
lem is “translated” into the language of TRIZ to provide information from the situation analysis, the next step is
insightful information for further problem solving. At problem modeling and formulation. Problem modeling
Stage 2, the problem is structured into typical TRIZ refers to building a function diagram by using function
contradictions by conducting contradiction analysis, one analysis. Problem formulation is about developing an
of the most effective problem resolution tools. TRIZ exhaustive set of problem statements on the basis of the
knowledge-based principles such as 40 inventive princi- function diagram. These can be achieved by using TRIZ
ples and 4 separation principles may then be employed to tools such as the problem formulator (Zlotin and Zusman
eliminate the contradictions. At Stage 3, the generated 2001), substance-field analysis (Terninko, Zusman, and
ideas are evaluated by using the unique TRIZ criteria, Zlotin 1998), and tool-object-product function modeling
which is the ideal final result. The final output is a list of (Royzen 1999).
possible innovative conceptual solutions to service design. Take the problem formulator, for example. The process
If solutions are still not found after contradiction elimina- of building a function diagram begins with the identifi-
52 JOURNAL OF SERVICE RESEARCH / August 2005

FIGURE 1
Problem-Solving Model for New Service Design Based on TRIZ

MAIN STAGES TRIZ TOOLBOX

Problem Identification

Stage 1: Problem Definition

• Situation analysis Problem Formulator
• Problem modeling Tool-Object-Product
• Problem formulation Function Modeling
Redefine • Result analysis Substance-Field Analysis
Problem

Stage 2: Problem Resolution 40 Inventive Principles

• Contradiction analysis 4 Separation Principles
• Contradiction elimination 76 Standard Solutions
ARIZ
Solution not found

Solution found

Stage 3: Solution Evaluation

• Formulate ideal solution
• Prioritize ideas Ideal Final Result
• Formulate local
constraints
• Refine ideas

New problem occurs

Selected Solutions

cation of the basic functional components. This is fol- alternative statements for useful functions. An additional
lowed by specifying the relationships among the func- statement for each node can be expressed as a benefit from
tions. Function identification can be done by asking what a harmful function, an enhancement to a useful function,
the service does for consumers (Berkley 1996). Problem or the resolution of a contradiction (Terninko, Zusman,
formulation classifies system functions into two types: and Zlotin 1998).
harmful functions and useful functions. The identified Figure 2 is a simple example that illustrates the use of
functions are connected to each other in the form of a net- the problem formulator in problem modeling and formula-
work of cause-and-effect relationships. tion. Suppose that through situation analysis, three func-
Next, two types of problem statements can be formu- tions (two useful functions, A and B, and one harmful
lated based on the relationships of function components. function, C) are identified in the original system. Function
They are preventive statements for harmful functions and B is the prerequisite to deliver Function A. However, the
 Chai et al. / A TRIZ-BASED METHOD FOR NEW SERVICE DESIGN 53

TABLE 2
Questionnaire for Situation Analysis
1. What is the purpose of the target service?
Describe what are the (potential) customer needs to be met and how existing service, or desired new service, aims to meet the needs.
2. What are the existing problems?
Describe briefly the existing problems in the service operations system.
3. What are the known solutions?
State the past and current solutions to resolve identified problems, remove barriers, or improve/refine the situations.
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the known solutions?
5. What is the structure of the target service operations system?
Identify the subsystems or components of the target service system, and then specify the relationships among subsystems or components.
6. What is the ideal solution to the original problem?
Formulate all ideal solutions that deliver all of the benefits without compromising from any harmful elements, and incur no costs to solve the
problem.
7. What are the local constraints or limitations?
Estimate a feasible cost budget for solving the problem, and find out what are acceptable and unacceptable changes to the original system.
8. What is the objective for this problem-solving project?
Formulate the problem-solving objective. A typical objective of TRIZ problem solving is to eliminate harmful elements in the system without
introducing new problems and deteriorating the original system.

NOTE: TRIZ = theory of inventive problem solving.

3. Find an alternative way to obtain B that pro-

FIGURE 2 vides A and does not cause C.
Illustrative Example of Using the 4. Find a way to enhance the effectiveness of B.
Problem Formulator 5. Find a way to resolve the contradiction that B
should provide A and B should not cause C.
UF is required to UF 6. Find a way to eliminate, reduce, or prevent C
B A under the condition of B.
7. Find a way to benefit from C.

causes Essentially, formulating problem statements decom-

poses a complex problem into a series of correlated small
influences problems, which makes it easier and more straightforward
to solve.
HF C Result analysis. After problem formulation, profes-
sional knowledge should be used to solve formulated and
decomposed “problem series.” Very often, some solutions
NOTE: UF = useful function; HF = harmful function.
or at least some indications to possible solutions can be
obtained through analyzing the problem statements.
use of Function B will produce harmful Function C, which However, sometimes when the function diagram is
can have a reverse effect on the effectiveness of Function very complex and consists of many components, there are
A. The functional diagram can be built based on the cause- many problem statements. It would be time-consuming to
and-effect relationships among the three different func- analyze each problem statement. Terninko, Zusman, and
tions. Based on the functional diagram, seven problem Zlotin (1998) propose a set of criteria to select the most
statements can be formulated as follows: “probable” problem statements. This should direct service
designers to resolve problems in an efficient manner. The
1. Find an alternative way to obtain A that does not criteria are as follows:
require B and will not be influenced by C.
2. Find a way to enhance the effectiveness of A. • Select the problem with the best cost/benefit ratio.
54 JOURNAL OF SERVICE RESEARCH / August 2005

• The more radical the problem, the greater the poten- Stage 3: Solution Evaluation
tial benefit.
• It is better to eliminate a harmful cause than to miti- The last stage of the proposed method involves evaluat-
gate results.
ing the solution using TRIZ’s principles. The basis of
• The level of difficulty involved in implementing a
solution should be a factor in problem selection. Too TRIZ idea evaluation is based on the law of ideality
radical a solution may prove unacceptable, depend- (Altshuller 1997). According to this law, the best idea
ing on an organization’s culture and psychological should be the one closest to the state of ideality. This can be
inertia. measured by using the technique of the ideal final result.
The ideal final result is an implementation-free descrip-
tion of the situation after a problem has been solved
Stage 2: Problem Resolution (Domb 1997). An ideal solution delivers all of the desir-
able benefits without harm and incurs no cost to solve
The two major activities in this stage are contradiction the problem. The selected idea to be implemented can be
analysis and elimination. Effective solutions may emerge further refined until it is accepted by local constraints.
after problem definition. However, when situations are Otherwise, another idea alternative can be promoted for
complicated, the process of problem modeling might be analysis.
very time-consuming and would probably result in a
lengthy set of problem statements for analysis. An alterna-
tive way to analyze problems is to identify one or just a EMPIRICAL STUDY
few of key problems (inherent contradictions) that are the
causes for many other problems within the same system. To verify the viability of the proposed problem-solving
The elimination of the inherent contradictions will usually model, two case studies were conducted at two different
also lead to the resolution of these problems. service contexts. One was at a leisure resort island. The
other was at a university. The case studies demonstrate that
Contradiction analysis. The purpose of structuring an the proposed method can be used to help resolve problems
inventive problem into the form of a contradiction is to in service operations and to generate quality solutions for
identify two conflicting components (either subsystems or implementation. They also indicate that this service design
functions) in the original problem systems or two opposite may be applicable to resolve problems in different service
requirements to the same element/condition of the system. industries. Table 3 provides a summary of the structure of
Sometimes, contradictions can be found by analyzing the two case studies and the linkage to the TRIZ service
problem statements, defining the tool-object-product in problem-solving process reflected in Figure 1. It dem-
the system, or simply by using the TRIZ technique of root onstrates how the flow of the TRIZ process links to the
contradiction analysis (Mann 2002). resolution of service problems.
Contradiction elimination. To eliminate formulated
contradictions effectively, one may use any knowledge- Case 1: Redesign the Sightseeing Scheme to
based tools provided by TRIZ, which include the 40 inven- New Areas on Singapore Sentosa Island
tive principles, the contradiction matrix, 76 standard solu-
tions, and the ARIZ. Among them, the 40 inventive princi- To attract more visitors to the Singapore Sentosa
ples are considered one of the most accessible and useful Island, a leisure resort island in Singapore, the Singapore
TRIZ problem resolution techniques. Practical applica- Development Corporation (SDC) planned to open more
tions have proved that these principles are not only effec- previously inaccessible areas of the island to visitors. To
tive in eliminating contradictions for technical problems make visitors better enjoy traveling to these new areas, the
(Altshuller 1997), but they are also equally effective in SDC developed a new leisure program where visitors can
handling nontechnical problems (Mann and Domb 1999; either bring their own bicycles or rent bicycles from one of
Retseptor 2003; Terninko, Zusman, and Zlotin 2001). three booths on the island. Renting a bicycle costs visitors
Appendix A and Appendix B provide examples to demon- between $4 and $8 an hour. Another reason for developing
strate the effectiveness of using the 40 inventive principles this program was that it is difficult to visit much of the
and 4 separation principles in providing innovative solu- island on foot. For this purpose, a project of designing and
tions to resolve problems in the service arena. With the use carving out new cycling paths was carried out. However,
of these principles, service contradictions can be elimi- some problems surfaced after the implementation of this
nated and a list of effective solutions generated for further cycling program. How can tourists who do not prefer
assessment in terms of their closeness to ideality. cycling or cannot cycle at all visit the new areas? Was it
 Chai et al. / A TRIZ-BASED METHOD FOR NEW SERVICE DESIGN 55

