Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-ttngx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-11T05:59:18.908Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Conceptual Framework for Breakthrough Technologies

Part of: Design Methods and Tools

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2019

Andreas Makoto Hein  and
Juliette Brun
Andreas Makoto Hein*
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Genie Industriel, CentraleSupélec, Université Paris-Saclay;
Juliette Brun
Affiliation:
UMR GMPA, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay
*
Contact: Hein, Andreas Makoto, CentraleSupelec, CentraleSupelec, France, andreas-makoto.hein@centralesupelec.fr

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Breakthrough technologies introduce a radically new capability or a drastic performance improvement. However, the existing engineering design literature does not specifically pay attention to them. In this paper, we present a conceptual framework for breakthrough technologies, aiming for a more detailed characterization of breakthrough technologies. First, based on a literature survey, we reflect on the relationship between breakthrough technology and innovation. In addition, we explore the relationship between breakthrough technologies at the component and system level. Next, we propose a conceptual framework with dimensions in which breakthroughs may occur and the corresponding expansion of concepts and knowledge, drawing from C-K theory. We subsequently apply the framework to the case of a laser sail-propelled interstellar probe. We conclude that the relationship between component and system-level breakthrough technologies requires further exploration. Furthermore, the coupling between the breakthrough technology and market breakthrough in the form of a new business model seems interesting for future work.

Keywords

TechnologySystems Engineering (SE)Design theoryBreakthrough technologyRadical innovation
Type
Article
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society: International Conference on Engineering Design , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , July 2019 , pp. 1333 - 1342
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2019

