The research objective of this collaborative award is to explore and evaluate new design processes, based on immersive technology, that support design team interaction in ways that result in designs that could not be achieved with traditional interfaces. These methods will be grounded in two distinct research fields: analytic methods for tradeoff analysis under uncertainty (University of Illinois) and the use of virtual reality techniques for product design (Iowa State University). Using these new methods, designers will be able to see and, where appropriate, feel the tradeoffs resulting from potential design changes in multiple realms and over the entire product lifecycle. The three major realms include: a visual and tactile sense of attribute tradeoffs, a sense of the difficulty of operations such as disassembly or repair, and time-lapse visualization of the effect of uncertainty. Test-beds for John Deere and Boeing will by employed. The impact of this research will be to provide a powerful new approach to complex product/system design which utilizes both analytical methods and immersive design computer technologies.
If successful, these approaches will result in the creation of unique new products, as the far reaching effects of potential design changes will be seen, felt and experienced by members of the design team. Resources will be used more efficiently, since their economic, technical and environmental value throughout the product lifecycle will be visually represented for the design team. A set of design case studies will be developed and made freely available on the web for educational purposes. These case studies will be integrated into engineering-oriented industrially sponsored senior design courses. With the case studies' special emphasis on a realistic experience of the collaborative design process, anticipated impacts include increased participation and retention of women in engineering. New technology will be transferred to industry through student/industry projects. Design of the educational materials will follow current guidelines on "changing the conversation" to reflect the diversity of engineering in all aspects.