TABLE 3
Case Study Structure and the Linkage to the TRIZ Service Design Model
Case 1: Case 2:
Redesign Sightseeing Program Restructure University
TRIZ Service Design Stage TRIZ Tools on Sentosa Resort Canteen Operations

Problem definition Problem formulator (function The objective is to design new programs The objective is to restructure canteen
modeling and problem state- to meet the needs of tourists who visit operations to meet the dining needs of
ment formulation) Sentosa Island without the necessity of customers with more flexible opening
cycling. The service context of the vis- hours. The service context of canteen
iting program and tourists’ traveling operations and customer needs is func-
needs is integrated into the function tionally expressed in a diagram to re-
diagram to reflect the problem flect the problem situations.
situation.
Problem resolution Contradiction analysis; 40 in- A contradiction in travel route design is A contradiction in operation time is for-
ventive principles and 4 sep- formulated. Several inventive principles mulated. Inventive principles and
aration principles and separation principles are employed separation principles are employed to
to eliminate contradiction and generate eliminate contradiction and generate
solutions. solutions.
Solution evaluation Ideal final result Generated solutions are sorted out Generated solutions are sorted out
against the feasibility of ideas. against the feasibility of ideas.

NOTE: TRIZ = theory of inventive problem solving.

worthwhile to invest in paving cycling paths? Are there 1. Find an alternative way to obtain [UF2: Bring
any better means or supplementary methods to help visi- visitors to the new areas] that provides [UF1:
tors access the new areas? In this case study, the TRIZ ser- Bring exciting experience to visitors], does not
vice design method was employed to analyze the service require [UF3: Offer sightseeing while cycling
context and work out a set of possible strategies to address program], and is not influenced by [HF1: Those
who cannot cycle, or do not like it, cannot visit
the problem situation.
new areas].
2. Find a way to enhance the effectiveness of
STAGE 1: PROBLEM DEFINITION [UF2: Bring visitors to the new areas].
3. Find an alternative way to obtain [UF1: Bring
The advantage of the program of sightseeing while exciting experience to visitors] that does not
cycling might be its flexibility for visitors. Some visitors, require [UF2: Bring visitors to the new areas].
especially young ones, might prefer this method. How- 4. Find a way to enhance the effectiveness of
ever, the majority of visitors who come to Sentosa Island [UF1: Bring exciting experience to visitors].
may not have exercising in mind. Thus, they might not be 5. Find an alternative way to obtain [UF3: Offer
pleased if they are not able to enjoy the views in the new sightseeing while cycling program] that pro-
areas if they do not cycle. Other drawbacks include the vides [UF2: Bring visitors to the new areas],
does not cause [HF1: Those who cannot cycle,
added cost to rent the bicycles and the investment by the
or do not like it, cannot visit new areas], and
SDC in building the cycling paths. The operations system requires [HF2: Paving cycling paths].
of the cycling problem consists of components such as 6. Find a way to enhance the effectiveness of [UF3:
visitors, renting booths, operation staff, bicycles, and Offer sightseeing while cycling program].
cycling paths on the island. The objective for solving this 7. Find a way to resolve the contradiction that
problem could be to formulate effective strategies to re- [UF3: Offer sightseeing while cycling program]
design the current program or develop a new program that should be in place to provide [UF2: Bring visi-
can eliminate the existing drawbacks without introducing tors to the new areas] and should not exist to
new harmful elements to the original service operations avoid causing [HF1: Those who cannot cycle, or
system. do not like it, cannot visit new areas].
Based on the preliminary problem analysis, a function 8. Find a way to eliminate, reduce, or prevent
[HF1: Those who cannot cycle, or do not like it,
diagram of the target cycling problem is constructed (see
cannot visit new areas] to avoid hindering [UF2:
Figure 3). Bring visitors to the new areas] under the con-
According to the function diagram, the following 11 dition of [UF3: Offer sightseeing while cycling
problem statements can be formulated: program].
56 JOURNAL OF SERVICE RESEARCH / August 2005

FIGURE 3
Function Diagram of the Cycling Program on Sentosa Island

HF2

Those who cannot cycle,

or do not like it, cannot
visit new areas
eliminates

causes

Paving is required Offer the is required is required Bring exciting

cycling for program for Bring visitors to the for experience to
paths (sightseeing new areas visitors
while cycling)

HF1 UF2 UF1

UF3

NOTE: UF = useful function; HF = harmful function.

9. Find a way to benefit from [HF1: Those who STAGE 2: PROBLEM RESOLUTION
cannot cycle, or do not like it, cannot visit new
areas]. From the perspective of contradiction analysis, the situ-
10. Find a way to eliminate, reduce, or prevent ation can be interpreted as a problem of travel route de-
[HF2: Paving cycling paths] under the condi- sign, which can be one of the core problems behind all
tion of [UF3: Offer sightseeing while cycling problems. It can be structured as the contradiction that the
program]. traveling path should be present to direct the visiting with
11. Find a way to benefit from [HF2: Paving cycling
the “riding vehicle,” and yet the “path” should be absent to
paths].
increase the flexibility of visiting, save costs for path pav-
ing, and lower its effect on the natural surroundings. To
The analysis of these problem statements can give
resolve this contradiction, we can first intensify the contra-
some indications of possible solutions, which may be
diction to two extreme situations: The path is well
insightful, whereas others may not be practical. The fol-
designed and may have more functions than just for the use
lowing are some indications based on the analysis of the
of cycling. For example, the current path can be widened
formulated 11 problem formulations:
for electric-powered buses or a tram system that can take
• Find some alternatives to help visitors enjoy the visitors to anywhere on the island. The other opposite
scenery of the new areas but not to visit physically extreme scenario is that no path be provided, which may
(e.g., tapes, pictures?). be interpreted as looking for some intangible or flexible
• Design other programs to entertain visitors instead paths or just encouraging customers to get there without
of opening the new areas (e.g., develop more attrac- the need of paved paths. Some examples could be offering
tions in old areas?). new means to take visitors to these new areas while adding
• Find some alternatives to get visitors around the some fun elements, such as introducing yachting, taking
island instead of sticking to the original program of cable car, or even riding on an hot-air balloon. The alterna-
sightseeing while cycling (e.g., cable car, helicopter, tive way to obtain the above strategies is to use a set of
yacht?). inventive principles such as “another dimension,” “self-
• Find lower cost alternatives to the suggestion of
service,” and “segmentation,” and to use the separation
“paving cycling path” (e.g., design an airway or
seaway?). principles such as separation in time and separation in
space.
 Chai et al. / A TRIZ-BASED METHOD FOR NEW SERVICE DESIGN 57

FIGURE 4
Functional Diagram of
University Canteen Food Outlet Operations

UF3 UF2 UF1

Meet the dining

Food outlets run by is required to Provide fresh is required to needs of students
contract operators cooked food and staff

causes

HF1 Limitation on operation time

causes influences

HF2 Latecomers fail to buy food

NOTE: UF = useful function; HF = harmful function.

