Development of intelligent design associates: a case study.
A number of human factors data sets provides guidelines and recommendations for the system design process. Much of this information is available to the human factors engineer in design handbooks, textbooks, and periodicals. While human factors design information is both available and abundant, it is not necessarily readily accessible or in a format that is easily assimilated into a particular design scenario. This paper discusses the feasibility of incorporating human factors design data into intelligent, knowledge-based systems referred to as design associates. Successful implementation of any design associate is dependent upon two key issues: conversion of human factors data into a valid knowledge base, and overcoming the knowledge representation constraints imposed by an intelligent software tool. Detailed results of a recent effort to address these issues, and subsequently implement a design associate on a commercially available intelligent software tool, are presented. This particular associate, implemented in a rule-based tool environment, aids in the selection of visual display technologies.
Mitta
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Department of Industrial Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3131, USA.
Ellis
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NC