Ashok K. GoelDesign Intelligence Laboratory, School of Interactive Computing,, &

Center for Biologically Inspired Design, Georgia Institute of Technology

Biologically inspired design

Lotus leaf Self-cleaning paint

Driving force is environmentally sustainable development

The basic argument: Human species is facing an unprecedented crisis: global environmental degradation. We need environmentally sustainable development. But engineering design is caught in well known

problem spaces. We need to radically change the problem spaces. Lets look at the results of biological evolution.

But at present there is no science of biologically inspired design!

At present, there is not one descriptive information-processing account of biologically inspired design.

At present, there is almost no understanding of the general processes, representations, or principles of biologically inspired design.

The danger is that the movement will fail.

This makes for a perfect opportunity for CreativeIT.

A computational theory of analogy: Compositional analogy

Multimodal content and multilevel organization of knowledge: DSSBF

FUNCTION

BEHAVIOR:

STRUCTURE:Components,Relations

Structural ConstraintStructural Constraint

SHAPES:Spatial Relations

DRAWING

Drawing-Shape-Structure-Behavior-FunctionAbstraction Hierarchy

Analogies at one level support analogies at the next level: The Archytas system

Similarity at the level of shapes enables transfer and adaptation of structure.

And similarity at the level of structure enables transfer and adaptation of behaviors.

And similarity at the level of behaviors enables transfer and adaptation of functions.

Yaner & Goel, CogSci 2006, Diagrams 2006, DCC 2006Yaner & Goel, IJCAI 2007, AIEDAM 2008

First in situ cognitive study of biologically inspired design

Senior level interdisciplinary design course on

biologically inspired design at Georgia Tech,

Fall 2006 (follow-up studies in Fall 2007, Fall 2008)

4-5 member interdisciplinary student teams –

at least one biologist in each team.

Semester long, self-defined design projects

Vattam, Helms & Goel, DCC 2008

Helms, Vattam & Goel, CogSci 2008, Design Studies 2009

Compound analogical design is one where a new design concept is generated by composing the results of multiple (cross-domain) analogies

Compound analogical design is one where a new design concept is generated by composing the results of multiple (cross-domain) analogies

Stealthy underwater microbot

Copepod

SquidWe have developed an information-processing model for compound analogical design.

We have developed an information-processing model for compound analogical design.

One significant finding about design knowledge representation

Multilevel,multimodal external representations

Pedagogical techniques

Cognitive studies

Cognitive studies

Interactive tools

Design methods

.