Verifying the Test Methods and Certification Criteria for New Technological Convergence Products: Using Living Labs as a Methodology

Hyung Jin Kim

doi:10.3390/app10093269

Abstract

The recent industrial transformation driven by industry 4.0 and related emerging technologies, such as big data and Internet of Things (IoT), have exerted significant impacts on the key aspects of new product development. As an example, new smart products are being developed in various ways through technological convergence. The convergence-oriented development of new products, however, may increase the difficulty of getting tested and certified due to the incompatibility with the existing certification standards. Additionally, it may take several years to develop and verify new standards, possibly delaying the product launch. To deal with this trouble, this study proposes an interesting idea that living labs can be effectively used in verifying the test methods and certification criteria for new technological convergence products (NCPs). Specifically, this study develops a framework for analyzing the real-use environment of NCPs and deriving the primary living lab components that should be implemented for verification purposes. The presented framework is then applied to real NCP cases to check its validity. To the best of my knowledge, this study is among the first elaborating the idea of using living labs as the methodology for verifying the test methods and certification criteria for NCPs. The specific methods developed in this study can be used as important guidelines that practitioners can follow step by step. Theoretically, this study also has significant implications for living lab literature and context-related research.

Highlights

The global economy is paying great attention to the fourth industrial revolution to make breakthroughs throughout all industries [1]
To the best of my knowledge, this is among the first elaborating the idea of using living labs as the methodology for verifying the test methods and certification criteria for new technological convergence products (NCPs)
The analytic tools developed in this study effectively link one of the core properties of living labs, i.e., realism, with the necessity in the area of the certification, i.e., understanding of real-use environment, for the new products such as NCPs

Summary

Introduction

The global economy is paying great attention to the fourth industrial revolution to make breakthroughs throughout all industries [1]. Compared to other preceding revolutions initiated by a single technology (e.g., steam, electricity), industry 4.0 embraces a set of technological developments that encourage the creation of new types of products that are totally different and innovative, to meet new market requirements [2]. The industry 4.0 paradigm stimulates the expansion of existing products and the emergence of new smart products through combination and convergence with recent advanced technologies. The development of innovative products with a special focus on the integration and convergence of technologies, may face unexpected barriers just before entering the market. This is due in part to the incompatibility of the new products with the extant standards for certification.

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion