Multidisciplinary Design Process Research Articles

Re-thinking new possibilities for urban climate resilience planning in Bangkok: Introducing adaptation pathways through a multidisciplinary design workshop

In many cities in developing countries, the design and implementation of flood adaptation measures face planning challenges, they are often underdeveloped in practice. This paper aims to investigate the potential for urban flood adaptation solutions and design in practice within the context of a climate-vulnerable Southeast Asian city. We specifically explore the “design workshop” -- an essential process providing valuable experience and conditions for effective climate adaptation in Bangkok. As part of our research, the workshop was organized to introduce and experiment the implication of adaptation pathway approach with designers, urban planners, and decision-makers. Findings reveal that the design workshop provided a collaborative environment, offers transformative space for formulating integrated and context-specific flood adaptation solutions - new possibilities for urban climate resilience in the making. The application of the adaptation pathways facilitates a concrete, quantifiable, and time-bound design process for identifying and sequencing potential flood adaptation measures in Bangkok. Consequently, this paper concludes that multidisciplinary and collaborative processes, along with the introduction of adaptation pathways, stimulating urban flood adaptation planning and implementation in a more collaborative and participative way. However, it is important to note that the feasibility assessment of the proposed solutions still requires essential conditions such as policy synchronization, technical skills, and local resources. To effectively realize these strategies in real-world urban planning practice, this research suggests that local governments should consider implementing a multidisciplinary design process in urban development and flood risk management.

PASSO Project: Design of a Smart System Using Biofeedback to Train People with Parkinson’s Disease

This paper describes the design process of a smart system monitoring and training the gait and posture of people with Parkinson’s disease. The project aimed to develop an innovative mHealth system and validate it in a laboratory context. The designed solution is supposed to help people in postponing the rise of the most impairing symptoms and prolong autonomy. The project was divided into three main design cycles regarding respectively the design and test of sensory signals, the smart wearable devices transmitting them, and the system interface. The multidisciplinary team involved in the project followed a User-Centered methodology, involving users in the design process to improve the system’s usability and accessibility. The adopted methodological strategy led to satisfactory results and proved to be particularly suitable for multidisciplinary design processes involving both human and technological factors related to the development of smart systems targeted to niche users.

Application of a Multidisciplinary Design Process to Assess the Influence of Requirements and Constraints On the Design of Military Engines

Abstract The design of supersonic military aircraft is a complex multidisciplinary optimization (MDO) process in which the dependencies and strong interactions between engine and aircraft must be imperatively considered. Applying a fully coupled propulsion-airframe design system is a highly challenging task, since it requires a set of numerically stable analysis tools capable of optimizing multiple design variables simultaneously. To improve computational efficiency, the application of low-fidelity design of experiment (DOE) methods aid in narrowing down the selection of suitable combinations of design parameters. This approach allows the division of the multidisciplinary process into subsystems, each of which can be served by specialized engineers. Interactions between the disciplines are then considered by exchanging DOE-based sensitivities. This paper presents the multidisciplinary design process developed at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), - in which the airframe and propulsion system are designed simultaneously whilst effectively utilizing DOE-based sensitivities. Guiding the work is an application case on the preliminary design of military engine concepts considering its effects on overall integrated aircraft architecture. The design process is used to investigate the influence of important engine parameters such as overall pressure ratio (OPR), bypass ratio (BPR) and turbine entry temperature (T4) on the design of military aircraft. Furthermore, the impacts of thrust requirements and technological constraints of the engine are analyzed

A Software Engineering Framework for Reusable Design of Personalized Serious Games for Health: Development Study.

