Research areas
• Choice of material, development of new material applications
• Product Safety and System Safety
• Product Development methodology and related tools
• Affective Product Development; designing the “right” feeling into products
• User acceptance; cognitive HMI
• Machine Elements
Results and Purpose
• We create environmentally friendly products
• We create product customers want to have; even desire
• We support companies in their strive to improve product development both as a strategy and in resulting products; thereby significantly improving their competitiveness
• We educate students to face future challenges by closely working with industry
Examples of research
Research in lighter products results in less materials used for equivalent functionality, which in turn saves material and reduces energy consumption in sourcing, manufacturing, transport, use and end of life treatment. Hence, saving the environment but at the same time enabling the desired functionality. However, in several aspects these products look, feel and function differently than their conventional predecessors (e.g. electric cars vs. cars with internal combustion engine). This means, that customer/user acceptance must already be created in the ideation of the product development process
Industrial robots’ application it increasing. Latest trends in industry tend towards physical cooperation between robots and humans in production facilities. This however, pose significant health and safety risks. Working environments and robots must be designed in the right way to minimise these risks.
