Computer aided innovation

December, 1999

This article reviews a suite of products classified as "computer aided innovation" software because they help engineers solve problems. For example, suppose an engineer wants to figure out an efficient way to retrieve underground oil for testing. From a pull-down menu, he picks his goal, "move," and its object, "liquid substances." The program tells him that there are 44 existing methods, ranging from boiling to the "ultrasonic capillary effect." The engineer chooses one of the options and the software starts to consider related effects from other disciplines. The article includes a recent evaluation by Society member Linda Hashlamoun of B.F. Goodrich.

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