STAGE 3: SOLUTION EVALUATION cussions with the canteen staff. Using the situation analy-
sis questions (Table 2), the objective, system, and ideality
From the perspective of the ideal final result, if the visi- were identified as follows:
tors are keen to join an event such as an excursion or a party
that is organized in new areas and find their own ways to • Objective. The purpose of improving this situation
get there, this solution might be the closest to ideality. is to find some effective measures to improve the
More incentives, such as freebies and rewards, can be food supply in the canteen so that the dining needs
designed in a way to motivate the passion of exploration of all students and staff can be met.
for visitors. • System. The system of interest in this problem is uni-
versity-wide. The center of the system is the can-
teen, which includes all the physical facilities, food
Case 2: Restructure the Operations outlet operators, and other resources in the canteen.
at a University Canteen The customers to be served in the canteen are the
students and staff.
This case study (adapted from Zhang, Chai, and Tan • Ideality. The ideal solution should be free of all the
existing problems in the system of the canteen with-
2005) was carried at a university canteen. The canteen
out incurring extra cost.
only opens during weekdays to provide breakfast, lunch,
and dinner for students and staff of the university. This
By using the problem formulator, a set of events is
constraint in operation hours creates problems to the din-
extracted and linked with each other using cause-and-
ing needs of many people. Many diligent research students
effect relationships (see Figure 4). Based on the func-
and staff who work on campus beyond office hours or on
tional diagram, 11 problem statements are formulated as
weekends have to travel far to find a restaurant or food
follows:
stall. Complaints were made to the university to seek a
change in the canteen operating hours. 1. Find an alternative way to obtain the useful
function of [UF1: Meet the dining needs of stu-
STAGE 1: PROBLEM DEFINITION dents and staff] that does not require [UF2:
Fresh-cooked food] and is not influenced by
The situation information was captured through obser- [HF2: Latecomers fail to buy food].
vation and a number of interviews with students and staff 2. Find a way to enhance the effectiveness of
[UF1: Meet the dining needs of students and
who dine at the canteen frequently. The operation of the
staff].
canteen and food outlets was also investigated through dis-
58 JOURNAL OF SERVICE RESEARCH / August 2005

3. Find an alternative way to obtain the useful • Find some means to squeeze the customer demands
function of [UF2: Fresh-cooked food] that can cycle (e.g., early bird discount).
provide [UF1: Meet the dining needs of students
and staff] and does not require [UF3: Food out- STAGE 2: PROBLEM RESOLUTION
lets run by contracted operators].
4. Find a way to enhance the effectiveness of
It is not difficult to identify the two conflicting aspects
[UF2: Fresh-cooked food].
in the original system: the operation time of food outlets
5. Find an alternative way to obtain the useful
function of [UF3: Food outlets run by con- and customer demands. The contradiction can be struc-
tracted operators] that provides [UF2: Fresh- tured such that operation time should be long enough to
cooked food] and does not cause [HF1: Limita- meet the dining needs of students and staff. Yet opening
tion on operation time]. hours should not be too long because it is not cost-effective
6. Find a way to enhance the effectiveness of to the food outlet operators. The essence of eliminating
[UF 3 : Food outlets run by contracted this contradiction is to take effective measures to either
operators]. stretch the operation time or to concentrate the demands of
7. Find a way to resolve the contradiction that the customers. Based on the extreme situation analysis, the
[UF3: Food outlets run by contracted operators] 4 separation principles, and the 40 inventive principles, we
should be established to provide [UF2: Fresh- can find out some useful results to eliminate the contradic-
cooked food], but it should not be established to tion and also other supplementary measures by interpret-
avoid causing [HF1: Limitation on operation
ing some of the principles in the problem context. It is
time].
8. Find a way to eliminate, reduce, or prevent the interesting to note that some insightful indications that
harmful function of [HF1: Limitation on opera- have been obtained at Stage 2 can also be found here.
tion time] to avoid causing [HF2: Latecomers
fail to buy food] under the condition of [UF3: • Separation in space. Separate the food preparation
Food outlets run by contracted operators]. from food supply by contracting food preparation to
9. Find a way to benefit from [HF1: Limitation on off-campus operators and use phone ordering, direct
operation time]. delivery, or other means to supply food in batches to
10. Find a way to eliminate, reduce, or prevent the campus.
harmful function of [HF2: Latecomers fail to • Separation within a whole and its parts and segmen-
buy food] to avoid influencing [UF1: Meet the tation. Segment the dinning needs of customers into
dining needs of students and staff] under the different types and patterns. Categorize those who
condition of [HF1: Limitation on operation have particular needs such as late dinning and pro-
time]. vide special service to them.
11. Find a way to benefit from [HF2: Latecomers • Separation in time. Divide the operation of the can-
fail to buy food]. teen food outlets into daytime operation and night-
time operation so that other operators can use the
existing outlets to operate at night.
An analysis of the above statements can guide thinking
• Self-service. In the deliver-on-order service, cus-
toward the following directions, through which some pos- tomers can collect the ordered food by themselves
sible solutions can be interpreted: at designated collecting points. Pantries can be pro-
vided in offices so that late diners can self-resolve
• Find alternative ways of delivering food, or replace- their problems by cooking or heating their own
ments of fresh-cooked food, so that people can come food.
and buy at anytime (e.g., direct sale of ordered food, • Preliminary action. Set up some complementary
automated vendor machine, canned food; provide measures such as providing automated food vendor
office pantry so that students can cook or heat food). machines and renovating pantries to relieve peak-
• Find alternative ways to obtain fresh-cooked food hour demand and also to meet the needs of
without relying on contracted operators (e.g., con- latecomers.
tract with off-campus operators who can operate
without the time constraint). STAGE 3: SOLUTION EVALUATION
• Find alternative ways to operate existing food out-
lets without the time constraints (e.g., encourage a
few existing operators to extend operation time). The ideal solution to address this problem should incur
• Find alternative ways to serve customers without the as little cost as possible while providing maximum benefit
time constraint (e.g., new packaging to sustain the to the system of canteen operations. Among the obtained
freshness of food so that operators can cook food on ideas from the above problem-solving steps, the simplest
order and then deliver it to designated places where solution is to identify one or two outlet operators who are
customers can collect food). willing to extend their operation time. Another possibility
 Chai et al. / A TRIZ-BASED METHOD FOR NEW SERVICE DESIGN 59

is to introduce new operators to take over the business of under two different service contexts. In Case 1, the
night operation. To implement this idea, support must be island cycling program is redesigned with suggested
obtained from the university to give an incentive for these supplementary programs that can cater to the needs of
operators who serve students and staff at night. Another other visitors who might not be interested in cycling
approach to address this problem is to launch a food-order- while sightseeing. The entire problem is traced to an
ing service, which can help students and staff to order their inherent contradiction in the island travel route design.
food over the telephone or through the campus Internet. The elimination of the contradiction provides us with
The food can be prepared by contract operators, who can many insightful solutions to address the problem. In
be either from the existing canteens or from off-campus Case 2, TRIZ tools reveal the inherent contradiction
restaurants. The ordered food can be delivered to desig- between customer dining needs and the canteen opera-
nated collection points or delivered directly to offices, and tion time. Based on recommendations from the 4 sepa-
a service fee is charged. ration principles and 40 inventive principles, innovative
service ideas such as contracting nighttime food outlet
operators, establishing direct sales, and having an order
DISCUSSION system on campus were suggested. In both cases, ideas
were generated throughout the entire service design
process. In sum, we show that the TRIZ-based method-
Contribution of ology is able to deliver a set of innovative solutions
TRIZ Service Design Method systematically.
In comparison with other service design tools, such as
TRIZ is a unique way of systematic thinking. With a QFD and RCA, TRIZ is distinct with its unique nature in
powerful knowledge base as its foundation, TRIZ con- defining the problem and then generating and evaluating
trasts with other problem-solving approaches by its dis- solutions. It can be seen in Table 4 that TRIZ-based service
tinct capabilities to generate breakthrough ideas and design methods illustrate a completely different new pro-
deliver solutions without compromise. New service de- cess of problem solving.
sign can benefit from this breakthrough problem-solving
method. Unlike many existing service design tools, this
TRIZ-based approach can help service developers to over-
Managerial Implications
come their psychological inertia and generate many new
and even breakthrough ideas throughout the process of
service conceptualization. For instance, the effectiveness Several managerial implications accrue from this
of QFD in service design relies very much on the past study. First, as shown in the case studies, the systematic
experiences of participants involved in the service design method is able to help service developers to formulate
exercise. Brainstorming is required to provide insight into effective solutions to address customer service problems.
the understanding of service product attributes and the This method can replace the traditional ad hoc practices
scoring of the satisfaction level for these attributes. In con- frequently used in developing new services in many ser-
trast, the main concerns for TRIZ problem solving are ser- vice companies. Hence, service companies are likely to
vice context and service activities, which are much less enhance their capacity to deliver innovative service offer-
experience dependent. In terms of quality and efficiency of ings and shorten service development cycle and time to
TRIZ problem solving in service design, it is possible that market.
under some circumstances, an experienced service Moreover, by having a powerful knowledge base that
designer might probably develop better and faster service consists of a collection of innovation patterns, TRIZ can
solutions without using a systematic approach. However, help practitioners develop new services by leveraging on
this is exactly the inherent weakness of current practices in previous innovation, thus avoiding reinventing the wheel.
NSD and many existing service design methods that rely Extensive design experience may no longer be a necessary
heavily on previous specific knowledge and experience. requirement for developing innovative services. With the
By using TRIZ, one can always rely on its knowledge base implementation of TRIZ in service development, it is thus
even when service developers and participants are not possible for less experienced service developers to think
experienced. This is the novelty of using TRIZ in NSD, innovatively and generate creative service strategies. In
which is also the biggest difference between TRIZ and fact, service organizations can always consider tailoring
other existing service design methods. TRIZ tools and further enhancing the effectiveness of the
In this article, the feasibility and advantages of using knowledge base by benchmarking the best service
TRIZ in NSD have been verified in the empirical cases practices across different industries.
60 JOURNAL OF SERVICE RESEARCH / August 2005