The use of serious games in health care is on the rise, as these games motivate treatment adherence, reduce treatment costs, and educate patients and families. However, current serious games fail to offer personalized interventions, ignoring the need to abandon the one-size-fits-all approach. Moreover, these games, with a primary objective other than pure entertainment, are costly and complex to develop and require the constant involvement of a multidisciplinary team. No standardized approach exists on how serious games can be personalized, as existing literature focuses on specific use cases and scenarios. The serious game development domain fails to consider any transfer of domain knowledge, which means this labor-intensive process must be repeated for each serious game. We proposed a software engineering framework that aims to streamline the multidisciplinary design process of personalized serious games in health care and facilitates the reuse of domain knowledge and personalization algorithms. By focusing on the transfer of knowledge to new serious games by reusing components and personalization algorithms, the comparison and evaluation of different personalization strategies can be simplified and expedited. In doing so, the first steps are taken in advancing the state of the art of knowledge regarding personalized serious games in health care. The proposed framework aimed to answer 3 questions that need to be asked when designing personalized serious games: Why is the game personalized? What parameters can be used for personalization? and How is the personalization achieved? The 3 involved stakeholders, namely, the domain expert, the (game) developer, and the software engineer, were each assigned a question and then assigned responsibilities regarding the design of the personalized serious game. The (game) developer was responsible for all the game-related components; the domain expert was in charge of the modeling of the domain knowledge using simple or complex concepts (eg, ontologies); and the software engineer managed the personalization algorithms or models integrated into the system. The framework acted as an intermediate step between game conceptualization and implementation; it was illustrated by developing and evaluating a proof of concept. The proof of concept, a serious game for shoulder rehabilitation, was evaluated using simulations of heart rate and game scores to assess how personalization was achieved and whether the framework responded as expected. The simulations indicated the value of both real-time and offline personalization. The proof of concept illustrated how the interaction between different components worked and how the framework was used to simplify the design process. The proposed framework for personalized serious games in health care identifies the responsibilities of the involved stakeholders in the design process, using 3 key questions for personalization. The framework focuses on the transferability of knowledge and reusability of personalization algorithms to simplify the design process of personalized serious games.

Building Performance Optimization throughout the Design–Decision Process with a Holistic Approach

Building performance optimization throughout the design–decision process has not been well defined, especially in holistic approaches that require multilevel integration. For this, it is essential to ensure coexistence between different analysis programs such as three-dimensional (3D), energy, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models that can be applied on a single platform such as building information modeling (BIM). This research aims, first, to define and document a holistic design approach to building performance optimization concerning energy usage by employing the BIM platform and, second, to underline interoperability and data exchange between current technology and commercially available software from different vendors. Therefore, the novelty of this study is to serve a systematic, multiobjective, and multicriterion optimization of building performance with a holistic approach in the BIM platform. The holistic design approach is for a multidisciplinary design process including three stages (conceptual, schematic, and detailed) that cover different optimization criteria (building envelope design, occupants’ comfort conditions, and building’ energy consumption). The proposed method aims to generate, evaluate, develop, and utilize a 3D model during the different design stages concerning the model’s level of details and included information, which underlines the usage of 3D model-related software and sharing data among the design stages. A BIM-based method is developed through the case study of a hypothetical, two-story building (domestic dwelling) by identifying the activities of each design stage. With the implementation of the proposed method, the result shows a predicted energy saving of up to 75%, with a detailed energy analysis placing the building energy performance in the “A” class (annual energy consumption 17,865 kW · h). At last, based on the authors’ experience during the study, it is time- and effort-saving to have interoperability between BIM tools.

Integrating Nonlinear Controllability into a Multidisciplinary Design Process

Even in multidisciplinary aircraft design, most aspects of nonlinear controllability are only considered in later design phases. Hence, control considerations are not used to inform the overall design of the airframe. This paper presents a control-aware controller-agnostic design optimization framework that integrates nonlinear controllability constraints, which are informed by the solutions to optimal control problems, into the multidisciplinary design process. To implement the optimization, procedures to evaluate the sensitivity of the controllability constraint to variations in the design variables are defined. A supersonic aircraft case study illustrates the methodology and the steps involved in the process. The proposed approach enables the integration of control-related constraints into gradient-based design optimization.

A Fast Aerodynamic Model for Aircraft Multidisciplinary Design and Optimization Process

A multidisciplinary design analysis and optimization process is developed at ONERA for the design of tube and wing and blended wing–body aircraft configurations. This process is composed of different disciplinary modules (geometry, propulsion, aerodynamics, structure, handling qualities and flight mission), and the overall process considers different fidelity levels for these modules at each step of the design process. This article describes the low-fidelity aerodynamic module used during the preliminary design optimization process. Analytical formulations retained for lift and drag components are presented in the first part. Then, the performances estimated by the aerodynamic module on some reference configurations are compared with both numerical and experimental data, showing a quite good agreement for both tube and wing and blended wing–body configurations not only for global performance but also for individual drag components.

Designing pain visualisation for caregivers of people with special needs: A co-creation approach

Recognizing pain in people with communicative disabilities is challenging. A support system detecting pain signals provides caregivers with information to intervene adequately. This study aims to develop a design for a user interface visualizing pain experiences for a signalling system intended for caregivers. Caregivers receive alerts, indicating the presence or absence of pain experienced by a disabled individual. The design process included the use of value proposition, a brainstorm, a mood board with basic design elements, and multiple questionnaires and focus groups. During the multi-disciplinary design process end-users were extensively involved. The final design was deemed intuitive, clear and recognizable, and useable in daily caregiving. This article describes the creation process for a non-hedonistic visualization for this niche end-user group.

Multidisciplinary Design Overview and Comparison for Two Case Studies of High Speed Permanent Magnet Machines

High-speed electrical machines have become more and more popular applications driven by electric vehicles and all-electric aircraft. Their design usually requires a high level of integration, including loss, thermal, cooling, and mechanical aspects. This article makes a comprehensive overview of the multidiscipline design method of high-speed permanent magnet (HSPM) machines. A 4-kW machine with the flexible rotor operating above the first bending critical speed is presented, and a 30-kW machine is also developed with consideration of the multidisciplinary design process for contrast. The constraint and the mechanism in the overview are investigated to clarify the influence of different design variables on the rotor structure and performance. Finally, two machines are fabricated and tested, and the values are compared with theoretical results.

Aerodynamic Analysis of Camber Morphing Airfoils in Transition via Computational Fluid Dynamics.

In this paper, the authors analyze an important but overlooked area, the aerodynamics of the variable camber morphing wing in transition, where 6% camber changes from 2% to 8% using the two airfoil configurations: NACA2410 and NACA8410. Many morphing works focus on analyzing the aerodynamics of a particular airfoil geometry or already morphed case. The authors mainly address "transitional" or "in-between" aerodynamics to understand the semantics of morphing in-flight and explore the linearity in the relationship when the camber rate is gradually changed. In general, morphing technologies are considered a new paradigm for next-generation aircraft designs with highly agile flight and control and a multidisciplinary optimal design process that enables aircraft to perform substantially better than current ones. Morphing aircraft adjust wing shapes conformally, promoting an enlarged flight envelope, enhanced performance, and higher energy sustainability. Whereas the recent advancement in manufacturing and material processing, composite and Smart materials has enabled the implementation of morphing wings, designing a morphing wing aircraft is more challenging than modern aircraft in terms of reliable numerical modeling and aerodynamic analysis. Hence, it is interesting to investigate modeling the transitional aerodynamics of morphing airfoils using a numerical analysis such as computational fluid dynamics. The result shows that the SST k-ω model with transition/curvature correction computes a reasonably accurate value than an analytical solution. Additionally, the is less sensitive to transition near the leading edge in airfoils. Therefore, as the camber rate changes or gradually increases, the aerodynamic behavior correspondingly changes linearly.

