In the margins of evolutionary map of objects, there is space for objects to evolve. We may well call this space "innovation".
We decided to draw up and compare two evolutionary maps: one of animals and one of vehicles. The anthropology of man-made objects such as vehicles is an under-developed field, and we had to begin by establishing a methodology. Then, when we reached the stage of comparing the two maps, several important differences between animals and man-made objects were revealed. For example, man-made objects are directly affected by technological advances, making the life-span of new technologies extremely short. Technology advances in a unidirectional and irreversible pattern, so the speed at which designs are selected and discarded through technological change tends to accelerate. This acceleration is why there are some outstanding 100-year-old chains that are still used today, but nobody uses mobile telephones made just 10 years ago.