Technology

Chip startups using light instead of wires gaining speed and investments

By Jane Lanhee Lee                                                                                               29 April 2022

April 26 (Reuters) - Computers using light rather than electric currents for processing, only years ago seen as research projects, are gaining traction, and startups that have solved the engineering challenge of using photons in chips are getting big funding.

In the latest example, Ayar Labs, a startup developing this technology called silicon photonics, said it had raised $130 million from investors, including chip giant Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O).

While the transistor-based silicon chip has increased computing power exponentially over the past decades as transistors have reached the width of several atoms, shrinking them further is challenging. Not only is it hard to make something so minuscule, but as they get smaller, signals can bleed between them.

So, Moore’s law, which said every two years, the density of the transistors on a chip would double and bring down costs, is slowing, pushing the industry to seek new solutions to handle increasingly heavy artificial intelligence computing needs.

According to data firm PitchBook, silicon photonics startups raised over $750 million last year, doubling from 2020. In 2016 that was about $18 million.

“A.I. is growing like crazy and taking over large data center parts,” Ayar Labs CEO Charles Wuischpard told Reuters. “The data movement challenge and energy consumption in that data movement is a big issue.”

The challenge is that many large machine-learning algorithms can use hundreds or thousands of chips for computing. Using current electrical methods, there is a bottleneck in data transmission speed between chips or servers.

Light has been used to transmit data through fiber-optic cables, including undersea cables, for decades, but bringing it to the chip level was challenging as devices used for creating light or controlling it have not been as easy to shrink as transistors.

PitchBook’s senior emerging technology analyst Brendan Burke expects silicon photonics to become standard hardware in data centers by 2025 and estimates the market will reach $3 billion by then, similar to the market size of the A.I. graphic chips market in 2020.

A view of a PsiQuantum Wafer, a silicon wafer containing thousands of quantum devices, including single-photon detectors, manufactured via PsiQuantum’s partnership with GlobalFoundries in Palo Alto, California, U.S., in an undated photo taken in March 2021. PsiQuantum/Handout via REUTERS T

Beyond connecting transistor chips, startups using silicon photonics for building quantum computers, supercomputers, and chips for self-driving vehicles are also raising significant funds.

PsiQuantum has raised about $665 million so far, although the promise of quantum computers changing the world is still years out.

Lightmatter, which builds processors using light to speed up A.I. workloads in the data center, raised $113 million and will release its chips later this year and test with customers soon after.

Luminous computing, a startup building an A.I. supercomputer using silicon photonics backed by Bill Gates, raised $115 million.

It is not just the startups pushing this technology forward. Semiconductor manufacturers are also gearing up to use their silicon chip-making technology for photonics.

GlobalFoundries Head of Computing and Wired Infrastructure Amir Faintuch said collaboration with PsiQuantum, Ayar, and Lightmatter has helped build up a silicon photonics manufacturing platform for others to use. The platform was launched in March.

Peter Barrett, founder of venture capital firm Playground Global, an investor in Ayar Labs and PsiQuantum, believes in the long-term prospects for silicon photonics for speeding up computing but says it is a long road ahead.

“What the Ayar Labs guys do so well... is they solved the data interconnect problem for traditional high-performance (computing),” he said. “But it’s going to be a while before we have pure digital photonic compute for non-quantum systems.”

To read the complete article, go to: https://www.reuters.com/technology/chip-startups-using-light-instead-wires-gaining-speed-investments-2022-04-26/

In TRIZ, this is a new “S-curve” and evolution in computer chip development. The replacement of transistor-based silicon chips with silicon photonics. The challenge of making silicon chips smaller and smaller has given way to a new technology using light instead of electricity. This evolution of the technology will allow for increased speed and a smaller size of new systems.

Apr. 26, 2017

Dear TRIZ Colleagues,

　　　 Toru Nakagawa (Professor Emeritus, Osaka Gakuin University)

"TRIZ Home Page in Japan" has been updated yesterday (dated Apr. 24) in English and in Japanese pages.

      http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/

[1] Letters from Readers（Feb. - Apr. 2017）

[1A] English page: from 8 readers + Toru Nakagawa

[1B] Japanese page: from 2 readers + Toru Nakagawa

[1C] Information Letter: TRIZ Activities at OGU (Toru Nakagawa)

[2] Introductions of Individual Papers of ETRIA TFC 2016:

     C. Case Studies in Industries (9 Papers)

     Toru Nakagawa   　

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[1] TRIZ Forum: Letters from Readers（Feb. - Apr. 2017）

[1A] [English page]

Tomasz Arciszewski (USA), Czeslaw Cempel (Poland), Simon Litvin (USA), Pavel Livotov (ETRIA President), Oliver Mayer (Germany), Michal Halas (Poland), William Hessler (USA), Shahid Saleem Arshard (Australia); Toru Nakagawa (OGU)

On request from S. Litvin, I wrote a document of my whole activities related to TRIZ and Creative Problem Solving Methodology at OGU (See a separate page [1C] ).

For writing Introductions of ETRIA TFC2016 papers, I sent a request to many TFC2016 authors for sending me their presentation slides.

And I received a message from ETRIA President to note the copyrights issues of the papers.

I confirmed that Papers in English are not posted/cited because ETRIA is going to publish them officially in spring NEXT year and that Slides in English may be posted/cited under Author's permissions and Papers and Slides in Japanese translation are allowed to be posted/cited.

I explained these points to the Authors and posted my Introductions of 17 TFC2016 papers on Mar. 30 under their permissions.

W. Hessler suggested me to make my Web site design easier to read and more user-friendly, especially for beginners.

I want to make this Web site, however, up-to-date, reliable, and high-quality source of information of TRIZ and Creative problem solving methodology in general.

For making such an intention compatible with user-friendliness, I have been trying to implement various measures; they are summarized here again in reply.

Probably it will be most effective from now on to insert more photos (such as people in conferences, authors of articles, flowers in seasons, etc.).

I would like to ask you, the readers, to contribute articles and give suggestions to this Web site.

[1B] [Japanese page]

Mr. O; Akihiro Katahira; Toru Nakagawa (OGU)

Mr. O, who is going to introduce TRIZ in his company, asked me about the position of TRIZ among various idea generation methods.

I replied that methods of creative problem solving are more important than simple, short-cut oriented idea-generation methods.

Such methodology has been developed recently by improving/generalizing TRIZ.

The concept of 'Six-Box Scheme' and easy process USIT should be learnt, by using USIT Manual and USIT Case Studies.

I just introduced the essence of what are discussed repeatedly in this Web site.

[1C] TRIZ Forum: Information Letter: TRIZ Activities at OGU:
       Research, Education, Application, and Proliferation   (Toru Nakagawa)

I wrote this Information Letter for reporting my whole activities related to TRIZ and Creative Problem Solving Methodology at OGU, with the emphasis that research, education, application, and proliferation of TRIZ and related methodology are done in a parallel and cooperative

manner.

My whole activities for these 20 years since 1997 are described in a chronological manner, in three A4 pages .

[2] Conference Report (31)-Papers C: Personal Report of ETRIA TFC 2016:

   Introductions of Individual Papers: C. Case Studies in Industries (9 Papers)

     (Toru Nakagawa)  　

Introductions of the papers presented at TFC2016 are written by Nakagawa in English.

Here are 9 papers in the 3rd category. ● marks are highly recommended.

C1. Heuristic problems in automation and control design: what can be learnt from TRIZ?:
Leonid Chechurin (Finland), Viktor Berdonosov (Russia), et al. ●

C2. Optimizing motor performance by using TRIZ methodology:
Matej Hohnjec et al. (Slovenia) ●

C3. A proposal for automation of conceptual design stage in Architecture-Engineering- Construction (AEC) projects:
Ivan A. Renev (Finland)

C4. TRIZ and innovation of pressing process:
Bohuslav Busov et al. (Czech Republic) ●

C5. TRIZ and turbojet engine innovation:
Bohuslav Busov, Zden?k Katolicky et al. (Czech Republic) ●

C6. Mobile biogas station design: the TRIZ approach:
Mariusz Ptak et al. (Poland) ●

C7. Design for change: disaggregation of functions in system architecture by TRIZ-based design:
Sebastian Koziolek (Poland)

C8. TRIZ based problem solving of tile manufacturing system: Sebastian Koziolek, Mateusz S?upi?ski (Poland)

C9. TRIZ-based analysis of the rail industry problem of low adhesion:
John Cooke (UK) ●

---------------------------

The Photo posted at the top page:

at Monastery of Lorch (Germany),
Apr. 7, 2017, Toru Nakagawa.