Three arches for a roof – case study of a multi-disciplinary design process

In this article, the design process for the remarkable curved roof for a sports hall in Genk (BE) is traced. The project was granted to the partnership of young architects and a renowned office for structural engineering. The new building is roofed with three oversized arches, proposed as a shell structure in concrete in the competition, but executed as a steel truss system. The research is based on files from the archives of both the architect and the structural engineer. Close observations are made on six key moments in this design process. For these pivotal points sketches, documents and communication, are discussed in detail. The goal of this article is to make observations specifically on the collaborative design process between the architect and the engineer, in the specific context of a design competition. The research exposes the messy reality of a design process. It is observed how the final structure got its form, how design decisions were made and how the collaboration defined the project. It is illustrated how relative positions of team members evolve throughout the process and how progressive insight, conflict and mutual understanding are key during the design.

An efficient multidisciplinary design research for the integrated low speed permanent magnet motor system based on analytical and numerical hybrid analysis

This paper proposed an efficient high-accuracy multidisciplinary design process for the integrated system of low speed permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). The method combined the analytical models and numerical models together to get an efficient way to design the integrated motor. In the proposed method, a magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) model of the motor is established first based on one modular structure of the motor, and the finite element analysis (FEA) numerical model is used to correct the results of the analytical model next. Then the iron loss, copper loss, and switching loss from the results of the electromagnetic model are loaded to a proposed simplified lumped parameter fluid-thermal model. This fluid-thermal coupled analytical model cuts the fluid flow into several parts depends on the parameters of the cooling path, each parts act as a current controlled voltage source coupled with these parameters. And because this coupled model has controlled sources, the conventional node voltage method is not suitable anymore, so a more universal list parameter calculation method is proposed for this coupled model. Finally, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is used to correct the results of the analytical model as well. The aim of the above analytical models is to quickly get the suitable multidisciplinary pre-design or design trends, and this pre-work or trends will reduce the design process time of the high-accuracy numerical models.

Aerodynamic Analysis of a scaled UHBR Fan

In the frame of the CA3ViAR Clean Sky 2 (Composite fan Aerodynamic, Aeroelastic, and Aeroacoustic Validation Rig), the main objective is to design a low-speed (low-transonic) fan typical of a future large aircraft UHBR engine, in terms of aerodynamic shaping as well as structural design and analysis to make sure the test article experiences aerodynamic and aeroelastic instabilities in an expected way during wind tunnel (WT) operations. Eventually, open access to all the produced models will be provided, with the objective to establish an “open test-case” for the whole European scientific community, unique in the engine fans landscape. A preliminary fan stage design is presented in this paper, details about the aerodynamic design process and the results of the CFD analysis of the stage are shown. The present UHBR fan design fulfils the initial aerodynamic requirements and represents the starting point for the structural and aeroelastic analysis within the multidisciplinary design process employed to design the final CA3ViAR fan stage.

Collaboration in the arts for interdisciplinary practice at the Institut Kesenian Jakarta, Indonesia

In recent years, the interdisciplinary approach to art has gained popularity in the field of art studies. Numerous art studies transcend creative disciplines, allowing for the production of novel ideas and works. This study aims to understand the multidisciplinary art and design processes at the Institut Kesenian Jakarta. The data were acquired by observation and a review of the literature. Observations were made in order to collect field data about the work of art. This observation method was employed while visiting numerous exhibitions and performances at the Institut Kesenian Jakarta, and the literature was sourced by reading articles published in foreign magazines. The examination focuses on the difficulty inherent in diverse art practices. This study discovered that collaborative work increases the process of knowledge exchange between members and groups. As a result, an art ecosystem is developed from the standpoint of art creation and study. This research contributes to the discovery of new creative models or value chains and the provision of fundamental knowledge to develop a diverse art ecosystem. Art colleges can also contribute to interdisciplinary understanding and culture by fostering knowledge and abilities in art creation that are applicable across fields and are not constrained by the nomenclature of a single 'subject of arts'

Seas the day: Co-designing immersive virtual reality exergames with exercise professionals and people living with dementia.

