Herewith is our glossary of terms.
| TERM | DESCRIPTION | NOTES |
| 3D Printing | Constructing a physical model from a CAD using 3D printers that have the ability to deposit material at X, Y, Z coordinates utilizing the instruction set maintained in a file called the gcode. It is part of Additive Manufacturing. | 3D printing utilizes different materials, nozzle and bed temperatures using fusion deposition, laser sintering, UV curing and other methods. Our partner companies Markforged, Nano Dimensions, Desktop Metal, Impossible Objects and others are advancing 3D printing technologies to new heights. Stratasys/MakerBot and FormLabs were the original pioneers in this field. MakerBot also owns Thingiverse, a marketplace for free STL CAD files where designers can upload their CAD files for anyone to download and print. |
| ACID | Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability; a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps | In the context of databases, a sequence of database operations that satisfies the ACID properties is called a transaction. |
| API | Application Programming Interface. It is a set of instructions that can help a program to interact with other software. Application Programming Interface. It is a set of instructions that can help a program to interact with other software. | At NUMO, we will be utilizing our Tendril Connector to aggregate data using API Gateways, Service meshes, microservices and other protocols. |
| ASIC | Application Specific Integrated Circuit. It is a chip that is designed to perform a specific set of operations. Some of the examples of ASIC chips are – Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), Sound Cards, etc. | We will be creating a special purpose chip to serve as our smart embeddings to mange mobility interactions and connectivity to cellular devices. |
| Actionable Intelligence | Having an intelligent basis for “thinking” and “doing” in the building of robotic processes and human-machine interactions.
Actionable Intelligence is our composite control system that accounts for mechanisms, feedback loops, reactions to stimuli, predictive behavior and expert analysis to synthesize man-machine interactions to convert meaning to motion. We divided the domain into cybernetic schemas for write, read, automate, demand, evolve and measure and built a multi-modal inference engine based on training and learned behavior to evolve complex mechanistic actions. |
This is one of the fundamental tenets of NUMO where we plan to reduce the brittleness in current AI/ML implementations by utilizing Existential Intelligence and its multi-modal basis for a coordinated behavior to ascertain the consequences of cause and action. |
| Adaptive Engineering | An aggregation of various scientific principles and mathematical themas along with a broad spectrum of knowledge in multiple disciplines integrated in order to find solutions to complex problems | NUMOs key differentiator that utilizes Additive and Smart Manufacturing and tenets in new engineering using Axiomatic Design, Parlante Framework and Physmatics to innovate new products and solutions. |
| Additive Manufacturing (AM) | Traditional manufacturing methods are built and are subtractive in nature. AM creates products layer-by-layer and so can account for complexities in geometries.
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Example: instead of having a block and cutting pieces out of said block… you have a material and are able to “grow” a certain piece, not wasting or having excess materials
Analogy: Just in time… instead of having parts waiting in the warehouse, have parts only built when supplies are lacking… emphasis on no wasted material… no excess parts. |
| Advisory Board | An advisory board is a group formed from people of various fields of knowledge who volunteer to give advice and support a company in many different ways, from providing strategies and knowledge to increasing confidence and decision making of a company. | We are setting up our Advisory board with members who can support as well as challenge us as we explore the different forces that makeup our company and its progression to be the next leader in the domain of smart manufacturing. |
| Aggregate Data | More complex data that is a combination of individual-level data, often in summary form. Can also represent group averages and be used for purposes such as public reporting, or statistical analysis. | Aggregate data can help to examine trends, make comparisons, and reveal information that would not usually be seen on an individual basis.Example: information about if individual students graduated from high school can be aggregated to create one graduation rate for a class (definition written by one of our interns). |
| AI/ML | AI is the creation of tools through software, hardware or both that mimic human intelligence. AI can range from devices as simple as a calculator to much more complex tools as can be seen in today’s technology.
ML is a subset of AI, that allows software applications to more accurately predict outcomes based on certain learned themes that are used to train the neural network. |
We are in the process of defining Existential Intelligence (EI) that will be the next iteration for AI/ML constructs that would be more rational and pragmatic than current techniques. |
| Air-gapped | A network that is physically isolated from unsecure networks; disconnected as a security measure and prevents an external connection from being established.
