Creative Design and Product Realization

The Creative Design and Product Realization cluster accelerates early-stage innovation by turning ideas into manufacturable concepts and functional prototypes. It combines human-centered design, design thinking, and requirements-driven engineering with CAD/CAE workflows for rapid iteration. Teams validate form, fit, function, and usability through design reviews, simulation, and proof-of-concept builds. The cluster supports both research translation and industry-facing product development with clear milestones from concept to pilot-ready prototype.

A distinctive strength is “design-to-realization” integration—linking prototyping choices to downstream manufacturing constraints and cost, quality, and sustainability targets. Capabilities span rapid prototyping (additive, subtractive, electronics/embedded integration as needed), test planning, and verification. The cluster also enables design documentation and transfer packages (e.g., drawings, BOMs, assembly instructions) that reduce time-to-adoption. This makes it a practical gateway for moving innovations from lab concepts to industry-relevant demonstrations.

 

Representative Research Topics: 

  • Design for manufacturability/assembly (DFM/DFA) and design-to-cost optimization

  • Rapid prototyping workflows for functional validation (mechanical + mechatronic prototypes)

  • CAD/CAE-based product simulation (structural, thermal, tolerance, and performance analyses)

  • Prototype testing, instrumentation, and verification planning for TRL advancement

  • Sustainable product design (materials selection, lifecycle considerations, circularity-ready designs)

 

Group Members

  • Muditha Senanayake, Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences - mmsenanayake@ncat.edu
  • Zhaohui Wang, Assistant Professor, Computer Systems Technology - zwang3@ncat.edu
  • Shaohu Zhang, Assistant Professor, Computer Science - szhang1@ncat.edu
  • Renzun Zhao, Associate Professor, Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering - rzhao@ncat.edu
  • Andrea Ofori-Boadu, Associate Professor, Built Environment - andreao@ncat.edu
  • Troy Purdom, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology- tpurdom@ncat.edu
  • Elizabeth Newcomb-Hopfer, Associate Professor. Family and Consumer Sciences - eanewcom@ncat.edu
  • Nelson Granda, Assistant Professor, Applied Engineering Technology - nagranda@ncat.edu