Ontological Knowledge Representation and Inference Rules for MTM Decision Support System

The objective of the research presented is to develop and implement an ontological knowledge representation for Methods-Time Measurement assembly time estimation process. The knowledge representation is used to drive a decision support system that provides the user with intelligent MTM table suggestions based on assembly work instructions. Inference rules are used to map work instructions to MTM tables. An explicit definition of the assembly time estimation domain is required. The contribution of this research, in addition to the decision support system, is an extensible knowledge representation that models work instructions, MTM tables and mapping rules between the two which will enable the establishment of assembly time estimates. Further, the ontology provides an extensible knowledge representation framework for linking time studies and assembly processes.

Fabric Simulation Using Measurement Data for Dress Design

The state of wrinkles and folds formed on our dress according to human postures and movements is an important design element. Fashion designers must envisage the fabric state as wrinkling and folding. However, this is not easy because the fabric state strongly depends on the mechanical properties of the fabric, and in this sense, fabric simulation can aid designers in envisaging the fabric state. In previous works on fabric simulation, fabric models are proposed and developed based on the simple mass spring model. Since none of the models proposed so far take into account the state of slipping at the contact point of the warp and weft, simulated results differ from real fabric states. This paper proposes a method to simulate real fabric state taking into consideration slipping. In order to obtain real simulation results, the mechanical properties of fabric obtained by KES: Kawabata Evaluation System [1], were used in the simulation. The effectiveness of the proposed model was confirmed by comparing simulated results obtained by the proposed method with simulated results obtained by a previous method. In addition, it was verified by comparing the simulated results obtained by the proposed method with real cloth states.

Understanding the Impact of Expert Estimation Related Uncertainties on Architecture Generation and Supplier Identification

The Architecture & Supplier Identification Tool (ASIT) is a design support tool enabling generation of system architectures in early design with consideration of supplier identification and evaluation. Several types of uncertainties have been considered in ASIT in order to estimate the overall uncertainty of the architectures. However, the subjective uncertainty caused by expert estimation had not been taken into account. Due to new technology integration and lack of information in early design, expert estimation is commonly used, which is also the case in the ASIT. As a considerable source of uncertainty, the consideration of subjective uncertainty may significantly influence the ASIT results, thus impacting the reliability of ASIT. This paper aims at understanding the sensitivity of the ASIT when subjective uncertainties are taken into account. The type-1 fuzzy sets and the 2-tuple fuzzy linguistic representation are selected to represent subjective uncertainties. A powertrain case study has been used to compare the results and test the sensitivity of ASIT. The comparison shows that the subjective uncertainty does not considerably influence ASIT results, and the ASIT is robust.

2D Shape and Force Tracking in Rehabilitation Therapy of Upper Extremities Through a Multimodal Guidance System

This paper describes a shape and force tracking approach aimed for the assessment and training of patients’ upper extremities functionalities, while performing 2D tasks in a post-stroke rehabilitation program. The 2D tasks are assisted by a Multimodal Guidance System (MGS), which consists in a combination of visual, haptic and sound interaction. The device enables users to haptically interact with a virtual template, which acts as a virtual tool path taking advantage of its force feedback capabilities while the patient performs a 2D task, as sketching and hatching operations. Furthermore, the patient receives sound information, which provides audio feedback related to the hand velocity. By tracking the shape and the forces required to complete the tasks according to the visual feedback provided on the computer screen, the system can inform about quantitative measurement of a patients progress. The paper concludes by presenting a preliminary test using the device for sketching and hatching operations.

A Study of Correlation Between DMSMS Obsolescence and Counterfeit Electronics

Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) obsolescence of components and subsystems is a risk driver for long field -life defense systems such as aircraft, ships and avionics. Over their life in service, a substantial number of components required to produce and support such systems will become no longer available from the Original Component Manufacturers. There are different approaches to manage DMSMS obsolescence, some of which lead to the purchase of replacement parts from unreliable sources, hence, providing an opportunity for the infiltration of counterfeit parts. Counterfeits can contaminate the part supply source, further magnifying the obsolescence problem. Validating and understanding the correlation between obsolescence and counterfeits are important and necessary steps to improve decision-making and the management of both obsolescence and counterfeits. This paper describes an investigation of the correlation between DMSMS obsolescence and counterfeit electronics. A description of the study and the positive correlation results, as verified by statistical testing using the historical annual data of obsolescence and counterfeit reporting from the Government-Industry Data Exchange Program, are provided.