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It can be used as a form of security by isolation to protect critical data. Often physically separated and is incapable of connecting wirelessly or physically to other systems. |
| Amalgamated Enterprise |
So, an “amalgamated enterprise” is a business or organization made up of multiple parts or units that work together towards a shared goal, creating a cohesive and integrated whole. |
We are building a company that is a collection of different business units and functions that coordinate together with internal stakeholders and external partners and organizations. |
| AR/VR/XR | Understand the product behavior by simulating the product in a virtual setting or augmenting reality with additional information features. It is being used in high end research to understand product characteristics before they are built and in also interesting marketing and D2C constructing like Living Wine Labels, Kohler Live and what Ikea and Home Depot are doing. | AR adds to physical reality with digital elements while VR replaces physical reality with a simulated one. XR is a combination (mixed) of the two. PTC’s Thingworx and Vuforia, Unity, Reality Engine are companies that are building tools for AR/VR. PTC has a very interesting HBR report on it (Managers Guide to AR). This is part of our DARQ forays into Emerging technologies. |
| Archetype | a self-assumed role or persona by which one can fit within a team or work amongst themselves. It can be a representation of one’s strengths, weaknesses, and knowledge | A self-assumed archetype may be something one should think about when taking on a certain role… how they fit with a team or a companyPeople may also take upon different archetypes (wearing different “hats”) to gain perspectives on different sides of both development and management. |
| Automation | Use of automatic equipment in manufacturing or production process; can be a wide range of technologies that reduce human involvement | Example: using an assembly line to build productsAutomation is the key to additive manufacturing as 3D printers automatically produce objects with limited human intervention.
Will become key to the future as devices become more automated. |
| Axiomatic Design | A design methodology that uses matrix methods to transfer customers’ requirements and needs into actual production aspects for engineers to focus on. | Characterized by a two-dimensional framework, two design axioms, and a zigzagging concept generation processReflects the principle of adaptive engineering in which customers’ needs are closely interconnected with engineers’ restrictions and requirements |
| BOM | Bill Of Materials. It is a list of all the components that are needed for a project. It can also include the supplier information, the quantity needed, and other information. | Along with MSDS, Technical Data Sheet is a new requirement that we have added to the BOM to enable Additive Manufacturing to be in correspondence between upstream and midstream activities, and also provide the basis for spec sheets and user manuals downstream |
| Big Data | Large or overly complex data sets that cannot be processed by regular data processing software: normally classified into structured data, unstructured data, and semi-structured data whose characteristics include the 5Vs – volume, velocity, variety, verity and value. | Higher complexity = higher false discovery rate, more fields = more statistical power Ex: Stock ExchangesTends to come from new data sources
Big data becomes crucial to understand for the future, as will be necessary to understand the “truth” rather than simply understanding what is “true” |
| Blockchain/Distributed Ledger | A system consisting of “blocks” that record information in a way such that no block can be altered retroactively without changing the systemFacilitates process of recording information and assets in a business network.
Blockchain is a type of distributed ledger Allows participants to confirm transactions without a need for a central clearing authority Examples: Bitcoin and Ethereum |
Proof of existence #POE is the mechanism to #hash #digitalassets to hide the actual content. The Hash of the digital asset can be embedded in a blockchain transaction. The presence of that transaction on the public #blockchain like #bitcoin or #ethereum proves that the digital asset existed when the transaction got added to the block.This technique is utilized for things like copyrighted material or patents. |
| Board of Directors | Group elected by shareholders that oversees or manages a company’s decisions; protects shareholders’ interests, establishes policies for management, makes important decisions for company/organization | The board of directors has some authority over the CEO of a companyEvery company has a board of directors
Members usually consist of senior-most executives and a range of experts that are selected from a wider community |
| Born not Built | Adaptive Engineering, process of creating a product using a given amount of material instead of taking apart a material and building the product | Most efficient way of creating productsInstead of taking a material and “chopping” off excess, we use an exact amount of material to precisely create the product
Heavily present in additive manufacturing |
| Brown-field, Green-field, Blue-sky | Brown-field: Retrofitting existing systems with added hardware like sensors to assess operational conditions betterGreen-field: Lift-and-shift of existing practices to a new platform
Blue-sky: Use of new technologies to innovate and disrupt |
Our forays with plant modernization and factory digitalization have enabled us to break initiatives into these three categories to appropriately classify the degree of complexity in each of the undertakings. For Numorpho, we will be following the blue-sky approach to showcase the art of the possible by using science for imagination. |
| CDR | Critical Design Review: The purpose of the Critical Design Review is to make sure the design meets the specs and is ready for manufacturing. | The Critical Design Review can make sure that manufacturing does not have any problems so that money and resources will not have to be allocated to fixing these issues |
| Circular Economy | A resilient system that is good for business, people, and the environment by decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources | Example: electrical devices are purposefully designed so that they are easy to repairProducts tend to be more reusable in a circular economy
3 main principles: design out waste and pollution, keep current products in use, and regenerate natural systems |
| Cloud Provisioning | Allocation of cloud provider’s resources and services to the customer; refers to how the client gets cloud services and resources from provider | 3 types of provisioning: circuit provisioning, service provisioning, and switch provisioningCloud services that customers can subscribe to include infrastructure-as-a-service(IaaS), software-as-a-service(SaaS), and platform-as-a-service(PaaS). |
| Codex | OpenAI Codex is an artificial intelligence model that parses natural language to generate code in response. It allows for an efficient way to create software. | Powers GitHub Copilot, a programming autocompletion tool for Visual Studio Code.Can turn simple English instructions into actual code in several languages |
