Ergonomic Chair Design by Fusing Qualitative and Quantitative Criteria using Interactive Genetic Algorithms

This paper emphasizes the necessity of formally bringing qualitative and quantitative criteria of ergonomic design together, and provides a novel complementary design framework with this aim. Within this framework, different design criteria are viewed as optimization objectives; and design solutions are iteratively improved through the cooperative efforts of computer and user. The framework is rooted in multi-objective optimization, genetic algorithms and interactive user evaluation. Three different algorithms based on the framework are developed, and tested with an ergonomic chair design problem. The parallel and multi-objective approaches show promising results in fitness convergence, design diversity and user satisfaction metrics

Intelligent support to specific design aspects

Due to increased rivalry on the market, some specific design aspects like the use of modern plastics materials, ergonomics and aesthetics are becoming more important and are not kept in the background any more in correlation with functionality and economic aspect of the product. Design engineer faces many dilemmas while designing new products as a single person is not able to possess a wide spectrum of knowledge needed for optimal design solutions. At this point designer have to rely on his or her experience and on the knowledge of the expert team involved in the project. The fundamental purpose of the research presented in this paper is to make the product development process less experience dependent. The main goal of thematically oriented research is to develop intelligent advisory system with integrated modules forsome specific design aspects

Intelligent Support for a Computer Aided Design Optimisation Cycle

It is becoming more and more evident that  adding intelligence  to existing computer aids, such as computer aided design systems, can lead to significant improvements in the effective and reliable performance of various engineering tasks, including design optimisation. This paper presents three different intelligent modules to be applied within a computer aided design optimisation cycle to enable more intelligent and less experience-dependent design performance.

About the nature of Kansei information, from abstract to concrete

Designer’s expertise refers to the scientific fields of emotional design and kansei information. This paper aims to answer to a scientific major issue which is, how to formalize designer’s knowledge, rules, skills into kansei information systems. Kansei can be considered as a psycho-physiologic, perceptive, cognitive and affective process through a particular experience. Kansei oriented methods include various approaches which deal with semantics and emotions, and show the correlation with some design properties. Kansei words may include semantic, sensory, emotional descriptors, and also objects names and product attributes. Kansei levels of information can be seen on an axis going from abstract to concrete dimensions. Sociological value is the most abstract information positioned on this axis. Previous studies demonstrate the values the people aspire to drive their emotional reactions in front of particular semantics. This means that the value dimension should be considered in kansei studies. Through a chain of value-function-product attributes it is possible to enrich design generation and design evaluation processes. This paper describes some knowledge structures and formalisms we established according to this chain, which can be further used for implementing computer aided design tools dedicated to early design. These structures open to new formalisms which enable to integrate design information in a non-hierarchical way. The foreseen algorithmic implementation may be based on the association of ontologies and bag-of-words.AN

The Importance of Design in the Development of a Portable and Modular Iot-Based Detection Device for Clinical Applications

The integration of human factors engineering methods within the medical device design and development process has been highlighted by international standards organizations. Such methods are contributing to the development of safer medical devices, more suitable to users' needs. Errors during device operation might hamper effective patient diagnosis and treatment, or eventually lead to injury or death. Thus, the designing process of a medical device is indeed crucial to user experience and safety operation. This paper presents a human-centred design analysis of a novel IoT-based screening prototype (iLoF) based on Artificial Intelligence algorithms built-in in a patented-photonics system developed by a deep tech startup. The influence of the design process during the development of the prototype was addressed, based on a human-centred design methodology and considering the device's application environment. iLoF's prototype on-field applicability was evaluated considering a single case-study carried out at one of the main hospitals in Portugal through interviews to ten healthcare professionals with high experience in laboratorial testing. A benchmark assessment and a comparison matrix along with the market products are also presented to fully understand the technology state and to find new solutions that can influence iLoF's product development. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Intelligent support for defining aesthetical, ergonomical and material properties of designed product

U radu se daje uvid u prototip inteligentnog savjetodavnog sustava temeljenog na estetskim i ergonomskim faktorima u odnosu na dizajn proizvoda, s naglaskom na pripadajućim preporukama o dizajnu. Rad je usmjeren na metodologiju određivanja odgovarajuće kombinacije ergonomskih i estetskih poteza tijekom dizajna proizvoda u svrhu postizanja ugodne primjene. Osim funkcije proizvoda, ergonomija i estetika su svakako najvažniji faktori koje pri dizajniranju treba uzeti u obzir. U području ergonomije nisu važne samo antropometrijske karakteristike budućeg korisnika. Od velike je također važnosti izabrati odgovarajući materijal za područja dodira kako bi se osiguralo ugodno korištenje, bez mogućnosti povrede. Predstavljena teoretska saznanja potkrijepljena su analizom dizajna drške ručnog alata primjenom inteligentnog savjetodavnog sustava Oscar.The presented paper gives an insight into a prototype of intelligent advisory system based on the aesthetic and ergonomic factors regarding product design, with emphasis on appurtenant design recommendations. The paper focuses on methodology of determining appropriate combination of ergonomic and aesthetic design actions during product design to achieve pleasant user experience. Along with products’ function, ergonomics and aesthetics certainly belong to the most important design factors that affect user experience. In the field of ergonomics not only anthropometrical characteristics of prospective user are important. It is also of significant importance to select appropriate material for contact areas in order to assure comfortable and injury free use. Presented theoretical findings are supported with case study of hand tool handle design using intelligent advisory system Oscar

Visual balance in engineering design for aesthetic value

The aesthetic aspect of a functional product is growing to be an important reason for the consumer’s choice to buy the product. Despite this importance, aesthetics has not generally been incorporated into engineering design which makes much sense of functional and ergonomic designs. The study presented in this thesis aims to remedy this observed gap. The study focuses on the integration of aesthetic attributes with functional attributes of a product and on the quantification of the aesthetic principle from fine arts into design variables of the product. In particular, two hypotheses underlie this study: (1) design variables can be classified in terms of their relevance to functional, ergonomic, and aesthetic attributes, and (2) a particular aesthetic principle, namely visual balance, helps to achieve an improved aesthetic product.The cell phone is used to ground this study. A statistic experiment using the cell phone product positively tests the first hypothesis, resulting in two design variable which are only related to the aesthetic attribute of the cell phone product. The study of the visual balance principle results in a more general formula which relates design variables to visual balance with consideration of both geometry and color of the cell phone product. Finally, another statistic experiment is designed, which positively tests the second hypothesis.This study concludes: (1) the effective integration of aesthetics with function and ergonomics requires an analysis and classification of design variables, and (2) there is a potential to quantify all aesthetic principles from fine arts into design variables