Intelligent computer-aided engineering

Abstract

The goal of Intelligent Computer-Aided Engineering (ICAE) is to construct computer programs which capture a significant fraction of an engineer's knowledge. Today ICAE systems are a goal, not a reality. This paper attempts to refine that goal and suggest how to get there. We begin by examining several scenarios of what ICAE systems could be like. Next we describe why ICAE won't directly evolve from current applications of expert system technology to engineering problems. We focus on qualitative physics as a critical area where progress is needed, both in terms of representations and styles of reasoning. To appear in AI Magazine, Fall, 1988. Draft of May 13, 1 Introduction Applications of Artificial Intelligence can provide challenges that drive the field forward. One example is intelligent computer-aided instruction (ICAI) [64]. ICAI research has spawned many important studies of cognition and learning, leading to intellectual advances as well as providing the potential for revoluti...