| Connected Commerce | Seamless and personalized integration of online and in-store experiences that enables customers to engage in transactions in whatever method that they want | Reflects the principles of adaptive engineering due to the connected nature of having customers partake in several avenues of commerceSome examples of ecommerce models include Business-to-Business(B2B), Business-to-Consumer(B2C), Consumer-to-Consumer(C2C), Consumer-to-Business(C2B), Business-to-Government(B2G), and Business-to-Business-to-Consumer(B2B2C). |
| Coordinated Commercials | Services that coordinate how, where, and when advertisements will be placed such that they can most effectively be viewed by the general public | Key marketing strategy by business executives to best sell their products; becomes especially important for the future as more and more people compete to get their products on the market |
| CPM | Cost Per Mile refers to the average amount spent for every thousand times your product ad is loaded by internet browsers. To calculate CPM, divide your ad cost by the number of impressions, and then multiply that total by one thousand. | Looking at ad spend helps you figure out which ads are performing better than others so you can re-allocate budget as you go through the ad campaign. |
| CRUD | Create, Read, Update, and Delete; the four basic operations of persistent storage that developers can use as guidance | Also sometimes used to describe user interface conventions that facilitate viewing, searching, and changing information using computer-based forms and reports |
| CTR | Click Through Rate is the number of clicks that your ad receives divided by the number of times your ad is shown. To calculate this, divide the number of clicks by the number of impressions. | For example, if you had 5 clicks and 100 impressions, then your CTR would be 5%. Generally, a higher CTR means higher interest |
| Custom Manufactory | The basis for custom mass manufacturing. Process of designing, engineering, and producing products that specifically tailor to a customer’s requests and specifications. | With the help of additive manufacturing, custom manufacturing becomes more and more widespread.Custom manufactory also allows for more personalized products that individuals may specifically need or request instead of current, repetitive models. Our theme of Adaptive Engineering will be the basis for this next iteration of manufacturing. |
| Cyber-Physical Systems | The basis for Industry 4.0. Computer systems with a mechanism that is controlled or monitored by computer-based algorithms that can range from simple to complex(example: using AI for an algorithm) | Examples of functionality for these systems include integrating sensing, computation, control and networking into physical objects and infrastructure, and connecting them to the Internet and to each other. |
| Cybernetics | Science of communication and control theory that is concerned with the comparative study of automatic control systems | Using cybernetics, people can compare the strengths and weaknesses of different automatic control systems to best gauge how to improve these systems. We take it a step beyond by including Actionable Intelligence the correct basis between the “thinking” and the “doing” to make causation less brittle than current AI techniques. |
| Cybersecurity | Protection of computer systems and networks from information disclosure, theft, damage to hardware, software, or electronic data, as well as the disruption that the threat may entail. | Cybersecurity becomes crucial and necessary for businesses as they attempt to establish a place in the market.Without taking cybersecurity into account, business may fall prey to ransomware and essentially lose everything overnight.
Thus, cybersecurity teams need to be taken into account whenever deciding to start a business or company. |
| DARQ | Distributed Ledger, Artificial Intelligence, Extended Reality, and Quantum Computing; the set of most advanced and emerging technologies that are bound to conquer the technical industry in the future | Distributed ledger can be useful for recording information, artificial intelligence can be useful for developing algorithms, extended reality can be useful for creating simulations, and quantum computing can be useful for added efficiency to communication |
| DevOps/DevSecOps | DevOps: a set of practices that combines software development with IT operationsDevSecOps: Stands for development, security, and operations; is similar to DevOps but with added security measures | DevSecOps will become important in the future because of the growing need for cybersecurityWithout DevSecOps, companies could be in danger of ransomware and may experience major setbacks in the development stage |
| DFM | Design for manufacturability; general engineering practice of designing products that are easy to manufacture. This results in products that are often optimized cost-wise and time-wise. | Exists in several engineering disciplines; meaning that it is useful in adaptive engineering.Complexity of the product might be lowered, and aspects of the product may be optimized for most efficiency |
| DFMA | Design for Manufacture and Assembly; combination of the two methodologies Design for Manufacture(focuses on ease of manufacturing different parts that form a product) and Design for Assemble(focuses on ease of assembling different parts that form a product) | Allows for increased efficiency and saves time/money by making it possible for large items(such as furniture) to be ordered online. Instead of shipping entire products which can often be damaged or disassembled, DFMA guarantees that products are safely delivered. Apart from use in shipping, DFMA overall allows for increased efficiency for both manufacturers and consumers. |
| Digital Mélange | a digital medley or mixture…a combination of multiple aspects of electronic technology and data which can be used in combination in different ways | Useful for developing products as it offers a great mixture of data and processesCan also be used to help gauge improvements for products |
| Digital Thread | The use of digital tools and representations for design, evaluation, and life cycle management in order to simulate the production of a specific product | Examples: CAD, CAE, CAM used togetherCommunication framework that connects traditionally siloed elements in manufacturing processes and provides an integrated view of the asset through its development |
| Digital Transformation/Digital Decoupling | ||
| Digital Twin | A virtual representation that serves as a real-time digital counterpart to the normal physical products or processes; used for testing | Great for testing because it is essentially a computer program that uses real world data to create a simulation of how a product would perform in the real worldCan also be used to evaluate a risk(ex: cybersecurity) in developing a product so that it can be prevented before it actually happens during manufacturing or production |
| Digital TwineTM | A Reference Architecture for the Enterprise that combines Digital Threads (the process) with Digital Twins (the virtual manifestation of the physical product or interface). | This helps map out a dynamic blueprint for managing the end-to-end ecosystem and the product lifecycle. It details the collaboration between the different enterprise systems and the interactions with external services to enable real time pull-and-push of appropriate information and their meaningful interpretation.
