Titulo Estágio
Smart products @ habitats: A pilot study
Áreas de especialidade
Sistemas de Informação
Local do Estágio
DEI-FCTUC
Enquadramento
Products are becoming smarter! It has been recognized that “the most important feature of digital innovation is successful generation of new IT-enabled products, processes, and services” (Hendler 2018). On one hand, smart products can be created from scratch. On the other hand, there is a huge potential to transform traditional (100% physical) products with the integration of smart technologies.
Smart products can process data and offer interactive functionalities to its users. The examples are vast, including smart shoes that measure pace, distance, steps, stride, and cadence of riders (a), smart homes (b), or smart industrial products with the capacity to contact with other objects and assist in its operation (c). Yet, most of the implementations mainly focus the needs of the end users. How to address the needs of the society (e.g. environmental protection functionalities) and the producers did not receive sufficient attention. For example, traditional (physical) products can be upgraded with information and communication technologies to inform the producer of unexpected events, failures, or merely log its use to support warranty conditions. The data collected by the smart product can be valuable to create improved versions of the product (as already happens in software products).
The new, digitized products must be evaluated according to its hybridity (how digital and physical elements are combined), smartness (e.g. capacity to sense), connectivity (e.g. network connections), servitization, referring to the services offered by the product, and its ecosystem, for example, allowing the connection between product users and producers. But there are also challenges to transform traditional manufacturing companies in product-service providers. For example, the strong technology-centric and product-centric orientations, inhibiting servitization efforts. Other problems include the lack of technological capabilities, difficulties in the alignment between product and service design, strategic alignment (e.g. internal cooperation), and supplier relationships to support the integrated offer (Claes and Martinez 2010).
Graduates in informatics engineering are decisive in the development of products that require digital platforms, databases, cloud and blockchain infrastructures. Therefore, industry managers will need to gradually include these professionals in the development of their “smarter” product lines, transforming traditional products into interconnected, product-service systems. Companies are looking for new ideas to improve their “traditional” products with informatics, which is an inspiring line of work for a master thesis.
References:
Claes, B., & Martinez, V. (2010). Challenges in transforming manufacturers into product-service providers. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 21(4), 449–469.
Hendler, S. (2018). Digital-physical product development: a qualitative analysis. European Journal of Innovation Management, 22(2).
(a) https://www.prescouter.com/2018/10/smart-shoes-innovations-footwear/ [Accessed 24/05/2019]
(b) https://www.worten.pt/novidades-smart-home [Accessed 24/05/2019]
(c) https://www.simscale.com/blog/2016/08/smart-products-industry-4-0/ [Accessed 24/05/2019]
Objetivo
The student will participate in the development of a smart product prototype for construction. This project is currently under development at Instituto Pedro Nunes – IPN/LIS.
The main objectives are:
1. Identify case studies of smart products in habitat (e.g. energy saving, safety)
2. Design the digital services for a smart product according to the needs of different stakeholders (end user, producer, assessors,…)
3. Participate in the pilot study. Develop a platform to explore the data obtained by the smart product sensors.
Plano de Trabalhos - Semestre 1
The main phases for the first semester are presented as follows:
1) Study of the state-of-the-art: smart products and product service systems.
Start: September 2019
Duration: 2 months
2) Overall specification of the smart product and the software platform to be deployed.
Start: November 2019
Duration: 2 months
Results of the 1st semester:
• Smart product specification: service design and technical specification of the digital platform.
• Intermediate report.
Plano de Trabalhos - Semestre 2
The main phases for the second semester are presented as follows:
3) Development of a web/mobile software interface for the smart product (prototype)
Start: January 2020
Duration: 3 months
4) Tests and validation of the prototype with a company in the construction sector.
Start: April 2020
Duration: 1 month
Phases 3 and 4 include an analysis of potential impacts of the smart product in the case organization. For example, changes in the company strategy, impact in the business model, requirements for the digital infrastructure, change in business processes, and opportunities for market differentiation.
5) Writing of the thesis and a scientific paper
Start: May 2020
Duration: 2 months
Results of the 2nd semester:
• Smart product prototype
• Scientific publication
• Final report
Condições
The student will be integrated in the Information Systems group (ISG) of CISUC, Department of Informatics Engineering, University of Coimbra. A workplace and the required resources will be provided.
The student will have the opportunity to present the papers that are accepted at conferences, with expenses paid.
Observações
The student will be engaged with the activities of ISG in a topic with major relevance for industries worldwide. Therefore, this work offers an opportunity to strengthen the skills of IT consultancy and smart product design with information technologies.
Students must have interest in web/mobile programming and in studying the potential of information and communication technologies for product innovation.
Orientador
João Barata
barata@dei.uc.pt 📩