TABLE 4
Comparison of TRIZ-Based Method With Quality Function Deployment and
Root Cause Analysis in Service Design
Service Design Process TRIZ-Based Method Quality Function Deployment Root Cause Analysis

Problem definition Problem is defined in a structured manner. Data House of quality can systemati- Root cause analysis can help to
of problem situation are captured. Complicated cally identify problems and identify the root cause of the
problem is decomposed into a set of small, sim- contradictory service attributes. problem. However, the informa-
ple problems. Possible TRIZ tools: Innovative However, it is unable to reveal tion capture is not as systematic
Situation Questionnaire; problem formulator; the possible root cause of the as the TRIZ process.
TOP function analysis; substance-field analy- problem.
sis; anticipatory failure analysis
Problem resolution Inherent contradiction of the problem is identified. No detailed step to guide service No detailed step to guide service
Solutions are generated by eliminating the con- designers to proceed in contra- designers to proceed in root
tradictions with TRIZ knowledge-based tools. diction resolution; solution gen- cause resolution; solution gen-
Possible TRIZ tools: root contradiction analysis; eration relies on team members’ eration relies on team members’
separation principles; inventive principles; con- experience and creativity. experience and creativity.
tradiction matrix; 76 standard solutions; ARIZ
Solution evaluation Generated ideas are prioritized with the closeness No idea selection step/tool No idea selection step/tool
to the state of ideality. If possible, it is encour-
aged to try the implementation of the most ideal
solution. Possible TRIZ tools: ideal final result.

NOTE: TRIZ = theory of inventive problem solving; TOP = tool-object-product; ARIZ = algorithm of inventive problem solving.

Limitations and Future Work CONCLUSION

As the introduction of TRIZ to new service design is This article proposes a new approach to service design
still in its infancy, there are several limitations that need to based on the TRIZ method. Several TRIZ problem-
be addressed. The first is the need to concretize a TRIZ solving tools are modified and embedded into the new
knowledge base in NSD. As TRIZ was first conceived and model. With the incorporation of TRIZ systematic think-
developed in engineering, many of its principles and tools ing, this approach realizes the aim of systematic design
were originally designed to resolve technical problems and innovation in the service domain. The findings ob-
instead of service problems. Future research can focus on tained from case studies suggest that the process of idea
identifying patterns of service innovations and incorporat- generation can be better planned and controlled with for-
ing more TRIZ tools, laws, and principles in service prob- malized operation procedures. It also indicates that this
lem solving. A service product is different from a physical type of formalized mechanism can be extended to other
product because of its distinct characteristics: intangibil- phases of service development, such as business analysis
ity, heterogeneity, simultaneity, customer participation, and market testing. TRIZ may have been created on the
and perishability. This difference might indicate a unique basis of technical as opposed to nontechnical data. None-
track of evolution when it comes to patterns of service theless, its potential to unleash innovativeness in the ser-
innovation. Therefore, to capture the nature of service vice industries holds great promise.
innovation, a more comprehensive TRIZ and its know-
ledge base needs to be developed.
Another limitation of this study is that only two case APPENDIX A
1
Forty Inventive Principles With Examples in Services
studies were conducted. To overcome this limitation,
future research can further validate the feasibility of using
the TRIZ method in solving various kinds of service prob- Principle 1. Segmentation
lems. The objective is to enable TRIZ to resolve a much • Divide an object or system into independent parts.
wider range of service problems (e.g., problems with dif- • Make an object or system easy to disassemble.
ferent service design attributes and in different service • Increase the degree of fragmentation or segmentation.
industries). To achieve this goal, more empirical case stud-
1. The examples listed are only approximate illustrations. Some
ies need to be carried out in different service industries and principles (e.g., Principles 14, 37, and 38) are so mechanically oriented
service contexts. that a corresponding service example is not possible or appropriate.
 Chai et al. / A TRIZ-BASED METHOD FOR NEW SERVICE DESIGN 61

Examples Example
• Consumers can be segmented based on their needs, age • Bundling different service offerings and operating them
group, and buying behavior. together. For instance, a combined admission ticket to an
• In most service industries, the service package is a mix of amusement park means visitors can enjoy a variety of
tangible and intangible elements (e.g., the atmosphere of a attractions, which helps to create lasting impressions.
restaurant and the friendliness of its waiters might be as
important as the taste of the food it sells). Principle 6. Universality
• Make a part, an object, or system perform multiple func-
Principle 2. Extraction
tions; eliminate the need for other parts.
• Separate an interfering part or property from an object or • Use standardized features.
system, or single out the only necessary part (or property)
of an object or system. Examples
• Service can be designed in a way to meet various customer
Examples
needs. A customer service officer at a shopping mall can
• Banks set up e-portals to provide services such as fund function as a telephone operator as well as a customer ser-
transfer, bill payment, and simple advisory, allowing vice officer.
branches to focus on primarily cash-based transactions • Franchise food outlets, such as McDonald’s and
(i.e., cash withdrawals and deposits) that cannot be done Starbucks, deliver standard food dishes and service facili-
over Internet. ties to consumers.
• Cinemas set up automated ticket booking machines at res-
idential areas or provide phone booking services so that Principle 7. Nesting
consumers do not have to travel to the cinema to buy • Place one object or system inside another; place each
tickets. object or system, in turn, inside the other.
• Make one part pass through a cavity in the other.
Principle 3. Local quality
• Change an object’s or system’s structure from uniform to Example
nonuniform; change an external environment (or external • Long-distance flight can be a very boring and tiring expe-
influence) from uniform to nonuniform. rience if no additional service or “entertainment,” such as
• Make each part of an object or system function in condi- games or movies, is provided during the flight.
tions most suitable for its operation.
• Make each part of an object or system fulfill a different Principle 8. Counterweight
and useful function.
• To compensate for the weight of an object or system,
Examples merge it with other objects or systems that provide lift.
• To compensate for the weight of an object or system, make
• Service offerings can be customized based on the needs of it interact with the environment.
consumers. For instance, DELL provides flexibility for
computer configuration. Example
• The layout design in large grocery stores, such as Wal-
Mart, emphasizes strategic product placement and con- • To cope with tremendous marketing expense, newly
sumer flows through their stores to maximize sales and emerged e-banks often ally with established traditional
convenience (Metters, King-Metters, and Pullman 2003). banks to gain rapid recognition from the market.

