Steelcase SDZ Bioinspiration 2013Nov7

From Beaker to Cart: Translating Nature to Product

Mike Taylor | Principal Researcher WorkSpace Futures San Diego Zoo – Bioinspiration Conference 7 November 2013

steelcase inc | all rights reserved | Bioinspiration Conference | November 2013

Agenda

Chumming the Waters for Innovation When Having Sharks in the Office is a Good Thing… The Impending Shark-nado?


“Steelcase’s formula for success – since our first use of thin sheet steel nearly 100 years ago – has always been user insights combined with design and material innovation.

Then, it was about bending metal.

Now, it’s about bending the future – anticipating how work, workers and workspaces will change as material science accelerates.”

Jim Hackett CEO, Steelcase


“To create great experiences, where ever work happens.”


Lean Product Development Challenge


Product Development Ecology


Frameworks

Technology Status Organization Status


Material Science

Materiality

“user defining the object”

“object defining the user”


User Centered Research Insights

Material Science Materiality

Technical Feasibility

User Desirability

Business Viability


Transition from I/Owned to We/Shared


How might we improve Well Being through materials in high diversity, shared spaces while maintaining our Sustainability goals?


Enter Sharklet…


Material Exploration Map

Bulb

Beaker

Basket

Cart

Find Filter Use Prove

Tech

nolo

gy S

tatu

s

Organizational Status


Sharklet Film

Sharklet Injection Molding

Can we put microtexture on macrotexture?


D’oh…but not our ‘standard’ texture


Can we make a Sharklet part in a production process?


Arrgh…stupid physics


What about Wear and Tool Life?


What about Wear and Tool Life?

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000

Aver

age

Feat

ure

Heig

ht (µ

m)

Total Parts Processed(#)

Micro Pattern Feature Depth on Parts and Tools - Scoop Side

Scoop - Parts Scoop - Tooling

98.08% reduction s. aureus

96.35% reduction s. aureus

Compared with standard part


Material Exploration Map

Bulb

Beaker

Basket

Cart

Find Filter Use Prove

Tech

nolo

gy S

tatu

s

Organizational Status


Sharklet Film

Sharklet Injection Molding

Cleanwell Additives

“Is this best for my company?”

Technical Feasibility

User Desirability

Business Viability


So What?

Bioinspiration Accelerators

The ability to image, measure, analyze, and fabricate at smaller scale Ease of cross discipline collaboration Additive manufacturing Data/Algorithms/Complexity



Documents

Steelcase SDZ Bioinspiration 2013Nov7