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Traditional House of the Future, a prototype dwelling conceived by Lidia Ratoi and John Lin from the University of Hong Kong, proposes a possible solution. For House of the Future, a traditional wood-construction house was initially scanned by the designers before being disassembled by local villagers to prepare for the next step: incorporating 3D-printed structural and spatial interventions into the reassembled original structure. CASE STUDY The ageing wood-construction houses typical of rural China have posed the government and architects with the challenge of how to both safeguard the traditional typology and adapt the vernacular buildings to rapidly changing lifestyles. [Extracted from the article]

RAPID prototyping, CONSUMER goods, COMPUTER-aided design, MANUFACTURING processes, CONCURRENT engineering, and INDUSTRIAL design

The article informs that rapid prototyping plays a critical role in the development of various consumer products. One might think that with today's high-end computer-aided design systems and high-resolution display screens, a product can be designed and assembled correctly in virtual space, then communicated to a factory and mass-produced at the touch of a button. Product development today always keeps the consumer in mind. In focus groups, ideation groups, and ethnography studies, the invited participants prefer to see and feel real products, not just look at computer-generated images. To refine the feel of a product, its ergonomic aspects must be evaluated, including the position and shape of handgrips, buttons, screens, dials, and ports. The overall development cycle is short. Creating a prototype--or rather a series of prototypes--is critical. Some markets change so quickly that toy makers in particular create two models--one that "works like" and one that "looks like"--before compressing all design considerations and iterations into a single footprint and launching into mass production in late summer.

RAPID prototyping, PROTOTYPES, JOB analysis, INFORMATION resources management, SYSTEMS design, ORGANIZATIONAL change, and CORPORATE culture

This article assesses the effectiveness of the prototyping approach to information systems development. In this investigation of the effectiveness of the prototyping approach, user and designer attitudes are explored through field interviews and a laboratory experiment. The research findings concerning the impact of the prototyping approach on designers and users of information systems provide some insight into the effectiveness of the prototyping approach. A prototyping effort should be undertaken by designers and users who are well informed about the prototyping approach. Prototyping philosophy and plans should be understood by both designers and users. Prototyping is a new approach to information systems development, and like any organizational innovation, it needs a supportive organizational climate. Prerequisites to successful prototyping include technological tools that facilitate fast response to user requests and motivated and knowledgeable users and designers. In summary, the prototyping approach offers an opportunity to achieve favorable user attitudes toward the design process and the information system.

RAPID prototyping, MATHEMATICS, VISUAL perception, PROTOTYPES, USER interfaces, and SCULPTURE

The article focuses on a 3D visualization tool that takes on sculpture and mathematical forms. Two decades ago, few sculptors used computers in the creative phases of their work. Most notable among them was Helaman Ferguson, an artist and mathematics professor at Brigham Young University, who has combined mathematics and sculpting for most of his life. His creativity and analytical skills came together in a custom-built, computer controlled carving tool that allows him to transfer shapes described by mathematical expressions with high precision into large-scale stone sculptures. The first program was Sculpture Generator I in 1996. Its geometry kernel consisted of about 5,000 lines of C code, the rendering module used OpenGL, and the user interface was built on Mosaic. The user could manipulate a dozen sliders to specify the topology and geometry of the object--the order of the saddles used, their number in the chain, the amount of twist and total bending being applied, and the width and thickness of the surface itself, as well as the detailed shape of the edges being formed.

THREE-dimensional printing, ARCHITECTURE, APPLICATION software, and RAPID prototyping

The article features architects Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello and their efforts to revolutionize architecture through the use of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. Also cited are the Potterware browser-based design application software developed by the partners to make 3D printing easy to use, and their other professions like designers, activists, and material scientists.

THREE-dimensional printing, MEDICAL equipment industry, RAPID prototyping, GERIATRICS, HOSPITAL admission & discharge, and MEDICAL care

ASSISTIVE technology, CUSTOMIZATION, INDUSTRIAL design, MANUFACTURING processes, RAPID prototyping, QUALITY assurance, and COMMERCIAL products

The article considers the customized design and manufacture of rehabilitation aids for individuals with physical disabilities, e.g. prosthetic devices such as artificial limbs and orthoses. The considerable variability in performance and function across individuals results in a critical need to design tools that are specific to a person's needs. Furthermore, biological changes occur over time, and it may be necessary to allow for adjustments and maintenance or to rapidly redesign and manufacture a new product. Regardless of the specific product class, the first important step in the production of a customized product is the quantitative assessment of needs of the individual. This involves the acquisition of the geometric, kinematics, dynamic, and physiological information about the individual that is necessary for developing design specifications and for detailed design. Because the product volume for customized products is likely to be small, the manufacturing cost must be kept low.