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Toru Nakagawa, Dr., Professor Emeritus, Osaka Gakuin University

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [Main email address. for receiving.]

       This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   [for sending]

Editor of the "TRIZ Home Page in Japan":

   URL:http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/

Director of CrePS Institute:

   Publication of "TRIZ Practices and Benefits" book series

     (in Japanese)

   3-1-13 Eirakudai, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0086, Japan.

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  Jun. 5, 2017

Dear TRIZ Colleagues,

　　　 Toru Nakagawa

         Professor Emeritus, Osaka Gakuin University

"TRIZ Home Page in Japan" has been updated last night (dated Jun. 4) in English and in Japanese pages.

            http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/

[1] Introductions of Individual Papers of ETRIA TFC 2016:

1. Promotion of TRIZ in Industries (5 Papers)
2. Usage of TRIZ in Education and in Academia (5 Papers)

     Toru Nakagawa)

[2] Letters from Readers（Feb. - Apr. 2017) : Added in the English page: from 2 readers + Toru

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[1] Conference Report (31) - Papers D and E: Personal Report of ETRIA TFC 2016:

Introductions of Individual Papers:

Introductions of the papers presented at TFC2016 are written by Toru Nakagawa in English.

Here are 5 papers in Category D, and 5 more in Category E.

• 　marks are highly recommended.

1. Promotion of TRIZ in Industries (5 Papers)

D1. ● A long-term strategy to spread TRIZ in SMEs. Analysis of Bergamo's experience:
Davide Russo, Daniele Regazzoni, Caterina Rizzi (Italy)

D2. Combining TRIZ and open innovation, a new promising perspective for enhancing corporate innovation processes:
Masih Hanifi, Remy Houssin, Denis Cavallucci, Simon Fuhlhaber (France)

D3. R&D in Poland ? is the country close to a knowledge-driven economy?:
Dorota Chybowska, Leszek Chybowski (Poland)

D4. Is Poland an innovative country?:
Dorota Chybowska, Leszek Marek Chybowski (Poland)

D5. ● Why TRIZ Popularity is Declining:
Sergey Sobolev, Oleg Abramov (Russia)

1. Usage of TRIZ in Education and in Academia (5 Papers)

E1. A Brief Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (BTIPS) -　an Approach in Teaching, Learning and Practice:
Zbigniew Marian Bzymek (USA)

E2. ● Aspects of teaching TRIZ:
Christoph Dobrusskin (The Netherlands)

E3. Product development using heuristic-systematic approach: a case study:
Bartosz Pryda, Marek Mysior (Poland)

E4. ● Development of creative education materials for students at middle and high school using design thinking process with simplified TRIZ:
Kyeongwon LEE (South Korea)

E5. ● Idea Generation with Substance-Field Analysis: the Influence of Prior Knowledge and Practical Experience:
Iouri Belski, Anne Skiadopoulos, Guillermo Aranda-Mena (Australia), Gaetano Cascini, Davide Russo (Italy)
(Note: This paper E5 is about "Importance of General Knowledge in Creative Idea Generation: An Experiment and Discussions")

[2] TRIZ Forum: Letters from Readers（Feb. - Apr. 2017）

[Added in the English page]

Min-Gyu Lee (Korea & Finland), Giuseppe Carignani (Italy), Toru Nakagawa

1. Lee communicated with me on my Introduction to his ETRIA TFC 2016 paper; it's a pleasure for me that the Author appreciates my Introduction article.

1. Carignani is going to have a chance to talk on TRIZ to high school teachers and asks me for some references.

I suggested the Entrance page for Children and High school students of this site.

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Toru Nakagawa, Dr., Professor Emeritus, Osaka Gakuin University

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [Main email address. for receiving.]

       This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   [for sending]

Editor of the "TRIZ Home Page in Japan":

   URL:http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/

Director of CrePS Institute:

   Publication of "TRIZ Practices and Benefits" book series (in Japanese)

   3-1-13 Eirakudai, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0086, Japan.

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Feb. 16, 2017

Dear TRIZ Colleagues,

　　　 Toru Nakagawa

         Professor Emeritus, Osaka Gakuin University

"TRIZ Home Page in Japan" has been updated on Feb. 14 in English and in Japanese pages.

   http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/

[1] Personal Report of ETRIA TFC2016 (Oct. 2016, Poland)  Toru Nakagawa

[2] A long-term strategy to spread TRIZ in SMEs.

   Davide Russo, D. Regazzoni, C. Rizzi (U. Bergamo, Italy); Japanese translation: Toru Nakagawa

[3] Letters from Readers（Dec. 2016 - Jan. 2017）English: 4 readers + TN; Japanese: 6 readers + TN

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[1] TRIZ Forum: Conference Report (31):

Personal Report of The 16th ETRIA TRIZ Future Conference (TFC 2016),

Held on Oct. 24-27, 2016, at Wroclaw, Poland

Toru Nakagawa (OGU) 　

After a few years of interval, I have made up my mind to write 'Personal Reports' of some important TRIZ conferences, starting with ETRIA TFC2016.

In the field of TRIZ, several international conferences and several tens of regional/ domestic/ company-organized conferences are held every year.  

Papers/presentations at such conferences are, unfortunately, mostly not known even for people interested/ involved in TRIZ.

Overviews of the papers and introductions to good papers would be useful for promoting TRIZ, only if appropriate reviews were done.

Knowing the responsibilities and burdens, I will do my best to write 'Personal Reports', as I did before (Conference Reports (1) through (30)).  

The present page in English is just a skeletal of my Personal Report, containing only a list of all the papers categorized with topics.

I have just posted a Japanese page having very-brief introductions to all the papers, which I wrote after reading Authors' Abstracts and presentation slides (made available to TFC2016 participants).

After reading papers closely one after another from now on, I am going to write introductions to them in English.

It will take two months or so for me to finish and post my Personal Report in English.

[2] Case Study of TRIZ Promotion:

A long-term strategy to spread TRIZ in SMEs. Analysis of Bergamo's experience

Davide Russo, Daniele Regazzoni, Caterina Rizzi University of Bergamo, Italy);

Japanese translation: Toru Nakagawa 　

Presented at ETRIA TFC 2016 on Oct. 25, 2016 at Wroclaw, Poland.

In the English page, presentation slides are posted both in HTML and in PDF.

The paper will be made accessible with a link to Elsevier's Science Direct whenever openly published.

In the Japanese page, the full paper and the presentation slides are posted in Japanese translation.

The TRIZ research group, formed in the University of Bergamo, educated students of Master courses with the TRIZ methodology, and worked to spread TRIZ in the industrial community in collaboration of Bergamo Chamber of Commerce.

This is a valuable report of the activities, which contributed to stimulate and enhance the intellectual properties and innovation in the regional community prevailed by SMEs.

Typical models of promoting TRIZ are based on success stories in big enterprises.

In Italy, however, big companies (with over 250 employees) are very few (0.1%) while very small companies (with less than 10 employees) are prevailing (95%).

Thus the Authors built a new model of responding to the demands of SMEs first in collaboration with Chamber of Commerce.

Under a long term strategy, they provided services of teaching, training, and consulting the owners and engineers of SMEs on the topic of Intellectual Properties first and TRIZ later.

In 9 years they have achieved remarkable results.

[3] TRIZ Forum: Letters from Readers（Dec. 2016 - Jan. 2017）

[English page] Czeslaw Cempel (Poland), Ellen Domb (USA), Hugo Sanchez (Nicaragua), Shahid Saleem Arshad (Australia); Toru Nakagawa

Communications between Cempel and Nakagawa, on 'Liberty vs Love', especially that Ethics (including Equity) is the 0th Principle.

