Marcus Bjelkemyr

An Engineering Systems Perspective on System of Systems Methodology

Traditional methodologies for system design and development have proven insufficient when it comes to very large and distributed systems. As a consequence, research on complex socio-technical systems i.e. System-of-Systems [SoS], has evolved, At the same time, researchers of complex systems that are not SoS have started to pay attention to the tools and methods developed within the area of SoS. The purpose of this paper is therefore twofold: (1) to improve the understanding of SoS and SoS methods from a non-SoS point of view, by presenting SoS definitions, properties and behavior of SoS, and (2) to analyze current non-SoS development methodologies to test their applicability in a SoS environment. Finally a metric for the well-being of a SoS is introduced.

From Flexibility to Evolvability: ways to achieve self-reconfigurability and full-autonomy

From Flexibility to Evolvability : ways to achieve Self-Reconfigurability and Full-Autonomy

Applicability of Engineering Design Theory on Manufacturing System Design in the Context of Concurrent Engineering

The relationship between a product and a manufacturing system is addressed in various engineering design theories. The different approaches in the engineering design field are mainly focused on product design. The purpose of this paper is to review theories in the area of engineering design, in order to discuss applicability of engineering design theories on the concurrent product and manufacturing system development. The reviewed theories are: Axiomatic Design, Robust Design, Theory of Domains, and Theory of Technical Systems.

Evolutionary Theories in Manufacturing : Inspiration from Biology, Society, and Evolutionary Computing

Darwins evolutionary theory of natural selection has had a strong impact on both science and culture, and has over the last decades become a popular inspiration in engineering sciences. Both the wide range of scientific areas where evolutionary theory is applied, and the simplistic metaphors used to explain evolution in schools and non-scientific situations have caused confusion of how key evolutionary concepts should be understood. In this paper, the cornerstones in biological and social evolutionary theory are identified and addressed from an engineering point of view. Previous efforts to apply evolutionary theories within engineering are then addressed and related to the needs and opportunities within manufacturing and assembly.