RAPID prototyping, PHYSICAL therapy, TAI chi, VIDEO games, and 3-D computer games

This article treats a component-based approach for the prototyping of Tai Chi-based physical therapy games. The research group of the authors has already proposed a component-based three-dimensional (3D) software development system called IntelligentBox. One of the application fields of IntelligentBox is the development of 3D games. In this article, the authors validate the availability of IntelligentBox for the prototype development of Tai Chi-based physical therapy games that require several functionalities, for example, body action input, sound play,movie play, and so on. For them, IntelligentBox has already supported a video-based motion input, a motion capture system input, a data-glove input, and so on. Also, physical therapy games need fine-tuning, according to each of the rehabilitants, because their physical disability levels differ. Therefore, therapists have to frequently change many parameters such as a body action speed, difficulty levels of body actions, and so on. For this point, the component-based approach is significant. To validate this, the authors have been developing physical therapy games using IntelligentBox and they have just developed a practical Tai Chi-based dance game as one of the physical therapy games. In this article, the authors explain how easily such a game can be developed using IntelligentBox. The authors also explain new functionalities of several components of IntelligentBox extended for this development. In addition, this article shows the results of the performance evaluations to indicate that the developed game practically can be used as a physical therapy game. The authors also propose another framework enables network collaboration of the developed "Tai Chi" game. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THREE-dimensional printing, PUBLIC contracts, RAPID prototyping, GOVERNMENT agencies, and COMPUTER-aided design

MICROCONTROLLERS, RAPID prototyping, LIQUID crystal displays, and THIN film transistors

The article focuses on the latest development in the microcontroller (MCU) boards which make ease the prototyping. Topics discussed include the STM32 discovery kits, MSP430 from Texas Instruments (TI), graphic liquid crystal displays (LCDs), thin-film transistor (TFT) displays and communication ports used in the MCU and the views of Nishant Bhaskar, embedded processing application engineer, Texas Instruments India, on the same.

SOLAR energy, GSM communications, SOLAR technology, LIQUID crystal displays, COOLING of water, DUST removal, and SURFACE cleaning

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to monitor the surface cooling of the photovoltaic (PV) panel and the effect of the dust accumulated on the panel surface on the electrical efficiency remotely and instantaneously. Design/methodology/approach: An autonomous system has been designed that can measure and record the PV surface temperature, the amount of dust on the surface, current, voltage and power values at certain intervals. It can also perform surface cooling and cleaning with water cycle when the temperature and dust amount reach certain threshold values and transmit these values to the user via global system for mobile communications module, Bluetooth module and graphically with a touchscreen liquid crystal display panel. Thus, it is aimed to benefit from PV at the maximum level, and it was installed in Kahramanmaras Sütçü Imam University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. Findings: An increase in power was observed for PV surface cooling and surface dust removal by 3.78% and 45.99%, respectively. Originality/value: This system is of vital importance in terms of time and energy-saving, especially for solar plants far from the city center, which are difficult to access because of climatic conditions. In other hand for future studies, it is foreseen that more efficiency gains can be achieved by using artificial intelligence and image processing techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DEFENSE procurement, RAPID prototyping, MILITARY technology, INFORMATION storage & retrieval systems -- Armed forces, and KNOWLEDGE management

The article discusses the Mission Command Battle Lab's (MCBL) experience with the Army Regulation (AR) 5-5 study process and with using the study results while collaborating with other organizations to provide tangible benefits to the U.S. Army. The MCBL helps drive the rapid development of a functioning prototype based on the study results. The AR 5-5 study, conducted during summer and fall 2013, hypothesized that there is no mission command system designed and developed for the commander.

