Agent-based modeling has proven effective in increasing the understanding of complex systems, including social-economical systems. A goal of modeling complex systems is to distill the system into simple agents with phenotypes guided by simple rules. The model then displays the emergent behavior of these agents interacting with each other and their environment. An agent-based model of innovation and its place in a global economy or ecosystem is presented. The model utilizes simple agents to represent innovating entities such as large corporations and small companies. The results produced by this model reveal the dynamics of innovation and its role in a global economy. The results indicate a large need for partnership in innovation for those entities working within rapidly changing domains. Domains, such as high technology, have constantly changing market expectations, which force innovating entities to seek external sources of assistance to meet these expectations in a timely enough fashion so as to incur benefit.

https://hfdata.opl.uiowa.edu/docs/papers/modeling_an_innovation_ecosystem_with_adaptive_agents.pdf

Modeling an Innovation Ecosystem with Adaptive Agents

https://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1418&context=etd

Innovation as a complex adaptive system

Some of the most innovative automotive technology is slowly dying off. Sometimes even the most impressive tech fails to sell. For example, it looks like adaptive cruise control is getting a cool reception in the US. One theory why it's not more popular: "once you set your speed, if someone cuts in front of you, the adaptive cruise control slows your car down, which leaves room for someone else to cut in front of you, which slows your car again. Before you know it, everyone on the road is passing you. Unless you're in very light traffic conditions, adaptive cruise control is frustrating to use".

B. Fleming

Papers

Endangered Technologies [Automotive Electronics]