Has been used to blueprint more than 20 process automation use cases to craft numerous non-linear stories to harmonize and optimize activities. |
| Digitization/Digitalization | Digitization: The process of converting information into a computer-readable formatDigitalization: Converting text, pictures, or sound into a digital form that can be processed by computers | Digitization/digitalization will become even more prevalent than it is now so that data can be more easily recorded and processed by computers |
| DVT | Design Validation Test; a Design Validation Test is essentially how a product developer proves that the hardtech they have built actually works for the intended customer the way it has been designed to function. | Questions you might ask yourself include: “Does my design fit in the form factor I envisioned? Does it all come together to look like I want?” |
| ECO | Engineering Change Order; to keep product development on-track, hardtech startups should utilize Engineering Change Orders as a way to document/specify new product design details or to propose changes to products already in the product development pipeline. Once production starts, engineering is not off the hook yet – as they manage changes by documenting, publishing, and overly communicating them as much as possible! | Once the product is launched into production, changes may still occur. To ensure that mistakes don’t get overlooked, or to prevent manufacturing tooling from being designed to an outdated spec, Engineering documentation is formally released, and “revision controlled”. This means that it takes a few more eyeballs (and signatures!) to make changes. This is because changes at this point can get really expensive. |
| Ecosystem | a complex network in which various things can interact and be interconnected within a system; from a technological point of view, it refers to different networks of business entities that support or compete with each other | biologically can be referred to as a interaction between organism and their physical environmenttechnologically refers to interconnected and interdependent business entities |
| Edge, Fog and Cloud | Cloud computing: Standard of IoT data storage right nowFog computing: Acts as an intermediate layer between traditional centralized data(cloud) and edge devices
Edge computing: processes data away from the centralized storage (cloud) and keeps information on the local parts of the network |
Cloud computing tends to be the most widely-used form of IoT data managementAll have been used to widely increase speed and efficiency of data processing and bring intelligence closer to IoT devices |
| Elevator Pitch | A short description of an idea, product, or company that explains the concept to a listener that can understand the idea briefly | Derives its name from business people only having brief windows of time to “sell” their product’s idea to possible marketersExample: A helmet that can be folded for quick and easy use |
| Endless Aisle | The concept of ordering items online for shoppers that visit a physical store. If products aren’t available in store at the time, customers can take this route to get their product shipped to their home | Allows for an additional means of which customers can get the service that they want; adds to the list of connected commerce for easy communication between customer and business |
| ERP | enterprise resource planning refers to a software which is able to consolidate and automate time consuming daily tasks of a business | allows companies to focus on more pressing business needs…can be correlated to a theory of economic growth… once a country is able to consolidate its major needs(agriculture, political stability)… it is then able to go into the takeoff stage in which it is able to transition to more of a service or technology based economy |
| Everything Connected | Refers to the interconnection between several different fields and disciplines when it comes to adaptive engineeringAlso refers to interconnection between humans and machines as we get into Industry and Services 5.0 | Becomes critical in the future due to the interconnection of everything; while one part of a product might be developed at one time, a team of marketers might be trying to figure out how to sell the product for the most efficiencyPersonalized products and experiences and more desired, making humans and machines more closely interconnected than ever |
| EVT | Engineering Validation Test; moving forward with an Engineering Validation Test enables product developers to do two really important things: (1) identify engineering design fixes needed and (2) determine production intent design. | When you’re at the point where you’re asking “Is my idea possible? Can I prove to others that it works?”This is when it’s time to conduct an Engineering Validation Test. After engineering validation tests have been done, then you move on to DVT which incorporates all the design elements – the final form and package. |
| Executive Summary | Short document or section of a document that is produced for business purposesCan be a summary of a longer report or proposal that can allow for readers to easily understand the content of the different bodies of material without directly reading all of them | Summarizes key points of reportUsually, should be written last after getting all the information down
Usually engaging to keep audience focused on the topic |
| Existential Intelligence | Ability to use intuition, thought, and meta-cognition to ask and answer deep questions about human existence; important in the context of machines | In order for humans and machines to become more closely interconnected and for products to become more personalized to humanity, existential intelligence will be needed to be implemented into machines so that they can take the “human” side |
| Form Factor | Form factor means the size, shape, and other physical specifications of components required for your product (inside, outside, throughout). | Engineers need to keep these factors in mind when designing products with limits and restrictions in the meanwhile optimizing for success |
| Genetic Programming | A new method to generate computer programs; programs can be “bred” through continuous improvement of an initially random population of programs | Derived from the model of biological evolutionSimilar to the use of artificial intelligence except for developing programs themselves |
