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Toward automating affordance-based design

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2015

Ivan Mata
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
Georges Fadel*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
Gregory Mocko
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
*
Reprint requests to: Georges Fadel, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 202 Fluor Daniel Building. Clemson University, Clemson SC 29634, USA. E-mail: fgeorge@clemson.edu

Abstract

The objective of this research is to develop a computational representation of knowledge associated with affordance-based design (ABD). The ABD ontology formalizes the entities, properties, and relationships within the domains of ABD. The ontology enables designers to describe the affordances of existing products and specify the intended affordances of future products in line with ABD. The ontology consists of 14 concepts and 5 relationships. The ontology is developed using Protégé 4.3 and DL-query to query and reason with the ontology. The ontology is demonstrated using a consumer vacuum cleaner. The formal ontology serves as the basis for developing computer support for ABD applications. When implemented, these design tools will help designers manage the affordances of artifacts being designed, specifying the interacting entities of every affordance when a three-dimensional model of the artifact is available. Further, these software tools could be used to support ABD methods.

Type
Special Issue Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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