Principle 4. Asymmetry Principle 9. Prior counteraction

• Change the shape of an object or system from symmetrical • If it is necessary to do an action with both harmful and use-
to asymmetrical. ful effects, this action should be replaced with anti-actions
• If an object or system is asymmetrical, increase its degree to control the harmful effects.
of asymmetry. • Create beforehand stresses in an object or system that will
oppose known undesirable working stresses later on.
Example
Examples
• Sometimes, providing personalized services instead of
standardized services can help to create a unique experi- • Companies provide a money-back guarantee or extended
ence to consumers. For instance, consumers are greeted after-sale service for new products.
by their names at hotel reception counters, and hair salons • Companies educate customers about potential fallout of
make records of consumer preferences. their products (e.g., displaying disclaimers to avoid a
potential liability claim).
Principle 5. Consolidation
Principle 10. Prior action
• Bring closer together (or merge) identical or similar
objects or systems; assemble identical or similar parts to • Perform, before it is needed, the required change of an
perform parallel operations. object or system (either fully or partially).
• Make operations contiguous or parallel; bring them
together in time.
62 JOURNAL OF SERVICE RESEARCH / August 2005

• Prearrange objects or systems such that they can come Example

into action from the most convenient place and without
losing time for their delivery. • Service firms can empower frontline staff to have discre-
tionary power in delivering services such as giving dis-
Examples counts if customers order a large amount of the service.
• Multinational companies offer international warranty ser- Principle 16. Partial or excessive action
vices for customers.
• To shorten the checkout time, many hotels total the bills • If 100% of an object or system is hard to achieve using a
and slide them under the guest room doors during the last given solution method, then, by using “slightly less” or
night of their stays, thereby achieving “minimum waiting “slightly more” of the same method, the problem may be
time.” considerably easier to solve.

Principle 11. Cushion in advance Example

• Prepare emergency means beforehand to compensate for • Giving advance notice and explanation to customers for
the relatively low reliability of an object or system. temporary unavailability of a service can prevent loss of
consumer loyalty due to waiting. For instance, Web sites
Example can put up notices such as “server upgrading” to explain
the temporary shutdown or slow response rate.
• To balance between limited capacity and uneven con-
sumer demands, service firms can use a set of preventive Principle 17. Transition into a new dimension
strategies such as price differentiation to encourage
demand during off-peak times and appointment-only res- • Move an object or system in two- or three-dimensional
ervations to control service quality. space.
• Use a multistory arrangement of objects or systems
Principle 12. Equipotentiality instead of a single-story arrangement.
• Tilt or reorient the object or system; lay it on its side.
• In a potential field, limit position changes (e.g., change • Use “another side” of a given area.
operating conditions to eliminate the need to raise or
lower objects or systems in a gravity field). Example
Example • The organizational structure of McDonald’s is pyramid
shaped, with layers of supervision from the assistant store
• By establishing a network of branches, car rental compa- manager, store manager, and regional manager to corpo-
nies enable customers to rent cars in one branch and return rate “consultants,” ensuring consistency of service deliv-
them to another branch. ery across all locations (Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons
2001).
Principle 13. Do it in reverse
• Invert the action(s) used to solve the problem (e.g., instead Principle 18. Mechanical vibration
of cooling an object or system, heat it). • Cause an object or system to oscillate or vibrate.
• Make movable parts (or the external environment) fixed • Increase its frequency (even up to the ultrasonic).
and fixed parts movable. • Use an object’s or system’s resonant frequency.
• Turn the object (or process) “upside down.” • Use piezoelectric vibrators instead of mechanical ones.
• Use combined ultrasonic and electromagnetic field
Example
oscillations.
• Provide a “mobile food stall” to remote industrial areas
where workers might need to travel far for food. Example
• Airlines use a ticket pricing system to maximize profit
Principle 14. Spheroidality
from vibrating demands.
• Instead of using rectilinear parts, surfaces, or forms, use
curvilinear ones; move from flat surfaces to spherical
ones, from parts shaped as a cube (parallelepiped) to ball- Principle 19. Periodic action
shaped structures.
• Instead of continuous action, use periodic or pulsating
• Use rollers, balls, spirals, and domes.
action.
• Go from linear to rotary motion; use centrifugal forces.
• If an action is already periodic, change the periodic mag-
Principle 15. Dynamicity nitude or frequency.
• Use pauses between impulses to perform a different
• Allow (or design) the characteristics of an object, external action.
environment, or process to change to be optimal or find an
optimal operating condition. Examples
• Divide an object or system into parts capable of movement
• Collecting customer feedback on a regular basis can help
relative to each other.
service organizations to monitor customer satisfaction.
• If an object (or process) is rigid or inflexible, make it mov-
• Consumer demand in some service industries exhibits
able or adaptive.
very cyclical behavior over different periods of time, with
considerable variation between the peaks and valleys. Ser-
 Chai et al. / A TRIZ-BASED METHOD FOR NEW SERVICE DESIGN 63

vice firms can profit from this characteristic by offering • Merge one object temporarily with another (which can be
additional services. For instance, airlines open more easily removed).
flights to popular destinations during peak season.
Example
Principle 20. Continuity of useful action • Service companies may choose to outsource noncore
• Carry on work continuously; make all parts of an object or functions or functions that lack economies of scale to
system work at full load all the time. other companies that essentially merge similar functions
• Eliminate all idle or intermittent actions or work. from different companies.

Examples Principle 25. Self-service

• Universities usually maintain good relationships with • Make an object or system serve itself by performing auxil-
their alumni, even long after students have left their alma iary helpful functions.
mater. This allows the university to raise donations as well • Use waste resources, energy, or substances.
as to sell continuing/executive education to their alumni.
• Management consulting firms typically maintain close Example
relationships with their ex-employees, who are likely to • Customer participation in service delivery can be an inter-
help to bring in new business. esting experience or even an attraction. Many zoos allow
visitors to feed certain animals or participate in some ani-
Principle 21. Rushing through mal shows.
• Conduct a process or certain stages (e.g., destructible,
harmful, or hazardous operations) at high speed. Principle 26. Copying

Example • Instead of an unavailable, expensive, fragile object or sys-

tem, use simpler and inexpensive copies.
• Keeping customers in a long queue risks losing their loy- • Replace an object or system or process with optical
alty. One of the possible means to overcome this is to let copies.
customers feel that waiting time was skipped psychologi- • If visible optical copies are already used, move to infrared
cally by keeping them occupied with entertainment (e.g., or ultraviolet copies.
Disney employees entertaining customers waiting in • Copy creative service concepts across different industries.
queue) or distraction (high-rise buildings put mirrors on
lift doors to make people less maniacal during waits). Example
• The concept of the automatic vending machine has been
Principle 22. Convert harm into benefit copied and applied across different industries to provide a
• Use harmful factors (particularly harmful effects of the wide range of services such as returning library books,
environment or surroundings) to achieve a positive effect. posting letters, and dispensing cash.
• Eliminate the primary harmful action by adding it to
another harmful action to resolve the problem; amplify a Principle 27. Dispose
harmful factor to such a degree that it is no longer harmful.
• Replace an expensive object or system with multiple inex-
Examples pensive objects or systems, compromising certain quali-
ties (such as service life).
• Safety or other forms of audits can be used to identify per-
formance gaps even though such audits often take up a Examples
great amount of resources.
• School textbooks may come with software with limited
• In professional services such as management consulting,
functionality or limited copyright, which expires after one
the price of a job is often considered as a surrogate for ser-
or two semesters.
vice quality. Thus, increasing the price may bring a high-
• Trial versions of software can often be downloaded for
quality perception among the customers.
users to try out before making a decision to buy the com-
plete version.
Principle 23. Feedback
• Introduce feedback (referring back, cross-checking) to Principle 28. Replacement of mechanical system
improve a process or action.
• Replace a mechanical means with a sensory (optical,
• If feedback is already used, change its magnitude or
acoustic, taste, or smell) means.
influence.
• Use electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields to
Example interact with the object or system.
• Change from static to movable fields, from unstructured
• Keeping consumer records and listening to their feedback fields to those having structure.
will be helpful for service firms to improve service • Use fields in conjunction with field-activated (e.g., ferro-
excellence. magnetic) particles.

