Concept design of new grippers using abstraction and analogy

Design by analogy is a powerful technique for new design solutions. In the literature, there are two possible approaches. The first is more user-friendly but is low structured. The other is more complex, which structures the problem better but is highly time-consuming. This article presents a simple system for structuring the design-by-analogy method, which is based on the abstraction of the problem. The application of these solutions resulted in an increase in design possibilities. Results were collected in a repository, whose order is based on functional logic. The proposed technique was tested on the conceptual phase in the design of novel grippers. The application resulted in the development of innovative grippers. The process can be extended to many different fields. The method can be used as a creativity support during the design phase, also creating repositories that can be enlarged and reused for different applications.