There is great potential for engineering design approaches in medicine to personalize treatments according to unique patient physiology and needs. However, it is challenging to optimize solutions such as medical implants given the complex biomechanical interactions between the body and implant. Here, we review personalization for clinical needs, biomechanical modelling, and computational design for interbody spinal cage implants. By reviewing relevant literature, research suggests specific clinical needs are addressable by redesigning cages with multi-objective optimization or artificial intelligence methods integrated with finite element modelling of the spine. Such an approach is generalizable to further biomechanical design cases, where personalized design provides promise to deliver higher quality solutions for the clinic.

This study examines daily emotion regulation strategies of young adults aged 20-30 and proposes design opportunities for enhancing emotional well-being. Research with 29 participants revealed a preference for behavioral strategies (73.4%) over cognitive strategies (26.6%), particularly “Seek pleasure or relaxation” strategies. Significant differences were observed between positive and negative emotional contexts. Four main categories of emotion regulation strategies were identified: Disengagement, Seek pleasure or relaxation, Reallocate resources, and Engagement. Design opportunities were proposed based on these findings. This study enhances understanding of young adults’ emotion regulation and offers design strategies for product development. Future research should validate these strategies and explore personalized approaches, considering long-term impacts and ethics.

Sustainability is one of the most important topics of our time and will continue to stay relevant, as mitigating the effects of global warming will stay a challenge for decades to come. Therefore it is of high importance to teach children the concepts of sustainability and how their actions can affect the climate. We design an experiment for an open day at our university consisting out of a physical and digital demonstrator that aims to teach the consequences of material choice in a product to children aged six and above. To achieve this, a simple carbon footprint calculation for a rocket is conceptualized. The users can manipulate several interacting parameters, creating a complex challenge. The complex topic of sustainability is augmented with gamification elements to provide a level of motivation and interaction and achieve a better accessibility.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) design projects often fail when feasibility and practicality are unclear during product development. To address this, we developed a dual design for additive manufacturing (dual DfAM) worksheet to support users with novice to intermediate DfAM competence. The worksheet incorporates restrictive and opportunistic criteria and calculates a feasibility and practicality index for quick evaluations. Verified through a workshop with 73 engineering students, all participants found the worksheet helpful, and 71 expressed willingness to reuse it in future design projects. Furthermore, we found indications that repeated use of the worksheet could enhance dual DfAM competence, as designs became more feasible and practical. These results highlight the worksheet’s potential as a structured tool for improving dual DfAM assessment and decision-making in product development.

To enable a circular economy, remanufacturing is considered a key strategy due to the high level of value retention. However, for short-cycled products, the accelerated obsolescence of conventionally remanufactured products on the secondary market poses challenges to leverage the potential. Cross-Generational Remanufacturing (CG-Reman) has been developed as a new concept in response, which aims to restore used products into the latest generation for sale on the primary market. For its practical success, it is critical to support product engineers in designing products suitably. Hence, in this paper we further explore the overall CG-Reman process with a lifecycle description, derive requirements for the product’s design and conduct a systematic literature review of 209 sources targeting selection, clustering and matching of Design-for-X (DfX) guidelines with the needs for CG-Reman.

Rational decision-making is crucial in the later stages of engineering system design to allocate resources efficiently and minimize costs. However, human rationality is bounded by cognitive biases and limitations. Understanding how humans deviate from rationality is critical for guiding designers toward better design outcomes. In this paper, we quantify designer rationality in competitive scenarios based on utility theory. Using an experiment inspired by crowd-sourced contests, we show that designers employ varied search strategies. Some participants approximate a Bayesian agent that aimed to maximize its expected utility. Those with higher rationality reduce uncertainty more effectively. Furthermore, rationality correlates with both the proximity to optimal design and design iteration costs, with winning participants exhibiting greater rationality than losing participants.

Inspired by nature, where organisms adapt their shapes to navigate complex challenges, engineering systems can benefit from reconfigurable designs that move beyond rigid, conventional strategies. Reconfiguration offers a promising solution for systems to adapt dynamically to changing operational requirements. Origami, known for its ability to transform from simple 2D sheets into intricate 3D structures, provides a powerful framework for designing adaptable and reconfigurable systems. In this study, a waterbomb origami-based (WOB) crawler is proposed featuring reverse movement without changing actuation. The unfolding and folding process of the WOB enables motion due to the friction between the vertex and the ground, whereas the reverse movement is achieved by leveraging the local bistability of one WOB crease.

Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) supports managing complex engineering projects. A pivotal element of MBSE is the concept of views which provide tailored representations of a system model to address stakeholder concerns. Despite standards describing the use and generation of views, the adoption and practical implementation of MBSE views and viewpoints in industrial practice remain insufficiently explored. Interviews with German practitioners reveal a disconnect between theory and practice: views and viewpoints and the involvement in MBSE are often limited to technical experts, excluding non-technical stakeholders. High complexity, abstract representations, and tool-related barriers impede broader engagement. The findings suggest stakeholder-specific, accessible visualizations integrated into easy-to-use tools to improve understanding, collaboration, and decision-making.

Companies operate in dynamic global markets and face constant internal and external changes requiring adaptability. Agile methods have emerged as a key approach to enhancing resilience. For manufacturing companies, the question arises whether agile practices, originally developed for software, can be applied to physical product development. To investigate this topic, a cooperate study was conducted that includes 26 semi-structured interviews with representatives from various industry sectors. The findings indicate that agile methods are successfully applied to physical product development, especially in research and development. Benefits include improved communication and team dynamics. However, challenges such as resistance to change and misunderstandings about agility persist, which can often be mitigated through effective expectation management and tailored communication strategies.

Additive manufacturing is enabling on-demand fabrication of desirable polymer designs. Due to the technology’s widespread use, there is a need to ensure sustainable design approaches are practiced. Here, thermoplastics for fused deposition modeling is reviewed for life-cycle stages, mechanical properties, and design strategies. Life-cycle stages assessed include formulation, processing, applications, and end-of-life as well as recycling processes. Mechanical properties are considered for recyclable thermoplastics, with fillers to enhance functionality. Finally, design methods are considered to create mechanically efficient designs, such as metamaterials, that reduce material usage and processing time. The review highlights the great potential for creating sustainable designs with additively manufactured polymers, and their mechanical capabilities for broad applications.

This descriptive study examines participant reactions to a new framework categorizing aging-in-place (AIP) services with AI and robotics through a think-aloud method. Using grounded theory, we examined older adults’ perceptions of AI’s role in promoting independence. The framework consists of four AI archetypes that address the cognitive and functional needs of the elderly with physical or digital interventions: Advisor AI, Burler Robot AI, Valet Robot AI, and Conductor AI. The authors conducted virtual interviews with four Boston-based retirees (mean age 70), revealing expectations and concerns regarding health monitoring, routine assistance, and social well-being. The findings emphasize inclusivity, adaptability, and practical relevance for aging populations and underscore the importance of trust, lifestyle integration, and adaptability in fostering meaningful AIP applications.

Many optimization models have been proposed to assist original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in pricing and production planning for remanufactured product; however, most assume deterministic yield rates for takeback products during disassembly. In practice, yield rates are influenced by interdependencies among subparts and disassembly operations. To address this limitation, this study enhances a previously established optimization approach by incorporating yield uncertainty into the disassembly process using a diffusion process framework. The effectiveness of this approach is validated through case studies on two distinct products: a smartphone and a recreational boat engine. The results demonstrate that integrating stochastic yield modeling allows stakeholders to make more informed decisions, ultimately improving both economic performance and environmental sustainability.

Africa's manufacturing sector is pivotal for economic growth and technological advancement. However, challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions, and high costs hinder its development. These issues impede domestic production and reduce global competitiveness. Addressing them is essential for economic resilience. While beneficial, traditional strategies often overlook fundamental production constraints, especially in manufacturing sectors reliant on repair, maintenance, specialized components, and tooling. Manufacturing methods like casting face limitations in flexibility, cost, precision, and lead times. This research proposes using additive manufacturing (AM)-assisted casting to address these challenges. We identify agriculture and automotive as sectors with high potential to implement AM-assisted casting.