| HDK | Hardware Developer Kits; Arduino sensors and/or Raspberry Pi components which are very cost effective and more easily accessible from the marketplace. | Concepting the product means sketching out the design, either through drawings or 3D renderings. The overall goal of making a proof of concept is to ideate and mock-up how the product will function / perform. You may have to refine your concept several times before performing EVTs. |
| HSA | The Hybrid Space Architecture is the integration of emergent “new space” smallsat capabilities with traditional US Government space systems. | |
| Ikigai | Something that gives someone a sense of purpose and a reason for living; important in the context of machines and NUMO’s goal | Japanese concept that means “your reason for being”“Iki” means life and “gai” means value/worth
Important for having machines understand the values of humans as they will need to gain a certain amount of sentience to perform greater tasks |
| Industry 4.0 | The Fourth Industrial Revolution; conceptualizes rapid change to technology, industries, and societal patterns and processes in the 21st century due to increased interconnectivity and automation | essentially describes the rise of machines and automation used to benefit human life and increase productivity and efficiency |
| Industry and Services 5.0 | Human-centric design solution where the ideal human companion and cabots collaborate with human resources to enable personalizable autonomous manufacturing through enterprise social networks | Marks a change between this and the former Industrial Revolution as more interaction between humans and machines are required. In order to accomplish this, machines will need to gain an amount of sentience that can correlate with humans’ |
| Inside-Outside | One of two adoption paths for new computing technologies; pioneered by established institutions and later proliferate outward to the mainstream | Examples: Apple pioneering the smartphone, Amazon pioneering cloud computingUnlike Outside-Inside technologies, which start out as unique ideas and later on move toward the established institutions |
| Interoperable | (Referring to computer systems or software) able to exchange and utilize information, also has the ability to work with or use the parts or equipment of another system | computer systems and software are becoming more interoperable as processes become more closely interconnected |
| Inventor-Innovator-Entrepreneur-Business Owner | Inventor-Innovator-Entrepreneur-Business Owner describes the chain of jobs that follow as work becomes more entangled with business operations | Inventors simply look for a new product that has never been made before and isn’t very interested in the marketInnovators look for new ways and ideas to do things and may attempt to improve items already on the market
Entrepreneurs mostly focus on trying to take a product and sell it on the market Business owners oversee these operations of how the product sells on the market |
| Investor Relations (IR) | Division of a business whose job it is to provide investors with an accurate account of company affairs so that investors can become interested in their company or organization | Helps private and institutional investors make informed decisions on whether or not to invest in a certain company |
| IoT/IIoT/IT-OT | IoT: Internet of Things, describes physical objects with sensors, processing ability, software, and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the InternetIIoT: Industrial Internet of Things, refers to interconnected sensors, instruments, and other devices that are networked together with computers’ roles in production such as manufacturing
IT-OT: Operational technology is hardware or software that detects changes when monitoring industrial equipment |
All three play critical roles in the production process as sensors can often detect if/when there is a malfunction or slow-downAlso raises the awareness for cybersecurity as the internet becomes more critical in these operations |
| Kirigami | A variation of origami, the Japanese art of folding paper, in which paper is cut as well as folded. This often results in a three-dimensional design that “pops” out of the page | Critical to understanding the JWST as the mirrors of the JWST can be modeled through kirigami(allowing for the mirrors to be folded into the Ariane 5)Can also be used to model other products |
| KPI (Key Performance Indicator) | KPI: a type of performance indicator that evaluates the success of an organization in the particular activity that it attempts to engage in | Choosing KPI’s directly relates to the business’s goals and focusing on key metrics of the businessAdditionally, KPI can evaluate a company’s stage of growth |
| Lean Canvas | A 1-page business plan template that allows for ideas to be easily deconstructed into key assumptions for easy viewing and outlining | Lean canvases can easily sum up a company’s operations and the fields that may generally surround the company’s work and services |
| Linked Solutioning | According to NUMO, Linked Solutioning refers to the process of collaboratively solving complex problems by leveraging the expertise and resources of multiple organizations. This approach aims to optimize processes, propel society towards a more advanced and sustainable future, and create a world where technology and human ingenuity go hand in hand. | Linked Solutioning is our basis for collaborations and partnerships with cloud provisioning providers, tool providers, engineering software, production systems, marketing elements and other 3rd party services. We have created various strategy boards for different domains that depict our partnership model in a chess board template that we call our boards for collaboration. |
| Make-Manage-Move-Market-Maintain | The 5 M’s relating to the development and management of a product or service; often follows this chain as the product is developed and marketed through time | Make refers to creating the product, Manage refers to monitoring the product, move refers to spreading the product, market refers to selling the product, and maintain refers to keeping the product on the market |