RAPID prototyping, MIXED reality, and PERSONAL computers

Microsoft's Troubled Combat Goggles Get Redesign That Wins Over Army - for Now (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. has "fundamentally altered" its combat goggles, changing them from a bulky helmet to a streamlined flip-up visor to improve the prospect that soldiers will embrace the $22 billion project, according to the Army's chief weapons buyer. Bush authorized a new $95 million contract Sept. 5 for 280 additional systems for more testing and to assess Microsoft's ability to produce large quantities. [Extracted from the article]

BIOPRINTING, THREE-dimensional printing, NEW product development, 3-D printers, and RAPID prototyping

The article discusses the use of three-dimensional (3D) printing to create body parts such as bones, cartilage and muscles. Topics include the impact of bioprinting on the speed and efficiency of product development, prototyping, and manufacturing in addition to its offering of customization, the work of Wake Forest University's Sang Jin Lee on developing an integrated tissue-organ printer, and efforts to 3D print structures that support blood flow.

WRIST and DIVERGENT thinking

A: A tricky one - our business model is B2B, and our clients are pharmaceutical and biotech companies, but the apps are intended for use by those living with the disease, so somewhat B2C too. First is the Kano Model (pronounced "Kah-no"), which helps us prioritise features on a product roadmap according to the degree to which they will satisfy users. You'll need a product or service to offer your customers. [Extracted from the article]

RAPID prototyping, DIGITAL control systems, MANUFACTURING processes, CAD/CAM systems, PROTOTYPES, INDUSTRIAL design, and CONCURRENT engineering

The article reports that digitally controlled layered manufacturing (LM) technologies are transforming prototyping and mass customization of mechanical and biomedical parts of extraordinary geometric complexity. LM, also known as solid freeform fabrication or rapid prototyping, has revolutionized one-off production by automating the planning aspects of the manufacturing process, thereby making possible quick and economic prototyping of complex 3D parts directly from computer-aided design (CAD) solid models. In all LM processes, the 3D CAD model is sliced into horizontal layers of uniform thickness. Each cross-sectional layer is successively deposited, hardened, fused, or cut, depending on the particular process, and attached to the layer beneath it. 3D Systems' Stereolithography apparatus was the first commercially available LM technology, introduced in 1988, and is still probably the best known. One advantage of many LM processes over traditional prototyping is the ease of making complicated shapes with relatively inaccessible interior chambers.

VIRTUAL reality, COMPUTER simulation, COMPUTER-aided design, PROTOTYPES, INDUSTRIAL design, and RAPID prototyping

The article presents information related to virtual reality. Scientific visualizations and many other virtual 3D shapes are so complex that they defy complete understanding, even by trained scientists interacting with them through 3D stereographic displays. Images alone must often be viewed many times before their geometries and the relationships among their components are fully understood, if they ever can be. Emerging industrial applications include rapid prototyping, or layered manufacturing or freeform fabrication, of 3D computer-aided design data files in consumer product design and development. The prototypes help guide the design process in, say, consumer electronics, toys, medical devices, and car parts. Compared to traditional prototyping, one key advantage of rapid prototyping technologies is the relative ease of making complicated shapes with relatively inaccessible interior chambers. By incorporating easy-to-remove support systems, even fully assembled mechanisms, such as interlocking gears, can be fabricated.

IDENTIFICATION, SPLINES, RAPID prototyping, NATURAL heat convection, FORCED convection, PARAMETER identification, HEAT flux, and FINITE element method

Purpose: A mathematical description of temperature-dependent boundary conditions is crucial in manifold model-based control or prototyping applications, where accurate thermal simulation results are required. Estimation of boundary condition coefficients for complex geometries in complicated or unknown environments is a challenging task and often does not fulfill given accuracy limits without multiple manual adaptions and experiments. This paper aims to describe an efficient method to identify thermal boundary conditions from measurement data using model order reduction. Design/methodology/approach: An optimization problem is formulated to minimize temperature deviation over time between simulation data and available temperature sensors. Convection and radiation effects are expressed as a combined heat flux per surface, resulting in multiple temperature-dependent film coefficient functions. These functions are approximated by a polynomial function or splines, to generate identifiable parameters. A formulated reduced order system description preserves these parameters to perform an identification. Experiments are conducted with a test-bench to verify identification results with radiation, natural and forced convection. Findings: The generated model can approximate a nonlinear transient finite element analysis (FEA) simulation with a maximum deviation of 0.3 K. For the simulation of a 500 min cyclic cooling and heating process, FEA takes a computation time of up to 13 h whereas the reduced model takes only 7-11 s, using time steps of 2 s. These low computation times allow for an identification, which is verified with an error below 3 K. When film coefficient estimation from literature is difficult due to complex geometries or turbulent air flows, identification is a promising approach to still achieve accurate results. Originality/value: A well parametrized model can be further used for model-based control approaches or in observer structures. To the knowledge of the authors, no other methodology enables model-based identification of thermal parameters by physically preserving them through model order reduction and therefore derive it from a FEA description. This method can be applied to much more complex geometries and has been used in an industrial environment to increase product quality, due to accurate monitoring of cooling processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SPACE (Architecture), MARTIAN exploration, RAPID prototyping, and SPACE shuttles