Physical activity (PA) is associated with physical and cognitive benefits among people living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (PLWD/MCI) and is a meaningful activity that can improve their confidence in everyday life. Exercising in virtual reality environments (VR Exergame) is becoming an increasingly feasible and enjoyable way to promote PA and well-being in PLWD/MCI. Although co-design can significantly improve the design of technology, it is rarely done with PLWD/MCI. This study uses participatory design methods and collaborative approaches to involve key stakeholders to develop and test a VR Exergame "Seas the Day", a novel solution targeting PLWD/MCI well-being. A multi-stage, user-centered co-design approach was used to custom-build VR Exergames tailored to the unique needs and abilities of PLWD/MCI based on a first generation of the prototype that was previously developed and tested with PLWD/MCI. This paper describes the next iteration of the prototype. Processes included concept ideation and brainstorming activities, iterative prototyping, and playtesting/input/feedback sessions with key stakeholders (PLWD/MCI, exercise professionals, engineers, VR game designers, content developers). The multidisciplinary and collaborative design process occurred over 15 months (overlapping with COVID-19 pandemic) with 7 PLWD/MCI (6 females; M=81.3 years) and 9 exercise professionals (7 females; M=38.1 years) to date. The game was designed to target movements identified by exercise professionals and researchers (aerobic exercises, range of motion, seated-balance, quick response to stimuli) and is structured in three exercise stages (warm-up, conditioning, cool-down). To ensure safety of participants while using VR headsets, only seated upper-limb exercises were targeted. Stakeholder feedback regarding game mechanics, aesthetics, and visual/auditory cues were gathered during brainstorming and playtesting sessions and implemented into specific game-related scenarios (tai-chi, rowing, fishing). We presented the process, outcomes, and challenges of adopting a participatory/collaborative approach with multiple stakeholder groups to co-design VR Exergames tailored to PLWD/MCI. Next steps will include a mixed-method evaluation of the VR Exergames among community-dwelling older adults and PLWD/MCI in retirement communities and long-term care to evaluate: i) feasibility and acceptability of use, ii) game user experience, iii) barriers/facilitators to uptake of VR Exergames; and iv) inform/validate VR Exergames gameplay metrics reflective of cognitive and motor performance.

Automated and interactive evaluation of welding producibility in an multidisciplinary design optimization environment for aircraft components

The automation capabilities and virtual tools within engineering disciplines, such as structural mechanics and aerodynamics, enable efficient Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) approaches to evaluate and optimize the performance of a large number of design variants during early design stages of aircraft components. However, for components that are designed to be welded, in which multiple functional requirements are satisfied by one single welded structure, the automation and simulation capabilities to evaluate welding-producibility and predict welding quality (geometrical deformation, weld bead geometrical quality, cracks, pores, etc) are limited. Besides the complexity of simulating all phenomena within the welding process, one of the main problems in welded integrated components is the existing coupling between welding quality metrics and product geometry. Welding quality can vary for every new product geometrical variant. Thus, there is a need of analyzing rapidly and virtually the interaction and sensitivity coefficients between design parameters and welding quality to predict welding producibility. This paper presents as a result an automated and interactive welding-producibility evaluation approach. This approach incorporates a data-based of welding-producibility criteria, as well as welding simulation and metamodel methods, which enable an interactive and automated evaluation of welding quality of a large number of product variants. The approach has been tested in an industrial use-case involving a multidisciplinary design process of aircraft components. The results from analyzing the welding-producibility of a set of design variants have been plotted together with the analysis results from other engineering disciplines resulting in an interactive tool built with parallel coordinate graphs. The approach proposed allows the generation and reuse of welding producibility information to perform analyses within a big spectrum of the design space in a rapid and interactive fashion, thus supporting designers on dealing with changes and taking fact-based decisions during the multidisciplinary design process.

