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University of Cambridge > Engineering Department > MMD > Mechanics Colloquia

Mechanics Colloquia

An occasional cross-disciplinary seminar series
(Information and directions for visitors)

Abstracts

Unnatural Selection - Classification and Choice in Engineering Design
Professor M.F. Ashby
CUED

Life is full of difficult choices. Everyone has their own way of dealing with these, some effective, some not. The problem is particularly acute in engineering design because of the vast amount of information designers have to process.

This talk deals with a subset of this problem: the subset of selecting materials and processes, and their links to the design of products. Even these, though, present many of the generic problems of choice, and the challenges in creating tools to assist the designer in making them. The key elements are those of classification, of indexing, of reaching decisions using incomplete data in many different formats, and of devising effective strategies for selection. This final element - that of selection strategies - poses particular challenges. Product design, as an example, is an intricate blend of the technical and (for want of a better word) the aesthetic. To meet these needs, a tool that allows selection by analysis, by analogy, by association and simply by 'browsing' is necessary. An example of such a tool, its successes and remaining challenges, will be described.

© 2005 Cambridge University Engineering Dept