Overview
The aim of the three research projects are to
investigate the possibility of automatically, or semi-automatically
capturing the design knowledge that is created during an engineering
design session. This will be accomplished by continuously logging the
designer unobtrusively in the background and then post-processing the
log files to extract the design knowledge.
The three research projects consist of the
following:
-
COSTAR 1 - Initial project to develop a
virtual reality (VR) system to design and route cable harnesses
whilst logging the user's actions
-
COSTAR 2 - Continuation of CO-STAR 1 using
improved hardware to run user trials of system and then analysing
the resultant log files
-
GRAND CHALLENGE - Application of design
knowledge capture techniques to a 2D CAD-like design environment and
the research is part of the
Knowledge and
Information (KIM) Grand Challenge project.
Using the acquired design knowledge, it has been
utilised in developing an information push system which offers
assistance to new or inexperienced users who are working on a similar
design task. Future work will concentrate on applying the research to
analysing industrial-based design tasks.
COSTAR 1 and COSTAR 2 are some of the projects that is part of the
Digital Tools for Manufacturing Group at Heriot-Watt University.
Other projects that are currently ongoing include
scanning of 3D
textures and
haptics.
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