RAPID prototyping, CUSTOMER services, THREE-dimensional printing, and BUSINESS expansion

The article reports that additive manufacturing service bureaus Midwest Prototyping plans to expand its services to Colorado after the acquisition of rapid prototyping division Tenere Inc. The company that aims to provide quality services to its customers is mentioned. The company's sevices related to 3D printing is offered.

LETTERS to the editor, RAPID prototyping, PERIODICALS, COMMUNICATION, and PROTOTYPES

This article presents letters to the editor related to communications. One of the reader's comments on the article "Prototyping for Tiny Fingers," by Marc Rettig, published in the April 1994 issue of the journal "Communications of the ACM." He says that once he realized this work dealt with paper prototyping, he anticipated learning new aspects of this practice--aspects that would help him understand and improve his own practice of PICTIVE and CARD. Another reader comments on the above paper. He says that he had read the comments of Retting on lo-fi prototyping, and he himself had the term in his 1989 HKS conference article, "What Can You Learn From a Low-Fidelity Prototype?"

APPLICATION program interfaces, PROTOTYPES, SOFTWARE productivity, COMPUTER software development, COMPUTER interfaces, and PROGRAMMING languages

The technique of building prototypes on paper and testing them with real users is called low-fidelity prototyping or "lo-fi" for short. The value of prototyping is widely recognized, but value is not always gained in practice. Lo-fi prototyping, which requires little more in the way of implementation skills than the ones learned in kindergarten. Paper prototyping is potentially a breakthrough idea for organizations that have never tried it, since it allows to demonstrate the behavior of an interface very early in development, and test designs with real users. If quality is partially a function of the number of iterations and refinements a design undergoes before it hits the street, lo-fi prototyping is a technique that can dramatically increase quality. It is fast, it brings results early in development and allows a team to try far more ideas than they could with high-fidelity prototypes. For years software developers have used everything from demo-builders to multimedia tools to high-level languages to build prototypes.

USER interfaces, HUMAN-computer interaction, SYSTEMS design, COMPUTER science, SYSTEMS development, and TECHNOLOGICAL innovations

The interfaces of computer systems embedded in certain types of consumer electronic products are frequently targets of criticism. Perhaps the most frequently cited examples of poor user interfaces are those associated with videocassette recorders. Two of the obvious consequences of poorly developed human-computer interfaces are first a considerable portion of the population is unable to benefit from the primary functionality of these products and second the loss of potential recording tape sales represented by the flashing clocks. Storyboard prototyping can be defined as a technique designed to generate consensus and closure via a tangible, interactive systems concept. Inspired by Scandinavian research into cooperative design, the thrust of the Cooperative Interactive Storyboarding Prototyping (CISP) approach is to more actively involve users in the prototype interface development. CISP empowers users with tools and techniques encouraging them to interactively contribute to real-time, storyboard use, evaluation and modification. Crucial here is the concept of the role of the user changing from reviewer to codeveloper.

RAPID prototyping, MANUFACTURING processes, INDUSTRIAL engineering, SYSTEMS engineering, LICENSE agreements, PATENT licenses, and NEW product development

Reports on the development of a new rapid prototyping technique, which is said to be faster and cheaper than previous methods. Background on how rapid prototyping works; Details of a new approach to rapid prototyping developed by Behrokh Khoshnevis, a professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Southern California; Licensing of the process.

SNEAKERS, DESIGNERS, SHOE design, 3-D printers, RAPID prototyping, and MENTORING

The article offers information related to Q24 Sports, an online sneaker company co-founded by Quintin Williams, the 2011 Savannah College of Art and Design graduate.

