Phenotypic Plasticity as a Blueprint for Adaptive Product-Service Systems

Identical products often operate in vastly different environments and use cases, exposing them to uneven and sometimes unpredictable mechanical or functional loads. This results in inefficiencies and only partial fulfillment of customer needs. To improve sustainability and maximize customer satisfaction, future products must be capable of adapting to changing operating conditions. Biology offers a wide array of midlife adaptation strategies, known as phenotypic plasticity, that enable organisms to maintain or enhance their performance over time. Building on this concept, phenotypic plasticity mechanisms were systematically analyzed and the findings were translated into an engineering context. The accompanying comparison model facilitates the selection of adaptations by providing a transparent, multi-criteria evaluation framework. The result is a four-step methodology that guides companies in implementing adaptive capabilities into product-service systems.