SLICE: An Innovative Photovoltaic Solution for Adaptive Envelope Prototyping and Testing in a Relevant Environment

The development of adaptive architectural envelopes is one of the goals of researchers that aim to improve the energy performance of buildings. Traditional devices often have drawbacks linked to the complexity of the kinetic systems used, as the mechanical systems for guaranteeing proper operation are complex and expensive (e.g., hinges). Adaptive envelopes require energy for driving the mechanical components and management systems. Thus, it is useful for such adaptive elements to be self-sufficient, generating the energy necessary for their functioning. This study presents a prototype of a lightweight and stand-alone component for dynamic envelopes, characterized by a flexible composite material integrated with high-efficiency photovoltaic cells called the Solar Lightweight Intelligent Component for Envelopes (SLICE). The management and control of the SLICE is based on the Arduino platform. This paper describes the multidisciplinary design process that led to the realization of the current prototypes, the laboratory test phases, as well as the results of the preliminary experiments carried out under real environmental conditions.

Ideating and Developing a Visualization Dashboard to Support Teachers Using Educational Games in the Classroom

Technology has become an integral part of our everyday life, and its use in educational environments keeps growing. Additionally, video games are one of the most popular mediums across cultures and ages. There is ample evidence that supports the benefits of using games for learning and assessment, and educators are mainly supportive of using games in classrooms. However, we do not usually find educational games within the classroom activities. One of the main problems is that teachers report difficulties to actually know how their students are using the game so that they can analyze properly the effect of the activity and the interaction of students. To support teachers, educational games should incorporate learning analytics to transform data generated by students when playing useful information in a friendly and understandable way. For this work, we build upon Shadowspect, a 3D geometry puzzle game that has been used by teachers in a group of schools in the US. We use learning analytics techniques to generate a set of metrics implemented in a live dashboard that aims to facilitate that teachers can understand students' interaction with Shadowspect. We depict the multidisciplinary design process that we have followed to generate the metrics and the dashboard with great detail. Finally, we also provide uses cases that exemplify how teachers can use the dashboard to understand the global progress of their class and each of their students at an individual level, in order to intervene, adapt their classes and provide personalize feedback when appropriate.

Using logic model with a holistic approach for the evaluation of working with groups: a case study

It is not easy to evaluate the effect of group psychotherapies on individuals and to measure the relationship between the changes that occur when the group and the group process ends. Therefore, the aims of this article, published in the Zeitschrift fur Psychodrama und Soziometrie, is to share with readers the evaluation processes of a project, conducted with refugee children in Istanbul and to propose tools for group leaders to use to evaluate the group processes they conduct. It is recommended, that practitioners and researchers should exercise multi-disciplinary thinking and design process monitoring with mixed method design; these views are supported with examples. Short-term outcomes, of the project, in question have been evaluated through triangulation with mixed-method design. The monitoring and evaluation process of the project is rationalized using the Logic Model.

Collaborative Architecture supporting the next generation of MDAO within the AGILE paradigm

The AGILE project has developed the next generation of aircraft Multidisciplinary Design and Optimization processes providing significant reductions in aircraft development costs and time to market - ultimately leading to more cost-effective and greener aircraft solutions. A novel product development methodology is formulated, enabling collaborative, large scale design and optimization processes. The main elements enabling the developed “AGILE Paradigm” are the Knowledge Architecture and the Collaborative Architecture. The Knowledge Architecture formalizes setting up the product development process. It guides the engineers in formulating the design problem and choosing the appropriate solution strategy. This paper focuses on the Collaborative Architecture, which at its turn formalizes the way in which the involved agents interact within the product development process and enables cross-organizational and cross-the-nation integration of design competences. The principles of the architecture are of a non-intrusive nature and allow legacy processes to be connected in fully automated cross-organization collaborative design workflows. Within the project, it is used to seamlessly integrate the capabilities of nineteen project partners located in nine different countries. A realistic aircraft design use case – addressing an automated systems-of-systems analysis involving the design competences of multiple project partners – demonstrates a working implementation of the Collaborative Architecture. The effective interconnection of simulation capabilities between organizations allows the agents to spend more time on creative, knowledge-intensive design tasks - opening new possibilities for collaboratively resolving the future challenges faced by the aerospace and other industries.