DESIGN, CONSUMERS, PACKAGING, RAPID prototyping, NEW product development, PACKAGED foods industry, SOFT drink industry, SNACK foods & health, and COMPETITIVE advantage in business

CEO Indra Nooyi believes that each PepsiCo product must engage customers so directly and personally that they fall in love with it. So in 2012 she hired renowned designer Mauro Porcini as PepsiCo’s first chief design officer. Nooyi says that design thinking now informs nearly everything the company does, from product creation, to the look on the shelf, to how consumers interact with a product after they buy it. Design thinking is apparent, for instance, in Pepsi Spire, the company’s touchscreen fountain machine that gives consumers the visual experience of watching flavors get added to a beverage before the finished product is dispensed. And design thinking is an integral part of what Nooyi says makes women embrace Mountain Dew Kickstart—with its slim can, higher juice content, and lower calorie burden—as a product they can “walk around with.” But design is not all about the way a product looks, according to Nooyi. She says that PepsiCo has delivered “great shareholder value” on her watch because the company also offers consumers true choices, as evident in its “good for you” and “fun for you” categories of products—and because she has led her workforce to adapt strategically to consumers’ constantly evolving aspirations. INSET: How Design Can Thrive.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

VIRTUAL prototypes, RAPID prototyping, REALISM, and NEW product development

This new version of Modaris speeds up the time to market for collections. Lectra launches Modaris® V8R2, the latest version of its patternmaking, grading and prototyping 2D/3D solution. With Modaris V8R2, Lectra has made it possible for patternmakers and external suppliers the guarantee of size compliance, regardless of the measurement systems used in the countries where production occurs. [Extracted from the article]

REALISM, RAPID prototyping, and DESIGN

Stratasys and Pantone Accelerate Design Realism in Rapid Prototyping - Stratasys Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SHIPYARDS, NAVAL architecture, and RAPID prototyping

DEFORMATIONS (Mechanics), HOMEOMORPHISMS, BIOMIMICRY, and RAPID prototyping

The article focuses on experience of understanding deformation and homeomorphism during collaborative seminar with professor Robert Ghrist and mentions biosynthesis which is approach leaning in biomimicry. Topics discussed include emergence in the shared collaborative space. Biomimicry, transdisciplinary translation through analogic modeling of biological behaviors and shared relationships between digital fabrication, and artificial intelligence.

RAPID prototyping, SELECTIVE laser sintering, and FUSED deposition modeling

The article focuses on rapid prototyping technique which includes information on technologies used in rapid prototyping including Selective Laser Sintering, Fused Deposition Modeling, and Stereolithography.

ASSISTIVE technology, INDUSTRIAL design, MANUFACTURING processes, COMMERCIAL products, SYSTEM integration, RAPID prototyping, and QUALITY assurance

The article focuses on customized design and manufacture of rehabilitation aids for individuals with physical disabilities, e.g., prosthetic devices such as artificial limbs and orthoses. The essential components necessary for the computer integrated manufacture of low volume customized products is presented. Authors also briefly described some of the open research problems in areas of data acquisition, virtual and physical prototyping and systems integration. The considerable variability in performance and function across individuals results in a critical need to design tools that are specific to a person's needs. Furthermore, biological changes occur over time, and it may be necessary to allow for adjustments and maintenance or to rapidly redesign and manufacture a new product. Regardless of the specific product class, the first important step in the production of a customized product is the quantitative assessment of the needs of the individual. This involves the acquisition of the geometric, kinematics, dynamic, and physiological information about the individual that is necessary for developing design specifications and for detailed design. INSETS: Development of the STEP Standard.;Using the Information Infrastructure.;Relationship Between the STEP and OMG Standards..

SOFTWARE configuration management, COMPUTER software development, COST control, RAPID prototyping, CONFIGURATION management, and PRODUCTION management (Manufacturing)

Changes necessary to the discipline of software configuration management (SCM) to accommodate the radical changes being made to the software development process have been discussed in this article. In some cases, changes to SCM were straightforward or even nonexistent. In other cases, changes were significant. As software costs continue to skyrocket, and more resources are spent on systems that do not satisfy user needs, more widespread use of reusable software and all kinds of prototyping will be seen. As the problem continues to escalate, automated software synthesis will become more practical, and brand new yet-to-be-invented alternatives to the waterfall life cycle will appear. Software engineers bear the responsibility of learning all these techniques. Software management bears the responsibility of embracing these new life cycles to help control costs and to better assist customers. Software configuration management personnel must find ways to manage new types of changes to software development. If we do not learn to manage change, we will become its victims, not its beneficiaries.