Principle 24. Mediator Examples

• Use an intermediary carrier article or intermediary • Videotapes of lectures and CD recordings of concerts rep-
process. resent convenient substitutes for physical attendance.
64 JOURNAL OF SERVICE RESEARCH / August 2005

• The development of e-services eliminates the necessity Principle 34. Rejecting and regenerating parts
for physical traveling (e.g., videoconference, Web-based
class, online order, and payment). • Make portions of an object or system that have fulfilled
their functions go away (discard by dissolving, evaporat-
Principle 29. Pneumatic or hydraulic construction ing, etc.) or modify these directly during operation.
• Conversely, restore consumable parts of an object or sys-
• Use intangible parts of an object or system instead of tan- tem directly in operation.
gible parts.
Example
Example
• Amenities such as food stalls and temporary toilets can be
• Companies may provide free services to a charity organi- dissolved after the carnival is over.
zation to raise their profile instead of spending money on
advertisement. Principle 35. Transformation of properties
Principle 30. Flexible membranes or thin films • Change an object’s or system’s physical state (e.g., to a
gas, liquid, or solid).
• Use flexible shells and thin films instead of three- • Change the concentration or consistency.
dimensional structures. • Change the degree of flexibility.
• Isolate the object or system from the external environment • Change the atmosphere to an optimal setting.
using flexible shells and thin films.
Example
Example
• Hotels may offer a simplified check-in or free room
• Restaurants may separate smoking and nonsmoking sec- upgrade for regular guests.
tions through flexible partitions and air-exhaust systems,
depending on the demand. Principle 36. Phase transition
Principle 31. Porous material • Use phenomena occurring during phase transition (e.g.,
volume changes, loss or absorption of heat, etc.).
• Make an object or system porous or add porous elements
(inserts, coatings, etc.). Examples
• If an object or system is already porous, use the pores to
introduce a useful substance or function. • As members grow older, some resort clubs may provide
more family or retiree-oriented activities to cater for the
Example evolution of members’ needs.
• Recreation centers launch new leisure programs in differ-
• Customs areas at airports or border checkpoints have a ent seasons.
green lane if visitors have nothing to declare, in contrast to
the red lane if visitors have brought items that need to be Principle 37. Thermal expansion
declared.
• Use thermal expansion (or contraction) of materials.
Principle 32. Changing the color • If thermal expansion is being used, use multiple materials
with different coefficients of thermal expansion.
• Change the color of an object or system or its external
environment. Principle 38. Accelerated oxidation
• Change the transparency of an object or system or its
external environment. • Replace common air with oxygen-enriched air.
• Replace enriched air with pure oxygen.
Example • Expose air or oxygen to ionizing radiation.
• Use ionized oxygen.
• Changing the color of a service facility might influence • Replace ozonized (or ionized) oxygen with ozone.
customers’perception of the service (e.g., renovate restau-
rants with warm colors in winter; use a hospital color Principle 39. Inert environment
“association,” which might be helpful for rapid recovery
for patients). • Replace a normal environment with an inert one.
• Add neutral parts or inert additives to an object or system.
Principle 33. Homogeneity
Principle 40. Composite materials
• Make objects or systems interact with a given object or
system of the same material (or material with identical • Change from uniform to composite (multiple) materials.
properties).
Example
Example • Mix a service with other services or tangible elements. For
• Some hospitals encourage patients who have recovered instance, airlines give away souvenirs to passengers, and
from illnesses to discuss their experiences with new hotels provide complimentary toiletry items with the hotel
patients to alleviate their preoperative fears about certain name prominently affixed.
types of treatment.
 Chai et al. / A TRIZ-BASED METHOD FOR NEW SERVICE DESIGN 65

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66 JOURNAL OF SERVICE RESEARCH / August 2005

Kingman-Brundage, J. (1988), “The ABCs of Service Blueprinting,” in , , and  (2001), “40 Inventive Principles with
Designing a Winning Service Strategy, M. J. Bitner, ed. Chicago: Social Examples,” The TRIZ Journal, June.
American Marketing Association. Zeithaml, V. A., L. L. Berry, and A. Parasuraman (1990), Delivering
Low, M. K., L. Trond, W. Kathryn, and M. Odd (2001), “Manufacturing Quality Service: Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations.
a Green Service: Engaging the TRIZ Model of Innovation,” IEEE New York: Free Press.
Transactions on Electronic Packaging Manufacturing, 24 (1), 10-7.  and M. J. Bitner (2000), Services Marketing: Integrating Cus-
Mann, D. (2002), “Analysis Paralysis: When Root Cause Analysis Isn’t tomer Focus across the Firm. Boston: Irwin/McGraw-Hill.
the Way,” The TRIZ Journal, May. Zhang, J., K. Chai, and K. Tan (2003), “40 Inventive Principles with
 and S. Dewulf (2002), “Evolving the World’s Systematic Creativ- Applications in Service Operations Management,” The TRIZ Journal,
ity Methods,” The TRIZ Journal, April. December.
 and E. Domb (1999), “40 Inventive (Business) Principles with , , and  (2005), “Applying TRIZ to Service Con-
Examples,” The TRIZ Journal, September. ceptual Design: An Exploratory Study,” Creativity and Innovation
McGuire, E. P. (1973), Evaluating New Product Proposals. New York: Management, 14 (1), 34-41.
The Conference Board. Zlotin, B. and A. Zusman (2001), Directed Evolution: Philosophy, The-
Menor, L., M. V. Tatikonda, and S. E. Sampson (2002), “New Service ory and Practice. Southfield, MI: Ideation International.
Development: Area for Exploitation and Exploration,” Journal of
Operations Management, 20, 135-57.
Metters, R., K. King-Metters, and M. Pullman (2003), Successful Service Kah-Hin Chai is an assistant professor at the Industrial and Sys-
Operations Management. Mason, OH: South-Western. tems Engineering Department, National University of Singapore
Norling, P., B. Edvardsson, and E. Gummesson (1992), “Tjänsteut- (NUS). He received his Ph.D. degree from Cambridge University
veckling och tjänstekonstruction,” Research Report 92:5, Service (2000) in the area of manufacturing management. His work
Research Center, University of Karlstad, Sweden. experience includes management consulting and semiconductor
Rantanen, K. and E. Domb (2002), Simplified TRIZ: New Problem- manufacturing in Singapore and Malaysia. His current research
Solving Applications for Engineers and Manufacturing Profession-
als. Boca Raton, FL: St. Lucie Press. interests are new product development, service innovation, and
Retseptor, G. (2003), “40 Inventive Principles in Quality Management,” knowledge management.
The TRIZ Journal, March.
Robinson, A. G. and D. L. Moak (1997), Corporate Creativity. San Fran- Jun Zhang works as a procurement engineer in a semiconductor
cisco: Berrett Koehler. manufacturing company in Singapore. He received his MEng
Rovira, N. L. and I. H. Aguayo (1998), “A New Model of the Conceptual degree in industrial and systems engineering from the National
Design Process Using QFD/FA/TRIZ,” The TRIZ Journal, July. University of Singapore (2004) and his BEng degree in mechani-
Royzen, Z. (1999), “Tool, Object, Product (TOP) Function Analysis,” cal engineering from Northwestern Polytechnic University,
The TRIZ Journal, July.
China (2001). His research interests include new product and ser-
Savransky, S. D. (2000), Engineering of Creativity: Introduction to TRIZ
Methodology of Inventive Problem Solving. Boca Raton, FL: CRC vice development and supply chain management.
Press.
Selen, W. J. and J. Schepers (2001), “Design of Quality Service Systems Kay-Chuan Tan is an associate professor in the Department of
in the Public Sector: Use of Quality Function Deployment in Police Industrial and Systems Engineering at the National University of
Services,” Total Quality Management, 12 (5), 677-87. Singapore (NUS). He is also deputy director of the Office of
Sheuing, E. and E. Johnson (1989), “A Proposed Model for New Service Quality Management, NUS, where he is involved in setting up
Development,” Journal of Services Marketing, 3 (2), 25-34. benchmarks for quality excellence in education as well as the
Shostack, L. (1984), “Designing Services That Deliver,” Harvard Busi- day-to-day quality management of NUS. His current research
ness Review, January-February, 133-9.
interests include advancement of quality function deployment,
Stamm, G. (1992), “Flowing Customer Demanded Quality from Ser-
vice Planning to Service Design,” in Transactions of the Fourth Sym- assessment of national quality awards, service quality assess-
posium on Quality Function Deployment, June 15-16, Novi, MI, ment, and use of quality indicators in information technology
pp. 394-411. systems.
Terninko, J., A. Zusman, and B. Zlotin (1998), Systematic Innovation: An
Introduction to TRIZ. Boca Raton, FL: St. Lucie Press.
 T RIZ IN ACTION | A BOMBARDIER CASE:

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEhv00wqCjo

(ExelOp presents Bombardier Transportation's case study on TRIZ.m4v )

“The Swiss Networking group Rezonance has requested ExelOp's intervention to present
the Innovation Management with TRIZ within one of its conference.

