Han Zhang, PhD

Key Challenges in Bringing New

Technology into the Market

Create a Commercially Viable and Socially &

Environmentally Responsible Innovation

(CVSERI)

Han Zhang, PhD

Every Success is Built on the Ability to Do Better

Than Just Good Enough

Ou

tlin

e • Terminology

• Definition of CVSRI

• Approaches to Create

a CVSRI

• Examples

• A Few Suggestions

Han Zhang, PhD

Terminology

• Sustainable development – A development that meets their needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (from Brundtland Commission Report, published in 1987)

• Carbon footprints – The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and

indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)

• Life cycle analysis / product end-life design – A tool which can be used to optimize the impact of a product or a

process on the environment. It evaluates all stages of the product or process from cradle to grave

• Critical elements

– Are the elements exhibit inverse relationship between the supply

and the price due to their nature of limited stock

Ou

tlin

e • Terminology

• Definition of CVSRI

• Approaches to Create

a CVSRI

• Examples

• A Few Suggestions

Han Zhang, PhD

What is a Commercially Viable and Socially Responsible

Innovation?

Bio-degradable Polymers

Ou

tlin

e • Terminology

• Definition of CVSRI

• Approaches to Create

a CVSRI

• Examples

• A Few Suggestions

Han Zhang, PhD

Creating a Commercially Viable and Socially & Environmentally

Responsible Innovation

• Understanding the market needs

– What is the job which your product will perform?

– What are other technologies which could perform the same job?

– How do we select the technology?

– What can we offer which others can not?

• Ensuring sustainable supply chain

– Are you using any elements in the critical resource category?

– Are there any foresee issues of the end-life of the product?

• Affordability of the product

– What would be targeted cost?

– Is it affordable to your targeted market sector?

• Manufacturability

• Best technology vs. good enough technology

Han Zhang, PhD

Understanding the Job - P&G Everything is Obvious When You Know the Answer (D.J. Watts)

• Understanding market:

– What are the purposes of the

mop and water bucket?

– What are the unmet needs or

problems associated with

current product?

– How can we meet with the

unmet needs?

Han Zhang, PhD

Selecting Right Technology – Phonic Crystal

When a wave passes through a

periodic structure, interference leads

to the formation of “band gaps” that

prevent waves with certain

frequencies traveling through the

structure

Can we apply this concept to build a

periodic multilayer structure

composite to purposely interfere with

the sound wave transmission to

reduce noise?

And other

applications??

Han Zhang, PhD

Sustainable Supply Chain - Resources Check

Han Zhang, PhD

Critical Elements - Thin Film Solar Technology

• CdTe: – Tellurium is extremely rare element (135

MT in 2007) – Te is by-product of the Copper – Cadmium is toxic

• CuInGaSe (CIGS): – Selenium and indium are critical elements – Se is by-product of copper

Is current thin film

solar technology

Sustainable???

Han Zhang, PhD

Affordability – MEMS Technology

Han Zhang, PhD

Affordability – MEMS Technology

The Key is to Find a Good

Match

Area Tuned Variable Capacitors Three-Axis Accelerometer Microphone

Han Zhang, PhD

Affordability in Emerging Market - GE Ultrasonic Machine

• Original product developed in US and Japan costs > $100k

– Cardiology

– Obstetrics

– Radiology

• What would be an affordable price target?

• New price target: < $15k

– In China, rural clinics

• How to achieve it?

– Through function eliminations

• Expanding to developed country – In US, ambulance squads and

emergency room

Han Zhang, PhD

Manufacturability - Freeze Casting

Han Zhang, PhD

Does an Innovation have to Begin with a New and Cool Technology?

• Business model, such as: Apple store, Ikea ……

• Low-hanging fruit, such as: Twitter ……

• Marketing, such as: product promotions……

There are no Fixed Models for innovation. There

are plenty of low-hanging fruits out there.

However, a Sustainable innovation needs a

System Approach with Both Eyes Open

Ou

tlin

e

• Introduction

• Terminology

• Definition of CVSRI

• Approaches to Create

a CVSRI

• Examples

• A Few Suggestions

Han Zhang, PhD

Suggestions

• Challenges – Environmental change and shortage of resource

– Economic imbalance • Two economic speeds

• Growing of inequality

– Short life cycles of both knowledge and business

– Continuous efficiency improvement (automation) • Workforce surplus

• A few suggestions – Be vigilant and keep updating your knowledge and skills

– Understand your strengths and weaknesses

– Generalist vs. specialist

– Resilience is important (People do not remember how you fall, but how to get up)

– Do well by doing good

Han Zhang, PhD

References

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_living

• http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/02/the-phd-bust-americas-awful-market-for-

young-scientists-in-7-charts/273339/

• M.L. Green, Materials for Sustainable Development, MRS Fall Meeting, 2012

• R.L. Jaffe, Critical Elements and New Energy Technologies, MRS Fall Meeting, 2012

• Steven G. Johnson and J. D. Joannopoulos, Introduction to Photonic Crystals: Bloch’s

Theorem, Band Diagrams, and Gaps, MIT course note

• T. Gorishnyy, M. Maldovan, C. Ullal and E. Thomas, Sound Ideas, Physicsweb.org

• J.R. Immet, V. Govindavaja, C. Trimble, How GE is disrupting itself? Harvard Business

Review, ReprintR0910D

• Sylvain Deville, Porous ceramics by controlled solidification of (colloidal) suspensions,

Freezing-cast of porous ceramics, state of art, Jan., 2008, Cambridge

• R. Fraux, Teardowns and Cost analyses , MEMS Microphones Technical and Cost Review ,

System Plus Consulting, July 12th , 2012