Computer aided conceptual design in robotics

At the stage of conceptual design, methods of theory formation are shown to be applicable. A process of solution synthesis is described based upon a system of representation relevant to the engineering practice. A procedure for computer aided design is proposed based upon the relationship database given at the beginning of the design process. This procedure is applied to conceptual design in two broad fields of robotics: multilink manipulators, and mobile robots. Software documentation and description of the interactive design procedure are supplemented by illustrative examples.