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This research aims to aid product development managers to estimate the expected cost associated with the development of cost-intensive physical prototypes considering transitions associated with pertinent states of quality of the prototype and corresponding decision policies under the Markovian setting.

The authors evolve two types of optimization-based mathematical models under both deterministic and randomized policies. Under the deterministic policy, the product development managers take certain decisions such as “Do nothing,” “Overhaul,” or “Replace” corresponding to different quality states of prototype such as “Good as new,” “Functional with minor deterioration,” “Functional with major deterioration” and “Non-functional.” Under the randomized policy, the product development managers ascertain the probability distribution associated with these decisions corresponding to various states of quality. In both types of mathematical models, i.e. related to deterministic and randomized settings, minimization of the expected cost of the prototype remains the objective function.

Employing an illustrative case of the operator cabin from the construction equipment domain, the authors ascertain that randomized policy provides us with better decision interventions such that the expected cost of the prototype remains lower than that associated with the deterministic policy. The authors also ascertain the steady-state probabilities associated with a prototype remaining in a particular quality state. These findings have implications for product development budget, time to market, product quality, etc.

The authors’ work contributes toward the development of optimization-driven mathematical models that can encapsulate the nuances related to the uncertainty of transition of quality states of a prototype, decision policies at each quality state of the prototype while considering such facets for all constituent subsystems of the prototype. As opposed to a typical prescriptive study, their study captures the inherent uncertainties associated with states of quality in the context of prototype testing, etc.

To better respond to user needs for personalized information services in the context of academic libraries, this study aims at developing a prototype to provide mobile curation services by using the concept of content curation.

This study used a mobile application software development process, which consisted of five phases: user and organizational requirements, architecture design, navigation design, page design and implementation and usability testing. Usability testing was conducted with a total of 20 college students by online surveys at a university.

Meta-analysis identified key user needs: diversification of services, more personalized services, active communication with librarians, quality improvement of information and interface improvement. User and organizational requirements derived four main service modules – namely, Curation Services, Live Chat, My Page and My Log. Usability testing regarding ease of use, perceived usefulness and satisfaction indicated that participants were satisfied with the prototype.

The study extends the discussion of quality academic library services by introducing the concept of content curation that uses the advantages of mobile technologies to overcome existing limitations in library services insufficient for meeting individual user needs.

Although many studies have discussed mobile library services, few studies have focused on developing a system for such services. The model developed in the study fills the research gap. Above all, the key modules specified by the prototype – Curation Services, Live Chat, My Page and My Log services – are expected to improve existing research and learning support services currently offered by academic libraries.

Technical solutions can be important when key communicators take on the task of making sense of social media flows during crises. However, to provide situation awareness during high-stress assignments, usability problems must be identified and corrected. In usability studies, where researchers investigate the user-friendliness of a product, several types of data gathering methods can be combined. Methods may include subjective (surveys and observations) and psychophysiological (e.g. skin conductance and eye tracking) data collection. This chapter mainly focuses on how the latter type can provide detailed clues about user-friendliness. Results from two studies are summarised. The tool tested is intended to help communicators and journalists with monitoring and handling social media content during times of crises.

This paper provides a tool for managers to overcome a common paradox in situations of innovation. The paradox occurs when the commercial viability of ideas for new products and services is unknown, making managers loath to invest scarce resources in developing them for fear that they will lose them if the idea is a non-starter. The result is that ideas sit on the shelf, idle and untested. This paper provides a low-cost, intuitive method for determining if a new idea has sufficient commercial potential to warrant investing in its development, thereby resolving the paradox.

The method is based on six marketing mechanisms derived from crowd funding: choosing a target prospect and positioning, creating a prototype, setting a price based on value, locating prospects; getting an address, communicating with prospects; delivering an effective pitch, and measuring results through advance commitments. The method is illustrated using two entrepreneurial cases.

Managers who use the method can validate ideas in the marketplace quickly and at low cost, obtaining the information they need to justify an investment in the research, planning and analysis required for commercialization.

The paper identifies a common but little discussed obstacle to innovation, the development paradox, and proposes a novel method of overcoming it. Market testing is not new, but most known methods do not solve the development paradox because they require a significant outlay of resources to undertake.

Robots come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from manipulators in the industrial assembly line, to house cleaners, and to carebots of the elderly and sick. In recent years entertaining robots have been developed to engage adults and children into playing and learning. There are however no robots that have been specifically designed to entertain pets. The purpose of this paper is to present a prototype developed to engage pets into outdoor playing.

A prototype that can engage a dog or a cat into playing was designed, built, and tested by a group of senior students. The enclosure of the prototype has the shape of a round shell. Within this shell there is a sensor interfacing unit, which can interpret sounds generated by the animals, and a light and sound system designed to interact with the animals.

The testing results showed that the prototype was able to fulfill requirements for outdoor playing, such as being waterproof and able to travel through grass. Testing of the individual sensor interfacing circuits demonstrated the interactive capability. Dogs were chosen to be the subjects to be entertained. However, it is envisioned that a smaller version of this prototype can be suitable for cats.

This is the first prototype that explores ways to entertain pets when their human owners are absent or busy. The prototype developed is a good start for any intelligent robotic systems specifically designed to entertain pets.

The purpose of the study was to test the usability of the MyLA app prototype by its potential users. Furthermore, the Web app will be introduced in the framework of “Mobile Learning Analytics”, a cooperation project between the Cooperative State University Mannheim and University of Mannheim. The participating universities focus on the support of personalized and self-regulated learning. MyLA collects data such as learning behavior, as well as personality traits. Last but not least, the paper will contribute to the topic of learning analytics and mobile learning in higher education.

