A biomimetic antenna in the shape of a bat’s ear

This letter presents a novel antenna that physically resembles the ear of a bat. The device consists of a circular ground plane with a central monopole element. An equilateral triangular conducting plate is curved around the ground so that the base of the triangle is electrically connected to the perimeter of the circle and is of the same length. The input characteristic is similar to the monopole above ground, providing there are a sufficient number of modes in the triangular plate at the frequency of interest. Certain frequencies yield a high gain and a radiation pattern with low side lobes

Measurement of a biomimetic antenna in the shape of a bat's ear

This paper presents a series of measurements of a novel antenna that physically resembles the ear of a bat. The antenna consists of a circular ground plane with a central monopole element. An equilateral triangular conducting plate is curved around the ground so that the base of the triangle is electrically connected to the perimeter of the circle and is of the same length. The input characteristic is reminiscent of a simple monopole above a circular ground, providing there are a sufficient number of modes in the triangular plate at the frequency of interest. In contrast to the plain monopole, certain frequencies yield a high gain and a radiation pattern with low side lobes. Measurements presented in this paper suggest that the antenna performance is broadly comparable with its acoustic analogue, although there are differences between the acoustic and electromagnetic implementation which have yet to be resolved

Data-driven Technology Foresight: Text Analysis of Emerging Technologies

학위논문 (박사)-- 서울대학교 대학원 : 공과대학 산업·조선공학부, 2018. 2. 박용태.This dissertation argues for new directions in the field of technology foresight. Technology foresight was formulated on the basis of qualitative and participatory research. Initially, most foresight activities were triggered by the prospect of a handful number of experts, but recent studies highlight theoretical paradigm shifts toward a more comprehensive and data-driven approach to creating shared insights on the future of emerging technologies. Much of the research up to now, however, has been descriptive in nature, and a definite method of realizing the notion has not yet been addressed in the existing literature to a large extent. To this end, we have attempted to formalize the concept of data-driven technology foresight by incorporating unconventional data sources – future-oriented web data, Wikipedia data, and scientific publication data – and different analytical tools – Latent Semantic Analysis, IdeaGraph, and Morphological Analysis. Four distinct foresight frameworks were proposed for the proactive management process of emerging technologies: impact identification, impact analysis, plan development, and technology ideation. The study was guided by the following research questions: (1) what kinds of data sources are available on the web and which of those are considered useful in foresight studies? (2) Where could we incorporate these data sources and which techniques are most suitable for the given purposes? (3) Which foresight-related fields would particularly benefit from applying a data-driven approach and what are the positive effects? The proposals outlined should be considered exploratory and open-ended. It is designed to determine the nature of the problem, rather than to offer definitive and conclusive answers. Nevertheless, the proposed scheme may well provide not just a rationale but a theoretical grounding for this newly introduced notion. This dissertation is expected to yield a foothold for the readers to better comprehend and act on this new shift in the field of technology foresight.Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Emergence of Technology Foresight 1 1.2 Towards a Data-driven Technology Foresight 3 1.3 Problem Statement 6 1.4 Dissertation Overview 8 Chapter 2 Data Sources and Methodologies 15 2.1 Data Sources 15 2.1.1 Future-oriented Web Data 15 2.1.2 Wikipedia Data 17 2.1.3 Scientific Publication Data 19 2.2 Methodologies 21 2.2.1 Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) 21 2.2.2 IdeaGraph 25 2.2.3 Morphological Analysis (MA) 29 Chapter 3 Foresight for Impact Identification 31 3.1 Introduction 32 3.2 Emerging Technology and its Social Impacts 36 3.2.1 Distinctive Nature of Emerging Technology 36 3.2.2 Technology Assessment 39 3.3 LSA for Constructing Scenarios 43 3.4 Research Framework 44 3.4.1 Step 1: Data Collection 46 3.4.2 Step 2: Scenario Development 49 3.4.2.1 Pre-LSA: Preprocessing Future-oriented Web Data 49 3.4.2.2 LSA: Applying Latent Semantic Analysis 52 3.4.2.3 Post-LSA: Constructing Scenarios 54 3.5 Illustrative Case Study: Drone Technology 55 3.6 Discussion 65 3.6.1 Categorization of Social Impacts 65 3.6.2 Comparative Analysis 72 3.6.3 Implication for Theory, Practice, and Policy 74 3.7 Conclusion 76 Chapter 4 Foresight for Impact Analysis 79 4.1 Introduction 80 4.2 Uncertainty and Complexity 82 4.3 Data-driven Foresight Process 84 4.4 Scenario Building Beyond the Obvious 86 4.4.1 Capturing Plausibility using LSA 90 4.4.2 Capturing Creativity using IdeaGraph 92 4.5 Research Framework 93 4.5.1 Step 1. Pre-Analysis: Data Preparation 94 4.5.1.1 Target Technology Selection 94 4.5.1.2 Data Acquisition 95 4.5.1.3 Data Preprocessing 95 4.5.2 Step 2. Text Analysis: Scenario Building 96 4.5.2.1 General Glimpse using Overt Structures 96 4.5.2.2 Hidden Details using Latent Structures 98 4.5.3 Step 3. Post-Analysis: Analytical Interpretation 101 4.5.3.1 Individual Impact Scenario 101 4.5.3.2 Overall Latent Impacts 101 4.6 Illustrative Case Study: 3D Printing Technology 102 4.7 Discussion 110 4.7.1 Scenarios Beyond the Obvious 110 4.7.2 Comparative Analysis 113 4.8 Conclusion 115 Chapter 5 Foresight for Plan Development 117 5.1 Introduction 118 5.2 Theoretical Paradigm Shift 120 5.2.1 Technology-focused vs. Society-focused 120 5.2.2 Co-evolution of Technology and Society 122 5.2.3 Responsible Development 125 5.3 Methodological Paradigm Shift 127 5.3.1 Participatory Approach 127 5.3.2 Data-driven Approach 129 5.4 Rationale for using LSA 131 5.5 Research Framework 132 5.5.1 Step 1. Envisioning Social Issues 133 5.5.1.1 Collection of Future-oriented Web Data 133 5.5.1.2 Construction of Impact Scenarios 135 5.5.1.3 Conceptualization of Impact Scenarios 137 5.5.2 Step 2. Deriving Technical Solutions 138 5.5.2.1 Collection of Scientific Publication Data 138 5.5.2.2 Construction of Solution Concepts 139 5.6 Illustrative Case Study: Autonomous Vehicle 140 5.7 Discussion 149 5.7.1 Comparative Analysis 149 5.7.2 Major Strengths in Envisioning Social Impacts 152 5.7.3 Major Strengths in Overviewing Solutions 154 5.8 Conclusion 156 Chapter 6 Foresight for Technology Ideation 158 6.1 Introduction 159 6.2 Related Studies 161 6.2.1 Generating Creative Ideas 161 6.2.2 Data-driven Morphological Analysis 163 6.3 Technology Foresight using Wikipedia 165 6.3.1 Wikipedia as a Good Remedy 165 6.3.2 Preliminaries: How to Apply Wikipedia 168 6.4 Research Framework 173 6.4.1 Basic Model 174 6.4.2 Extended Model 175 6.4.2.1 Phase 1: Preliminary Phase 177 6.4.2.2 Phase 2: Dimension Development Phase 177 6.4.2.3 Phase 3: Value Development Phase 179 6.4.2.4 Phase 4: Sub-dimension Development Phase 182 6.5 Illustrative Case Study: Drone Technology 183 6.5.1 Basic Model 183 6.5.2 Extended Model 185 6.6 Comparative Analysis 193 6.6.1 Experimental Setup 193 6.6.2 Comparison of Results 195 6.7 Intrinsic Limitations of Applying Wikipedia 199 6.8 Conclusion 201 Chapter 7 Concluding Remarks 203 Bibliography 211 Appendix 236 Appendix A Result of overt and latent structures of each impact scenario 236 Appendix B Result of Wikipedia-based morphological matrix (basic model) 240 Appendix C Result of Wikipedia-based morphological matrix using superordinate seed terms (extended model) 241 Appendix D Result of Wikipedia-based morphological matrix after applying subordinate value seed terms (extended model) 243 Appendix E Result of Wikipedia-based morphological matrix after developing sub-dimensions (extended model) 247Docto