Domb and Sanchez sent me wishes and encourage the work of this Web site.

Arshad supported me on the work of 'Liberty vs. Love'. He attached a picture of homeless Japanese citizens just post-war in 1945. Nakagawa responded mentioning the hidden nature of poverty in modern countries

[Japanese page ] Akihiko Ikeda, Tomomi Murata, Kouichi Miyazato, Tetsu Sadahiro, Munehiro Shimada, Mikiya Kobayashi, Toru Nakagawa

Murata sent me his greetings together with Haiku (Japanese short poems) he composed.

Miyazato encourages me to keep this site as a platform where Gemba leaders can study.

Sadahiro asks me about how engineers' use of their knowledge and experiences is related to the Six-Box Scheme.

Shimada sent me his newly published book: "How Do We Want to Die?" (Author: M. de Ridder,

   Translation into Japanese: M. Shimada and W.R. Ade).

Kobayashi sent me his sympathy on the 'Liberty vs. Love' issue.

Best wishes,

Toru

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Toru Nakagawa, Dr., Professor Emeritus, Osaka Gakuin University

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [Main email address. for receiving.]

       This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   [for sending]

Editor of the "TRIZ Home Page in Japan":

   URL:http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/

Director of CrePS Institute:

   Publication of "TRIZ Practices and Benefits" book series (in Japanese)

   3-1-13 Eirakudai, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0086, Japan.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Feb 14, 2019

Dear TRIZ Leaders/Colleagues,

　　　 Toru Nakagawa, Professor Emeritus, Osaka Gakuin University

"TRIZ Home Page in Japan" has been updated in English and Japanese pages on Jan. 13, Feb. 6, and Feb. 14.  

http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/

[1] Letters from Readers （Dec. 2018 - Jan. 2019）

[2] List of 78 WTSP Members from 29 countries is posted

[3] WTSP News: WTSP Mails and Letters: Jan. - Feb. 2019

     [WTSP] Letters (7M) Jan. 13, 2019

                     (8M) Feb. 8, 2019

                   (8M-2) Feb. 10, 2019

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[1] Letters from Readers （Dec. 2018 - Jan. 2019）

   [English page] Toru Nakagawa; Don Masingale (USA), Walter Hermans, Christopher K. Ahoy (USA),  Val Tsourikov (Belarus), Ellen Domb (USA), Alexander Shmonov (Russia)

   [Japanese page ] Toru Nakagawa;　Toshio Takahara

[2] WTSP News: List of WTSP Members (78 Members from 29

     countries) is posted in the (A2) Organization page

       (Toru Nakagawa)           (Jan. 13, 2019)

   Currently 78 persons have voluntarily joined WTSP as Members.

   They come from 29 countries/areas.

   In each country they are trying to form a WTSP team with several members.

   We are going to survey TRIZ-related sites in each country and describe introductions of them individually.

   Please notice our time schedule:

   (by Dec. 31, 2018) Formation of WTSP teams in every country

   (by Mar. 31, 2019) Completion of Country WTSP Catalogs in every country, for open reviewing inside the project;

       First draft of Categorized World WTSP Catalog

   Such activities have just started in each country, but very slowly yet.

   We wish to have many more Members in most of the countries, especially in Russia and USA.

   Could you please join WTSP, to work Together ! Connected !!

[3] WTSP News: WTSP Mails and Letters: Jan. -- Feb. 2019

     （Editor: Toru Nakagawa (WTSP Project Leader)）

     (Jan. 14; Feb. 6; Feb. 14, 2019)

   This page intends to post various communications related to the WTSP project, e.g., [WTSP] Letters, [WTSP] Communicatios,

   [WTSP] Q&A, [WTSP] Announcement, etc.  

   Here arranged from old to new:

- Tan Eng Hoo (Malaysia): Communications

-　[WTSP] Letters (7M-A)(7M-B)(7M-D)(7M-E):  List of WTSP Members, Tasks at moment, and Invitation to WTSP

             (Toru Nakagawa) (Jan. 13, 2019)

       Note: (A) WTSP Members

             (B) WTSP Members missed to submit Membership Application Form

             (D) Invitees since Dec. 2017

             (E) Invitees since Nov. 2018

- [WTSP] Letters (8M-A)(8M-B):  WTSP pages are updated today in THPJ.

       Let's work Together ! Connected !!

             (Toru Nakagawa, Feb. 8, 2019)

- [WTSP] Letters (8M-D)(8M-E):

       Invitation to join WTSP; Your help is needed by the global TRIZ community

             (Toru Nakagawa, Feb. 8, 2019)

- Posting in LinkedIn:

       Invitation to Voluntary work of building WTSP Catalogs of TRIZ-related Sites in your country and in the world.

           (Toru Nakagawa, Feb. 8, 2019)

- [WTSP] Letters (8M-2):

       Basic and useful WTSP pages posted in THPJ and uploaded in the Bitrix24 Platform.

           (Toru Nakagawa, Feb. 10, 2019)

The WTSP project is just starting its practical jobs.

We wish you and your colleagues join this movement.

Best wishes,

Toru

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Toru Nakagawa, Dr., Professor Emeritus, Osaka Gakuin University

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [Main email address. for receiving.]

       This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   [for sending]

Editor of the "TRIZ Home Page in Japan":

   URL:http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/

Director of CrePS Institute:

   Publication of "TRIZ Practices and Benefits" book series (in Japanese)

   3-1-13 Eirakudai, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0086, Japan.

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Jan 10, 2019

Dear TRIZ Leaders/Colleagues,

　　　 Toru Nakagawa

         Professor Emeritus, Osaka Gakuin University

   Greetings from Japan for a Happy New Year 2019!!

   Wish the year be peaceful in the World, and healthy, happy, and successful for you all.

"TRIZ Home Page in Japan" has been updated today (dated Jan. 10) in English and Japanese pages.

http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/

[1] Message for the New Year 2019 (Toru Nakagawa)

[2] "Computational Creativity: Path to Future Civilization"

     Valeri Tsourikov, Keynote Lecture at TRIZfest2014

[3] TRIZ News: Plans of Conferences in Japan and in the world:

     Japan TRIZ Symp., Japan Creativity Society Conf.;

     AI TRIZCON2019, I-SIM ICSI2019, MATRIZ TRIZfest2019, ETRIA TFC2019

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[1] Message for the New Year 2019 (Toru Nakagawa)

   It is a tradition in Japan to send post cards

   for celebrating a new year.

   I posted my New Year post card (in Japanese), which I sent

   to my friends whom I met before my TRIZ days.

   Here is the message in English. :

   Happy New Year 2019 !!

   I keep working for the research and proliferation of

   'Methodologies of Creative Problem Solving (TRIZ/CrePS)'.

   This Web site "TRIZ Home Page in Japan" celebrated the

   20th Anniversary last November to my thanks to you all.

   I have proposed a voluntary international project 'World

   TRIZ Sites Project (WTSP)' and am endeavoring to build

   Catalogs for introducing TRIZ-related Web sites in the world.

   After an year of initial preparation, I have just made up

   my mind to complete its first Edition in October 2019,

   to update it completely in every 2 years, and to run the

   operation for 10 years, in cooperation with many TRIZ colleagues.

   Human Culture has chosen (or recognized) Liberty and Love

   as the two Principal Guiding Principles, but there exist

   intrinsic contradictions, inside each of them and between

   the two, which have not been resolved throughout the human history.

   It should be Ethics that motivates and coordinates both

   Liberty and Love; Ethics is the most basic Principal Guiding

   Principle based on the understanding that every person has

   the rights to pursue one's own happiness.

   Pursuing for the three goals together, i.e., to extend

   Liberty, to expand (or universalize) Love, and to deepen

   Ethics, is Good for individuals and for societies.

   Insisting and pursuing for 'Liberty alone / Love alone /

   Ethics alone' is NO Good.

