He analyzed over 400,000 patents from different fields of engineering. Altshuller studied those patents with the most effective solutions . His empirical studies revealed objective laws, or trends, in the evolution of technical systems. From these laws Altshuller formulated his eight Patterns of Evolution of technical systems. The Law of Ideality.
Systems evolve toward increasing Ideality .
An Ideal system being a system that requires no energy to operate, costs nothing to produce and occupies no space. It performs function without form . The Law of Transitioning to Microlevel using Energy Fields. Systems will become smaller, replacing mechanical systems with alternative energy fields performing the required function. The Law of Dynamization.