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On conceptual design of intelligent mechatronic systems1. Introduction Current global market conditions are volatile and unpredictable. In the postindustrial
society supported by the information economy .we shall have to learn to live with complexity, dynamics and uncertainty of demand and supply conditions. Traditional automated systems are rigid and are not capable of responding rapidly to changes in demand and supply. The automation, in its present form, does not deliver agility. My recent experience as a consultant to a major automobile manufacturer confirmed how large are disruptions and consequent costs caused by frequent changes in order specifications. These losses are rarely publicised but they are real and are likely to increase with time.43509
It follows that it is necessary to develop a new design philosophy for both organisational and technological systems, a philosophy that will ensure that systems are able rapidly to respond to unpredictable changes in their environments with a view to maintaining or improving their performance.
Digital information and communication technologies have reached the level of development which enables designers to achieve this objective.
The massive use of digital technology is assured by its continuous improvement in performance/price ratio. According to the well-known Moore’s Law, every eighteen to twenty four months chip density and hence computing power doubles while cost remain constant. We have good evidence that since 1960s the development of computer technology has strictly followed this law. The implication is that in the near future the cost of electronic tags will be less than that of barcodes. We can expect therefore physical objects, including living systems, to be tagged and thus endowed with the ability to communicate with each other, opening extraordinary opportunities for advanced mechatronics.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has matured and is now capable of providing innovative solutions to many practical problems where there is a need to replace automation with intelligence. This is particularly true for Distributed AI as exemplified by multi-agent systems. Some commentators have named the new interest in AI as ‘‘the second coming of artificial intelligence’’.
2. Fundamental concepts
Let us review key concepts underlying conceptual design of intelligent mechatronics systems, as used in this paper.
2.1. Mechatronic systems
It is quite common now to refer to multi-technology systems that include mechanical, electrical, electronic and software components, as Mechatronic Systems.
I propose here to classify mechatronic systems according to their behavioral characteristics into
• Automated Mechatronic Systems,
• Intelligent Mechatronic Systems,
• Intelligent Mechatronic Networks.
An Automated mechatronic system is capable of handling materials and energy, communicating with its environment and is characterised by self-regulation, which enables it to respond to predictable changes in its environment in a pre-programmed fashion. An overwhelming majority of current mechatronic systems belong to this category. These systems are not equipped to cope with the complexity, dynamics and uncertainty inherent in new markets and will not be considered in this paper.
An Intelligent mechatronic system is capable of achieving given goals under conditions of uncertainty. In contrast to automated systems, which are, by definition, pre-programmed to deliver given behavior and are therefore predictable, intelligent systems may arrive at specified goals in an unpredictable manner. They are endowed with flexibility, which means they are capable of responding to frequent changes in their environments without being re-programmed. This qualitative difference in their behavior is a result of the separation of the domain knowledge from the mechanism for problem solving.