   This is my understanding at the present stage.

   I wish you all your health, happiness, and success.

             January 1st, 2019       Toru Nakagawa

   This page also contains links to several relevant pages,

   the photo of the glacier in Switzerland, and 8 photos of

   swallows at my home.

[2] Paper: Computational Creativity: Path to Future Civilization

   Valeri Tsourikov (Minsk, Belarus), Keynote talk at

   TRIZfest2014 Conference, Prague, Sept. 5, 2014;

   Japanese translation by Toru Nakagawa

   Dr. Valeri Tsourikov started Invention Machine Project in

   mid 1980s in Minsk, Belarus, and after moving to Boston in

   early 1990s his Invention Machine Inc. built the

   TechOptimizer software which fully implements knowledge bases

   and tools of TRIZ.

   Artificial Intelligence (AI) is his specialty area.

   He developed semantic analysis methods of natural language

   with the keys of SVO structure, and hence made it practical

   to process huge volume of patent and scientific/technical

   documents and output the essence of knowledge in compact

   and usable forms.

   The software contributed much to the sensational debut of

   TRIZ in late 1990s in US, Europe, Japan, etc.  

   He also developed an epoch-making concept of 'software

   which assists inventions' and implemented it into a prototype ;

   his thoughts, however, seemed to be too early at that time.

   In 2001 he left IMC, and never appeared in the TRIZ community

   for many years.

   In 2014 he gave a Keynote lecture at MATRIZ TRIZfest

   conference, with the slides posted here.

   Last October at ETRIA TFC2018 he gave another Keynote

   Lecture, and I met him after 17 years of interval.  

   Dr. Tsourikov kindly contributed his two Keynote

   presentations to this Web site.  

   I have chosen to post his Keynote 2014 because it's

   more basic and easier for us to understand.

"Artificial Intelligence is surely going to supercede human brains.

   It is natural and inevitable.

   AI will supercede much higher pretty soon.

   AI techniques will handle not only practical and formalizable

   jobs (as many people say) but also creative jobs like

   inventions (in contrary to sayings by many) much better

   than human brains.

   As the results of my research for these 20 years, I have

   already built such a prototype. "　he says.

   Anyway please read his presentation slides posted here

   in English and in Japanese translation.

[3A] TRIZ News: TRIZ News in Japan

   Japan TRIZ Society (JTS) is going to hold 15th TRIZ Symposium

   in Japan on Sept. 5 - 6, 2019 in Tokyo.

   Japan Creativity Society (JCS) is going to hold its

   41st Annual Conference on     , 2019 at JAIST near Kanazawa.

[3B] TRIZ News: TRIZ News Outside Japan　

   Altshuller Institute for TRIZ Studies (AI) is going to hold

   TRIZCON2019 on May 20-22, 2019 at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA .

   International Society of Innovation Methods (I-SIM) is going

   to hold ICSI 2019 on Jul. 8-11, 2019, in Liverpool, UK.

   International TRIZ Association (MATRIZ) is going to hold

   TRIZfest-2019 Conference and related events

   on Sept. 11-14, 2019 in Heilbronn, Germany.

   European TRIZ Association (ETRIA) is going to hold

   19th TRIZ Future Conference (TFC2019) on Oct. 9 - 11, 2019

   at ENSA Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco.

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Toru Nakagawa, Dr., Professor Emeritus, Osaka Gakuin University

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [Main email address. for receiving.]

       This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   [for sending]

       This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [for sending announcements] Editor of the "TRIZ Home Page in Japan":

   http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/">URL:http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/

Director of CrePS Institute:

   Publication of "TRIZ Practices and Benefits" book series (in Japanese)

   3-1-13 Eirakudai, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0086, Japan.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Best wishes,

Toru

----------------------------------------------------------------

Toru Nakagawa, Dr., Professor Emeritus, Osaka Gakuin University

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [Main email address. for receiving.]

       This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   [for sending]

Editor of the "TRIZ Home Page in Japan":

   URL:http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/

Director of CrePS Institute:

   Publication of "TRIZ Practices and Benefits" book series (in Japanese)

   3-1-13 Eirakudai, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0086, Japan.

----------------------------------------------------------------

          Mar. 30, 2017

Dear TRIZ Colleagues,

　　　 Toru Nakagawa (Professor Emeritus, Osaka Gakuin University)

"TRIZ Home Page in Japan" has been updated today (dated Mar. 30) in English and in Japanese pages.

      http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/

[1] Personal Report of ETRIA TFC 2016: Introductions of Individual Papers:

     A. Methodology of TRIZ (6 Papers)

     B. Integral Use of TRIZ with Relevant Methods (11 Papers)

       Toru Nakagawa (OGU)

[2] Schedules of TRIZ Conferences in Japan and in the World

--------------------------------------------------------

[1] Conference Report (31)-Papers A and B:

   Personal Report of ETRIA TFC 2016: Introductions of Individual Papers:

     Toru Nakagawa (OGU)

Introductions of all the individual papers presented at TFC2016 last October are going to be posted here according to the categories of topics.

The following is a list of the papers introduced now, showing their titles and authors.

Papers with ○ marks are highly recommended.

A. Methodology of TRIZ (6 Papers)

A1. Problem definition and identification of contradictions in the interdisciplinary areas of mechatronic engineering:
Didier Casner (Germany) et al.

A2. How to Generate Simple Model Solutions Systematically from Function Analysis Diagram:
Min-Gyu Lee (Finland & Korea)     ○

A3. TRIZ-based approach for process intensification and problem solving in process engineering:       concepts and research agenda:
Didier Casner et al. (Germany)

A4. Method of time-dependent TRIZ function ranking:
Nikolai Efimov-Soini et al. (Finland)

A5. Tech-Finder: a Dynamic Pointer to Effects:
Davide Russo et al. (Italy)       ○

A6. Statistical use of the TRIZ contradiction matrix, experimentation on a ball bearing technical issue:
Elie Aupetitgendre et al. (France)

B. Integral Use of TRIZ with Relevant Methods (11 Papers)

B1. Cause-Effect Chains Analysis using Boolean algebra:
Jerzy Chrz?szcz et al. (Poland)     ○

B2. Trend of Increased Addressing of Human Senses - Near Field Senses ?:
Oliver Mayer (Germany)

B3. Lessons for TRIZ from Design Thinking & Lean 3P:
Michal Halas (Poland)

B4. What a well-trained TRIZ user can learn from other design methodologies: an initial speculation:
Leonid Chechurin (Finland) et al.

B5. The Application of TRIZ to exclude Product Failures caused by unintended Operation Errors:
Juergen Hess ( Germany)     ○

B6. A Praxeological Model of Creative Actions in the Field of Mechanical Engineering:
Maksymilian Leszek Smolnik (Poland)

B7. Can TRIZ functional analysis improve FMEA:
Christian Spreafico et al. (Italy)     ○

B8. Effective Design Approach with Inventive Principles to Reputational Damage Risk on the Internet:
Manabu Sawaguchi et al. (Japan)     ○

B9. Applying TRIZ and Lean Tools for Improving Development Processes. A Case Study from Industry: Improving the Testing Process for SW and HW-related Products:
Martin Kiesel et al. (Germany)     ○

B10. Roadmapping the Disruptive Innovation Technologies Based on CV of Resource:
Jianguang Sun et al. (China)

B11. Towards Experience Capitalization for Inventive Problem Solving:
Pei ZHANG et al. (France)

   I am going to write the Introductions of 29 more papers. It will take 2-3 months (?), I am afraid.

[2] TRIZ News: TRIZ Conferences in Japan and in the World

   Japan Creativity Society (JCS): 39th Annual Conference on Sept. 9-10, 2017 in Yokohama

   Japan TRIZ Society (JTS): 13th TRIZ Symposium in Japan on Sept. 21-22, 2017 in Tokyo.

   European TRIZ Association (ETRIA): TRIZ Future Conference (TFC 2017)
                     on Oct. 4 - 6, 2017 in Lappeenrata, Finland.

