This paper proposes an upgrade planning method of Upgradable Product Service System: Up-PSS. The purpose of this study is to obtain upgrading cycle, number of necessary generations, profit rate, and available cost and environmental load amounts which can attain the lower environmental load, lower price, higher profit, and lower service receiver’s dissatisfaction concurrently compared with existing business models. Previously proposed method derives upgrade plan from the viewpoint of functional improvement without considering environmental and economic aspects which strongly relate to sustainability. Therefore, this study aims to develop planning method and evaluation models of sustainability factors. In particular, this paper proposes evaluation models of cost, environmental load, and receiver’s dissatisfaction which consider their temporal value change to obtain aforementioned design solution. This paper applies proposed method to design problem of packaged-rental business model as a case study. The result of case study which attains the lower environmental load, lower price, higher profit, and lower dissatisfaction compared with replacement case shows the availability of proposed method.

This study examines the effect of manufacturing education based on design thinking on mechanical engineering students using an artwork. A miniature movable sculpture based on “Flexible Dimension” by Junko Sugimori is developed. Using many real pictures of the sculpture and an outline made using a 3D printer, a basic model for the miniature sculpture was made. To move the miniature sculpture, finger motion data were captured using Leap Motion technology, the angle of rotation was calculated, and the data were transmitted via XBee processing. From this project, which discusses miniature sculpture development, students learned about the relationship between manufacturing and art based on design thinking.