Design
What is design and Why it is important?
The process of conceptualizing, creating, and refining the physical and functional attributes of a product to meet user needs and market requirements.
Design is critically important when thinking about the circular economy due to its central role in shaping the entire lifecycle of products, services, and systems. Decisions made at the design phase influence how long something lasts, what it is made of, if it can be repaired, and what happens to it at the end of life.
On the other hand, the importance of Industry 4.0 in product design lies in its ability to enhance innovation, efficiency, and customization. Through technologies like IoT, AI, and additive manufacturing, it enables rapid prototyping, data-driven design decisions, and the implementation of new and advanced materials.
Circular strategies in the design phase
Industry 4.0 technologies applied in the design phase
Big data & analytics
Transforming product-in-use data into valuable information to improve product design for circularity. By analysing data collected on how a product is used, areas for design improvement can be identified to make it more durable, repairable, and recyclable.
Augmented and virtual reality
Can simulate very well the different designs of a product. This may reduce the need for physical prototypes, saving costs and materials, and reducing the environmental impact of that.
Simulation
The digital twin-driven product design method enables researchers to quickly find design flaws and improve design efficiency when designing products. Also, at the design stage, researchers use simulation experiments to verify the product, which greatly improves the product adaptability.
System Integration
The business intelligence architecture amplifies the possibility of creating according to the desired outcome at the moment of development. There are metrics that we can incorporate from the data-driven design thinking workflow.
Additive manufacturing
It offers new design iterations that helps to solve complex problems, reduce the weight of components, reduce manufacturing costs, customize products, and optimize performance.
Artificial Intelligence
Allow for rapid prototyping and testing. Artificial intelligence can analyse large design datasets and recommendations to generate new design solutions that align with circular principles, such as the use of recycled materials, modularity, and ease of disassembly.
Design Examples
A specific application of simulation involves the development of a Digital Twin, which is a digital replica of a physical system. This Digital Twin can be harnessed to streamline product design and the disassembly or recycling procedures.
Sometimes when developing new furniture products, a certification and validation is needed before selling it to customers. This validation is made nowadays through physical prototypes, that are tested in testing laboratories, according to different testing standards, depending on the final use of the product. In many cases, and at this point of the development of the product, very serious delays can be produced before commercialization, since several tests may fail, and some redesigns may occur consequently.
To avoid delays and obtain advance insights into the outcomes of furniture tests, there has been efforts to create digital twins of furniture. These digital twins enable the virtual simulation of the tests before being designed, ensuring that potential issues can be addressed.
This is the case of the EN 1022 standard, for determining the stability of a seat. Extracting the specifications for the forces, points of application, and other general requirements can be simulated thanks to NVIDIA solutions.
Sustainability benefits:
- Prevent the production of initial furniture prototypes that fail to meet standard requirements, and the use of resources and generation of waste.
- Avert the premature shipment of furniture to test laboratories and the need for multiple shipments in cases where models do not meet the standard requirements, decreasing CO2 emissions.
Fashion designers now have a very progressive tool at their disposal: augmented reality. This technology helps them to communicate better with customers, draw them into the story of the designed product, and offer a new perspective on the model they are wearing. Additionally, it enables completely new experiences, especially when sharing on social networks.
The garment, which is already a work of art in itself, is enhanced by an authentic style hidden in the digital elements of a three-dimensional virtual scene that manifests in reality through augmented reality (AR). Using a smartphone, one simply needs to download the app, and a virtual world opens up. You see your model in augmented reality. Virtual and augmented reality are emerging as some of the biggest technology trends, enhancing a version of the real physical world with sensory input. Augmented reality adopters have developed technologies that improve customer satisfaction and the shopping experience.
To reach tech-savvy consumers, brands are tapping into the online shopping trend with newer, social media-friendly, and easy-to-use smartphone apps. Thus, AR is poised to occupy a huge and bright space in the future, attracting many customers thanks to the experience of new possibilities in dressing.
Designers who already use this technology include fashion designer Lada Vyvialová and digital artist Helena Lukešová. Both of these exceptional artists are pushing the perception of fashion to new dimensions. An innovative 3D pattern, created in virtual space, is printed by Lada and Helena on nanotextiles. Lada then designs individual cuts from these textiles. In the entire outfit, pattern elements unexpectedly come to life, offering customers new experiences in fashionable design.
More information: https://auversum.com/
Sustainability benefits:
- A view of the product through the lens of a mobile phone, offered through AR, provides multiple options for visualising the product. This gives customers the impression that they don’t need to constantly buy new things.
- There reduced need for production capacities and the lesser burden on nature represent a change in perspective on clothing.
Figures: Real vs augmented reality