   Altshuller Institute: TRIZCON2017 on Oct. 3-5, 2017 at Atlantic City, NJ, USA.

                        (Note: Postponed from the former plan of Apr. 4-6, 2017)

   International TRIZ Association (MATRIZ): TRIZfest-2017 Conference and related events

                        on Sept. 14-16, 2017 in Krakow, Poland.

   Society of Systematic Innovation (SSI): ICSI 2017 on Jul. 11-14, 2017, in Beijin, China.

Best wishes,

Toru

----------------------------------------------------------------

Toru Nakagawa, Dr., Professor Emeritus, Osaka Gakuin University

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [Main email address. for receiving.]

       This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   [for sending]

Editor of the "TRIZ Home Page in Japan":

   URL:http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/php/nakagawa/TRIZ/eTRIZ/

Director of CrePS Institute:

   Publication of "TRIZ Practices and Benefits" book series (in Japanese)

   3-1-13 Eirakudai, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0086, Japan.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Notes from the Executive Director - My Feelings and Observations!

Welcome to the Altshuller Institute for TRIZ Studies

 The purpose and function of the Altshuller Institute for TRIZ Studies

The Altshuller Institute for TRIZ Studies is a prestigious organization dedicated to promoting the study and application of TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving). Named after its founder, Genrich Altshuller, the institute serves as a hub for research, education, and collaboration in the field of TRIZ. 

The primary purpose of the Altshuller Institute is to advance the understanding and utilization of TRIZ principles across various industries and domains. It fosters a community of TRIZ practitioners, researchers, and enthusiasts who are committed to new systems and driving innovation.

The Altshuller Institute also plays a crucial role in education and training. It provides a conduit to various educational programs, workshops, and seminars on TRIZ. These initiatives cater to individuals at all levels, from beginners seeking an introduction to TRIZ to experienced practitioners looking to deepen their knowledge. The institute collaborates with universities, research institutions, and industry partners to develop comprehensive training curricula and certifications.

The International TRIZ DAY

On the 15th of October, the birthday of Genrich Saulovich Altshuller, we celebrated International TRIZ Day.

On this day, we celebrate the major contribution that Altshuller gave to the world. He was an amazing man who loved innovation and creativity.

In many cities, this Day is marked by conferences, publications, and other TRIZ events. Starting in 1998, this day was designated as the "International Day of TRIZ."

That said, we facilitated the training and support of two Bioengineering professors at Tulane University, New Orleans, LA. They were very excited about the TRIZ training provided and sought practical tools to help the students with their bioengineering projects.

If other professors would like to know more about installing a TRIZ course to help their students succeed in their field of endeavor, just let us know. The Institute is ready to help you achieve your goals. TRIZ is a foundational methodology for technology innovation and is useful to all who become familiar with the tools and philosophy.

  Join us for TRIZCON2024, the premier global conference on TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving), on December 14-15, 2024, in Beijing, China. This prestigious event will be hosted at the Sohu Internet Plaza, with accommodations provided at the elegant Xijiao Hotel at Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park, the heart of high-tech and innovation in China.

Symposium Highlights
From December 14-15, the main symposium will feature a dynamic lineup of globally recognized TRIZ practitioners and scholars. Presentations will explore a broad range of TRIZ applications, encompassing industry, education, artificial intelligence, philosophy, and science. The symposium will be available for both in-person and virtual attendees, ensuring access to cutting-edge insights for participants worldwide.  Sohu Internet Plaza

More information will be posted shortly.

New books in the General Store:

Pocket TRIZ for Six Sigma - Systematic Innovation and Problem Solving

By Geoff Tennant Mulbury Consulting

Teaching 21st Century Skills- TRIZ Pedagogy, a great book for STEM teaching

Anatoly Guin TRIZ Master and Founder of International Laboratory Education for a New Era

 Why should you join the Altshuller Institute?

The Altshuller Institute fosters international collaboration and cooperation in the field of TRIZ. It establishes partnerships with other TRIZ organizations, professional societies, and research institutions across the globe. These collaborations facilitate the exchange of ideas, joint research projects, and the standardization of TRIZ practices, ensuring a unified and consistent approach to problem-solving worldwide.  Visit our Membership page for more details.

I am seeking volunteers to assist the Institute in refocusing our goals and mission in this new world. We need help with website support, social media marketing, and IT tech assistance. As we are in the process of renewing the AI website, your support would be greatly appreciated. If you are interested in helping out, please send me an email. Thank you!

 To all of our members, colleagues, friends, and extended TRIZ family, I wish you happiness, peace, health, and wealth.

 Unlock your brain, you need to free your brain from poor thinking habits.

Learn TRIZ methods and become more creative and innovative.

TRIZ will raise your level of thinking and

provide insights into how the world works.

TRIZ can change your life forever!!!

Remember, you don't know, what you don't know!!!

TRIZ Training  Schedule

For the latest information about TRIZ training from various Providers, go to TRIZ Training Schedule

Inside TRIZ Article 

Wood waste turned catalyst               

could unlock affordable green hydrogen from ocean

Thanks to its three-dimensional porous structure, derived from wood-waste carbon, the electrode boasts a large surface area that promotes efficient reactions and charge transfer.

 Updated: Aug 14, 2024

Aman Tripathi

 (Representative image) iStock  

The electrode's structure evolves during oxygen evolution, forming an anti-corrosive layer and boosting stability. 

Scientists have achieved a significant breakthrough in the production of green hydrogen. 

They have created a novel kind of electrode, named the W-NiFeS/WC (W-doped nickel-iron (NiFe) sulfide/Wood-based carbon) electrode, which performs significantly well in seawater electrolysis.

Electrolysis is the process of splitting seawater into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity, and the latest development could revolutionize this process, giving a significant boost to sustainable energy.

READ more

Updated:  7 October 2024

Toru Nakagawa (OGU, WTSP Project Leader) 

Dear TRIZ Colleagues and WTSP Members

Hello, how are you, your family, and the people in your country? I hope you all are well.

"Earthquake Prediction (EQP) Research Based on the TRIZ Philosophy:
       (5) Kamiyama Method: Observing Crustal Strains using GNSS Data
        (Toru Nakagawa)    (LinkedIn, Oct. 3, 2024) "TRIZ Home Page in Japan" in English (Oct. 7, 2024)
                                     in Japanese (Oct. 7, 2024)

Please see the figure, attached here.
         

Makoto Kamiyama (Professor Emeritus, Tohoku Institute of Technology)
       et al. presented a paper at the EPSJ (Earthquake Prediction
       Society of Japan) Conference in Dec. 2023.

    They use the precise location data of about 1300 reference points
      throughout Japan, which are measured and updated daily by the
      Geospatial Information Authority of Japan using the DNSS satellite.

Best wishes,

Toru Nakagawa

CATEGORY: TRIZ NEWS

 Powerful solutions grow on TRIZ!

Many household-name Fortune 500 companies use TRIZ, but the methodology is far from a household name. TRIZ is a way of thinking, a set of tools, a methodology, a process, a theory, or even possibly a deep science, which seems to be gradually shaping up as ‘the next big thing.’ TRIZ, pronounced ‘treez’, is an acronym for the Russian word that translates as ‘the theory of inventive problem-solving.’

From its roots in patent analysis by Genrich Altshuller in the late 1940s, TRIZ has grown and is today an impressive and valuable body of work that is now being applied by leading organizations in North America, Europe, and Asia. Some of these companies include:

Allied Signal, Amoco, BAE Systems, Boeing Corporation, Brunswick-Life Fitness, Cabot Corporation, Chrysler, Daimler Chrysler, Dana, Delphi Corporation, Dow Chemical, Dura Automotive, Eastman Chemical, Ford, GM, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, Honeywell, IBM, International Truck, Johnson & Johnson, LG Electronics, Lockheed Martin, Motorola, Kimberly-Clark, Kodak, McDonnell Douglas, NASA, National Semiconductor, Nortel, Otis Elevator, Panasonic, Parsons, Peugeot, Procter & Gamble (P&G), Samsung, Rockwell, Shell, Rohm and Haas, Rolls Royce, Teck Cominco, Toyota, TRW, UNISYS, United Technologies, Visteon, Xerox, and more.

