Digitisation and connectivity are changing the product lifecycle model, comments Antti Lyyra of the London School of Economics and Political Science, who was supported by a grant from RADMA to present his paper entitled “Design after Manufacturing: Case-study Tesla Model S” at a conference.

He says: “The 500 pounds towards travel and conference registration costs allowed me to travel and present my work in the 25th Innovation and Product Development Management Conference.

“Personally, the funding I have received from RADMA has been beneficial, but more broadly, RADMA does important work by bringing the broader community together around the journal and conferences.”

My PhD, titled From Components to Compositions: (De-)construction of Computer-Controlled Behaviour with the Robot Operating System, deals with the innovation dynamics in the context of robotics and artificial intelligence.

“It is directly related to theories of product architectures and their implications to R&D practices.

Not all lessons from computer industry are widely applicable

“Although cars and other more tangible products are becoming more ‘computer-like’ in the sense that they receive frequent software updates. It is important to realise that not all lessons from the computer industry are directly applicable, due to a greater role of the physical structure and embodiment in the products functionality.

“My paper on this topic is currently under review for a journal publication, and I am not aware if this topic is discussed elsewhere in similar terms.”