Behaviour – Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality Coupled to Enhance Future Manufacturing Design Processes

PhD Project Proposal

School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Principal Supervisor: Professor Karen Rafferty

Contact Details:      [Email Address Removed];

Second Supervisor: Professor Mark Price

Proposed Project Title: Behaviour – Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality Coupled to Enhance Future Manufacturing Design Processes

Project Introduction:

In Biohaviour we are Re-Imagining Engineering Design in a large national programme supported by the UK Research Councils and supported by leading companies including Spirit Aerosystems (Bombardier), Rolls-Royce, Airbus.

In this work the team is exploring new product geometries and representations that have an organic look and feel, and we are building the tools to automatically create and evaluate these products. 

The challenge to be addressed in this project is that our manufacturing capability significantly affects the resulting shape, form and material of the configuration and current design methods cannot deal with this. New design methods linked with immersive and enabling technologies have the possibility to create new design paradigms.  For example, tools such as VR allow interaction of complex multi-scenario models and present an unprecedented opportunity to test designs by interrogating a myriad of parameters and scenarios simultaneously, including multidimensional realities that makes the output personable, individualised and relevant in time and location (e.g. the gender-, culture-, age-, technical level-specific variation of user interaction).

In the context of this project, there are a number of challenges to be considered in how the user can interact with the evolving design, both to help guide the design in the right direction, and to aid evaluation of the design.

Project Description:

The main research questions that need to be addressed are:

1. Can a design concept be modelled, and its performance simulated and evaluated to inform design decisions effectively using VR?

2. Can an evolving concept be modelled, simulated and evaluated using VR and can such learning be recorded and understood using Artificial Intelligence?

3. Can the developed learning and understanding of change within one process be effectively adapted to other design processes to enhance efficiency of design and development and can such intelligence proactively guide an human involvement?

To successfully be able to establish to test facilities to be able to robustly and scientifically answer these research questions, the successful candidate will need to have coding experience (e.g. Unity 3D, Unreal Engine or 
other equivalents).

Full-Time

Start Date: 01/10/2022

Application Closing date: 28/02/2022         

Funding Body: DfE/EPSRC

Funding Information:

The studentship will cover stipend and fees. To be eligible applicants must:

• be a UK citizen or a non-UK citizen with permanent settled status in the UK AND

• have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the studentship

International applicants are not eligible to be considered for these awards.

Academic Requirements:

A minimum 2.1 honours degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or relevant degree is required.