In this paper, we report on our investigation of haptics-enabled mid-air interactions for sketching three-dimensional (3D) curve-soups—collections of three-dimensional multi-planar curves. We study pen-based mid-air interactions for free-form curve input from the perspective of manual labor, controllability, and kinesthetic feedback. We specifically study the role of kinesthetic feedback for two aspects of mid-air sketching, namely, drawing curves on planar surfaces and spatial rotation of 3D curve-soups. For this, we implemented a simple haptics-enabled workflow for users to draw and compose collections of planar curves on a force-enabled virtual canvas. The qualitative and quantitative analyses of our study-tasks show that there is a rich interaction design space of kinesthetic feedback methods for mid-air sketching beyond physically currently prevalent models.

The paper describes the design of an innovative virtual reality (VR) system, based on a combination of an olfactory display and a visual display, to be used for investigating the directionality of the sense of olfaction. In particular, the design of an experimental setup to understand and determine to what extent the sense of olfaction is directional and whether there is prevalence of the sense of vision over the one of smell when determining the direction of an odor, is described. The experimental setup is based on low-cost VR technologies. In particular, the system is based on a custom directional olfactory display (OD), a head mounted display (HMD) to deliver both visual and olfactory cues, and an input device to register subjects' answers. The paper reports the design of the olfactory interface as well as its integration with the overall system.

The interconnection and interworking, a process of data interaction among different levels in manufacturing enterprises, are the core of realizing intelligent manufacturing. This paper focuses on the modeling of the interconnection-related information in product manufacturing and develops an info-interconnect model (IIM) in product manufacturing based on a widespread research of various informational aspects in the business logic of the digital workshop of manufacturing enterprises. The developed IIM, which describes the product data structure and the organizational logic of the production process, follows a layered modeling methodology in which IIM is subdivided into layers with the main purpose to separate entities, rules, workflow, and application into different levels. Then, based on resource-driven mechanism, business processes are modeled by directed acyclic graphs (i.e., PR-AOV network and PR-AOE network), incidence matrix of resources, and set of resources availability in order to improve the management and control of workflow, and to provide basis for dynamic scheduling of workshop. Finally, workshop layer application and control layer application have been incorporated to validate the usability and applicability of the developed IIM. This new info-interconnect model paves the way for the assurance of data consistency, the development of fully integrated manufacturing workflow, and the rapid deployment of efficient business logic in a manufacturing workshop.

Exchange and reuse of three-dimensional (3D) product models are hampered by the absence of trust in product-lifecycle data quality. The root cause of the missing trust is years of “silo” functions (e.g., engineering, manufacturing, and quality assurance) using independent and disconnected processes. Those disconnected processes result in data exchanges that do not contain all of the required information for each downstream lifecycle process, which inhibits the reuse of product data and results in duplicate data. The X.509 standard, maintained by the Telecommunication Standardization Sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T), was first issued in 1988. Although originally intended as the authentication framework for the X.500 series for electronic directory services, the X.509 framework is used in a wide range of implementations outside the originally intended paradigm. These implementations range from encrypting websites to software-code signing, yet X.509 certificate use has not widely penetrated engineering and product realms. Our approach is not trying to provide security mechanisms, but equally as important, our method aims to provide insight into what is happening with product data to support trusting the data. This paper provides a review of the use of X.509 certificates and proposes a solution for embedding X.509 digital certificates in 3D models for authentication, authorization, and traceability of product data. This paper also describes an application within the aerospace domain. Finally, the paper draws conclusions and provides recommendations for further research into using X.509 certificates in product lifecycle management (PLM) workflows to enable a product lifecycle of trust.

Simulation-based methods are emerging to address the challenges of complex systems risk assessment, and this paper identifies two problems related to the use of such methods. First, the methods cannot identify new hazards if the simulation model builders are expected to foresee the hazards and incorporate the abnormal behavior related to the hazard into the simulation model. Therefore, this paper uses the concept of deviation from design intent to systematically capture abnormal conditions that may lead to component failures, hazards, or both. Second, simulation-based risk assessment methods should explicitly consider what expertise is required from the experts that build and use the simulation models—the transfer of the methods to real engineering practice will be severely hindered if they must be performed by persons that are expert in domain safety as well as advanced computer simulation-based methods. This paper addresses both problems in the context of the functional failure identification and propagation (FFIP) method. One industrially established risk assessment method, hazard and operability study (HAZOP), is harnessed to systematically obtain the deviations from design intent in the application under study. An information system presents a user interface that is understandable to HAZOP professionals, so that their inputs are transparently entered to a data model that captures the deviations. From the data model, instructions for configuring FFIP simulation models are printed in a form that is understandable for FFIP experts. The method is demonstrated for discovering a hazard resulting from system-wide fault propagation in a boiling water reactor case.

Parametric finite element analysis (FEA) models are commonly used in iterative design processes to obtain an optimum model given a set of loads, constraints, objectives, and design parameters to vary. In some instances, it is desirable for a designer to obtain some intuition about how changes in design parameters can affect the FEA solution of interest, before simply sending the model through the optimization loop. For example, designers who wish to explore the design space and understand how each variable changes the output in a visual way, looking at the whole model and not just numbers or a response surface of a single FEA node. This could be accomplished by running the FEA on the parametric model for a set of part family members, but this can be very time consuming and only gives snapshots of the model's real behavior. This paper presents a method of visualizing the FEA solution of the parametric model as design parameters are changed in real-time by approximating the FEA solution using parametric FEA modeling, surrogate modeling methods, and visualization methods. The implementation develops a parametric FEA mode that includes mesh morphing algorithms that allow the mesh to change parametrically along with the model geometry. This allows the surrogate models assigned to each individual node to use the nodal solution of multiple finite element analyses as regression points to approximate the FEA solution. The surrogate models can then be mapped to their respective geometric locations in real-time. The results of the FEA calculations are updated in real-time as the parameters of the design model change allowing real-time visualization.