Innovation and problem-solving are generic skills and can be applied across many different domains; make someone more effective in one domain, and they will also be more effective in others. Knowledge of TRIZ will help to increase the productivity of everyone who has some training in and practices this powerful methodology.

TRIZ Works

Here are some fundamental factors that point to TRIZ as an effective and transformational methodology:

1. It is very general.
2. It is grounded in a reliable body of knowledge, the growing patent base.
3. The scenarios it generates bypass the psychological inertia of team members.
4. It can be used with other quality processes, removing roadblocks and speeding up decision-making.
5. It reduces the resources required to generate a solution set.
6. It is rapid in generating solution concepts, relative to other methods.
7. It can be taught, and applied, at any level of education, from school children to management consultants to PhD scientists.

Help us bring TRIZ to the World 

Altshuller Institute is looking for financial Sponsors to sustain our year-long activities. Please review the attached file for Legacy Support and find a comfortable level where you can help AI.

We have many levels of support that will benefit your company or organization. Help us spread TRIZ. There are a lot of problems that can be solved with TRIZ. Let's solve them together.

Send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and let us know that you want to help. Sponsorship is an exciting way to get maximum exposure for your group to TRIZ at a very low cost.

Bring Innovation and Creativity to your organization in a fast and meaningful way!

Bitcoin is a Technological Invention of the Fifth Degree

Viesturs Tamužs

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The primary condition for society's existence is its members' mutual trust. Money is the materialized form of this trust. A perfect money item must meet eight requirements. It should: 1) quickly and conveniently transfer value in space; 2) securely transfer value in time; 3) serve as a measure of value; 4) be long-term; 5) be divisible; 6) enjoy the trust of users; 7) be unfalsifiable; 8) be independent of central authority. In the three thousand years since people have been using money, it has not been possible to create a monetary item that meets all the requirements because there are intractable contradictions between several of them. Of all monetary items, the most suitable for all requirements is gold. However, gold also has its drawbacks; for example, it can be counterfeited, so its safe use requires a central authority.

All the requirements for a perfect money item have been realized by creating a new money item - Bitcoin. We don't know if the creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, was a TRIZ practitioner. Still, by reconstructing his thought process, we can see that he could identify all the internal contradictions of the perfect monetary object and solve them with TRIZ-specific techniques.

The central contradiction that Satoshi Nakamoto resolved was the contradiction of central authority. A monetary item must be independent of a central authority, but a central authority ensures both users' trust in the monetary item and prevents money counterfeiting. The creator of Bitcoin solved this contradiction by eliminating the central authority as a system and dividing its functions into subsystems - the nodes of the Bitcoin network.

Analyzing Bitcoin technology reveals several more characteristics of TRIZ technological solutions. For example, the operation of the Bitcoin system is maintained with the help of its internal resources because the work done to preserve and develop the system is rewarded with a product created by the system itself—newly issued bitcoins.

Viesturs Tamuzs

Master of Chemistry, Bachelor of Philosophy, AI TRIZ Practitioner, Member of AI (Altshuller Institute) Board of Directors

Mr. Viesturs Tamuzs is an active promoter and educator of Bitcoin.  For more than thirty years, Mr. Viesturs Tamuzs has been an active venture capitalist; in recent years, his interest has been in cryptocurrency companies. He holds a master’s degree in chemistry from the Chemistry Faculty of the University of Latvia, where he also pursued academic work as a researcher and faculty member. In 2020, he obtained a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the Open University (UK). He is the author of three scientific works related to TRIZ.

TRIZCON2024 end of speakers

The nation can't rely on private R&D for a variety of reasons.

Michael Collins  

JAN 22, 2020

Just about everybody in the U.S. agrees that America must maintain its economic position and stay ahead of China and other foreign competitors, by using a strategy of innovation. Innovation is commonly defined as being first to acquire new knowledge through leading-edge research: being the first to apply that knowledge to create sought after products and services, and being the first to introduce these products and services into the marketplace. If the U.S. is committed to using innovation as its primary competitive strategy, then we must do a better job of doing the first step—leading-edge research.

Two fundamentally different kinds of research lead to innovation. The first is basic research, which is generally conducted by the federal government. The second is research and development—also called applied research—which is usually undertaken by private firms. Basic research differs from research and development because it investigates basic science and is high-risk and seldom results in commercial products in the short-term. Private research and development, on the other hand, uses the new technological ideas discovered by basic research to develop new products and is driven by shareholder value and short-term profits.

The United States has a long history of investing in federal basic research going back to World War II when federal research was used to develop radar, electronics, atomic power, jet fighters, and many other technologies used to win the war.

After the war, the US continued to invest in basic science research, which was used to create many of the technologies and industries we see today. Federal basic research was the initial research used in developing the Google search engine, global positioning satellites, supercomputers, artificial intelligence, speech recognition, the Internet, smartphone technologies, the shale gas revolution, seismic imaging, LED light technology, magnetic resonance imaging MRI, advanced prosthetics, and the human genome project. Many of these new technologies led to new industries spawning many new markets. An example that everybody understands is the internet developed by ARPANET (advanced research products agency) of the Defense Department.

The development of new technologies into useful products was accomplished by private companies, but all of these products came, initially, from federal basic research in many fields of science. As an example, transistors were not suddenly discovered by the electronics industry; they came from people working with wave mechanics and solid-state physics. Light-emitting diode technology began with the study of infrared emissions from gallium arsonide and other semiconductor alloys. Magnetic resonance imaging came from research into spin echoes and free induction decay.  

How vital Is Basic Research?

A study published in 2019 in the journal Science shows that one-third of all U.S. patents since 1970 relied on government-funded research. The study was based on an investigation of all patents issued from 1926 to 2017 and underscores the importance of funding basic federal research.

The Decline of Basic Research

According to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, ITIF, federal basic research has been declining for 22 out of 28 years. The following chart shows that as a percentage of GDP, federal research had fallen from a high of 2.5% in 1964 to 0.61% in 2018.

Source: Information Technology and Innovation Foundation – December 2018.

The chart also shows that business research and development as a share of GDP continues to grow. The chart begs an obvious question: Since private research and development has grown from 0.7% in 1956 to 2.0% of GDP in 2016, isn't this adequate to support our strategy of innovation? Do we need federal basic research? I will make the argument that the answer to both questions is no—that we need to increase the federal necessary research budget.

The primary reason we can't just rely on private R&D is that 80% of the funding of business research and development is applied research that leads to products, and the other 20% is basic research. This shift is because basic research is very risky; long-term; has uncertain applicability, and probably won't lead to short-term profits.

One of the big problems facing corporations is the dominance of the financial sector. In an earlier article, "We Must Save America’s Manufacturing Sector,” I showed that as the manufacturing sector has declined, it has been replaced by the service sector in terms of GDP and influence. Like it or not, America's multinational corporations are pushed to achieve short-term profits and shareholder value as their number one priority.

Since the financial sector is now the dominant sector in the economy, the trend to reduce costs, including R&D budgets, is gaining traction. According to the ITIF report on the ingredients of innovation, 80% of chief financial officers in the U.S. responded that they would cut R&D to meet their firms' next quarter projections. Also, manufacturing continues to move to foreign countries,  taking research and development with them. According to the same ITIF report, "U.S.-based companies now have 23% of their research and development employment located abroad.”

Many of the boards of multinational corporations are being dominated by activist board members who want to achieve short-term profits any way they can. A good example is what happened to the DuPont Company. For more than 200 years, DuPont has invented innovative products sold all over the world. Their experimental station–a research lab–created products like Nylon, Freon, Lycra, Neoprene, and Kevlar. But in 2016, their fifth-largest shareholder, Trian Fund Management, demanded the company cut $4 billion from the business and double the stock price to optimize shareholder value.

