A prospective analysis of the engineering design discipline evolution based on key influencing trends

Design and manufacturing sectors are vital agents of an economy. However, multiple challenges influence product designs such as the predicted scarcity of energy and primary materials, the ubiquitous integration of electronic components and computing science in systems' architectures, the pervasive production of data by most systems, the emphasis given to CO2 free energy solutions, recycling, and reuse, the transformation of the consumption model from product ownership to product as a service, as well as the geopolitical conflicts. Major technological advancements leading to transformation in socio-economic practices would be required to address these challenges which can have a profound effect on design and manufacturing activities. This research aims to evaluate the potential impact and modification induced by such transformations on product design process. The research identifies that early design automation can enable coping with unmanageable cognitive load generated by cascading changes. A list of modifications to current design practices is proposed to enable the development of a new generation of design tools. The article provides an initial prospective effort to discuss the potential services and functionality that will be offered by future design tools'.