Multi-Modal Knowledge Bases to Facilitate Conceptual Mechanical Design

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Seok Park ◽  
Sumit Sunil Narsale ◽  
Pradeep Kumar Mani ◽  
Jami J. Shah
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Problem Formulation ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
Interactive System ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Web Based ◽  
External Resources ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Abstraction Levels

Over the past several years we have been building a variety of knowledge bases and tools to support conceptual design of mechanical systems. Both intuitive and logical methods have been embedded into system. An interactive system for concept generation and synthesis based on hierarchical morphological charts has been implemented to serve as an organizational framework. Knowledge bases span a wide range of abstraction levels, from physical effects and working principles at one end, to artifact repositories, linkages/mechanisms and common machine elements. Existing knowledge bases from various sources were combined with those developed in-house to create a comprehensive set. User studies on two previous versions of the tool gave us valuable information about enhancements and improvements, both to the knowledge and to the user interface. This paper describes the third incarnation of our Testbed. The methods are now grouped into six modules: Problem Formulation, Re-formulation, Searching for Standard Solutions, Generating sub-solutions from first principles, Gateways to External Resources, Synthesis and Process Monitoring. In addition, users can monitor their state and process. Multilayer morphological charts provide more flexible options as well as customizable solution sets to users. The Testbed is implemented as a web based application implemented in CakePHP (MVC) and PHP. For storing and retrieving data SQLite was used. This Testbed has the dual purpose of design facilitation for novices and for research on conceptual design and creativity.

Design Ideator: A Conceptual Design Toolbox

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Narsale ◽  
Y. Chen ◽  
M. Mohan ◽  
Jami J. Shah
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Computer Aided Design ◽  
Analogical Reasoning ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Problem Formulation ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Aided Design

Computer tools for embodiment and detailed engineering design (computer-aided design (CAD)) evolved rapidly in the past 35 years and are now pervasive throughout the industry. But todays commercial CAD is geometry-centric, not appropriate for early stages of design when detailed geometry and dimensions are not known. This paper describes a framework and a set of interconnected tools for conceptual design. In this system, a broad range of intuitive and experiential concept generation methods have been operationalized and implemented as databases, artifact repositories, knowledge bases, and interactive procedures to promote divergent thinking. The so-called “Design Ideator” includes methods for flexible and dynamic design problem formulation, re-formulation, and restructuring in the form of hierarchical and re-configurable morphological charts. This tool has been continuously enhanced through three phases of user studies and feedback. The main contributions of this work are as follows. First, this research has created a holistic framework with interlaced knowledge bases from a wide range of methods, as opposed to past research that have relied on single experiential only method. Second, we have formulated algorithms to support several intuitive methods, such as contextual shifting, analogical reasoning, provocative stimuli, and combinatorial play.

Design Ideation Framework to Support Reframing and Reformulation

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumit Sunil Narsale ◽  
Ying Chen ◽  
Maryam Khorshidi ◽  
Jami J. Shah
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Analogical Reasoning ◽  
Problem Formulation ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
Computer Tool ◽  
Alternative Generation ◽  
Organizational Framework ◽  
Design Ideation

The long term aim of this research is to develop a framework for holistic ideation which will integrate both intuitive and experiential methods. Towards that goal, we have developed a computer tool that consists of a variety of disparate knowledge-bases, databases and design repositories that the designer can choose from as his ideation state evolves. Such a strategy is in contrast with the approach of using a single ideation method/tool. Conceptual design requires both problem formulation/re-formulation and alternative generation. This paper discusses an organizational framework to support reformulation and ideation in a multi-tool environment. The proposed framework consists of cascading hierarchical morphological charts that are dynamic. We also discuss how this framework can be used in supporting provocative stimuli, analogical reasoning and make random or deliberate connections between sub-solutions. Web implementation of the tool will make it available to the design community for education and experimentation.

Collaborative Sketching With skWiki: A Case Study

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Senthil Chandrasegaran ◽  
Sriram Karthik Badam ◽  
Zhenpeng Zhao ◽  
Niklas Elmqvist ◽  
Lorraine Kisselburgh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Research Tool ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Computational Tools ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Collaborative Exploration ◽  
Collaborative Sketching

Sketching for conceptual design has traditionally been performed on paper. Recent computational tools for conceptual design have leveraged the availability of hand-held computing devices and web-based collaborative platforms. Further, digital sketching interfaces have the added advantages of storage, duplication, and sharing on the web. We have developed skWiki, a tool that enables collaborative sketching on digital tablets using a web-based framework. We evaluate skWiki in two contexts, (a) as a collaborative ideation tool, and (b) as a design research tool. For this evaluation, we perform a longitudinal study of an undergraduate design team that used skWiki over the course of the concept generation and development phase of their course project. Our analysis of the team’s sketching activity indicated instances of lateral and vertical transformation between participants, indicating collaborative exploration of the breadth and depth of the design space. Using skWiki for this evaluation also demonstrated it to be an effective research tool to investigate such collaborative design processes.

Transforming Functional Solutions Into Physical Solutions

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. C. Liu ◽  
A. Chakrabarti ◽  
T. P. Bligh
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Spatial Configuration ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Functional Element ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Software Program ◽  
Spatial Configurations

Abstract The problem addressed is an issue of developing physical embodiments from a set of spatial configurations. These configurations are generated by a software program, FuncSION, for generating a wide range of concepts for mechanical design problems in conceptual design. The method for transforming functional solutions to physical embodiments, consists of three steps: (1) to develop the relationships between each functional element and its physical embodiments, (2) to build the rule for ensuring interface compatibility between any two connecting objects, and (3) to develop reasoning procedures to replace each functional element in a spatial configuration with all its possible physical embodiments. Using this method, alternative physical embodiments for this spatial configuration can be found. The outcome of the method is the presentation of physical embodiments, which leads to an improved visualisation of the spatial configurations, and an increase in the number of possible concepts.

