Patent of the Month – Nerve Stimulation Method

Darrell Mann

Our patent of the month this month takes us to the New Jersey-based enterprise, Electrocore LLC. US10,252,074 was granted to a trio of inventors at the company on 10 April. The company has been around and offering non-invasive … Read More

Systems (Three Different Kinds)

Darrell Mann

Ask ten systems engineers to define what a system is and you’ll get at least eleven answers. Worse: they’re probably all correct. Worst: the differences, valid as they might be, create enormous potential confusion and as a result … Read More

Biology – Long-Tailed Tit

Darrell Mann

Long tailed tits, recognisable by their undulating flight, a tail much longer than its small, pinkish body and generally flying in a small flock, are also known as ‘flying teaspoons’. You generally hear them before you see them … Read More

Generational Cycles – How The LP Saved (Baby Boomer) Lives

Darrell Mann

I wasn’t sure whether to put this one into the ‘Best Of The Month’ or ‘Wow In Music’ sections of the ezine, but ultimately, this month’s publication of (Baby Boomer) David Hepworth’s homage to the long-playing record could … Read More

Systematic Innovation Conference

An exciting event co-sponsored by the Systemic & Systematic Innovation Special Interest Group (SISIG) of the IEEE UK & Ireland and 3M

Systemic and Systematic Innovation Special Interest group (is pleased to announce its second meeting in 2019 as part … Read More

The Resilience Zone

Darrell Mann

At the end of last month, I published a blog article regarding, what I think is a better way of mapping complexity (Reference 1). It was a bit of a strawman. Something I thought might burn on exposure … Read More

Biology – Goldfinch

Darrell Mann

Goldfinches are some of the most colourful birds to be found in Europe. They eat seeds and houses. Or, more specifically, the mortar that holds houses together. Why do they do this?

Seeds, while nutritious on the inside, … Read More

Green evaluation of innovative products

“ENVN” for Early green evaluation of innovative products from sustainability angle, using augmented system operator

Joseph Karlose Theckeveetil Star Academy, #12 Erappa Complex, Banaswadi Main Road, Bangalore 560033, KA, India Email id: trizolver@trizolver.in no 0091 9880308433

A spread … Read More

A TRIZ Newbee’s Report

Hans-Gert Gräbe, Leipzig University, Germany

Background

Three years ago, LIFIS started to advance a new focus Systematic Innovations. LIFIS – the Leibniz Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies – is a registered association of technical scientists mainly from the former GDR … Read More

Generational Cycles – The Death Of Comedy?

Darrell Mann

Comedy is in a period of extraordinary flux. It wasn’t so long ago that it seemed like comedians were filling stadiums and everyone was saying comedy was the new rock-n-roll. The past two years, however, have witnessed the … Read More

Patent of the Month – Microbial Fuel Cell

Darrell Mann

Microbial fuel-cells (MFC) have been around for over a century now, but they’ve never quite made the grade in terms of practical, commercially viable applications. Which is perhaps odd given the fact that they offer the potential to … Read More

The £5 Challenge

Darrell Mann

Here’s a little exercise to try next time you have ten minutes to spare:

What would you do to earn money if all you had was five pounds and two hours? Imagine being given an envelope … Read More

Kano & Intangibles II – Case Study

Darrell Mann

Back in December of last year we started to explore the connection between the Kano Diagram and TRIZ/SI, with particular attention to the integration possibilities of Kano’s concept of ‘exciter’ and the Outcome Mapping tool. The promise at … Read More

TRIZ India Podcast- Murali interviews Darrell Mann

Murali Loganathan, a research scholar at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India had a tete-a-tete with Darrell Mann, CEO and Technical Director of Systematic Innovation Ltd. Over a few drinks, pool and lively music, Murali got Darrell to talk about

… Read More

Biology – Nuthatch

Darrell Mann

Like many people who watch birds, I have my favourites. The nuthatches that feed outside my office window for instance.

Quirky little birds. Shaped like stubby cigars, with their short tails, thick necks and their characteristic racing-stripe logo. … Read More

Generational Cycles – (Generational) First Principles

Darrell Mann

Every complex problem has a thousand clear, simple wrong answers. But it also has the potential for a clear, simple correct one provided we understand the first principles from which the complexity emerges. Strauss & Howe’s generation model, … Read More

Making Sense Of Fake News #2: Solution Generation

Darrell Mann

Back in October 2018 (Issue 199), the lead article reported a perception-mapping exercise aimed at coming to terms with the Fake News problem affecting most parts of the world these days. This article represents the promised follow-up to … Read More

Patent of the Month – Fabric Supercapacitor

Darrell Mann

Our patent of the month this month takes us to Austin, and a trio of inventors at the University of Texas. US10,199,180 was granted on February 5. Here’s what the background description has to say about the problem … Read More

Managing The (Autonomous Vehicle) Unknowns

Darrell Mann

Two birds with one stone. Someone was quizzing me about my (no doubt glib) comment that innovation projects were nothing to do with Gantt charts and all about managing the unknowns. ‘Is it really possible to manage the … Read More

Biology – Sailfish

Darrell Mann

The Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus albicans) is a world-record holding speed merchant twice over. Early measurements of the sailfish’s ability to move through the sea faster than any other marine vertebrate are currently the source of some challenge. What … Read More