A modular design of Bayesian networks using expert knowledge: Context-aware home service robot

Recently, demand for service robots increases, and, particularly, one for personal service robots, which requires robot intelligence, will be expected to increase more. Accordingly, studies on intelligent robots are spreading all over the world. In this situation, we attempt to realize context-awareness for home robot while previous robot research focused on image processing, control and low-level context recognition. This paper uses probabilistic modeling for service robots to provide users with high-level context-aware services required in home environment, and proposes a systematic modeling approach for modeling a number of Bayesian networks. The proposed approach supplements uncertain sensor input using Bayesian network modeling and enhances the efficiency in modeling and reasoning processes using modular design based on domain knowledge. We verify the proposed method is useful as measuring the performance of context-aware module and conducting subjective test.     

A knowledge support approach for the preliminary design of platform-based products in Engineering-To-Order manufacturing

A product platform is a design approach for meeting the demand for customizable products. Traditional knowledge-based technologies or systems lack flexibility in supporting both configuration and parameter design of platform-based products. In many cases, customers’ requirements and knowledge models both contain incomplete information, and there are complex relations among various solutions, functions and solution parameters in Engineering-To-Order (ETO) products. A knowledge model for the preliminary design of ETO products is presented in this paper, and linkages are established between configuration design knowledge and parameter design procedures. The basis of the knowledge model is the Extended Function-Solutions (EFS) tree, from which design case trees, design modules, constraint checking rules, and module interface templates derive. A corresponding knowledge retrieval and reuse strategy is also presented. It uses an improved fuzzy information axiom to search for the optimal configuration with incomplete information. The parameter design process model of new products then can be generated based on the optimal configuration. The case study demonstrates the knowledge modeling, retrieval and reuse for the preliminary design of open-type crank presses. Moreover, the effectiveness of the methodology is discussed by analyzing the verification approach and the satisfaction of customers’ requirements.     

A community-based approach to sharing knowledge before,during, and after crisis events: A case study from Thailand

This study adopts a structuration perspective to examine the knowledge sharing activities within local communities using social media to combat the 7-month 2011 Thai flood crisis using a qualitative case study. The crisis represented a unique situation wherein social media was used extensively during the most catastrophic flood crisis in Thailand. Data were collected from focus groups and in-depth interviews with flood victims, community leaders, NGOs, politicians, large enterprises, and Army leaders. The study divides the crisis event into three phases: pre-, during-, and post-crisis, treating each as both separate and interrelated, due to the changing information needs. The socialization and structuration theories were used as theoretical lenses to investigate how social media can play an important role in knowledge sharing activities in each phase of a crisis. The case study shows that social media can be adapted to fit the information and knowledge needs in each phase. This study's findings are useful and relevant for crisis managers, and clarify the potential usefulness of social media as a knowledge sharing tool during a crisis.     

Design process knowledge for crisis-driven information systems solutions: Insights on building digital resilience from an action design research study

As global disruptions escalate, digital resilience (DR)—the capacity to anticipate, absorb, and adapt to external shocks by leveraging Information Systems (IS)—has become crucial for individuals and organisations confronting and managing unprecedented crises. This research advances understanding on how to develop DR, drawing on insights from an Action Design Research (ADR) study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research explores a particular facet of DR: the capacity to manage exogenous shocks through the design  of new IS solutions. We introduce the ADAPT framework, comprising five key enablers—Agility, Designation, Alignment, Participation, and Trust—recommended to support design teams developing IS solutions during and for crises. Our ADR project, which resulted in the creation of a telemonitoring system used by over 115 frontline healthcare workers to monitor the symptoms of more than 1000 COVID-19 patients, demonstrates the instrumental role these five enablers play in supporting a crisis-propelled IS design process that is urgent, resource-limited, and multi-partite. By presenting new design process knowledge and practical recommendations that guide crisis-driven IS design, we aim to equip design teams with the understanding they need to effectively navigate similar challenges in the future. We also hope to inspire and support IS researchers to apply their expertise in the design, deployment, and use of IS solutions to contribute to crisis-driven design endeavours that tackle the pressing and urgent challenges of our time.     

Proposition of a PLM tool to support textile design: A case study applied to the definition of the early stages of design requirements

The current climate of economic competition forces businesses to adapt more than ever to the expectations of their customers. Faced with new challenges, practices in textile design have evolved in order to be able to manage projects in new work environments. After presenting a state of the art overview of collaborative tools used in product design and making functional comparison between PLM solutions, our paper proposes a case study for the development and testing of a collaborative platform in the textile industry, focusing on the definition of early stages of design needs. The scientific contributions presented in this paper are a state of the art of current PLM solutions and their application in the field of textile design; and a case study where we will present, define, and test the mock-up of a collaborative tool to assist the early stages, based on identified intermediary representations.     

A semantic framework and software design to enable the transparent integration,reorganization and discovery of natural systems knowledge

I present a conceptualization that attempts to unify diverse representations of natural knowledge while providing a workable computational framework, based on current semantic web theory, for developing, communicating, and running integrated simulation models. The approach is based on a long-standing principle of scientific investigation: the separation of the ontological character of the object of study from the semantics of the observation context, the latter including location in space and time and other observation-related aspects. I will show how current Knowledge Representation theories coupled with the object-oriented paradigm allow an efficient integration through the abstract model of a domain, which relates to the idea of aspect in software engineering. This conceptualization allows us to factor out two fundamental causes of complexity and awkwardness in the representation of knowledge about natural system: (a) the distinction between data and models, both seen here as generic knowledge sources; (b) the multiplicity of states in data sources, handled through the hierarchical composition of independently defined domain objects, each accounting for all states in one well-known observational dimension. This simplification leaves modelers free to work with the bare conceptual bones of the problem, encapsulating complexities connected to data format, and scale. I will then describe the design of a software system that implements the approach, referring to explicit ontologies to unambiguously characterize the semantics of the objects of study, and allowing the independent definition of a global observation context that can be redefined as required. I will briefly discuss applications to multi-scale, multi-paradigm modeling, intelligent database design, and web-based collaboration.     

Fostering the transfer of empirical engineering knowledge under technological paradigm shift: An experimental study in conceptual design

Knowledge transfer is a frequently-used method for novice engineers to rapidly adapt themselves to a related new technological paradigm. However, due to different types in knowledge transfer, it remains divergent about the mechanism and motivation, leading to the chaos in tackling the low-quality and low-efficiency transfer process. This study concentrated on the individual-level transfer of empirical engineering knowledge (EEK) in product designers’ mind triggered by technological paradigm shift, trying to accelerate the process and improve the result. Based on concept-knowledge model and eye-tracking data, this paper proposed a two-phase protocol and implements it in a practical case of conceptual design. Three factors of designers, prior cognitive level, utilization of the stimulus materials, and self-directed learning willingness, were evaluated and investigated. Results of 82 engineering students and young scholars showed that all three factors significantly impacted the validity and integrity of transferred EEK, and the efficiency of EEK transfer process. Specifically, key concepts in the stimulus materials, and creativity and initiative in learning willingness improved the validity and integrity. Non-essential words and too complex drawings lowered the efficiency. High cognitive level had side-effects on the transfer. These results inferred that the transfer of EEK could be fostered by wisely reusing past experience, selectively utilizing stimulus materials, and actively promoting learning willingness, which helps the designers to perform better in product design innovation.     

A user-centred approach for designing driving support systems: the case of collision avoidance

The work described in this paper is focused on an approach for implementing in real working contexts the guidelines of user-centred design contained in formal standards and in many research studies. The application concerns the EUCLIDE project (enhanced human–machine interface for on vehicle integrated driving support system), which aimed at developing a driving support system to avoid collisions with obstacles in reduced visibility conditions. The design of the system followed a user-centred approach which started by identifying the model of cognition to be applied throughout the whole design process. The definition of the warning strategies of the system was firstly analysed with the aim to achieve the highest balance between a totally supportive system and a non-disturbing system. Then an initial set of design solutions for the human–machine interface was tested in a static driving simulator. A second set of possible interfaces was evaluated in a dynamic simulator before developing a final design. This solution was implemented in two real vehicles and tested in real traffic situations. This paper describes the whole design process and concentrates on the final step of “in-vehicle” integration process. The road tests performed at the end of the whole process are discussed in detail focusing on the safety implications associated with the design solution finally selected and implemented.

Optimization of machining processes from the perspective of energy consumption: A case study

One of the primary objectives of sustainable manufacturing is to minimize energy consumption in its manufacturing processes. A strategy of energy saving is to adapt new materials or new processes; but its implementation requires radical changes of the manufacturing system and usually a heavy initial investment. The other strategy is to optimize existing manufacturing processes from the perspective of energy saving. However, an explicit relational model between machining parameters and energy cost is required; while most of the works in this field treat the manufacturing processes as black or gray boxes. In this paper, analytical energy modeling for the explicit relations of machining parameters and energy consumption is investigated, and the modeling method is based on the kinematic and dynamic behaviors of chosen machine tools. The developed model is applied to optimize the machine setup for energy saving. A new parallel kinematic machine Exechon is used to demonstrate the procedure of energy modeling. The simulation results indicate that the optimization can result in 67% energy saving for the specific drilling operation of the given machine tool. This approach can be extended and applied to other machines to establish their energy models for sustainable manufacturing.     

Work system design in macroergonomics: A case study related to prioritization of major sociotechnical system components by using the fuzzy analytic network process

The primary lesson for a company in an industrially developing country that desires to build its competitive capabilities is that investing and focusing solely on the technical side of the work system results in disruptive technological and organizational change. The managers should take into account the broader prerequisites and be aware of the potential pitfalls of work system incompatibilities. Past experiences indicate that, to be successful, the work system design has to match certain requirements of major sociotechnical systems. Thus the matching process has to consider multiple criteria and the opinions of several managers. This work attempts briefly to identify factors affecting the success of work system design to reduce the potential for incompatibilities with respect to macroergonomics and to optimize the decision process of managers. The objective of the presented decision model in this article, based on the fuzzy analytic network process, determines the global weights (highest degree of importance) for different sociotechnical subsystem components/elements and examines the critical factors and benefits that affect the successful application of macroergonomic work system designs from a manager's point of view. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Contributions from cognitive engineering to requirements specifications for complex sociotechnical systems: A case study in the context of healthcare in Brazil

This paper aims at presenting a case study on the use of human factors and ergonomics to enhance requirement specifications for complex sociotechnical system support tools through enhancing the understanding of human performance within the business domain and the indication of high‐value requirements candidates to information technology support. This work uses methods based on cognitive engineering to build representations of the business domain, highlighting workers’ needs, and contributing to the improvement of software requirements specifications, used in the healthcare domain. As the human factors discipline fits between human sciences and technology design, we believe that its concepts can be combined with software engineering to improve understanding of how people work, enabling the design of better information technology.