In order to fully exploit the potential of the rapidly progressing digitalisation of technical systems, it is necessary to provide reliable and significant process and condition related data. In this context, solutions are especially aspired to allow a simple integration into the surrounding system and to influence it as little as possible. The main challenges regarding the measurement of process and condition data in the operation and control of technical systems as well as in test environments are identified and presented at the beginning of this article. A promising approach to meet the resulting requirements is the integration of sensory functions into simple standardised machine elements. In order to facilitate the discussion and interdisciplinary development of machine elements with sensory functions, an extension of the existing classification of mechatronic machine elements is introduced and illustrated with examples. The introduced classification takes into account the classification according to Stücheli and Meboldt and is based on a comparison of conventional and mechatronic machine elements on a functional level with regard to the function structure. As a result, the three classessensor carrying machine elements,sensor integrating machine elementsandsensory utilizable machine elementsare introduced and subsequently discussed in more detail on the basis of examples. Finally, an outlook is given on the main research areas with regard to the development of mechatronic machine elements. Key aspects include working principles and effects for application in mechatronic machine elements, system analysis with regard to load conditions, power supply of sensor and data processor in the environment of the machine element as well as data processing and signal transmission under typical environmental conditions of mechanical engineering.

The Contact and Channel Approach (C&C²-Approach) integrates the relation of function and embodiment in a model and aims to support design engineers in activities of analysis and synthesis. Since its definition, this approach has been applied in different research and development projects. In order to provide links for further research work, this article will summarise the findings of the last 20 years of research on the C&C²-Approach. Based on categorised cases of application, future challenges and research needs are derived and discussed.

Validation of design methods is a challenge in design research, as there is a lack of common methodology. This contribution investigates how validation of design methods is currently conducted in order to clarify this issue and identify approaches that might be suitable as best practices. A mixed-methods literature study including the years 2010–2020 is conducted. Systematic mapping structures the identified literature in an overview. The following state-of-the-art review focuses on challenges in validation and on how researchers address them. The overview of 54 identified studies shows a preponderance of non-comparative studies conducted in laboratory environment. Challenges arising in conducting experiments and field studies are caused by a lack of common metrics and established study designs. In success evaluation, the challenge is to objectively measure the effects of method application on the design outcome. Based on the identified examples, possible strategies to overcome the challenges are proposed.

In product development, many different models of the product and the development process exist. In the phase of embodiment design, models of the product are essential. Finding a suitable product model for an embodiment design task can be challenging, because many different models are available. The aim of this contribution is to categorize existing product models in embodiment design and to develop an initial approach to structured product model selection. The product models are obtained from a systematic literature review. Criteria for structuring are derived from similar research into process models and interdisciplinary models for product development. The identified models are categorized in an overview and a tabular detailed analysis of their characteristics. A guideline on how to identify suitable models using the overview and table is developed. This guideline is explained with a structured product model selection process being used as an example. To sum up, this contribution is to initially support design engineers in choosing suitable models for their tasks.