Little did I know that my colleagues here at Ximedica would soon run with the topic – but not in a way that I could have imagined at the time. Spurred by a comment posted on the article, one of the research team members approached me with the idea of applying the fundamental equations of tribology not just to surface interactions, but to human interactions.

We set up a discussion between research, design and engineering to generate some ideas on the topic. We briefed the team on the basics of tribology and its three main issues (friction, wear, and lubrication), reviewing the variables, fundamental equations, and principles that are involved with each issue. What variables increase friction? What variables decrease the wear of a surface? What are the fundamental equations that stem from each issue?

As a team, we then examined how these same variables and equations could be applied to human interactions. For example: imagine pushing a heavy block across the floor. As the weight of the block increases, friction increases (Ff=µN), and it becomes harder and harder to push that block. Now consider that in many organizational settings, the more “weighty” an individual is – either by age, rank, or education, or by the weight/strength of their personality – the harder it is to “push” them, or convince them to do something.

By the end of the session, we had discovered many instances where tribological equations and variables could apply to human interactions.

So what’s next? We’ll be refining and validating the ideas we came up with and ultimately incorporate them into the hospital systems projects we’re working on, providing evidence from science behind what works and what could be changed.

As importantly, this meeting showcased how engineers, designers, and researchers can work together to take a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving (Lizzie Bird also writes on this very same topic in her article “Multidisciplinary Approaches to Multidisciplinary Problems”).