| ManthanTM | A Design Philosophy for Innovation that combines Strategic Intent, Story Telling, Design Thinking and Systems Engineering into an agile sprint-based approach for build the next generation products and solutions. This is the first of four tenets of Numorpho Cybernetic Systems. | Innovation is more than invention in the sense that you have to look beyond the known-knowns to the uncertain areas of unknown-knowns, known-unknowns and even unknown-unknowns to collaborate and account for the complexities as we bring to fruition new products and solutions. We have assembled a series of curriculum topics in the Manthan Design Philosophy for Innovation to step thru the Imagine-Design-Create process for ideation. |
| Mantra M5TM | Mantra M5 is a cutting-edge platform developed by Numorpho Cybernetic Systems (NUMO) that aims to bridge the gap between the connected digital world and physical assets by embracing the concepts of Web3 and the Metaverse. It aims to coordinate Make, Manage, Move, Market and Maintain activities. | |
| Marketplace | Online platforms for technology interaction aimed at facilitating dissemination, contact and networking among stakeholders of R&D capabilities and needs | Technologically, the marketplace allows for ideas and services to be widely spread throughout the internet so that people may choose to invest or participate in the service |
| MBSE (Model Based System Engineering) | MBSE is the application of modeling systems as a cost-effective way to explore and document system characteristics. By testing and validating system characteristics early, models facilitate timely learning of properties and behaviors, enabling fast feedback on requirements and design decisions. | At Numorpho, we implement MBSE in the new using what we call Outcome Based Adaptive Engineering (OBAE) that steps thru concept, design, validation for manufacturability, production and after market considerations to confirm the engineering at every tep. |
| Metaverse | a virtual reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users; essentially serves as a fictional universe | will become key for the future as humans and machines become more and more connectedexamples: extended reality headsets, blockchain and non fungible tokens, IoT and cloud technologies |
| Micro-mobility, macro-mobility, hyper-mobility | Aka Personalized Active TransportationAKA Urban Air Transportation
Micro-mobility: small, lightweight vehicles that are driven by users personally Macro-mobility: movement of devices between two network domains hyper-mobility: even faster movement of devices |
Reflects the shift in mobility over timemicro starts off small and slower, while hyper becomes much faster |
| Mission Statement | a short statement of why an organization exists, what its overall goal is, and identifying the goal of its operations(whether that is a product or service that it provides) | Similar to executive summary in that it offers a holistic view of a company’s needs and goals so that consumers and investors can easily understand |
| MLOps | Set of practices that aims to deploy and maintain machine learning models in production reliably and efficiently to solve problems | As machines are used more and more to solve human-based problems, MLOps will be important to make sure that they keep learning |
| MOQ | Minimum Order Quantity; the smallest number of units a hardtech startup is able to order from the manufacturer at a time. | When doing a manufacturing run, sometime there is significant material waste purging a machine or long set up costs that involve changing a tool or loading new components. Because of these time and costs, many manufacturers require a certain volume to do a manufacturing run. |
| Multi-modal | characterized by several different modes of activity or occurrence; understands that communication and representation to be more than about language | Multi-modal communication may be necessary for machines to take on more human characteristics, as they may not necessarily utilize the exact same language that humans use |
| MVP | Minimum Viable Product; refers to the version of a product with just enough features to be usable by early customers who can then provide feedback for future product development | Releasing an MVP early can allow for reduced costs and increased efficiency for the future as developers will be able to avoid having to make a later change to their product |
| Neuromorphic Engineering | Use of very-large-scale integration (VLS) containing electronic analog circuit to mimic neuro-biological architectures prevalent in the nervous system | Neuromorphic engineering is crucial for machines to gain “Human” senses such as feeling emotions or pain to better work and interact with humans |
| NLP | Ability of a computer program to understand human language as it’s spoken and written; a component of artificial intelligence | GPT-3, Codexhas existed for more than 50 years, is important for adequate communication between humans and machines |
| OBAE (Outcome Based Adaptive Engineering) | OBAE combines parametric modeling, generative design, additive manufacturing and actionable intelligence. | It is the prime basis for Numorpho Cybernetic Systems (NUMO) smart products and services play and is the core of our Mantra M5 (Make+Manage+Move+Market+Maintain) platform for process automation. |
| Omnichannel | Multichannel approach to sales that seeks to provide customers with a seamless shopping experience; includes shopping online or using a mobile device, telephone, etc. | Gives customers several different choices and relates to the connectivity involved in adaptive engineering of which users’ needs are often taken into account when designing software |
| PaaS | Platform as a Service; a category of cloud computing services that allows customers to provision, instantiate, run, and manage a modular | It is a complete development and deployment environment in the cloud and has resources that enables the user to deliver everything from simple cloud-based apps to sophisticated applications that use the cloud |
| Parlante Architecture | Architecture that explains its own function or identity; often portrayed through a picture or a model and has text describing its function | Phrase was originally associated with Claude Nicolas LedouxExample: New York Yacht Club |