COMPUTER simulation and COMPUTER software

Features the Network Simulation Testbed (NEST), a graphical environment for simulation and rapid-prototyping of distributed networked systems and protocols. Advantages of the environment-based approach to simulation; Architecture of NEST; Use of NEST to conduct simulation studies of arbitrary distributed networked systems.

COMPUTER software development, MANAGEMENT information systems, RAPID prototyping, CLIENT/SERVER computing, and TRAFFIC incident management

The article discusses the rapid prototyping of information systems (IS) software applications with attention paid to a program giving access to financial, engineering, and material data, developed by Cambridge Technology Partners for Hughes Space and Communications Co. Topics include comments from Cambridge Technology president and chief executive officer (CEO) James Sims, client/server environment, and a congestion management system (CMS) for the Michigan Department of Transportation.

3-D printers, RAPID prototyping, THREE-dimensional printing, and SINTERING

The article discusses how three-dimensional (3D) printers benefit ZARE SrL, a provider of rapid prototyping services and a variety of additive manufacturing technologies. It explains how the company started creating only large monolithic prototypes using metal sintering but eventually expanded its capabilities by having Fortus 3D production system made by Startasys Ltd.

WEBSITES and RAPID prototyping

The article reports that LPKF Laser & Electronics, a leading manufacturer of desktop and stand-alone PCB prototyping machines, has announced the launch of new content on their microsite www.PCBPrototypingMachines.com.

DESIGN thinking, RAPID prototyping, MANUFACTURING processes, LIBRARY orientation, and ACADEMIC libraries

The article deals with the importance of design thinking and rapid prototyping in academic libraries. It presents a background of design thinking which can be traced back to the late 1960s and early 1970s. It also discusses the benefits of rapid prototyping outside the manufacturing environment, specifically for library instruction.

SILICON Valley (Santa Clara County, Calif.), MANUFACTURING processes, FACTORIES, COMPUTER integrated manufacturing systems, ROBOTICS, and RAPID prototyping

The article looks at high-tech manufacturing taking place in Silicon Valley, California. It notes that traditional assembly-line manufacturing jobs largely have left the area, mentioning factory closings by computer company Apple in 1992 and semiconductor company Intel in 2009. It says that ultramodern factories have been opening in the area, however, characterized by the use of computer-controlled machines or robots and flexible production processes that can be rapidly modified for design changes or new product prototypes. Manufacturing companies discussed include general electronics maker Flextronics, computer storage hardware maker Violin Memory, electric car maker Tesla Motor, and medical device maker Intuitive Surgical.

INTERNET security

SERVICE design

PRODUCT management, RAPID prototyping, OLYMPIC Games & economics, OLYMPIC Games (29th : 2008 : Beijing, China), and ENVIRONMENTAL engineering equipment

The article examines how corporations use the Olympic Games as a means of both testing and marketing new products. Sporting goods manufacturers have long done this, but companies including General Electric are introducing products including electronic equipment at the 2008 Olympic Games. Many of the venues built in Beijing, China for the Games employ state of the art environmental engineering design and equipment. INSETS: FASTER, HIGHER, STRONGER;CHILLED-OUT ARCHITECTURE;LONE STAR TRACK SPIKE;THE OLYMPIC RINGS' HALO EFFECT

RAPID prototyping, MANUFACTURING processes, VISUALIZATION, PROTOTYPES, COMPUTER files, and GEOMETRIC dissections

The article focuses on layered manufacturing (LM). It is a mainstream technology in engineering product development, enabling engineers to create prototype parts from new designs before their organizations invest in final production. Large-scale manufacturing is typically characterized by subtractive processes, starting with, say, a block of material, then removing pieces of it with a milling machine until only the desired part remains. The de facto geometric information transfer standard for all LM machines is the stereolithography, or STL, file format, often called a bucket of triangles. It has been useful for users who want to invest in software tool development but who also want to be reassured that their tools will work on many different devices and be usable well into the future. STL files generated from scientific research software are even less likely to be correct because scientists make mistakes or submit incomplete files. Thus, before fabrication technology could be used productively, better ways had to be found to deal with the inherent limitations of the STL file format.

