And Suddenly the Inventor Appeared: TRIZ, the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving - Softcover

Genrich Altshuller

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0964074028 ISBN 13: 9780964074026

Publisher: Technical Innovation Center, Inc., 1996

Synopsis

This legendary book was first published in English in 1990. It has been re-translated and extensively revised, including material not found in the original translation. It is Altshuller's most popular book in Russia on how to become an inventor, and how to solve technical problems. The translator, Lev Shulyak, is himself an accomplished inventor, engineer and TRIZ expert.

About this title

About the Author

Genrich Altshuller received his first Soviet patent at the age of fourteen. While in his early twenties he began developing TRIZ. Stalin rewarded him with 25 years imprisonment in Siberia. Released after Stalin's death, he led the underground TRIZ revolution -- a fundemental shift in the technical creativity paradigm.

From the Back Cover

"A landmark text, the best introduction to TRIZ available in English." Larry R. Smith, Ford Motor Company

From the Inside Flap

"This is an astonishing piece of work. It not only suggests and explains many effective thinking strategies for inventing, it introduces many resources like physics, chemistry and geometry as tools for solving invention problems and for predicting solutions for problems as yet unrecognized! "In addition, it organizes into a coherent theory a great many of the ways a thinker can develop skill in approaching a problem where there is "no answer" -- where invention is necessary. "And, to put the frosting on the cake, all of this is presented by inviting the reader to learn be doing. The author presents a marvelous variety of real problems where an invention is needed, and asks the reader to use one or another of the TRIZ techniques to invent a solution. "The method is based on a study of thousands of inventions and provides many general principles for reducing a problem to its essentials, reexamining it with fresh eyes, and guiding the would-be inventor to specific areas of technology that are likely to help. "I know of no other approach to inventing that offers such a rich arsenal of both practical and imaginative thinking tools. "In a word, TRIZ is a treasure." Sincerly, George M. Prince, Co-founder of Synectics, Inc.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From Part 6, Chapter 36: The sun caresses his wings

There are inventions whose fate reminds one of Anderson's Tale about the ugly duckling. They are also kicked, laughed at, and pecked....

The first steamboat that crossed the Atlantic Ocean covered more than half the distance under sail. The boat had no passengers nor cargo. All the space was filled with coal, and in spite of that, there was not enough fuel to cover the whole distance. Major newspapers wrote: "Steamboats cruising across the ocean are nonsense. The ships can carry only their own fuel!"

The first vacuum cleaner was built in 1901, and it could barely fit into a horse carriage. This contraption would come to a house where workers would unwind its hose and stretch it out into a room As soon as they started the engine and began cleaning, a laughing crowd would immediately gather around throwing stones at the machine....

The first pocketwatch was so heavy that it was impossible to carry in your pocket. Owners very often would hire a butler to carry the watch. This provided a lot of laughs.

The energy of the first solar engine was barely enough to run a small printing press. On cloudy days the paper could not be printed. This was cause for many jokes, caricatures and laughs. Was the idea to use solar energy a mistake? In our time, solar elements work on many installations -- including spaceships.

New machines should not be judged by their looks but by the power of their ideas. Days will pass, and the "ugly duckling" will become a "beautiful swan." And, as Andersen said, old swans will bow their heads before him and the sun will caress his wings.

Edition details

• Publisher: Technical Innovation Center, Inc.
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0964074028
• ISBN 13: 9780964074026
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 171