A Computational Technique for Concept Generation

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cari R. Bryant ◽  
Daniel A. McAdams ◽  
Robert B. Stone ◽  
Tolga Kurtoglu ◽  
Matthew I. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
Morphological Analysis ◽  
Design Knowledge ◽  
Computational Technique ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Computational Tools ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Conceptual Design Phase ◽  
Innate Ability

Few computational tools exist to assist designers during the conceptual phase of design, and design success is often heavily weighted on personal experience and innate ability. Many well-known methods (e.g. brainstorming, intrinsic and extrinsic searches, and morphological analysis) are designed to stimulate a designer’s creativity, but ultimately still rely heavily on individual bias and experience. Under the premise that quality designs comes from experienced designers, experience in the form of design knowledge is extracted from existing products and stored for reuse in a web-based repository. This paper presents an automated concept generation tool that utilizes the repository of existing design knowledge to generate and evaluate conceptual design variants. This tool is intended to augment traditional conceptual design phase activities and produce numerous feasible concepts early in the design process.

Investigating the Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of a Web-based Self-help Program for People With Adjustment Problems After an Accident (SelFIT): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Hegy ◽  
Noemi Anja Brog ◽  
Thomas Berger ◽  
Hansjoerg Znoj
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Well Being ◽  
User Friendliness ◽  
Adjustment Problems ◽  
Health Care Consumption ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Wide Range

BACKGROUND Accidents and the resulting injuries are one of the world’s biggest health care issues often causing long-term effects on psychological and physical health. With regard to psychological consequences, accidents can cause a wide range of burdens including adjustment problems. Although adjustment problems are among the most frequent mental health problems, there are few specific interventions available. The newly developed program SelFIT aims to remedy this situation by offering a low-threshold web-based self-help intervention for psychological distress after an accident. OBJECTIVE The overall aim is to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the SelFIT program plus care as usual (CAU) compared to only care as usual. Furthermore, the program’s user friendliness, acceptance and adherence are assessed. We expect that the use of SelFIT is associated with a greater reduction in psychological distress, greater improvement in mental and physical well-being, and greater cost-effectiveness compared to CAU. METHODS Adults (n=240) showing adjustment problems due to an accident they experienced between 2 weeks and 2 years before entering the study will be randomized. Participants in the intervention group receive direct access to SelFIT. The control group receives access to the program after 12 weeks. There are 6 measurement points for both groups (baseline as well as after 4, 8, 12, 24 and 36 weeks). The main outcome is a reduction in anxiety, depression and stress symptoms that indicate adjustment problems. Secondary outcomes include well-being, optimism, embitterment, self-esteem, self-efficacy, emotion regulation, pain, costs of health care consumption and productivity loss as well as the program’s adherence, acceptance and user-friendliness. RESULTS Recruitment started in December 2019 and is ongoing. CONCLUSIONS To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study examining a web-based self-help program designed to treat adjustment problems resulting from an accident. If effective, the program could complement the still limited offer of secondary and tertiary psychological prevention after an accident. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03785912; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03785912?cond=NCT03785912&draw=2&rank=1

scholarly journals TOWARDS FUNCTIONAL ARCHITECTURAL DECOMPOSITION OF CONSTRAINED LAYER INFLATABLE SYSTEMS

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 3219-3228
Author(s):  
Koray Benli ◽  
Jonathan Luntz ◽  
Diann Brei ◽  
Wonhee Kim ◽  
Paul Alexander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Systematic Understanding ◽  
And Function

AbstractPneumatically activated systems enable myriad types of highly functional inflatables employing a wide range of architectural approaches affecting their form and function, making systematic conceptual design difficult. A new architectural class of pneumatically activated systems, constrained layer inflatable systems, consists of hierarchically architected flat layers of thin airtight bladders that are internally and/or externally constrained to generate a variety of functionalities. The highly hierarchical architectural structure of constrained layer inflatable systems coincides with the hierarchy of produced functions, providing an opportunity for the development of a functional architectural decomposition, capturing the inherent relationship between architectural and functional hierarchies. The basis of the approach is conveyed through the design of an example constrained layer inflatable system. This approach empowers the systematic understanding of the interrelated architectural and functional breakdown of constrained layer inflatable systems, enabling designers to iteratively analyze, synthesize, and re-synthesize the components of the system improving existing designs and exploring new concepts.

scholarly journals Epidemiological modeling in StochSS Live!

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Jiang ◽  
Bruno Jacob ◽  
Matthew Geiger ◽  
Sean Matthew ◽  
Bryan Rumsey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stochastic Model ◽  
Epidemiological Model ◽  
Supplementary Information ◽  
Supplementary Data ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Epidemiological Modeling ◽  
Modeling Simulation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Biochemical Systems

Abstract Summary We present StochSS Live!, a web-based service for modeling, simulation and analysis of a wide range of mathematical, biological and biochemical systems. Using an epidemiological model of COVID-19, we demonstrate the power of StochSS Live! to enable researchers to quickly develop a deterministic or a discrete stochastic model, infer its parameters and analyze the results. Availability and implementation StochSS Live! is freely available at https://live.stochss.org/ Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

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