How bio-dynamics inform design process innovation harnessing principles from complex adaptive systems

The research community has focused on technical analyses for a range of distributed network problems, placing less emphasis on the challenge at which Nature excels — design synthesis. Whereas biomimetics copies Nature’s evolutionary “products,” we can also learn from Nature’s “processes” about how evolution produces exquisitely adapted novelty that traditional engineering design would fail to predict. I describe three engineering design challenges that would benefit from evolutionary methods for selecting and processing information to improve decision support and knowledge synthesis:  designing a game console,  taking the pulse of engineering innovation, and  geo-mapping to support preparedness and rapid response. Though these examples differ in scale and complexity, all depend upon adaptive systems and evolvable frameworks for decision-making and knowledge synthesis. Examples from artificial life further illustrate how biodynamics inform engineering innovation. Discussion of instances where biodynamic principles apply to engineering innovation lays the foundation for an approach founded on biodynamic principles for working with cross-disciplinary teams on such problems. CATEGORIES AND SUBJECT DESCRIPTORS ALife, evolutionary theory, computation and engineering, complex adaptive systems, design, decision support, evolvable architectures, intelligent systems, knowledge management, knowledge synthesis GENERAL TERMS Design, Innovation, Knowledge Management, Performance.