Table 3.

Some examples of incremental and disruptive innovations in the context of the evolutionary metaphor.

type of innovations	example	nature of ‘mutation’ or ‘recombination’	function	landscape distances covered
disruptive	three-dimensional printing	bringing together printing, materials science and three-dimensional design	making a three-dimensional solid object	broad: from printing to tissue engineering
disruptive	synthetic textile dyes	moving away from natural products, bringing in entirely new (synthetic) compounds	more effective and novel colorations	broad: very different in terms of chemical space
disruptive	synthetic detergent	moving away from soap use in clothes washing, bringing in entirely new (synthetic) compounds	more effective cleaning aid—obsolete soap powders	broad: cross-disciplinary research and novel chemical space
disruptive	fabric odour elimination	creating a new product category—fabric odour elimination and freshness	providing a different benefit versus air-freshening products, i.e. odour elimination and freshness by actually capturing odours versus masking them with perfumes	broad: from a technology to marketing
disruptive	Velcro antibacterial fasteners	adding a new functionality	brand fasteners with antibacterial silver treatment to help reduce the risk of cross-contamination	broad: fasteners and anti-microbial
disruptive	smart packaging	adding a new functionality	smart packaging that can verify effective oxygen removal from food packages	broad: responsive materials, printed electronics, equipment design and systems integration
disruptive	laser keyboard	conversion of any surface into a keyboard	removing the need to have a physical keyboard (bridging between virtual reality and practical application)	broad: laser technology, design and systems integration
disruptive	Google Glass	wearable computer	Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format and communicates with the Internet via natural language voice commands	broad: material science, electronics, design and systems integration
disruptive	biopulping (paper making)	alternative process—using natural processes instead of chemicals	biopulping is based on enzymes that selectively degrade and dissolve the wood gluing compounds and provides a more environmentally friendly process	broad: biology, chemistry and engineering
incremental	new flavour of a sport drink	changing of flavour	expanding choice	local: sensorial/taste
incremental	new shape bottle	changing of shape	expanding choice	local: packaging materials
incremental	new textile print pattern	changing of colour and pattern	expanding choice	local: textiles design
incremental	aerodynamic wind- resistant umbrella	improving performance	improving the aerodynamic properties to withstand wind	local: design
incremental	balcony bridge planters	expanding usage occasions	pot design that enables it to be put on a balcony rail	local: design
incremental	self-stirring mug	no need for a spoon	the self-stirring mug has in-build stirring device.	local: design