On Design Mining: Coevolution and Surrogate Models

© 2017 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) license. Design mining is the use of computational intelligence techniques to iteratively search and model the attribute space of physical objects evaluated directly through rapid prototyping to meet given objectives. It enables the exploitation of novel materials and processes without formal models or complex simulation. In this article, we focus upon the coevolutionary nature of the design process when it is decomposed into concurrent sub-design-threads due to the overall complexity of the task. Using an abstract, tunable model of coevolution, we consider strategies to sample subthread designs for whole-system testing and how best to construct and use surrogate models within the coevolutionary scenario. Drawing on our findings, we then describe the effective design of an array of six heterogeneous vertical-axis wind turbines

Bioinspired Origami: Information Retrieval Techniques for Design of Foldable Engineering Applications

The science of folding has inspired and challenged scholars for decades. Origami, the art of folding paper, has led to the development of many foldable engineering solutions with applications in manufacturing, materials, and product design. Interestingly, three fundamental origami crease patterns are analogous to folding observed in nature. Numerous folding patterns, structures, and behaviors exist in nature that have not been considered for engineering solutions simply because they are not well-known or studied by designers. While research has shown applying biological solutions to engineering problems is significantly valuable, various challenges prevent the transfer of knowledge from biology to the engineering domain. One of those challenges is the retrieval of useful design inspiration. In this dissertation work, information retrieval techniques are employed to retrieve useful biological design solutions and a text-based search algorithm is developed to return passages where folding in nature is observed. The search algorithm, called FoldSearch, integrates tailored biological keywords and filtering methods to retrieve passages from an extensive biological corpus. The performance of FoldSearch is evaluated using statistical methods for information retrieval and validated using inter-rater reliability analysis. The utility of FoldSearch is demonstrated through two case studies where the retrieved biological examples undergo a design abstraction process that leads to the development of bioinspired origami crease patterns and novel foldable structures. The design abstraction process is presented as an additional research contribution and demonstrates the potential to provide bioinspired design solutions for the growing research field of origami engineering

Energy End-Use Technologies for the 21st Century. A Report of the World Energy Council

This report makes clear the opportunities and places technology development firmly centre stage in meeting and overcoming the challenges confronting the energy industry and policy makers. Energy End-Use Technologies for the 21st Century makes it crystal clear that technologies deployed in 20 to 50 years will be the result of policy and funding decisions taken now and that we cannot afford to duck these decisions if we are to meet the World Energy Council’s goals of energy availability, accessibility and acceptability