An agent-based approach to engineering design

Among the features of concurrent engineering is the notion of distributed design, and the ability to communicate design changes to multidisciplinary teams. Engineering design is a complex activity. Differences in system architectures and information structures, and co-ordination requirements tend to reduce the effectiveness of distributed design. Current thinking indicates that multi-agent systems (MAS) can alleviate some of the complex engineering design problems. In this paper, it is argued that agent attributes such as proactiveness and autonomy can overcome these limitations. Agents provide a flexible and dynamic approach to distributed/multidisciplinary design team which can reduce redundant design activities, and improve coordination. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.