Here's the term for what all three prior posts are describing...
The short answer is -
"design space"
Design space is a term that has been used by R-and-D teams for some years. It is an imaginary, immeasurably vast volume in which all possible designs exist-all possible designs whether extinct, extant, as yet unrealized, or never to be realized. (This definition is a direct quote from "On the Origin of Teepees" by author Jonnie Hughes of Torquay, Devon)
As technology advances in one venue it will allow developers in other specialties to reach higher into their own design space.