Designs are generated using a spatial grammar that explicitly guides the type of solutions generated and excludes infeasible designs. The soft material simulation method is stable and sufficiently fast for use in a highly iterative simulated annealing search process. The resulting virtual designs exhibit a large variety of expected and unexpected gaits, thus demonstrating the capabilities of the method. Finally, the optimization results and the spatial grammar are analyzed to understand and map the challenges of the problem and the search space.
A Spatial Grammar Method for the Computational Design Synthesis of Virtual Soft Locomotion Robots8/14/2019
Soft locomotion robots are intrinsically compliant and have a large number of degrees of freedom. However, the hand-design of soft robots is often a lengthy trail-and-error process. This paper presents the computational design of virtual, soft locomotion robots using an approach that integrates simulation feedback. The Computational Design Synthesis (CDS) approach consists of three stages: (1) generation, (2) evaluation through simulation, and (3) optimization. Designs are generated using a spatial grammar that explicitly guides the type of solutions generated and excludes infeasible designs. The soft material simulation method is stable and sufficiently fast for use in a highly iterative simulated annealing search process. The resulting virtual designs exhibit a large variety of expected and unexpected gaits, thus demonstrating the capabilities of the method. Finally, the optimization results and the spatial grammar are analyzed to understand and map the challenges of the problem and the search space. For the full Research Article please see ASME's Digital Collection.
Mohammad Hassannezhad, Marco Cantamessa, Francesca Montagna and P. John Clarkson J. Mech. Des 141(8), 081101; doi: 10.1115/1.4042614 A key challenge in lengthy and labor-intensive design projects is leveraging knowledge and expertise. Tools are needed that reflect the social and technical characteristics of design processes. Such integrated modelling is particularly critical in the early stages of design where information is imprecise and decisions have significant consequence. This paper contributes to the development of Actor-Based Signposting (ABS) - a dynamic method that combines the Activity-based and Agent-based concepts of process modelling. This approach enables individuals to be adaptive in satisfying the local objectives of their own jobs while complying with the global objectives of the rest of the team/entire system. Outcomes from this work are significant because they can be used for predicting the trajectory of a design process by allowing decision-makers to understand what task to do next, whom to assign a task given the availability of resources, and the levels of knowledge and expertise required. Two case studies are presented and results demonstrate a range of insights that could enhance managers’ decision-making capabilities and opportunities for future research are discussed. For the full Research Paper please see ASME's Digital Collection.
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FEATURESThis section includes brief descriptions of articles soon to be or recently published by the Journal of Mechanical Design. These featured articles highlight recent research developments and emerging trends in mechanical design. For Abstracts and Full Articles please see ASME's Digital Collection. Archives
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