ACAE Seminar

Title: The Use of Mechatronic Design Quotient (MDQ) in the Design of Mechatronic Systems with Inspiration from Natural Intelligence and Evolution
Speaker: Prof. Clarence W. de Silva
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of British Columbia, Canada
Date: Dec 12, 2005 Monday
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Venue: Room 215, William M. W. Mong Engineering Building, CUHK

Abstract
A mechatronic system is an integrated electro-mechanical system. It will consist of many different types of interconnected components and elements. The dynamic coupling between the components means an accurate design of the system should consider the entire system as a whole rather than using sequential design methodologies, which are traditional. The presentation will explore a multi-criteria and concurrent approach to mechatronic design and evaluation. A design formulation and criteria based on a mechatronic design quotient (MDQ) will be introduced for this purpose. Human experience and intelligence on mixed systems and interactions between criteria should be taken into account in the design process. Computational intelligence, and particularly techniques of soft computing, will be useful for the representation and aggregation of design criteria in MDQ. On the other hand, in design optimization, methodologies of evolutionary computing will be useful, and in this context MDQ will represent an appropriate fitness function. The use of artificial intelligence and evolutionary computing in the design of mechatronic systems may be viewed as an attempt to mimic ¨natural〃 intelligent design and ¨natural〃 evolution of a biological system (e.g., human), albeit in a greatly simplified form. Several industrial applications of Mechatronics have been designed and developed in the Industrial Automation Laboratory under the direction of the speaker. Representative applications involving robotic object handling, cutting, inspection, and grading of products will be presented.

Biography
Professor Clarence W. de Silva, P.Eng., Fellow ASME and Fellow IEEE, is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and has occupied the NSERC Research Chair in Industrial Automation since 1988. He has earned Ph.D. degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1978) and the University of Cambridge, England (1998). De Silva has also occupied the Mobil Endowed Chair Professorship in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore. He is recipient of the Killam Research Prize, Outstanding Engineering Educator Award of IEEE Canada, Education Award of the Dynamic Systems and Control Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Lifetime Achievement Award of the World Automation Congress, IEEE Third Millennium Medal, Meritorious Achievement Award of the Association of Professional Engineers of BC, and the Outstanding Contribution Award of the Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). De Silva has authored or co-authored 16 technical books, 12 edited volumes, over 160 journal papers, and about 200 conference papers and book chapters. He has served on the editorial boards of twelve international journals, in particular as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Control and Intelligent Systems, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Knowledge-Based Intelligent Engineering Systems, Senior Technical Editor of Measurements and Control, and Regional Editor, North America, of Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence -- the IFAC International Journal of Intelligent Real-Time Automation. De Silva is a Lilly Fellow, Senior Fulbright Fellow to Cambridge University, Fellow of the Advanced Systems Institute of British Columbia, and a Killam Fellow.

***** ALL ARE WELCOME *****

Enquiries: Ms. Winnie Wong or Prof. Charlie Wang Chang-ling, Department of Automation and Computer-Aided Engineering, CUHK at 2609 8337. *ACAE Series (2005-06) is contained in the World-Wide Web home page at http://www.acae.cuhk.edu.hk/en/seminars/seminars_ieee.htm.

Title:	The Use of Mechatronic Design Quotient (MDQ) in the Design of Mechatronic Systems with Inspiration from Natural Intelligence and Evolution
Speaker:	Prof. Clarence W. de Silva Department of Mechanical Engineering University of British Columbia, Canada
Date:	Dec 12, 2005 Monday
Time:	2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Venue:	Room 215, William M. W. Mong Engineering Building, CUHK
Abstract A mechatronic system is an integrated electro-mechanical system. It will consist of many different types of interconnected components and elements. The dynamic coupling between the components means an accurate design of the system should consider the entire system as a whole rather than using sequential design methodologies, which are traditional. The presentation will explore a multi-criteria and concurrent approach to mechatronic design and evaluation. A design formulation and criteria based on a mechatronic design quotient (MDQ) will be introduced for this purpose. Human experience and intelligence on mixed systems and interactions between criteria should be taken into account in the design process. Computational intelligence, and particularly techniques of soft computing, will be useful for the representation and aggregation of design criteria in MDQ. On the other hand, in design optimization, methodologies of evolutionary computing will be useful, and in this context MDQ will represent an appropriate fitness function. The use of artificial intelligence and evolutionary computing in the design of mechatronic systems may be viewed as an attempt to mimic ¨natural〃 intelligent design and ¨natural〃 evolution of a biological system (e.g., human), albeit in a greatly simplified form. Several industrial applications of Mechatronics have been designed and developed in the Industrial Automation Laboratory under the direction of the speaker. Representative applications involving robotic object handling, cutting, inspection, and grading of products will be presented.
Biography Professor Clarence W. de Silva, P.Eng., Fellow ASME and Fellow IEEE, is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and has occupied the NSERC Research Chair in Industrial Automation since 1988. He has earned Ph.D. degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1978) and the University of Cambridge, England (1998). De Silva has also occupied the Mobil Endowed Chair Professorship in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore. He is recipient of the Killam Research Prize, Outstanding Engineering Educator Award of IEEE Canada, Education Award of the Dynamic Systems and Control Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Lifetime Achievement Award of the World Automation Congress, IEEE Third Millennium Medal, Meritorious Achievement Award of the Association of Professional Engineers of BC, and the Outstanding Contribution Award of the Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). De Silva has authored or co-authored 16 technical books, 12 edited volumes, over 160 journal papers, and about 200 conference papers and book chapters. He has served on the editorial boards of twelve international journals, in particular as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Control and Intelligent Systems, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Knowledge-Based Intelligent Engineering Systems, Senior Technical Editor of Measurements and Control, and Regional Editor, North America, of Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence -- the IFAC International Journal of Intelligent Real-Time Automation. De Silva is a Lilly Fellow, Senior Fulbright Fellow to Cambridge University, Fellow of the Advanced Systems Institute of British Columbia, and a Killam Fellow.
*** ALL ARE WELCOME ***
Enquiries: Ms. Winnie Wong or Prof. Charlie Wang Chang-ling, Department of Automation and Computer-Aided Engineering, CUHK at 2609 8337. *ACAE Series (2005-06) is contained in the World-Wide Web home page at http://www.acae.cuhk.edu.hk/en/seminars/seminars_ieee.htm.