Beyond the Spiel: The Impact of AI in Design

I couldn’t help but notice the first three events that Machine Design has attended and covered so far this year have centered around artificial intelligence (AI). At MD&M West in Anaheim in the beginning of February, we saw an uptick in AI demos. Then at Dassault Systemes’ 3DExperience World in Houston later that month, generative AI, AI agents and virtual twins were hot topics. Taiwan’s TIMTOS in early March focused on three areas: AI & Robotics, Smart Manufacturing and Sustainability.

The simulation of human intelligence in machines is here to stay; and in the context of mechanical and design engineering, key AI technologies include generative design, machine learning and predictive analysis. AI can drastically reduce design times by generating multiple design options for engineers to consider. Oh, the possibilities!

We’ve seen on the MedTech side of things how AI is facilitating the ability to innovate not only incredible but life-saving technology, such as virtual human twins, as seen in this story about the Living Heart Project.

In other industries such as aerospace, fatigue failure is a challenge when it comes to machine design. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is an important tool to help predict fatigue failure in mechanical designs—and one that increasingly integrates AI and machine learning.

AI holds tremendous potential in making processes faster, more efficient and creatively inspiring. As technology advances, exploring these capabilities will keep engineers on the cutting edge.

So, how are you, our Machine Design audience, using AI in your work? What has been your experience with AI in engineering? I really want to know! Please take the quiz below and then keep reading for a light-hearted story that I prompted a large language model (ChatGPT) to write in honor of Pi Day.

Last year at this time, I asked ChatGPT to tell me a story for mechanical and design engineers about Pi Day. I used the same prompt this time, but ChatGPT gave me a different story. Enjoy this little slice of fun!

The Geometry of Pi: A Tribute to Innovation and Design

Once upon a time in a bustling engineering firm known as “Circles of Innovation,” a group of mechanical and design engineers celebrated Pi Day. This day wasn’t just about the celebration of the mathematical constant π, approximately equal to 3.14; it was a reminder of how essential geometry and mathematics were to their creations.

The pi-licious Challenge

To commemorate the occasion, the company organized a friendly competition called “The Pi-licious Challenge.” Teams were tasked with designing a mechanical assembly that incorporated circular components, utilizing their understanding of Pi. Little did they know that the spirit of innovation and creativity would uncover some exciting facts about Pi, geometry, and design engineering.

Fun Facts about Pi:

Infinite Adventures: Pi is an irrational number, meaning it has an infinite number of decimal places without repeating. The current record for memorizing digits of Pi is over 70,000!
Ubiquitous in Nature: Many natural phenomena involve circles and spheres. From the orbits of planets to the ripples on a pond, Pi shows its relevance everywhere.
Applications in Engineering: Engineers use Pi in various applications, such as in calculating the area and circumference of circles, designing gears, and simulating waveforms.

The Puzzles of Pi

As the teams took to their drafting boards, they encountered some puzzles that tested their minds and engineering prowess. Here are a couple they had to solve:

Puzzle 1: The Wheel Conundrum

A circular gear is designed with a diameter of 20 cm. If it rotates 5 times, how far in total does a point on its edge travel?

Solution: The circumference C of the gear = π * diameter = π * 20 cm ≈ 62.83 cm. Distance traveled in 5 rotations = 5 * C ≈ 314.15 cm.

Puzzle 2: The Pipe Dream

A cylindrical pipe has a radius of 4 cm and a length of 10 cm. What is the volume of the pipe?

Solution: Volume V of a cylinder = π * r² * h = π * (4 cm)² * 10 cm = 160π cm³ ≈ 502.65 cm³.

As teams solved these tasks, they discussed how Pi and geometry influenced their designs of gears, pipes, and various components that played a vital role in machinery and devices.

Connecting the Dots: Design Engineering and Pi

With their competitive spirit heightened, the engineers began reflecting on how the simple yet profound concept of Pi connected their designs to the physical world. Each curve, circle, and rotational motion in their projects was a representation of Pi’s promise of precision.

Innovative gear systems were designed based on the principles of circular motion, ensuring efficiency and minimal wear. The designs of pipes seamlessly integrated into their projects not only achieved functionality but optimized the use of space and materials—demonstrating the importance of geometric considerations.

The celebration concluded with the realization that Pi was more than just a number; it was a fundamental building block of engineering design. It reminded every engineer in “Circles of Innovation” that at the intersection of mathematics and creativity lies the power to innovate, create, and solve problems.

As they enjoyed slices of pie (both mathematical and culinary), they raised a toast, celebrating Pi Day’s spirit of discovery and the beautiful connection it has with the world of design engineering—a reminder that every design starts with a single point and expands outward in innovative ways, much like the endless decimals of Pi.

And so, every Pi Day henceforth, the engineers would not only celebrate the number π but also the infinite possibilities it represented in their field.

I said it last year, and I will say it again: In the spirit of Pi Day, I hope you take with you the spirit of this story—to stay curious and embrace engineering challenges with ingenuity; to approach problems with persistence; to sculpt solutions that echo the elegance of this mathematical constant; and to continue to shape a future where innovation knows no bounds.