Automated concurrent engineering in Designworld

Designworld, an automated engineering system for digital circuits built from standard parts, is described. The system has integrated support for various phases in a product´s life cycle, from design, through manufacture, to maintenance. The design for a product is entered into the system through a multimedia design workstation. The product is automatically built by a dedicated robotic cell. If necessary, the product, once built, can be returned to the system for automatic diagnosis and repair. Designworld´s agent-based framework, implementation, and support of concurrent engineering are described.<>