ExelOp was joined by its partner Mr Nagel, Director Engineering Processes and Methods
at Bombardier Transportation, in order to bring a concrete view of TRIZ.

Results coming from TRIZ implementation at Bombardier Transportation were significant.

Indeed, thanks to the innovation generated by TRIZ application, Bombardier
Transportation has just obtained the CFF call of tender.

Starting from 2014, the company will be the official provider of CFF Swiss trains.
According to participants’ feedback, this conference was very relevant because they had
the opportunity to measure TRIZ both in a theoretical and practical way (…)”

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

1|6
 Artefact:
Train Collector
head

PROBLEM:

Long Collector head Overhead wires to cross Small Collector head Overhead wires to
Germany Border cross Switzerland Border

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

2|6
 Re-INVENTION TASK APPLIED TO THE
BOMBARDIER CASE STUDY
Artefact:
The Length of the Train Collector head size for Train Collector
Overhead wires must be long enough to cross head
the Germany Border (around 1950 mm) LENGTH

OF THE MOVING OBJET

The Length of the Train Collector head size for (Need to be variable)
Overhead wires must not be long enough to
cross the Switzerland (Maxi 1450 mm)

TRIZ Matrix proposes the following Principles to solve the corresponding contradiction

IMPROVING FEATURE:
3 1. Segmentation
LENGTH
 Divide an object into independent parts. 1
 Make an object easy to disassemble.
 Increase the degree of fragmentation or segmentation
OF THE MOVING OBJET
8. Anti-weight
(Need to be variable)  To compensate for the weight of an object, merge it with other
objects that provide lift. 8
 To compensate for the weight of an object, make it interact with the
environment (e.g. use aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, buoyancy and other
forces).

15. Dynamics
 Allow (or design) the characteristics of an object, external
environment, or process to change to be optimal or to find an optimal
operating condition. 15
 Divide an object into parts capable of movement relative to each
other.
 If an object (or process) is rigid or inflexible, make it movable or
WORST FEATURE:

STABILITY
13 adaptive.

34. Discarding and recovering

OF THE MOVING OBJET  Make portions of an object that have fulfilled their functions go away
(discard by dissolving, evaporating, etc.) or modify these directly during 34
(Need to be stable) operation.
Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

3|6
 TRIZ solution can be extracted from one of the previous Matrix proposal as follow:

In this case, the Dynamization (15:Dynamics) principle has been selected from the TRIZ
Matrix proposal, to divide the artefact into several parts capable of movement relative to
each other, in order to generate the possibility to extend or reduce the overall length of
this artefact (The Train’s Collector Head). The other proposed principles 1: Segmentation,
18:Anti-weight, and 34: Discarding and recovering, are not presented here, but for a deep
explanation, we will show them on another completed document.

15. Dynamics
15  Divide an object into parts capable of movement relative to each other.
 If an object (or process) is rigid or inflexible, make it movable or adaptive.

This possibility to realise a movable collector head is a key point that allow the train to have both
Collector head size 1950mm (to penetrate into the Germany Border zone) and also 1450mm
(for Switzerland Border)

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

4|6
 In conclusion:
With TRIZ principle, Bombardier win the CFF call of tender

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

5|6
 Notes

All the names and logos shown on this document are the property of the corresponding
companies

TRIZ Re-Invention Task has been done by the TRIZ Canada Team, and is not related to the
presentation that has been described by Mr Nagel, Director Engineering Processes and Methods
at Bombardier Transportation for the Swiss Networking group Rezonance and the ExelOp.

We only mentioned the YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEhv00wqCjo) links in

order to get the source of the video from which the images shown on the re-Invention task are
coming from.

This document should be used for free copy as basic study case, but please provide the source
of the images in order to respect the property rights of the owner of the YouTube Video.

We welcome you, and hope to meet you has new TRIZ Canada’s member, so that we will share
together several more complicated and relevant cases studies in order to go deeply in the TRIZ
World understanding.

See you soon,

Visit us: www.triz-canada.ca

The TRIZ Canada Team

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

6|6
 The Samsung headquarters (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What Makes Samsung Such An

Innovative Company?
Contributor: Haydn Shaughnessy

Twitter @haydn1701

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2013/03/07/why-is-samsung-
such-an-innovative-company/2/

T here are critics of Samsung who argue that its success is mostly due to copying and
then tweaking the innovations of others. There is a good deal of truth in this, especially
around the early Galaxy designs.

But Samsung is a global leader in screen technology, TVs, batteries, and chip design. So
in terms of innovation it is doing a lot right. But we know very little about how.

-1/6-
We know how its competitors innovate – we look at Google and see the 20% time, the
big adjacencies, the search for disruption, the bold statements about the future of autos,
for example.

We know that within Apple when a project gets to a critical stage, the company assigns
three teams to its development, each of which competes against the other. We know the
importance of design thinking, an attribute Google is learning about. And of customer
experience.

What does Samsung do in comparison? How does it line up against these American
masters or conversely are Google and Apple good enough to compete against Samsung?

There’s no doubt that patent circumvention is an aim when Samsung innovates. From its
early forays into innovation, competing against Toshiba in washing and drying machines,
Samsung has chased patents in areas where its competitors appear to have protection and
has oriented its innovation efforts to find new patentable ideas in its competitors’
backyard (see, for example, this Samsung presentation).

There’s nothing unusual about that. It is a sideshow.

Two developments convinced the company in the late 1990s and early 2000s that
they could adopt a systematic approach to innovation and that is what seems to
underpin their current success.

T he first development provides a broader explanation for Samsung’s innovation

capacity. In the late 1990s they were able to tap into a source of cheap scientific expertise
in the former Soviet Union.

Samsung has nurtured a close relationship with the Russian Academy of Science since
then. There is a framework agreement between the two parties. And the Korean
Government has its own agreement under which it funds Korean small businesses to
develop projects on the back of Academy research. Samsung meanwhile appears to help
the Academy to increase its patent count and to exploit its inventions.

There is an undated copy of the framework agreement between them online and here is
an extract:

Academy warrants that Institutes of RAS have the necessary authority to transfer
Inventions on separate contracts (“Concrete Agreement”) to Samsung for evaluation, and
support Samsung to share part in ownership of Inventions and Patents

-2/6-
One early advantage for Samsung was cheap fundamental science from Russia. But even
now Samsung is able to buy Russian expertise at relatively low rates of between $3,000
to $5,000 per month.

Compare that with Google and Apple – in the post-9/11 era access to the world’s best
talent has become increasingly difficult because of a reluctance to grant enough visas.
Samsung had that problem cracked. But then again didn’t Apple and Google – both are a
magnet for talent.

Has the Russian connection shown concrete value for Samsung?

Right now Samsung is working on 3D projection and display with the Academy. In 2009
BusinessWeek reported that Samsung relied on its relationships with Russian experts for
its smartphone software development, adding:

Russian brains helped Samsung develop the image-processing chips in its digital TVs and
refine its frequency-filtering technology that significantly reduced noise on its now-
ubiquitous handsets.

B ut a second effect of the relationship with Russian science was the introduction of
TRIZ, an innovation method that Samsung adopted from 2000 onwards but which only
reached American companies from the mid-2000s onwards (Intel is a user).

TRIZ is a methodology for systematic problem solving. Typical of its origins in Russia, it
asks users to seek the contradictions in current technological conditions and customer
needs and to imagine an ideal state that innovation should drive towards.

Samsung had early successes with TRIZ, saving over $100 million in its first few
projects. It was also adopting Six Sigma at the time.

But it was TRIZ that became the bedrock of innovation at Samsung. And it was
introduced at Samsung by Russian engineers whom Samsung had hired into its Seoul
Labs in the early 2000s.

In 2003 TRIZ led to 50 new patents for Samsung and in 2004 one project alone, a DVD
pick-up innovation, saved Samsung over $100 million. TRIZ is now an obligatory skill
set if you want to advance within Samsung.

At the Samsung Advanced Institute for Technology, Hyo June Kim, who wrote The
Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, a foundation text on TRIZ published in Korean,
trained over 1,000 engineers across Samsung companies in 2004 alone.

