Much of everyday design appears to be adaptive, i.e., new designs apparently are created by adapting past design cases. KRITIK is a computational model of adaptive design. The model integrates case-based and model-based reasoning: while the high-level process is case-based, the qualitative structure-behavior-function (SBF) device models associated with the design cases provide the vocabulary and the strategies for design retrieval, adaptation, evaluation and storage. Current work focuses on developing an interactive multimedia design and learning environment called Interactive KRITIK.
Analogy appears to play a central role in creative design, i.e., new designs are created by analogy to design situations in different domains and involve innovative strategies for knowledge transfer. IDEAL is a computational model of analogical design. In addition to SBF models of specific devices, it uses behavior-function (BF) models of generic physical processes and engineering mechanisms. The case-specific SBF models enable the learning of the generic BF models. The generic BF models in turn enable cross-domain analogical transfer of design knowledge. Current work focuses on additional strategies for reminding, adaptation and transfer.
See under Learning.
The Interactive KRITIK project explores the design of a multimedia environment for design and learning in the domain of engineering devices. The environment provides a student access to design cases and device models. The cases and the models are cross-indexed so that the student can navigate from one kind of knowledge to another. Also, the case-specific models enable a student to simulate and visualize a design. Current work focuses on providing the student access to strategic knowledge, in the form of generic design tasks and methods, and on providing illustrations and explanations of the use strategic knowledge in solving design problems.
A hard problem in computer-aided design is how to enable the designer to accommodate manufacturing and demanufacturing constraints in designing a product. Another hard problem is how to enable the designer to design manufacturing and demanufacturing processes along with the design of the product itself. We are studying extensions to the Interactive KRITIK's framework for adaptive design to address these issues.
For links to a complete list of papers and some ftp'able versions of the above papers go to: Complete Listing