In 2016, Trian Fund Management forced a change in the company's approach to research and development. They wanted to reduce R&D costs and do a stock buyback that would lead to quicker profits. They successfully did the stock buyback and laid off 5000 people worldwide. Part of this cost reduction led to a 20% reduction in the R&D budget, the layoffs of hundreds of research people, and the closure of one research lab.

A survey of the major corporations by Sullivan and Cromwell showed that in 2018, 260 activist campaigns were going on in the U.S. During this same year, according to a July 2019 report from J.P. Morgan, stock buybacks reached $800 billion. The point here is that the emphasis is on short-term profits, cost-cutting, and stock buybacks, which can cannibalize innovation, slow growth and harm U.S. competitiveness. In this environment, there is little chance that the investment in basic research by U.S. corporations will improve anytime soon.

Current problems

1. Foreign Competitors: The U.S. is not keeping up with foreign competitors in terms of investment in federal research. Federal research is now 0.6% of GDP and would have to be increased by $100 billion to equal 1980 levels. The article, “Dwindling Federal Support for R&D is a Recipe for Economic and Strategic Decline”, says that China's investment in government research has increased 56% since 2011 and Russia's expenditure increased by 13%. During the same period, the U.S. investment in basic government research fell by 12%. The article's summary states, “this is a recipe for decline, economically and strategically.” Using the measure of basic research as a fraction of GDP, the United States was ranked fifth among all nations.

2. Federal Deficits: One of the biggest problems facing the basic research budget, or any other non-defense budget, is the federal deficit. The national debt has grown to more than $22 trillion and is constantly used as the excuse to cut federal non-defense budgets. A good example is a need for an infrastructure program to improve our highways, bridges, ports, sewers, water lines etc. This problem has been ignored for 30 years and would now cost $4 trillion to fix. Because of rising deficits and debt, it is not likely Congress will invest in the infrastructure or federal basic research, even though both are critical to the innovation strategy that is supposed to fuel America's competitiveness. The federal necessary research budget is scheduled for a $5 billion cut in 2020.

Conclusions

The federal report “Rising Above The Gathering Storm Revisited” concluded that "the U.S. appears to be on a course that leads to declining, not growing, standard of living for our children and grandchildren.”

It is difficult to see the positive outcomes of an investment in basic research because it does not lead to visible products in the short term, and the long-term consequences from not investing in basic research are masked by short-term economic successes in the economy. In the long-term, disinvestment can lead to stagnant productivity, lagging competitiveness, and reduced innovation.

The problem of multi-national corporations bending to the will of the finance sector and focusing on short-term profits as their priority is beneficial to shareholders but may be devastating to the country over the long-term. Ralph Gomory, former senior vice president of science and technology at IBM, succinctly summarized our current situation. He said, "what is good for America's global corporations is no longer necessarily good for the American people."

America's stated goal is to compete in the world market by using a strategy of innovation. But if we can't invest in the necessary research and science that creates the opportunities for new technologies, it is difficult to see how America is going to compete with the Asian countries or remain the number one economy in the world.

Michael Collins is the author of The Rise of Inequality and the Decline of the Middle Class.

Imagine a flexible digital screen that heals itself when it cracks.

5 June, 2020 - National University of Singapore

The NUS research team behind the novel electronic material: Assistant Professor Benjamin Tee, center, Wang Guanxiang, left, and Dr. Tan Yu Jun. -- National University of Singapore

Imagine a flexible digital screen that heals itself when it cracks or a light-emitting robot that locates survivors in dark, dangerous environments or carries out farming and space exploration tasks. A novel material developed by a team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) could turn these ideas into reality.

The new stretchable material, when used in light-emitting capacitor devices, enables highly visible illumination at much lower operating voltages and is also resilient to damage due to its self-healing properties.

This innovation, called the HELIOS (which stands for Healable, Low-field Illuminating Optoelectronic Stretchable) device, was achieved by Assistant Professor Benjamin Tee and his team from the NUS Institute for Health Innovation & Technology and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the NUS Faculty of Engineering. The results of the research were first reported online in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Materials on 16 December 2019 and were also published in print in the February 2020 issue.

Durable, low-power material for next-gen electronic wearables and soft robots

"Conventional stretchable optoelectronic materials require high voltage and high frequencies to achieve visible brightness, which limits portability and operating lifetimes. Such materials are also difficult to apply safely and quietly on human-machine interfaces," explained Assistant Professor Tee, who is also from the NUS Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, N.1 Institute for Health and the Hybrid Integrated Flexible Electronic Systems program.

To overcome these challenges, the team of five NUS researchers began studying and experimenting with possible solutions in 2018, and eventually developed HELIOS after a year.

To lower the electronic operating conditions of stretchable optoelectronic materials, the team developed a material that has very high dielectric permittivity and self-healing properties. The material is a transparent, elastic rubber sheet made up of a unique blend of fluoroelastomer and surfactant. The high dielectric permittivity enables it to store more electronic charges at lower voltages, enabling a higher brightness when used in a light-emitting capacitor device.

Unlike existing stretchable light-emitting capacitors, HELIOS enabled devices can turn on at voltages that are four times lower, and achieve illumination that is more than 20 times brighter. It also achieved an illumination of 1460 cd/m2 at 2.5 V/μm, the brightest attained by stretchable light-emitting capacitors to date, and is now comparable to the brightness of mobile phone screens. Due to the low power consumption, HELIOS can achieve a longer operating lifetime, be utilized safely in human-machine interfaces, and be powered wirelessly to improve portability.

HELIOS is also resistant to tears and punctures. The reversible bonds between the molecules of the material can be broken and reformed, thereby allowing the material to self-heal under ambient environmental conditions.

Describing the potential impact of HELIOS, Asst Prof Tee said, "Light is an essential mode of communication between humans and machines. As humans become increasingly dependent on machines and robots, there is huge value in using HELIOS to create 'invincible' light-emitting devices or displays that are not only durable but also energy-efficient. This could generate long-term cost savings for manufacturers and consumers, reduce electronic waste and energy consumption, and in turn, enable advanced display technologies to become both wallet and environmentally friendly."

For example, HELIOS can be used to fabricate long-lasting wireless displays that are damage-proof. It can also function as an illuminating electronic skin for autonomous soft robots to be deployed for smart indoor farming, space missions, or disaster zones. Having a low-power, self-repairing, illuminating skin will provide safety lighting for the robot to maneuver in the dark while remaining operational for prolonged periods.

Next steps

The NUS team has filed for a patent for the new material and is looking to scale up the technology for specialty packaging, safety lights, wearable devices, automotive, and robotics applications.

TRIZ Principle #30 – Flexible Films, Thin Membranes, and Coatings

Smart Concrete Paves Way to High-Tech Roads

Smart, efficient infrastructure just makes sense.

Nov 17th, 2020

Luna Lu & Vishal Saravade, Purdue University

Every day, Americans travel on roads, bridges and highways without considering the safety or reliability of these structures. Yet much of the transportation infrastructure in the U.S. is outdated, deteriorating and badly in need of repair.

Of the 614,387 bridges in the U.S., for example, 39% are older than their designed lifetimes, while nearly 10% are structurally deficient, meaning they could begin to break down faster or, worse, be vulnerable to catastrophic failure.

The cost to repair and improve nationwide transportation infrastructure ranges from nearly US$190 billion to almost $1 trillion. Repairing U.S. infrastructure costs individual households, on average, about $3,400 every year. Traffic congestion alone is estimated to cost the average driver $1,400 in fuel and time spent commuting, a nationwide tally of more than $160 billion per year.

I am a professor in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering and the director of the Center for Intelligent Infrastructures at Purdue University. My co-author, Vishal Saravade, is part of my team at the Sustainable Materials and Renewable Technology (SMART) Lab. The SMART Lab researches and develops new technologies to make American infrastructure “intelligent,” safer and more cost-effective. These new systems self-monitor the condition of roads and bridges quickly and accurately and can, sometimes, even repair themselves.

       December 14-15, 2024 - Beijing, China 

Join us for TRIZCON2024, the premier global conference on TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving), on December 14-15, 2024, in Beijing, China. This prestigious event will be hosted at the Sohu Internet Plaza, with accommodations provided at the elegant Xijiao Hotel at Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park, the heart of high-tech and innovation in China.

