SGER: Towards a Computational Model of Biological Analogies in Innovative Engineering Design

该项目追求以类比推理为基础的创造力计算模型，重点关注生物启发设计。该项目的目标是：(1)了解生物类比在创新工程设计中的性质和作用，(2)开发生物启发工程设计中跨领域类比的内容、结构和过程的计算模型，以及(3)开发支持工程师进行生物系统类比的交互式环境。提出的探索性项目的具体目标是：(i)根据当前的类比计算模型分析工程设计中的生物类比，以及（ii）在生物启发的工程设计中开发跨域类比的纸笔计算理论。该项目分析了从事生物启发工程设计的设计团队的观察结果，以建立创新设计中跨领域类比的纸笔计算理论，这将导致支持工程设计中的生物类比的交互式工具。该项目为基于生物系统类比的创新设计的新计算模型奠定了基础。更广泛的影响：生物灵感设计已经成为一个重要的和日益广泛的创新设计运动，以实现环境意识的可持续发展。拟议的研究将有助于确定我们的长期研究计划，开发生物启发创新的计算模型和支持生物启发工程设计的交互式环境。本研究还将对生物学启发设计课程中的学习提供见解，并提出提高学习质量的方法。

This project pursues a computational model of creativity that has analogical reasoning as its basis, with a focus on biologically inspired design. The goals of this project are to (1) understand the nature and role of biological analogies in innovative engineering design, (2) develop computational models of the content, structure and processes of the cross-domain analogies in biologically-inspired engineering design, and (3) develop interactive environments for supporting engineers in making analogies to biological systems. The specific objectives of the proposed exploratory project are to (i) analyze biological analogies in engineering design in terms of current computational models of analogy, and (ii) develop a paper-and-pencil computational theory of cross-domain analogies in biologically-inspired engineering design. The project analyzes observations of design teams engaged in biologically-inspired engineering design to build a paper-and-pencil computational theory of cross-domain analogies in innovative design, which should lead to interactive tools for supporting biological analogies in engineering design. The project lays the foundation for a new computational model of innovative design based on analogies to biological systems. Broader Impacts: Biologically-inspired design has become an important and increasingly wide-spread movement in innovative design for environmentally-conscious sustainable development. The proposed study will help define our longer-term research program of developing a computational model of biologically-inspired innovation and an interactive environment for supporting biologically-inspired engineering design. This study will also provide insights into learning occurring in courses in biologically-inspired design, and suggest ways of enhancing quality of learning.