This paper investigates how advanced manufacturing firms mature technologies within mission-driven ecosystems. Two multi-partner case studies show how the design across six innovation dimensions—purpose, strategy, leadership, governance, innovation process, and budgeting & planning—enable co-maturation of novel technologies. Findings demonstrate that strategic partnerships with a shared mission, dual iterative/linear processes, and aligned governance accelerate mission-driven innovation from idea to scaled implementation.

This paper proposes a methodological approach for designing smart composite hydrogen tanks using strain gauges and finite element analysis for continuous structural health monitoring. Simulation identifies critical stress points to optimize sensor placement. Laboratory burst and cyclic tests provide a baseline and proof of concept for a remaining useful life analysis, improving safety and resource efficiency in hydrogen storage. Results demonstrate that strain data reflect stress patterns and material responses, supporting effective monitoring of tank condition during pressurization cycles.

Product development increasingly integrates generative AI tools to enhance creativity and efficiency. However, their actual impact on structured design work, particularly on method application and resulting designs, is not well understood. This study examines the effect of (1) method application quality on (2) product concept quality, influenced by (3) potential confounders like AI usage. Statistical analysis reveals that method application quality correlates positively with product concept quality, while higher AI usage correlates negatively with both, indicating limitations in AI usefulness.

Project-based learning is a key format in engineering design education. However, many students face difficulties due to a lack of prior knowledge required for successful project participation. To address this issue, we developed e-learning content to support students during the self-study time in preparation for the project work. This paper presents an evaluation of the impact of the e-learning content when used alongside project-based activities. The results indicate increased student confidence in developing mechatronic systems and a positive effect on acquiring professional competencies.

This study presents a structured approach for developing new modular, size-variable product families in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), demonstrated through a case study on air filtration units. Starting from a minimum viable product (MVP), the approach provides a framework for size level definition and systematic generation of alternative modular concepts while considering product-specific design trade-offs. An evaluation combining qualitative criteria assessment with quantitative cost forecasting enables transparent concept comparison.

This paper argues that disagreements about what counts as an ideal prosthesis arise from tacit framings of disability. Drawing on Wittgenstein’s language games within an abductive–deductive–inductive approach, we identify four prosthetic language games: medical, social, relational, and critical. By rendering their distinct grammars explicit, the framework reframes interdisciplinary disagreement as epistemic plurality and supports boundary work, translation, and epistemic fluency, enabling more reflective and dialogical design research without collapsing plural standards of prosthetic success.

While studies on generative artificial intelligence for product development have gained momentum, they consistently report recurring challenges. To synthesize these obstacles, we surveyed 1074 papers, resulting in a taxonomy of 27 distinct barriers. The study analyzes their frequency, discusses their interrelations, and contextualizes their root causes. Our findings show that model capability, output validity, and user trust are the most dominant obstacles, while aspects like environmental concerns are often overlooked. The study concludes with recommendations for research and practitioners.

Digital user tests utilizing musculoskeletal human models facilitate ergonomic assessments in the early phases of the product development process. In the underlying posture prediction models, the various movement strategies of the users need to be represented. Behavior cards are an evaluated tool for the representation of such movement strategies; however, a standardized determination of behavior cards is lacking so far. This study explores a cluster-based and a regression-based method for standardized behavior card determination, demonstrating the applicability of both methods.

A key aspect of Circular Economy (CE) is focusing on value creation through customer functionality and service across the entire product life cycle, supported by digitalization tools for improved management. This shift has led to the rise of smart Product-Service Systems (PSS) models. However, designing smart PSS is complex, requiring methodological support for successful implementation. This study explored the feasibility of a novel tool based on the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) framework through its practical application in the photovoltaic industry.

This paper proposes a conceptual framework for integrating design methods into Human–AI Co-Creation, redefining methods as mediating structures between task context, procedural logic and results. Two examples illustrate how AI supports both method execution and method selection under varying autonomy levels. The framework highlights implications for transparency, traceability, responsibility and method education, and offers a structured basis for analysing, teaching and developing method-based design practice in AI-rich environments.

Autonomous driving is a promising technology for public transportation to solve two main challenges: The driver shortage and the reduction of environmental impact. This contribution investigates if already existing requirements in standards, laws, regulations and guidelines for accessibility, safety, security and bus drivers’ tasks of transit buses in Europe and Germany can also be complied to with an autonomous transit bus or if the requirements need an adaption. 54 impactful requirements on autonomous transit buses have been found and their impact and opening design space will be discussed.

Artificial intelligence influences requirements engineering, but it remains unclear which activities benefit and how. This paper reviews 15 studies from the last five years, classifying AI approaches with an established RE framework. Current work focuses on operational tasks: requirements determination, analysis, consolidation, and traceability. About two thirds address single activities rather than integrated solutions. Early-phase tasks like knowledge elicitation receive little support despite being central to practice. The mapping clarifies existing AI support and gaps for future work.

Transdisciplinary (TD) engineering design is a useful approach for engineers when responding to the wicked problems of sustainability and systems transitions. A research gap lies in understanding the quality criteria for TD engineering design, and in investigating to what extent existing studies in the field exhibit TD qualities. In this semi-systematic literature review we develop a framework of quality criteria for TD engineering design and then analyse relevant literature using the framework. The paper concludes methodological recommendations for future TD engineering design studies.

This paper explored the Double Diamond design methodology through a low-reliance pacifier case study that reframes parents’ needs into a child-led weaning solution. The project integrates artistic design research with engineering design innovation methodology to create an unique aesthetic floral pacifier idea with functional forms. It was found that beyond academic theory, effective real-world design requires dedicated testing and refinement, positioning this work as a practice-led research approach that strengthens both process and outcome for a successful and modular design process.

In order to respond to today’s needs, engineers must be able to develop sustainable and environmentally compatible products and systems. To meet this requirement, new or adapted courses and curricula are needed in the field of engineering. This paper reviews the integration of a modular and scalable course concept for sustainable product development. The multi-institutional case study of 18 implementations across four German universities implies two primary models of use: stand-alone courses for specialisation and integrated modules for dissemination.

This paper provides a structured overview of methods for assessing assembly complexity in manufacturing. A systematic literature review classifies approaches as product-, information-, or system-centered, each reflecting distinct sources of complexity and application contexts. A four-dimensional scheme enables consistent comparison. The results highlight methodological gaps and support future development of scalable, integrable models for planning and decision-making in high-variety production environments.

Common ecodesign tools, such as LCA, remain challenging for designers, limiting their use in product design. At the interface between design and ecodesign, CAD-environmental assessment integration could be a solution. We aim to complement previous assessments of such tools, focused primarily on assessment capabilities, by proposing an evaluation framework based on common LCA limitations. Applied to three commercial CAD modules, it highlights differences in operational capabilities and limitations, providing a differentiated appreciation of CAD-integrated tools.

Political goals, emerging EU sustainability regulations, and industrial digitalization are driving the introduction of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) to enhance transparency, traceability, and compliance across product life cycles. However, the appropriate granularity of DPP integration across product architectures remains ambiguous. This paper introduces a structured, decision oriented framework that links product structure, regulatory relevance, and information depth to define consistent DPP levels, supporting both industry implementation and future standardization.

The framework proposed operationalized through four interrelated components: encoding, retrieval, mapping, and evaluation. Semantic networks serve as the underlying knowledge representation that enables information structuring and cross-domain association. By translating cognitive reasoning into a computational architecture, the proposed framework establishes a unified structure for supporting analogical design and provides theoretical and technical guidance for developing future semantic-network-based tools that more effectively facilitate creativity and innovation in conceptual design.