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This paper presents results of transdisciplinary research on the development of a bioinspired computational framework for engineering design. This framework is intended to support design by addressing three critical design objectives, including novelty, optimality, and robustness. It provides several computational models and methods, which are inspired by fundamental processes occurring in nature, and discusses their potential for enhancing design. They include models and methods for evolutionary, developmental, and coevolutionary design. Their use is illustrated with examples from the area of steel structural design ranging from a simple cantilever beam design problem to a much more complex problem of designing wind bracings in tall buildings. The paper also shows how several methods and models can be integrated and form a coherent bioinspired computational framework for engineering design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering design focuses on the development of products and artefacts to satisfy the specified function. Although considerable advances have been made over the last two decades in functional modelling, there is not very much progress on commercial Computer-Aided Design (CAD) systems that really aid the designer in converting functional specifications to concept variants. Based on our previous work on Behaviour-driven Function-Environment-Structure (B-FES) modelling framework, this paper presents a functional design software system, called "FuncDesigner", to support the functional design of mechanical products through functional reasoning steps, including causal behavioural reasoning and functional decomposition. A function object library and a behaviour object library have been developed as well to serve as the knowledge base for the computerised functional modelling environment. The proposed functional design software system has been evaluated with a design example of a terminal insertion unit in an automatic assembly system for manufacturing electronic connectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based upon technical feasibility and interest in Augmented Reality as a flexible framework for the development of visualization tools and human–machine interfaces for the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, a prototype for augmented reality computer aided drawing (AR CAD) is being developed as a first example and test bed for establishing the benefits of such tools. AR CAD adds an augmented reality assistant viewer to standard CAD. Following a brief description of the structure and function of AR CAD, this technical note focuses on an experiment to measure AR CAD’s utility with respect to its relative advantage over basic CAD as measured in terms of time to perform a simple conflict detection task. The basic concepts of spatial cognition are noted as key issues in exploiting the strengths of such three-dimensional visualization systems as AR CAD. Experimental results demonstrate that the spatial cognition benefits from using the AR viewer assistant for a simple spatial conflict detection task exceeds the cognition cost associated with transitioning between viewing windows when the only other method of detection is visual cues in standard CAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]