Disassembly is essential to dismantle a product for remanufacturing during maintenance or at the end of service life. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed an information model for describing disassembly processes. A disassembly process includes many subprocesses, such as separation, cleaning, repair, replacement, and inspection. This paper describes a disassembly process information model with the following key components: workpiece, material content, equipment, and workflow. The workflow aspect supports the modeling of operations, operation sequences, branching an operation into multiple ones, and joining multiple operations into one. The model provides a foundation for computer-aided disassembly software systems development.

We present a framework for modeling and analysis of real-world business workflows. We present a formalized core subset of the business process modeling and notation (BPMN) and then proceed to extend this language with probabilistic nondeterministic branching and general-purpose reward annotations. We present an algorithm for the translation of such models into Markov decision processes (MDP) expressed in the syntax of the PRISM model checker. This enables precise quantitative analysis of business processes for the following properties: transient and steady-state probabilities, the timing, occurrence and ordering of events, reward-based properties, and best- and worst- case scenarios. We develop a simple example of medical workflow and demonstrate the utility of this analysis in accurate provisioning of drug stocks. Finally, we suggest a path to building upon these techniques to cover the entire BPMN language, allow for more complex annotations and ultimately to automatically synthesize workflows by composing predefined subprocesses, in order to achieve a configuration that is optimal for parameters of interest.

Workflows are common in today’s business world, and are an integral part of current enterprise content management, product lifecycle management, and enterprise resource planning systems. When a task assignee does not complete a task on time, workflow systems are commonly configured to send out reminders. Reminders are a form of intervention in the workflow. It is tacitly assumed that workflow intervention is effective, yet, to date, there has been no quantitative characterization of the benefits of workflow intervention. This study first develops a mathematical model for workflow intervention. The controlling parameters are identified: the choice of probability distribution, the skewness of the probability distribution, the intervention interval, and the effectiveness of individual interventions. To the extent that closed-form solutions are available (e.g., for uniform or triangular probability density functions), they are presented. More generally, results are presented by representing the wait time using the Weibull probability density function. Cases where closed-form solutions are intractable are simulated using the Petri net method. Results indicate that, while interventions always reduce the mean cycle time for a workflow, there are certain circumstances where the cycle time reduction is dramatic (i.e., > 50 % ).

Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) is a major problem confronting manufacturing organizations that have deployed large-scale enterprise information systems and aim to coordinate inter- and intraorganizational product development, supply-chain, and customer management activities. Successful EAI is a key enabling step toward implementation of viable Product Life-cycle Management (PLM) strategies. Extant EAI technologies, such as distributed object and messaging technologies for communication and ontology-based database schema integration, are tedious to develop and maintain in an organization. Though workflow management systems have enabled process coordination of both manual and system-oriented tasks in organizations, coping with the lack of adaptability and inter-operability in workflow systems is a manual and resource intensive effort. Recent advances in (i) standardized, modular, and distributed software delivery frameworks, such as web services; (ii) standard semantic markup languages for developing domain ontologies; and (iii) intelligent process coordination frameworks promise the development of flexible, responsive, integrated, and organic process management architectures. In this paper, we present an intelligent mediator-based architecture for enabling EAI. Intraorganizational information sources and services are made available via a web-services framework. An Integrated Service Planning and Execution (ISP&E) framework interleaves service composition and execution at the mediator to fulfill service requests. Processes that interleave information gathering and transactional tasks are generated using domain-independent Hierarchical Task Network (HTN) AI planning and a domain-specific ontology and then executed in a scalable and reliable manner. Benefits and limitations of mediator-based frameworks for EAI and topics for further research are discussed based on a prototype development experience.

Product structure management (PSM) is a process that affects many of the activity domains 1 . (AD) in a company. Different ADs have different requirements for the decomposition of a product structure and the function of the information systems (IS) used. Departments therefore often work in differing ISs. If several ISs contain some of the same information, it is important that it be updated in all systems when it is changed. Since PSM is a change intensive activity, it is difficult to perform it in an environment consisting of several heterogeneous ISs. There is a need for strategies of PSM that take into account all relevant aspects of an IS, such as the process it supports, the type of information handled, the systems used and the organization. Based on a case study at an automotive manufacturing firm, this paper discusses the diverse product structure requirements of various ADs. Proposed strategies for PSM can be used as a general guide and for categorization when analyzing ISs before introducing new systems or restructuring existing systems.

The goal of this paper is to discuss the key issues in the computer-aided surface modeling tools used in the industrial aesthetic design workflow and to highlight the problems that still make styling activities difficult. Based on the experience gained while working on two different European projects, with the collaboration of industrial designers of different fields, a general industrial design workflow is illustrated, pointing out the main differences between the automotive and non-automotive sectors. Among the emerged critical issues, particular emphasis is given to the high request of tools more suitable for the mentality of creative users; short research surveys aimed to meet this request are included, and finally authors indicate a branch of research in which they are investigating and they consider particularly worth exploring further.