Pre-Conference Workshop - By invitation only
On December 13, a closed, invitation-only workshop will gather experts and thought leaders for in-depth discussions on critical issues surrounding the advancement and deployment of TRIZ methodologies across various industries.

Symposium Highlights
From December 14-15, the main symposium will feature a dynamic lineup of globally recognized TRIZ practitioners and scholars. Presentations will explore a broad range of TRIZ applications, encompassing industry, education, artificial intelligence, philosophy, and science. The symposium will be available for both in-person and virtual attendees, ensuring access to cutting-edge insights for participants worldwide.

Keynote Speakers
We are proud to welcome a distinguished group of TRIZ pioneers, innovators, and educators, including:

• Evgeniya Popko, educator of the highest qualification category MBDU "Kindergarten No. 29" Cherry " Norilsk, Russia

• Professor Terekhova Galina (Russia) – Associate Professor at South-Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University.
• TRIZ Master Natalia Rubina (Russia) – Head of the TRIZ Committee in Education.
• Dr. Li Huangye (China) – CTO of IMA-InnoCloud (Beijing) Technology Co.
• Professor Denis Cavallucci (France) – Full Professor of Innovation Engineering at INSA Strasbourg, France, Deputy Director of the Design Engineering Lab.
• Tanasak Pheunghua (Thailand) – Innovation and Problem-Solving Consultant.
• Viesturs Tamuzs (Latvia) – AI TRIZ Practitioner, Chairman of Globitex Council.
• Dr. Aigars Atvars (Latvia) – Lead Researcher in Atomic Physics, University of Latvia.

…and many more influential, international speakers and innovators in TRIZ applications, industry, education, artificial intelligence, science, and philosophy!

Be a Part of TRIZCON2024

TRIZCON2024 is the perfect opportunity to engage with top minds in inventive problem-solving, learn about the latest advancements in TRIZ, and explore innovative solutions applicable to industries ranging from engineering to AI. Whether attending live or online, you'll gain invaluable knowledge and connections to drive innovation in your field.

You may participate in this event in two ways. You may attend live in Beijing or participate in this conference online. More information will be provided in the weeks ahead.

Event Location and Accommodation

• Conference Venue: Sohu Internet Plaza, Beijing, China
• Address：10th Floor, Building 9, No. 1 Yard, Zhongguancun East Rd, Haidian District, Beijing, China
• • Zipcode: 100000

Hotel: Beijing Xijiao Hotel

• Address： No.18 Wangzhuang Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China
  (Website: www.xijiao-hotel.com.cn)
  Tel: (+8610) 62322288
• Zipcode: 100006

Don't miss this chance to deepen your expertise in TRIZ and collaborate with global thought leaders.

Register now to secure your place at TRIZCON2024!

This paper investigates the use of generative AI for the systematic modification of resources as part of the broader idea-generation process. Using resource analysis and TRIZ-based problem-solving principles, the AI facilitates structured innovation by identifying, categorizing, and transforming various resource categories, including substance, field, time, space, information, and functional resources. The system supports diverse modification goals, such as resolving contradictions, achieving specific objectives, completing jobs to be done, or addressing other creative challenges. It begins by analyzing the existing system, defining the desired modification goal, and applying generative AI to suggest solutions based on appropriate TRIZ principles. The AI-driven modifications enhance resources by adapting their parameters or functions to meet new, optimized goals. This generative AI system accelerates the idea-generation process by providing innovative, practical solutions to real-world problems, improving efficiency and creativity. The integration of generative AI for resource modification offers significant potential across industries, fostering innovation in product development, conceptual ideation, and complex problem-solving.

Keywords:Generative AI, Resource Modification, TRIZ Principles, Idea Generation, Innovation Process

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基于生成式人工智能的系统性资源调整与创造性问题解决

摘要

本文探讨了在更广泛的思维生成过程中，应用生成式人工智能进行系统性资源调整的实践。结合资源分析和基于发明问题解决理论 (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, TRIZ) 的问题解决原则

，人工智能助力系统化创新，可对物质、场域、时间、空间、信息和功能资源进行识别、分类和转换。该系统支持多种目标导向的修改，如解决矛盾、实现特定目标、完成任务或应对其他创造性挑战

。其流程始于分析现有系统，定义所需的修改目标，并应用生成式人工智能，依据TRIZ原则提出解决方案。人工智能驱动的修改通过调整资源的参数或功能，满足新的优化目标，从而增强资源效能。该生成式人工智能系统通过提供创新实用的解决方案，加速思维生成过程，提高效率和创造力。生成式人工智能在资源修改方面的应用，在各行各业中展现出巨大潜力，推动了产品开发、概念构思和复杂问题解决的创新进程。

关键词:生成式人工智能（Generative AI）、资源修改（ Resource Modification）、TRIZ原则（TRIZ Principles）、思维生成（Idea Generation）、创新过程（Innovation Process）

TANASAK PHEUNGHUA, TRIZ Specialist

Biography

Education

King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology North Bangkok, Bachelor of Engineering/ Major in Production Engineering

Training, Shinsuke Kurosawa, Trizit Benjaboonyazit.

TRIZ Level 3 with Dr. Salamatov Tutorial Session, Nikolai Khomenko. Tutorial Session, Dr. Oleg Feygenson

Tutorial Session, Dr. Simon Litvin, Japan TRIZ Symposium

Tutorial Session, Dr. Sergei Ikovenko. Tutorial Session, Valeri Souchkov.

Experience

Published TRIZ and Generative AI articles in 2023 worldwide, presented at innovation

conferences in France, Austria, and Taiwan.

Innovation Consulting and TRIZ Training as part of a Design Thinking Co-Project with PTT 2023.

Also involved in Innovation Consulting and TRIZ Training with Bangchak since 2023.

Providing Innovation Consulting, TRIZ Training, and Coaching at Agro. Fiber / Green

Fiber (Double A Group) since 2023.

Conducted Innovation Consulting, TRIZ Training, and Coaching for CPF Group from

2009 to 2022, involving approximately 1,000 Scientists and Engineers in various

departments such as R&D, Farm, Animal Feed, Aqua Feed, and Food Product.

Engaged in Innovation Consulting, TRIZ Training, and Coaching for Thai Container

Group, a subsidiary of the SCG Group, since 2010, with a break in 2020 and a return in 2023.

Provided Consulting for Process Improvement Projects and delivered TRIZ training

programs for Somboon Group since 2008, with a break until 2013, and a return in 2023.

Offered innovation consulting services for the R&D division of the building material

section within the SCG Group from 2010 to 2011.

Conducted Consulting and delivered TRIZ training programs for Mahaphant Fiber

Cement Group in 2008-2009.

Extensive experience in process and quality improvement across various

industries, including automotive suppliers, electric/electronic, and food packaging,

with a track record of over 200 successful Black Belt Projects and numerous Green Belt Projects from 2002 to 2007.

Proficient in process improvement using Design of Experiments (DOE), particularly

for metal brazing, soldering, welding applications, and special material welding,

plating, and coating processes involving materials like silver, nickel, gold, and copper.

I am also experienced in optimizing painting processes and plastic injection.

Conducted food processing optimization using the Taguchi method.

Served as a Speaker and Judge Committee member for the final rounds of the MyTRIZ

(Malaysia TRIZ) Competition in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 in Penang, Malaysia.

• Presented a poster showcasing the implementation of TRIZ in Thailand at the TRIZ

Symposium 2011 held at Toshiba Education & Training Institute in Yokohama, Japan.

• Presented a poster on the implementation of TRIZ in Thailand at the Global TRIZ Conference 2011 in Seoul, South Korea.
• Authored the "TRIZ" handbook, published by E.I. Square Press in 2008, with over 8,000 copies published to date.

Work Experience

Managing Director / Consultant, (2004-present) The Inventor Development Co., Ltd.

Innovex (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

Schneider Electric (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

HCC (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (Ford Motor / HCC Korea JV)