Enabling Interoperability Between Serious Game and Virtual Engineering Ecosystems

Interoperability and reusability stand out as key factors that nurture the cost-efficiency, quality and expansion of Serious Game Ecosystems (SGE). This paper builds upon the blooming development of SGE and explores the new horizons SGE have brought for the enhancement of virtual engineering technologies and applications. The authors consider the integration of SGE into the Virtual Engineering and Systems (VES) workflow. SGEs are becoming an important component in enterprise agility and sustainability. In this context, the authors propose an Interoperability SGE Framework to facilitate reusability and interconnection within Game-based VES. The framework focuses on data, information, services, processes and organization interoperability and proposes a technical, cyber-physical, functional and organizational view. The integration of Cyber-Physical Systems with SGEs enable the development of new paradigms and game models including sensor and actuator integration, context sensing, smart environments and sensing objects.

A Natural User Interface for Immersive Design Review

As markets demand engineered products faster, waiting on the cyclical design processes of the past is not an option. Instead, industry is turning to concurrent design and interdisciplinary teams. When these teams collaborate, engineering CAD tools play a vital role in conceptualizing and validating designs. These tools require significant user investment to master, due to challenging interfaces and an overabundance of features. These challenges often prohibit team members from using these tools for exploring alternatives. This paper presents a method allowing users to interact with a design using intuitive gestures and head tracking, all while keeping the model in a CAD format. Specifically, Siemens’ Teamcenter® Lifecycle Visualization Mockup (Mockup) was used to display the design geometry while modifications were made through a set of gestures captured by a Microsoft Kinect™ in real time. This proof of concept program allowed a user to rotate the scene, activate Mockup’s immersive menu, move the immersive wand, and manipulate the view based on head position. The result is an immersive user-friendly low cost platform for interdisciplinary design review.

Collaborative Design Principles From Minecraft With Applications to Multi-User CAD

Real-time simultaneous multi-user (RSM) computer-aided design (CAD) is currently a major area of research and industry interest due to its potential to reduce design lead times and improve design quality through enhanced collaboration. Minecraft, a popular multi-player online game in which players use blocks to design structures, is of academic interest as a natural experiment in collaborative 3D design of very complex structures. Virtual teams of up to forty simultaneous designers have created city-scale models with total design times in the thousands of hours. Using observation and a survey of Minecraft users, we offer insights into how virtual design teams might effectively build, communicate, and manage projects in an RSM CAD design environment. The results suggest that RSM CAD will be useful and practical in an engineering setting with several simultaneous contributors. We also discuss the potential effects of RSM CAD on team organization, planning, design concurrency, communication, and mentoring.

Comparison of Natural Feature Descriptors for Rigid-Object Tracking for Real-Time Augmented Reality

This paper presents a comparison of natural feature descriptors for rigid object tracking for augmented reality (AR) applications. AR relies on object tracking in order to identify a physical object and to superimpose virtual object on an object. Natural feature tracking (NFT) is one approach for computer vision-based object tracking. NFT utilizes interest points of a physcial object, represents them as descriptors, and matches the descriptors against reference descriptors in order to identify a phsical object to track. In this research, we investigate four different natural feature descriptors (SIFT, SURF, FREAK, ORB) and their capability to track rigid objects. Rigid objects need robust descriptors since they need to describe the objects in a 3D space. AR applications are also real-time application, thus, fast feature matching is mandatory. FREAK and ORB are binary descriptors, which promise a higher performance in comparison to SIFT and SURF. We deployed a test in which we match feature descriptors to artificial rigid objects. The results indicate that the SIFT descriptor is the most promising solution in our addressed domain, AR-based assembly training.

Development of an Ontology for the Automatic Selection of Control Valves

The control valve selection is a much-needed breakthrough in the development of major technological equipment. The automation of the control valve selection process is still a challenge. Addressing this issue, an ontology model for automatic selection of control valves is proposed and a methodology for building the model is suggested, which fully characterizes structured and unstructured knowledge for automatic selection, and effectively captures the semantic association between application requirements and product features in the selection process. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of this method for the automatic selection of control valves.