References

Abernathy, W.J. and Utterback, J.M. (1978), “Patterns of industrial innovation”, Technology Review, Vol. 80 No. 7, pp. 40–47.Google Scholar
Atwater, H. A., Davoyan, A.R., Ilic, O., Jariwala, D., Sherrott, M.C., Went, C.M. and Wong, J. (2018), “Materials challenges for the Starshot lightsail”, Nature Materials, Vol. 17, pp. 861–867.Google Scholar
Chandy, R.K. and Tellis, G. J. (2000), “The incumbent's curse? Incumbency, size, and radical product innovation”, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 64 No. 3, pp. 1–17.Google Scholar
Chandy, R. and Prabhu, J. (2010), “Innovation typologies”, In Wiley international encyclopedia of marketing, Part Vol. 5. Product Innovation and Management, Wiley.Google Scholar
Chanute, O. (1899), Progress in Flying Machines, Courier Corporation.Google Scholar
Constant, E. (1980), The origins of the turbojet revolution, Johns Hopkins University Press.Google Scholar
Crawley, E., Cameron, B. and Selva, D. (2015), Systems Architecture: Strategy and Product Development for Complex Systems, Prentice Hall Press.Google Scholar
Demil, B. and Lecocq, X. (2010), “Business model evolution: in search of dynamic consistency”, Long Range Planning, Vol. 43 No. 2–3, pp. 227–246.Google Scholar
Drexler, K. E. (2013), Radical Abundance, PublicAffairs books.Google Scholar
Fragola, J. R., Morse, E. L., Putney, B. and Diapice, J. (2010), “A practical top-down approach to assess programmatic risk for projects with low-TRL elements”. In European Space Agency, (Special Publication) ESA SP (Vol. 680 SP).Google Scholar
Garcia, R. (2010), “Types of Innovation”, In Wiley Encyclopedia of Management, Wiley.Google Scholar
Garcia, R. and Calantone, R. (2002), “A critical look at technological innovation typology and innovativeness terminology: a literature review”, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 110–132.Google Scholar
Hatchuel, A. and Weil, B. (2003), “A new approach of innovative Design: an introduction to CK theory”, DS Vol. 31: Proceedings of ICED 03.Google Scholar
Hein, A., Jankovic, M. and Condat, H. (2017), “Breakthrough technologies: principle feasibility debates”, In 21st International Conference on Engineering Design 2017.Google Scholar
Hein, A., Long, K.F., Fries, D., Perakis, N., Genovese, A., Zeidler, S. and Armstrong, R. (2017), “The Andromeda Study: A Femto-Spacecraft Mission to Alpha Centauri”, ArXiv Preprint, 1708.03556, Retrieved from http://arxiv.org/abs/1708.03556Google Scholar
Henderson, R. and Clark, K. (1990), “Architectural innovation: The reconfiguration of existing product technologies and the failure of established firms”, Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 35 No. 1, pp. 9–30.Google Scholar
Hughes, T. P. (1993), Networks of power: electrification in Western society, JHU Press, pp. 1880–1930.Google Scholar
Huygens, C. (1680), A New Motive Power by Means of Gunpowder and Air, Royal Academy of Sciences.Google Scholar
Isaksson, O., Eckert, C., Borgue, O., Hallstedt, S.I., Hein, A., Gericke, K. and Öhrwall Rönnbäck, A. B. (2019), “Perspectives on Innovation: The Role of Engineering Design”, In 22nd International Conference on Engineering Design, Delft, Netherlands.Google Scholar
Knoll, D., Golkar, A. and de Weck, O. (2018), “A concurrent design approach for model-based technology roadmapping”, In Systems Conference (SysCon), 2018 Annual IEEE International (pp. 1–6). IEEE. In 2018 Annual IEEE International Systems Conference (SysCon) (pp. 1–6).Google Scholar
Kotsemir, M. (2013), “Innovation concepts and typology–an evolutionary discussion (No. WP BRP 05/STI/2013)”, Higher School of Economics Research Paper, Retrieved from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2221299Google Scholar
Lubin, P. (2016), “A Roadmap to Interstellar Flight”, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, Vol. 69 No. 2–3.Google Scholar
Mankins, J. (1995), Technology readiness levels, White Paper, Advanced Concepts Office Office of Space Access and Technology NASA.Google Scholar
Masters, B. and Thiel, P. (2014), Zero to one: notes on start ups, or how to build the future, Random House.Google Scholar
McGrath, R.G. (2010), “Business models: A discovery driven approach”, Long Range Planning, Vol. 43 No. 2–3, pp. 247–261.Google Scholar
Merriam-Webster Inc. (2004), Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary, Merriam-Webster.Google Scholar
O'Connor, G.C. and Rice, M.P. (2013), “A comprehensive model of uncertainty associated with radical innovation”, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 30, pp. 2–18.Google Scholar
OECD. (1991), The nature of innovation and the evolution of the productive system. technology and productivity-the challenge for economic policy.Google Scholar
Osterwalder, A. (2004), “The business model ontology: A proposition in a design science approach”. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/download/30373644/thebusiness-model-ontology.pdfGoogle Scholar
Pahl, G., Beitz, W., Feldhusen, J. and Grote, K. (2007), Engineering design: a systematic approach, Springer.Google Scholar
Rice, M., Colarelli O'Connor, G., Peters, L. and Morone, J. (1998), “Managing discontinuous innovation”, Research Technology Management, Vol. 41 No. 3, pp. 52–58.Google Scholar
Rose, D. J. (1971), “Controlled nuclear fusion: Status and outlook”. Science, Vol. 172 No. 3985, pp. 797–808.Google Scholar
Sahal, D. (1981), Patterns of technological innovation, Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar
Sauser, B., Verma, D., Ramirez-Marquez, J. and Gove, R. (2006), “From TRL to SRL: The concept of systems readiness levels”, In Conference on Systems Engineering Research, Los Angeles, CA, USA.Google Scholar
Smaling, R. and de Weck, O. (2007), “Assessing risks and opportunities of technology infusion in system design”, Systems Engineering, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 1–25. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sys.20061/abstractGoogle Scholar
Song, X.M. and Montoya-Weiss, M.M. (1998), “Critical development activities for really new versus incremental products”, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 124–135.Google Scholar
Suh, E. S., Furst, M. R., Mihalyov, K. J. and de Weck, O. (2010), “Technology infusion for complex systems: A framework and case study”. Systems Engineering, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 186–203.Google Scholar
Teece, D. J. (2010), “Business models, business strategy and innovation”, Long Range Planning, Vol. 43 No. 2–3, pp. 172–194.Google Scholar
Teller, A. (2013), “Google X Head on Moonshots: 10X Is Easier Than 10 Percent”, Retrieved April 22, 2017, from https://www.wired.com/2013/02/moonshots-matter-heres-how-to-make-them-happen/Google Scholar
Vincenti, W. (1992), “Engineering knowledge, type of design, and level of hierarchy: further thoughts about what engineers know”, Technological Development and Science in the Industrial Age, Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Vol. 144, pp. 17–34.Google Scholar