The Biomimicry Design Process: Characteristics, Stages and Main Challenge

Author(s):  
Yael Helfman Cohen ◽  
Yoram Reich
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul M. Sobota

<p><br clear="none"/></p><p>During the optioneering phase, engineers face the challenge of choosing between myriads of possible designs, while, simultaneously, several sorts of constraints have to be considered. We show in a case study of a 380 m long viaduct how parametric modelling can facilitate the design process. The main challenge was to satisfy the constraints imposed by several different stakeholders. In order to identify sustainable, aesthetic, economic as well as structurally efficient options, we assessed several key performance indicators in real time. By automatically estimating steel and concrete volumes, a simple, yet suitable approximation of the embodied carbon (considering 85-95%) can be obtained at a very early design stage. In summary, our parametric approach allowed us to consider a wider range of parameters and to react more flexibly to changing conditions during the project.</p><p><br clear="none"/></p>


Author(s):  
Renaud Kiefer ◽  
Marc Vedrines ◽  
Franc¸ois Kiefer

This paper deals with the complete design and implementation of a small unmanned air vehicle (UAV) in the framework of a project course for engineers. This project takes place within an international contest organised by the french defence and aerospace agency. The objective is to design an autonomous air vehicle that will be able to be operated by soldiers on the battlefield, with embedded sensors and camera, which will be able to explore an urban environment, and detect targets or threads such as snipers. Our team won the first edition of the contest two year ago and is again selected with eleven other teams to take part in the new challenge next year. Our way of running this project is quite unusual on the education point of view for several reasons. In the challenging scientific area of aerospace engineering, an entire vehicle (mechanical parts as well as electronic parts) is designed, manufactured, tested and operated by students, thus involving a lot of students of different background. For instance, mechatronics students are coordinating the project, helped by students in mechanical engineering, fluid mechanics, composite structures, manufacturing, topography, physics and electronics. The main challenge is to coordinate large groups of students of different faculties and different levels, as there are more than 40 students working on the same project at the same time. The group of students studying mechatronics is currently working on this project since September 2006 and will go on until they graduate in june 2009. The aerodynamics structure is an elliptic wing within a 70 cm diameter sphere. The UAV should take of and land vertically and then fly horizontally. This challenging transition between vertical and horizontal flight is currently under study and has been carried out successfully by another team operating a more classical airplane. Moreover, the project organisation and design process is currently analysed and deals as a case study for researchers in the area of engineering design. This is also interesting as it is generally not possible to analyse the entire design process in an industrial environment. The technical aspects of the project as well as the project organisation, collaborative design tools and project management tools will be presented. The success and failures of the project organisation will be explained and the analysis from problem base learning point of view commented.


Buildings ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Anamaria Andreea Anghel ◽  
Diana Giurea ◽  
Irina Mohora ◽  
Alma-Dia Hapenciuc ◽  
Octavian Camil Milincu ◽  
...  

Nature-based design process with its embedded concept of form that follows function can be materialized as products capable of incorporating aesthetics and functionality similar to the characteristics of its natural role models. The paper addresses the topic of green installations created through a design process that simulates nature’s smart developmental mechanisms. The aim is to create an interactive installation capable of receiving and interpreting external factors that would determine the ensemble’s behavior and influence its future development and evolution. The main challenge lies in the fact that the smart feature is often achieved by intensive use of technology, which often overshadows inventive ways in which the behavioral and aesthetic properties of the material can be reinterpreted. The interactive green installation “Modgrew” investigates the possibilities of obtaining smart features through the experimental testing of two main types of configurations. The results underline the fact that, by applying the principles of biomimetic design, technologies from different fields can be combined towards obtaining a smart product. The conclusions highlight the need for future studies cover subjects such as the efficiency of automation, the possible reconfiguration of modules, behavioral optimization over time, the identification of minimal tech alternatives and the reduction of maintenance necessities.


Author(s):  
Vahid Salehi ◽  
Chris McMahon

The automotive engineering process is characterized by a long and complex design process which starts with the first sketches in the preliminary design phase and extends to the final detailed CAD and physical models. Every design phase includes different process steps which are interconnected with each other. For a better handling of all created information in the different design stages there is a demand for capable Product Lifecycle Management systems (PLM). Furthermore, one of the important parts of PLM systems is the integration of the virtual product development process which can be based on parametric associative (PA) computer-aided design (CAD) systems. The main challenge is the full integration of all created PA CAD data with these kinds of system. To achieve the full potential of PA CAD systems, especially in view of the complexity of the CAD parts and assemblies, it is important to have a clear understanding of how best to use such systems. Accoring to Shah and Ma¨ntyla¨ [1] parametric systems solve constraints by applying sequentially assignment to model variables, where each assigned value is computed as a function of the previously assigned values. Related to design process associativity is the fix relationship and connection between geometrical entities and objects. These associative relationships include also the connection of 3D models and down stream process related elements. The focus of this paper is to present the results of a descriptive study which has been accomplished to identify the challenges, problems and weaknesses involved in the use of PA CAD systems in the automotive design process. After a short introduction the result of a literature survey is presented. The review is followed by presentation of the results of a questionnaire and interview study of engineers working in the automotive industry. This study demonstrates that engineers have significant difficulty in identifying and structuring the parameters and associative relationships used in PA CAD, especially in distributed design tasks. The review and the empirical study demonstrate the necessity of a generic integrated approach working with PA CAD systems. The results of this descriptive study will be used to support the methodological integration of the created CAD components in PLM environments.


Author(s):  
Johan Andersson ◽  
Jochen Pohl ◽  
Steven D. Eppinger

Abstract This paper extends the literature of engineering design process modeling. We focus on the modeling of design iterations using a task-based description of a development project. We present a method to compute process performance and to relate this outcome to critical activities within the process. Design tasks are modeled as discrete-event activities with design information flowing between them. With every design task, we associate process characteristics such as the completion time and cost per time unit for the task. These characteristics can change with the advance of the design process. The method is especially suited for comparison of different design processes on the basis of overall process costs and lead time. In order to illustrate the method a simple design process was modeled as an example. Based on this model the process lead time distribution and the process costs were simulated.


2013 ◽  
Vol 291-294 ◽  
pp. 2513-2516
Author(s):  
Yong Ming Jiang

The paper analyzes the process characteristics of mechanical and electrical products' industrial design, and emphasizes that products' industrial design adequately use more methods in premises of considering more technology and other restrictions. The comprehensive method is more suitable for the industrial design of new mechanical and electrical products, which can truly achieve the human-centered design aim.


Author(s):  
Ton de Jong ◽  
Denis Gillet ◽  
María Jesús Rodríguez-Triana ◽  
Tasos Hovardas ◽  
Diana Dikke ◽  
...  

AbstractDesigning and implementing online or digital learning material is a demanding task for teachers. This is even more the case when this material is used for more engaged forms of learning, such as inquiry learning. In this article, we give an informed account of Go-Lab, an ecosystem that supports teachers in creating Inquiry Learning Spaces (ILSs). These ILSs are built around STEM–related online laboratories. Within the Go-Lab ecosystem, teachers can combine these online laboratories with multimedia material and learning apps, which are small applications that support learners in their inquiry learning process. The Go-Lab ecosystem offers teachers ready–made structures, such as a standard inquiry cycle, alternative scenarios or complete ILSs that can be used as they are, but it also allows teachers to configure these structures to create personalized ILSs. For this article, we analyzed data on the design process and structure of 2414 ILSs that were (co)created by teachers and that our usage data suggest have been used in classrooms. Our data show that teachers prefer to start their design from empty templates instead of more domain–related elements, that the makeup of the design team (a single teacher, a group of collaborating teachers, or a mix of teachers and project members) influences key design process characteristics such as time spent designing the ILS and number of actions involved, that the characteristics of the resulting ILSs also depend on the type of design team and that ILSs that are openly shared (i.e., published in a public repository) have different characteristics than those that are kept private.


VASA ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-91
Author(s):  
Erich Minar

The generally accepted first-line treatment in patients with intermittent claudication is risk factor modification, medical treatment and exercise training. In an era of reduced resources, the benefit of any further invasive intervention must be weighted against best conservative therapy for patients with claudication. According to some recent trials an integrative therapeutic concept combining best conservative treatment - including (supervised) exercise therapy - with endovascular therapy gives the best midterm results concerning walking distance and health-related quality of life. The improved mid- and long-term patency rate with use of modern technology further supports this concept. The conservative and interventional treatment strategy are more complimentary than competitive. The current main challenge is to overcome the economic barriers concerning the availability of exercise programmes.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori B. Stone ◽  
Abigail Lundquist ◽  
Stefan Ganchev ◽  
Nora Ladjahasan

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