RESEARCH institutes, COMPUTER scientists, COMPUTER software developers, COMPUTER industry, RAPID prototyping, and EMPLOYMENT

Focuses on the research laboratory started by Microsoft in 1991 in Redmond, Washington. The recruiting of computer scientists by theoretical physicist and corporate executive, Nathan Myhrvold, during the start-up phase; Problems with Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC); How bureaucracy was kept to a minimum at Microsoft Research; Comments of first-hire, Richard F. Rashid; Example of new products incorporating programming code or engineering designs that were developed at Microsoft; Skepticism of John Seely Brown, former director of Xerox PARC, about Microsoft's software technology; Microsoft's status on the "science linkage" index; Work of Jim Blinn, a MacArthur "genius award" winner at Microsoft. INSET: WORK ON ANYTHING (BUT NO JETÉS).

EXECUTIVES, COMMERCIAL products, PRODUCT management, INVENTORS, NEW product development, RAPID prototyping, CORPORATE divestiture, MERGERS & acquisitions, ECONOMIC development, and EMPLOYEES

Highlights Jeff Immelt the CEO of General Electric who is following a time-honored GE tradition of abandoning the most treasured ideas of his predecessor; How he differs in style and vision from Jack Welch; Businesses Immelt has bought into the GE family and those he is spinning off; Comment from Immelt that GE must make its own economic growth; Reinstatement of the "House of Magic" where GE inventors can pursue new goals and new products; How the continuity of the business feeds the courage of its leaders.

PRINTED circuit equipment, AMATEUR radio stations, RADIO broadcasting equipment, PROTOTYPE design & construction, ENGINEERING design, and EQUIPMENT & supplies

The article discusses a prototyping method for designing ground-plane printed circuit (PC) boards for specific packaging technologies and for home use. Topics covered include the four prototyping techniques frequently used by radio amateur, the attributes of an ideal prototyping system and the author's use of the "OpenOffice Draw" in making custom board patterns. It discusses the PC board fabrication process and the advantages of the author's prototyping system.

EFFECT of technological innovations on financial institutions, FINANCIAL institution software, ECONOMIC competition, and RAPID prototyping

The article discusses the move by investment banking and financial services corporation Citigroup to adopt financial technology (fintech) to remain competitive as fintech startups pose a threat to the stability of the banking industry. Topics include the move by consumer banking business head Stephen Bird to create the unit Citi FinTech, the focus by Bird and his team on rapid prototyping, and the new iteration of Citi's mobile-banking application to be released in the fourth quarter of 2016.

RAPID prototyping, NEW product development, and PRODUCT design

The article discusses the benefits of rapid prototyping in product design including superior experience for the designer's client and providing guidance to designers in creating new product ideas and proposes the inclusion of an Intervention Design concept in the design school curricula.

COMPUTER software, INTERACTIVE multimedia, PROTOTYPES, COMPUTER storage device industry, CONCURRENT engineering, COMPUTER security, and SECURITY systems

This article describes various features of hyperform. Hyperform is a dynamic, open and distributed multiuser hypermedia application development environment based on the concepts of extensibility, tailorability and rapid prototyping of the following hypermedia services: data models, hyperbase management systems (HBMS) and system architectures. Hyperform provides a framework of general building blocks that can be extended and tailored at run-time. The Hyperform development environment comprises multiple instances of three components: a HBMS, a tool integrator and editors. The HBMS allows developers to add new data model objects and operations. It relies on an internal computational engine with an object-oriented extension language. The HBMS has built-in classes providing basic application-independent hypermedia services such as concurrency control, notification control (events), access control, version control, and search and query. These classes can be specialized using multiple inheritance to form almost any type of storage support needed in hypermedia applications.

COMPUTER software development, SOFTWARE engineering, RAPID prototyping, SYSTEMS development, TOTAL quality management, and COMPUTER engineering

The article stresses the need for project organization and management. Powerful programming languages and fast compilers do not produce good software. Advanced development methods and software engineering practices may help, but offer no guarantees. In the real world of software and applications development, even the most rapid of rapid prototyping takes time, and even mildly sophisticated systems need the contributions of multiple developers. Project organization and management is not hardware, not software, but peopleware, a singularly apt neologism introduced in 1976 by Peter G.Neumann. With increasing globalization of the software market and the rising hegemony of ISO 9000 in the international arena, the pressure is on to produce more robust and versatile software products in less time. Total quality management and continuous process improvement, along with customer-centered design and concurrent engineering, are part of the everyday vocabulary of players in this accelerating international game of quality and productivity.