| PDR | Preliminary Design Review; The purpose of a Preliminary Design Review is to make sure that the design is meeting all the necessary design specifications, or “specs” for short. | The audience of the PDR will be all major stakeholders from sales, marketing, advisory/leadership, engineering, manufacturing, etc. A PDR should be conducted before commencing work on the detailed product design. The design will mostly live in a “CAD-only” state, so changes are still easy to make as the design is still mostly digital. Engineering Simulations may have been conducted on the CAD Model to predict performance and reliability, and in some cases, a preliminary 3D-printed prototype has been made as well. Reviewing the conceptual (or “alpha”) design will help the hardtech developer ensure that the planned technical approach is sufficient and will help to resolve major design issues. |
| Physical-Digital/Atoms-Bits | Physical-Digital: Translating aspects of the physical realm to a digital spaceAtoms-Bits: Similar, but translates on a much smaller scale for programs | Essential to digital technologyPhysical-Digital tends to be on a larger scale
Atoms-Bits can refer to programs and software |
| Physmatics | Physmatics is a mélange of physics and mathematics that serves to model, simulate and react to real world situations. | An equal application of both physics and mathematics to sufficiently design and create products using adaptive engineering. Often involved in implementation of softtech, hitech, hardtech, and deeptech |
| Pitch Deck | 10-20 slide presentation that is designed to give a short summary of one’s company, business plan, and startup vision | similar to the executive summary and mission statement but much more expansiveStill summarizes and does not go into full detail |
| PLM | Product Lifecycle Management; process of managing a product’s lifecycle from inception, design and manufacturing, sales, service, and finally retirement | Key to management side of products as products need to be monitored throughout their entire life cycles; often a strategic process |
| POC | Proof of Concept; the overall goal of making a proof of concept is to ideate and mock-up how the product will function / perform. | When a product developer or hardtech entrepreneur is first starting out, it is important to fully work through product feasibility and general concept. |
| Porter’s 5 Forces | Method of analyzing the operating environment of a competition of a business; the five forces are the number and power of a company’s competitive rivals, potential new market entrants, suppliers, customers, and substitute products | All aspects tend for influence the company’s profitability and can be used to determine the competitive intensity of the companyDraws from industrial organization economics |
| Predictive Analytics | Encompasses a variety of statistical techniques from data mining, predictive modeling, and machine learning using analysis of current and historical facts to create predictions about the future | Predictive analytics will become extremely important due to the unpredictable nature of our progress on machines; furthermore, as machines become more autonomous and sentient, predictive analysis will be necessary to predict their progress |
| Profit Margin Calculator | The formula for gross margin percentage is as follows: gross_margin = 100 * profit / revenue (when expressed as a percentage). The profit equation is: profit = revenue – costs, so an alternative margin formula is: margin = 100 * (revenue – costs) / revenue. Now that you know how to calculate profit margin, here’s the formula for revenue: revenue = 100 * profit / margin. And finally, to calculate how much you can pay for an item, given your margin and revenue (or profit), do: costs = revenue – margin * revenue / 100 | Not only do you have this fantastic idea for an amazing product that the world needs, but you actually have to make a profitable business. This is where knowing your numbers comes in. |
| Prologue | Prologue is a term used in literature and theater to describe an introductory section or preface to a story or play. It’s used to provide context, set the tone, or introduce characters and themes. It’s often used to grab the audience’s attention and get them invested in the story. | We start every article/whitepaper with a prologue with an interesting reference to weave into the subject matter that we are delving into |
| Prototype | The first, typical or preliminary model of something, especially a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied | PurgatoryRefers to the original model of something; is often build on through numerous iterations to best optimize the prototype |
| PVT | Production Validation Test; Running a Production Validation Test means performing an initial ‘small-batch’ production run, which essentially confirms that the hardtech can be manufactured within your cost projections. | With the intention of selling all these initial products to customers, this small production run allows product developers to “verify mass production yields at mass production speeds” |
| Quantum Computing | A type of computation whose operations can harness different aspects of quantum mechanics such as superposition, interference, and entanglement | Utilized by quantum computers to perform even more efficient computing than the speed of lightOften solves problems that are too complex for classical computers |
| Question Focused Dataset | Subset of data that is derived from one or more parent data sources and substantially transformed in order to answer a specific analytic question or small set of questions | Can be a subset of big data to reveal different aspects of what “true” of the data set without revealing the entire “truth”As machines advance, they will be able to better parse question focused datasets |
| RDBMS | Relational Database Management System; provides an interface between users and applications and the database, as well as administrative functions for managing data storage, access, and performance | Four major components: Table, Record/Tuple/Row, Field, and Column/AttributeRDBMS are the most popular form of DBMS which include Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, and DB2 |
| ROAS | Return on Ad Spend is a marketing metric that measures the effectiveness of your digital advertising campaign. To calculate ROAS, divide the revenue attributed to your ad campaign by the cost of that campaign. For example, if you spend $1,000 on ads and your revenue is $2k, then ROAS is 200% (2000/1000). | When your hardtech startup is ready to start marketing its product(s) and you’re considering how much to spend on advertising, it’s good to think about Return On Advertising Spend. Evaluating this metric helps you determine which methods are working and how future advertising efforts can be improved. |
