Human-computer Cognitive Collaboration-driven Conceptual Design of Complex Equipment: Research Progress and Challenges

Traditional computer-aided design relies on geometric features, quantitative characterization, and trial-and-error. It does not conform to the conceptual design stage with incomplete design information and chaotic design cognition. China is entering a new development period of the 14th Five-Year Plan. The fusion of cognitive science and artificial intelligence brings new opportunities and challenges to the conceptual design of complex equipment. Human-computer cognitive collaboration-driven conceptual design organically combines object-oriented and subject-oriented aspects. It develops from experiential trial-and-error reasoning to conceptual design with explicit cognition of design laws. The inherent connection between the recursive iteration of design objects and the cognitive evolution of design subjects is revealed to render abstract design procedures comprehensible and operational for computers. The state-of-the-art in object-oriented and subject-oriented conceptual design of complex equipment is illustrated firstly. The key technologies such as semantic cognitive identification of customer needs, neuroimaging of thinking cognitive laws, intelligent cognitive reasoning of function-structure mapping, and collaborative cognitive decision-making of concept schemes are analyzed. Through revealing the limitations of existing computer-aided conceptual design methods, a new generation of computer-aided conceptual design based on human-machine cognitive collaboration has prospected. © 2024 Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society. All rights reserved.