15Future Direction
15.1 Introduction
So, what does the future hold for engineering development?
The means by which new, technology‐based products are created, and then brought to market, have a history extending back at least 200 years, or much longer, if taking a broader view of what constitutes an engineering ‘product’. From one point of view, this creative process has remained unchanged over this period. It comprises: find out what might be useful, create an idea, refine and test it, make it, then monitor it in use. However, nothing in life is simple; technology has advanced in leaps and bounds, customers have become more affluent and demanding, and the world has become a smaller place, creating bigger markets but also facilitating competition.
The process of developing new technologies, and hence new products, is likely in the future to be influenced by a continuation of these trends, including, more specifically:
- Advances in the methods used in the product development process itself. This includes how new technologies and products are defined, analysed, modelled, developed and tested before entering service.
- Adoption of new materials and product technologies. Continuing the trend of decades, if not centuries, involves potentially new combinations, such as conventional engineering, biotechnology, and intelligent systems.
- Constraints and opportunities. Both come in relation to energy, environmental factors, and materials availability.
- Developments in manufacturing systems ...