The increasing complexity of modern product and production system development, driven by dynamic market demands, supply chain disruptions and economic pressures, poses significant challenges for companies. Existing methodologies often fall short due to their domain-specific focus, inconsistent terminology and lack of integration. To address these challenges, this paper presents a taxonomy for integrative product and production system development. The taxonomy systematically structures key elements, dependencies and processes to improve collaboration, decision-making and communication within organisations. Developed iteratively the taxonomy identifies ten core artefacts. It enables organisations to better plan improvements, synchronise development processes, and select appropriate methods and tools.

Technology platforms spanning several scientific and technological fields hold great promise, both as future innovative tools for industry and as future experimental tools for academia. However, some of their characteristics are also still unknown and need to be designed. A classical approach to initiate their evolution dynamics is to seek funding for a subsequent design project. Using a single case study, we show that a much less costly approach is possible: adding training to the platform can play a central role in increasing the intensity of its use, with both scientific and industrial impacts. Yet, this approach requires that the training knowledge enables the exchange of ‘independent knowledge’ between platform designers and users: this demanding condition requires further research to characterise this promising training model which we propose to call “double impact training”.

Artificial intelligence is a transforming design practice. This research explores human-AI interaction in relation to human centred design principles in early stage design projects. Using a qualitative workshop methodology, this empirical study took a multidisciplinary team of participants from a yacht manufacturer through a series of divergent, discover phase activities that were augmented by AI tools. The results demonstrated how the advanced capabilities of AI to rapidly analyse vast quantities of data could be purposefully implemented to enhance engagement. the role off facilitator as an intermediary between the AI and participants allowed the interface between human and AI to be moderated and provided insights into effective effective use of AI during the fuzzy front end.

Verification and Validation (V&V) are essential processes in engineering Cyber-Physical Systems. However, the role of V&V engineers is often not given sufficient attention. Based on a systematic literature analysis and practical observations, a four-step method for Test-oriented Resilient Requirements Engineering (ToRRE) is developed. The steps are planning V&V, executing V&V activities, documenting V&V activities and analyzing results of V&V activities. Applying ToRRE ensures continuous information flow and traceability. Engineers are enabled to analyze requirements using engineering artifacts connected through Model-Based Systems Engineering. Adopting methods for Model-Based Effect Chain analysis to evaluated test cases and test scenarios, conclusions on requirements engineering and change management are enabled. The method is evaluated in an EU research project.

The advent of multidisciplinary product development may require a corresponding evolution or adaptation of product development practices within companies. To support this, researchers have developed various groupings of concepts and techniques, such as “toolboxes” or “maps”, which can be assimilated to static databases. Consequently, this article presents a first step towards a community-driven database for the dynamic representation of links between approaches, processes, methods and tools in research documents. Following a comparative analysis of different representations, a preliminary design of a dynamic database is presented using Unified Modeling Language models to define its architecture. A use case diagram paired with screenshots of the dynamic database presents the core functionalities, which include real-time data filtering, visualisation, navigation and modification.

Creativity is a requirement for excellence in product engineering. Despite its important role, the concept of creativity in engineering is challenging to articulate and define, both for practitioners and researchers. What makes technical creativity unique? Existing definitions often fall short of capturing the essence of creativity in technical contexts. The process of defining technical creativity is performed iteratively. In product engineering, creativity is not an abstract concept but a practical necessity, requiring motivation, imagination, expertise and experience. Therefore, two workshops with product engineers were held and the results were used to refine the definition. A shared understanding of technical creativity, that can be applied in daily engineering practice is created, enhancing both research and practical outcomes in product engineering.

The circular economy (CE) seeks to replace traditional linear models by focusing on resource reuse and circulation. However, developing effective CE business strategies is difficult due to complex user behaviors and product flows. Existing scenario analysis tools often rely on survey-based conjoint methods, raising concerns about discrepancies with real purchasing patterns. This study introduces a data-driven simulation approach that employs a consumer preference model and product circulation processes based on actual operational data. Applied to a second-hand PC rental business, our method more accurately reproduces market behavior and reveals that targeting certain customer segments can enhance profitability and resource utilization. These findings underscore the approach’s value as a practical tool for pre-evaluating strategies in CE businesses.