Linkage, an Online Tool to Support Interdisciplinary Biomimetic Design Teams

Abstract

Implementation of biomimetics in practical innovation strategies still faces various impediments. Multidisciplinary communication is one of the most recognized one. Enabling teammates having various cognitive and conceptual frameworks to properly exchange information is a key lever for optimization. In a previous study, we performed a comparative analysis of biologists’ and engineers’ cognitive and conceptual frameworks in order to support the establishment of a shared framework of reference within biomimetic teams. This theoretical work led us to consider various guidelines, embodied in a tool, LINKAGE, guiding the team along the biomimetic process, and more specifically during analysis and abstraction steps. This article presents a first version of this free access digital tool, LINKAGE 1.2. After the description and positioning of LINKAGE, comparing with other existing tools, a testing phase involving 19 professionals divided into five interdisciplinary teams is presented. The results of this evaluation lead to the validation of some of the tool’s objectives while underlining some lines of improvements. Various perspectives on the tool’s development are also presented.