For the empirical investigation, a mixed-method design was chosen. While 105 participants took part in the conducted online survey, after testing the app prototype, seven students joined an additional eye tracking study. For the quantitative part, a selected question pool from HIMATT (highly integrated model assessment technology and tools) instrument was chosen. The eye tracking investigation consisted of three tasks the participants had to solve.

The findings showed that the students assessed the idea of the app, as well as the navigation positively. Only the color scheme of the prototype was not very attractive to a noticeable amount of the participants. So, it requires slight modifications concerning the app design. For the eye tracking study, it can be stated that the students viewed the relevant parts, and they basically had no difficulties to solve the tasks.

Due to the empirical testing of the app prototype, the project team was able to adjust the application and to add further features. Furthermore, the backend was programmed and an additional tool (MyLA dashboard) was developed for lecturers. A mutual understanding of the targets, privacy issue and relevant features are indispensable for further development of the project.

The integration and automation of the whole design and implementation process have become a pivotal factor in construction projects. Problems of process integration, particularly at the conceptual design stage, often manifest through a number of significant areas, from design representation, cognition and translation to process fragmentation and loss of design integrity. Whilst building information modelling (BIM) applications can be used to support design automation, particularly through the modelling, amendment and management stages, they do not explicitly provide whole design integration. This is a significant challenge. However, advances in generative design now offer significant potential for enhancing the design experience to mitigate this challenge.

The approach outlined in this paper specifically addresses BIM deficiencies at the conceptual design stage, where the core drivers and indicators of BIM and generative design are identified and mapped into a generative BIM (G-BIM) framework and subsequently embedded into a G-BIM prototype. This actively engages generative design methods into a single dynamic BIM environment to support the early conceptual design process. The developed prototype followed the CIFE “horseshoe” methodology of aligning theoretical research with scientific methods to procure architecture, construction and engineering (AEC)-based solutions. This G-BIM prototype was also tested and validated through a focus group workshop engaging five AEC domain experts.

The G-BIM prototype presents a valuable set of rubrics to support the conceptual design stage using generative design. It benefits from the advanced features of BIM tools in relation to illustration and collaboration (coupled with BIM's parametric change management features).

This prototype has been evaluated through multiple projects and scenarios. However, additional test data is needed to further improve system veracity using conventional and non-standard real-life design settings (and contexts). This will be reported in later works.

Originality and value rest with addressing the shortcomings of previous research on automation during the design process. It also addresses novel computational issues relating to the implementation of generative design systems, where, for example, instead of engaging static and formal description of the domain concepts, G-BIM actively enhances the applicability of BIM during the early design stages to generate optimised (and more purposeful) design solutions.

This paper aims to present the design and a prototype experiment of a robotic joint module for tokamak in-vessel manipulator-related research; the results will promote the adaptation of current in-vessel inspection manipulator to achieve full tokamak in-vessel environment compatibility.

A flexible metallic bellow-enclosed working chamber is used to protect the main servo drive components, the active cooling method for high temperature protection and the servo control structure simplification for high radiation endurance. A joint module prototype is manufactured and tested under a similar in-vessel environmental condition for extreme condition protection validation and basic servo control ability evaluation.

The joint module prototype successfully survived the similar in-vessel environment tests and proved good mobility via closed-loop servo control. A conceptual design of a serial linkage manipulator with joint module structure is proposed for future in-vessel inspection manipulator development.

The proposed joint module uses common industrial servo components to achieve its full extreme in-vessel environment compatibility. Different from traditional metallic bellow application in a vacuum environment to produce a linear movement result, the proposed joint module aims to achieve rotating movement directly from the metallic bellow structure, thereby reducing the joint structure space requirement, simplifying the vacuum environment movement transmission structure and increasing the vacuum environment compatibility degree.

This paper aims to evaluate a virtual training environment for testing UK gas pipeline emergency response plans.

Interviews, observations and desk research were used to identify current methods for testing plans. A virtual training environment was developed and evaluated with industry experts by using participatory design techniques. Key themes relating to both the current methods for testing plans and for a virtual training environment were identified using thematic analysis.

Improved training performance, remote participation and evidence of decision testing are benefits a virtual training environment can bring to current practice. It is suggested that a virtual training environment can enhance, rather than replace, the current process of testing emergency response plans.

Analysis of the virtual training environment being used to test plans in a live context would give further ecological validity to the findings. A study of the prototype used to test plans for incidents involving sectors outside the gas industry would further validate the findings.

The application of a virtual training environment to facilitate testing plans and the decision-making processes for major incidents involving high-pressure gas pipelines and storage sites is yet to be documented. This paper contributes to the literature by documenting the decision-making process and evaluation of a virtual training environment for testing plans in this context.

The aim of this paper is to show how models fabricated via stereolithography (SL) served as “functional prototypes” for the redesign and optimisation of the spraying arm of a small dishwashing machine. The redesign process depended entirely on systematic experimental testing. SL modelling was employed in order to realise the various geometries proposed for the “new” spraying arm. The SL built spraying arm models (prototypes) themselves were used in the actual experiments, i.e. during the various dishwashing cycles. Their behaviour was very satisfactory. The methodology followed is presented in a systematic way. Aspects such as the effect of various build parameters on the models' functionality as well as “engineering solutions” given to problems encountered during fabrication and testing of the models are discussed in detail.