Inventing a New Method in Statics Through Knowledge in Kinematics

Suppose we designed an innovative structure, such as a deployable tensegrity structure, and suppose that while doing so, we are faced with a problem for which no available method could solve. The problem is such that if left without solution could hamper the further development of this structure. Infused Design (ID) is a method for transferring knowledge including solutions and methods between diverse disciplines. If an appropriate method is missing from a particular discipline, ID could be used to invent a new method by transforming methods from other disciplines. This paper reports on inventing a new method that allows finding relations between forces in a tensegrity structure thus determining which element would be a strut and which a cable. The invention process is described in detail. As an approach that has proved useful in inventing several design methods, ID constitutes a fertile source for extending our engineering and scientific knowledge.