This presentation was prepared for the discussion with graduate students at School of Mechanical Engineering,Beihang University

1. Key Challenges in Bringing New
Technology into the Market
Create a Commercially Viable and Socially &
Environmentally Responsible Innovation
(CVSERI)
Han Zhang, PhD
Every Success is Built on the Ability to Do Better
Han Zhang, PhD Than Just Good Enough

2. Outline • Terminology
• Definition of CVSRI
• Approaches to Create
a CVSRI
• Examples
• A Few Suggestions

3. Terminology
• Sustainable development
– A development that meets their needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs (from Brundtland Commission Report, published in 1987)
• Carbon footprints
– The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and
indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in
equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Life cycle analysis / product end-life design
– A tool which can be used to optimize the impact of a product or a
process on the environment. It evaluates all stages of the product
or process from cradle to grave
• Critical elements
– Are the elements exhibit inverse relationship between the supply
and the price due to their nature of limited stock
Han Zhang, PhD

4. Outline • Terminology
• Definition of CVSRI
• Approaches to Create
a CVSRI
• Examples
• A Few Suggestions

5. What is a Commercially Viable and Socially Responsible
Innovation?
Bio-degradable Polymers
Han Zhang, PhD

6. Outline • Terminology
• Definition of CVSRI
• Approaches to Create
a CVSRI
• Examples
• A Few Suggestions

7. Creating a Commercially Viable and Socially & Environmentally
Responsible Innovation
• Understanding the market needs
– What is the job which your product will perform?
– What are other technologies which could perform the same
job?
– How do we select the technology?
– What can we offer which others can not?
• Ensuring sustainable supply chain
– Are you using any elements in the critical resource category?
– Are there any foresee issues of the end-life of the product?
• Affordability of the product
– What would be targeted cost?
– Is it affordable to your targeted market sector?
• Manufacturability
• Best technology vs. good enough technology
Han Zhang, PhD

8. Understanding the Job - P&G
Everything is Obvious When You Know the Answer (D.J. Watts)
• Understanding market:
– What are the purposes of the
mop and water bucket?
– What are the unmet needs or
problems associated with
current product?
– How can we meet with the
unmet needs?
Han Zhang, PhD

9. Selecting Right Technology – Phonic Crystal
When a wave passes through a
periodic structure, interference leads
to the formation of “band gaps” that
prevent waves with certain
frequencies traveling through the
structure
Can we apply this concept to build a
periodic multilayer structure
composite to purposely interfere with
the sound wave transmission to
reduce noise?
And other
applications??
Han Zhang, PhD

10. Sustainable Supply Chain - Resources Check
Han Zhang, PhD

11. Critical Elements - Thin Film Solar Technology
• CdTe:
– Tellurium is extremely rare element (135
MT in 2007)
– Te is by-product of the Copper
– Cadmium is toxic
• CuInGaSe (CIGS):
Is current thin film – Selenium and indium are critical elements
solar technology – Se is by-product of copper
Sustainable???
Han Zhang, PhD

12. Affordability – MEMS Technology
Han Zhang, PhD

13. Affordability – MEMS Technology
The Key is to Find a Good
Match
Three-Axis Accelerometer Area Tuned Variable Capacitors Microphone
Han Zhang, PhD

14. Affordability in Emerging Market - GE Ultrasonic Machine
• Original product developed in US
and Japan costs > $100k
– Cardiology
– Obstetrics
– Radiology
• What would be an affordable price
target?
• New price target: < $15k
– In China, rural clinics
• How to achieve it?
– Through function eliminations
• Expanding to developed country
– In US, ambulance squads and
emergency room
Han Zhang, PhD

15. Manufacturability - Freeze Casting
Han Zhang, PhD

16. Does an Innovation have to Begin with a New and Cool Technology?
• Business model, such as: Apple store, Ikea ……
• Low-hanging fruit, such as: Twitter ……
• Marketing, such as: product promotions……
There are no Fixed Models for innovation. There
are plenty of low-hanging fruits out there.
However, a Sustainable innovation needs a
System Approach with Both Eyes Open
Han Zhang, PhD

17. • Introduction
• Terminology
Outline
• Definition of CVSRI
• Approaches to Create
a CVSRI
• Examples
• A Few Suggestions

18. Suggestions
• Challenges
– Environmental change and shortage of resource
– Economic imbalance
• Two economic speeds
• Growing of inequality
– Short life cycles of both knowledge and business
– Continuous efficiency improvement (automation)
• Workforce surplus
• A few suggestions
– Be vigilant and keep updating your knowledge and skills
– Understand your strengths and weaknesses
– Generalist vs. specialist
– Resilience is important (People do not remember how you fall, but
how to get up)
– Do well by doing good
Han Zhang, PhD

19. References
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_living
• http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/02/the-phd-bust-americas-awful-market-for-
young-scientists-in-7-charts/273339/
• M.L. Green, Materials for Sustainable Development, MRS Fall Meeting, 2012
• R.L. Jaffe, Critical Elements and New Energy Technologies, MRS Fall Meeting, 2012
• Steven G. Johnson and J. D. Joannopoulos, Introduction to Photonic Crystals: Bloch’s
Theorem, Band Diagrams, and Gaps, MIT course note
• T. Gorishnyy, M. Maldovan, C. Ullal and E. Thomas, Sound Ideas, Physicsweb.org
• J.R. Immet, V. Govindavaja, C. Trimble, How GE is disrupting itself? Harvard Business
Review, ReprintR0910D
• Sylvain Deville, Porous ceramics by controlled solidification of (colloidal) suspensions,
Freezing-cast of porous ceramics, state of art, Jan., 2008, Cambridge
• R. Fraux, Teardowns and Cost analyses , MEMS Microphones Technical and Cost Review ,
System Plus Consulting, July 12th , 2012
Han Zhang, PhD