-3/6-
What we know from this is how Samsung approaches innovation. It is not a competitive
race, as it seems to be in Apple, or based on giving engineers more bench time as it is at
Google.

Rather it is based on developing a creative elite. The diagram below explains that. It is
taken from this presentation. The presentation also explains how Samsung used TRIZ to
get to its Super AMOLED displays.

Interestingly for Samsung observers, senior management had realized that the company
was a fast follower rather than an innovator, prior to the introduction of TRIZ:

Samsung Electronics has a sense of crisis that we have been a fast follower and we can
not survive anymore in this position. Instead of leading the industry by developing
innovative products, we have followed fast what the leading companies had developed.
Top management pointed out this and asked employee not to be a fast follower, but to be
an innovative leader.

TRIZ is now part of Samsung’s workflow.

-4/6-
At Samsung even the subsidiary CEO has to take TRIZ training. From looking at the
various presentations I estimate that engineers get about 15 days of training plus 7 days
specific project work. That’s quite an investment in method and people.

So the answer to why Samsung is so innovative – with at least two major product
announcements this month – is that it is heavily invested in its people, it goes in search of
special talent wherever it can find it, but specifically made astute moves into Russia early
on; it targets its innovations towards specific competitors and patents that it wants to
overhaul (as Apple did under Jobs); and it has an innovation culture based on extensive
training, repeatable methodology and creative elite formation, backed by the highest
levels of management.

You can argue that method and creativity don’t go together but that’s a specious
argument from the start.

You can also argue that Apple and Google have better innovation processes, more free
and more compelling for talented engineers. But what you can’t argue is that Samsung

-5/6-
does not do innovation. It is proving every day that it is formidable and heavily invested
in taking leadership in many areas.

The message for Apple and Google – get used to it because Samsung is not only on a roll,
it has enough talented people to keep pushing.

Follow me on Twitter @haydn1701 or join me on Facebook

-6/6-
 TRIZ IN BUSINESS TODAY…
LIST OF COMPANIES USING TRIZ…
Today, TRIZ is used by more and more important Companies. NASA (Jet Propulsion
Laboratory), Bombardier, Boeing, Pratt&Wittney, Procter & Gamble, BMW and several
others companies in the past and even now are integrating TRIZ in their innovation
strategies. They used TRIZ to design better products, to break down and to resolve
complicated and complex innovative problems in a systematic way.

The following list is a non-restrictive list of some companies already applying TRIZ in
their business processes. We will describe for TRIZ Canada’s members, in the coming
weeks how some of those companies are dealing with innovation challenges through
TRIZ.

1 Allied Signal,

2 AMD,

BFGoodrich
3
(Goodrich),

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

1|1 4
4 BMW,

5 Boeing,

6 Bombardier

7 Bosch,

8 Caterpillar,

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

2|1 4
9 Chanel,

10 Chrysler Corp.

11 Colgate-Palmolive,

12 Dahle,

13 Daimler ,

14 Delphi,

15 Dior,

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

3|1 4
16 Dow,

17 DSM,

18 Emerson Electric

19 ENI,

20 Ethicon,

21 ExxonMobil,

22 Ford Motor Co.

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

4|1 4
 General Motors
23
Corp.

24 Gilette,

25 Grohe,

26 Hermann-Miller,

27 Hilti,

28 HP,

29 Intel,

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

5|1 4
 Jet Propulson
30
Labratory,

31 Johnson & Johnson

33 Kimberley&Clark,

34 Kodak,

35 Legrand,

36 Litton,

37 Motorola,

Oral-B, P&G,
38
Unilever

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

6|1 4
39 Philips,

40 Polaroid

41 Pratt&Wittney

PSA Peugot
42
Citroen,

43 Renault

Rockwell
44
International

45 Rolex,

46 Saipem,

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

7|1 4
47 Samsung,

48 Schneider,

49 Schöller,

50 SEB,

51 Segate,

52 Shell,

53 Siemens

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

8|1 4
54 Solutia

55 Tesa,

56 UNISYS

57 Xerox Corporation

Others …

T RIZ IN ACTION | A BOMBARDIER CASE EXAMPLE:

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEhv00wqCjo

(ExelOp presents Bombardier Transportation's case study on TRIZ.m4v )

“The Swiss Networking group Rezonance has requested ExelOp's intervention to present
the Innovation Management with TRIZ within one of its conference.
Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

9|1 4
 ExelOp was joined by its partner Mr Nagel, Director Engineering Processes and Methods
at Bombardier Transportation, in order to bring a concrete view of TRIZ.

Results coming from TRIZ implementation at Bombardier Transportation were significant.

Indeed, thanks to the innovation generated by TRIZ application, Bombardier
Transportation has just obtained the CFF call of tender.

Starting from 2014, the company will be the official provider of CFF Swiss trains.
According to participants’ feedback, this conference was very relevant because they had
the opportunity to measure TRIZ both in a theoretical and practical way (…)”
Artefact:
Train Collector
head

PROBLEM:

Long Collector head Overhead wires to cross Small Collector head Overhead wires to
Germany Border cross Switzerland Border

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

10 | 1 4
 Re-INVENTION TASK APPLIED TO THE
BOMBARDIER CASE STUDY
Artefact:
The Length of the Train Collector head size for Train Collector
Overhead wires must be long enough to cross head
the Germany Border (around 1950 mm) LENGTH

OF THE MOVING OBJET

The Length of the Train Collector head size for (Need to be variable)
Overhead wires must not be long enough to
cross the Switzerland (Maxi 1450 mm)

TRIZ Matrix proposes the following Principles to solve the corresponding contradiction

IMPROVING FEATURE:
1. Segmentation
LENGTH  Divide an object into independent parts. 1
 Make an object easy to disassemble.
OF THE MOVING OBJET  Increase the degree of fragmentation or segmentation
3
(Need to be variable) 8. Anti-weight
 To compensate for the weight of an object, merge it with other
objects that provide lift. 8
 To compensate for the weight of an object, make it interact with the
environment (e.g. use aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, buoyancy and other
forces).

15. Dynamics
 Allow (or design) the characteristics of an object, external
environment, or process to change to be optimal or to find an optimal
operating condition. 15
 Divide an object into parts capable of movement relative to each
other.
 If an object (or process) is rigid or inflexible, make it movable or
WORST FEATURE:

STABILITY
13 adaptive.

34. Discarding and recovering

OF THE MOVING OBJET  Make portions of an object that have fulfilled their functions go away
(discard by dissolving, evaporating, etc.) or modify these directly during 34
(Need to be stable) operation.

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

11 | 1 4
 TRIZ solution can be extracted from one of the previous Matrix proposal as follow:

In this case, the Dynamization (15:Dynamics) principle has been selected from the TRIZ
Matrix proposal, to divide the artefact into several parts capable of movement relative to
each other, in order to generate the possibility to extend or reduce the overall length of
this artefact (The Train’s Collector Head). The other proposed principles 1: Segmentation,
18:Anti-weight, and 34: Discarding and recovering, are not presented here, but for a deep
explanation, we will show them on another completed document.

15. Dynamics
15  Divide an object into parts capable of movement relative to each other.
 If an object (or process) is rigid or inflexible, make it movable or adaptive.

This possibility to realise a movable collector head is a key point that allow the train to have both
Collector head size 1950mm (to penetrate into the Germany Border zone) and also 1450mm
(for Switzerland Border)
Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

12 | 1 4
 In conclusion:
With TRIZ principle, Bombardier win the CFF call of tender

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

13 | 1 4
 Notes

All the names and logos shown on this document are the property of the corresponding
companies

TRIZ Re-Invention Task has been done by the TRIZ Canada Team, and is not related to the
presentation that has been described by Mr Nagel, Director Engineering Processes and Methods
at Bombardier Transportation for the Swiss Networking group Rezonance and the ExelOp.

We only mentioned the YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEhv00wqCjo) links in

order to get the source of the video from which the images shown on the re-Invention task are
coming from.

This document should be used for free copy, but please provide the source of the images in order
to respect the property rights of the owner of the YouTube Video.

We welcome you, and hope to meet you has new TRIZ Canada’s member, so that we will share
together several more complicated and relevant cases studies in order to go deeply in the TRIZ
World understanding.

See you soon,

Visit us: www.triz-canada.ca

The TRIZ Canada Team

Copyrights ©TRIZ Canada Organisation®2010 - 2015

14 | 1 4