| ROI | Return on Investment; the ratio between net income and investment used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare the efficiencies of several different investments | A high ROI means the investment’s gains compare favorably to its costWorks as a direct numerical comparison for investors to evaluate |
| SCM | Supply Chain Management; the optimization of a product’s creation and flow from raw material sourcing to production, logistics, and delivery to the consumer | Additive manufacturing is an example of how products’ creation can be optimized by ensuring that no resources are wastedAlso reflects the interconnectivity of adaptive engineering as all members need to be aware of both the development and management processes |
| Sensors | A device which measures or detects a physical property and records, indicates, or otherwise responds to it; can aid in development or monitoring an operation | Tends to be classified into two subsections: analog sensors and digital sensorsDifferent sensors include temperature sensors, IR sensors, ultrasonic sensors, pressure sensors, proximity sensors, and touch sensors |
| SLA | Service-level agreement; a commitment between a service provider and a client; different aspects of the service such as quality, availability, and responsibilities are agreed on between the provider and the user | 3 types of SLAs: Customer-based SLA, which is used for individual customers and comprises all relevant services that client may need; Service-based SLA, which is a contract that includes one identical type of service for all customers; and Multi-level SLA, which is customized according to the needs of the end-user company. |
| Smart Manufacturing | A broad category of manufacturing that employs computer-integrated manufacturing, high levels of adaptability and rapid design changes, digital information technology, and more flexible technical workforce training | Adaptive engineering utilizes many aspects of smart manufacturing in order to most efficiently create and develop products to be sold on the market |
| SWOT Analysis | A strategic planning and strategic management technique used to help a person or organization identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to business competition or project planning | Essential to the management side of a company in order to gauge competition and current progress within the market |
| Synthetic | Something that is a result of synthesis rather than occurring naturally; taking different parts and combining them to create a full product | Example: The JWST was split into several different parts(sun shades, mirrors, spacecraft bus, etc.) in development so that they could each be developed in tangent to one another to ensure the most efficiency possible |
| TAM/SAM/SOM | TAM: Total Available Market; the total market demand for a product or serviceSAM: Serviceable Available Market; the segment of the TAM targeted by one’s products and services which is within one’s geographical reach
SOM: Serviceable Obtainable Market; the portion of SAM that one can capture |
Example: When starting a fast food chain, the TAM would be the worldwide fast food restaurant marketThe SAM would be the demand for the specific type of products within your reach
The SOM would be people who may enjoy fast food who happen to be located near your fast food chain |
| TAU Codex OrchestratorTM | A multimodal AI engine that will prevent large biases from corrupting predictions so that actionable intelligence has the correct basis for performance | Necessary for AI embedded machines to develop contextual awareness so that appropriately act and develop leading up to their gaining of Existential Intelligence(EI) |
| Technical Debt | Implied cost of additional rework caused by different problems such as product delays, hidden risks, spiraling costs, or leaving engineers | Can amount to 20 to 40 percent of the value of entire technology estateIf not repaid, it can accumulate “interest” and make it even harder to implement changes |
| Tendril ConnectorTM | The robust protocol for integrations that combines human machine, system-to-system, and third-party web-service interactions to enable north-south API gateways and microservices and east-west service mesh integrations with IoT and Smart Devices, Edge Servers, and Big Data constructs | Will define a new way of integration and communication which will follow the tenets of API-lead connectivity, Service meshes and Microservices, but also include smart processing of emergent technologies and actionable intelligence |
| Unit of Work | A single transaction that involves multiple operations of insert/update/delete; a unit of execution such as a job in computing | Concept related to the effective implementation of the repository patternFor a specific user action, all the transactions like insert/update/delete and so on are done in one single transaction |
| Upstream-Midstream-Downstream | Upstream system: a system that sends data to the collaboration server systemDownstream system: a system that receives data from the collaboration server system
Midstream: the middle portion of upstream and downstream |
All “streams” upstream, downstream, and midstream, are becoming more closely connected in adaptive engineering so that data can be tracked wherever it is in the process |
| Value Proposition Map | Allows one to identify and prioritize customer needs that one needs to fulfill; also narrows down focus on product development, marketing, and branding | Can be used to concentrate on highest priority and solve customers’ needs; adaptive engineering causes this evaluation to be very necessary as all workers will need to know the customers’ needs and requirements |
| Web3 | A new variant of the World Wide Web which incorporates concepts such as decentralization, blockchain technologies, and token-based economics | Hosts decentralized apps that run on blockchain technologyWill become more prevalent as humans and machines become more closely interconnected |
NI+IN UCHIL Founder, CEO & Technical Evangelist
nitin.uchil@numorpho.com