Intelligent decision support system for diagnosis and maintenance of automated systems

ROBODOC, the diagnosis and maintenance consultant, is an off-line decision support utility that will help maintenance staff diagnose and correct robotic failures. It uses a group technology approach to classify symptoms and a decision tree approach in developing the system. It has the capability to produce both detailed as well as shallow reports of problems and their fixes. Its modularity makes it easier to add or revise the knowledge base or to transfer the diagnostic knowledge from one automated system to another, without necessitating complete development from scratch. The results of this work can contribute to the development of a design for a service expert system, which will be able to give design recommendations based on past experiences, which will produce more durable and easier to maintain equipment designs.