Anatoly Levenchuk's Runglish Blog

Yesterday I delivered a key talk “Future of Engineering” at CAE/PLM Multi-D Forum organized by NIAEP in Nizhny Novgorod (http://niaep.ru/ru/455/). Here is outline of engineering trends that I presented there:

1. Merging with software engineering:

• Software-intensive systems and cyber-physical systems as systems-of-interest
• Model-oriented engineering (virtual systems: testing in computer). System definition is completely done with software tools.
• Generative engineering (generation of engineering solutions by software: knowledge acquisition of engineering knowledge that suited not for humans but for software programs.
• According to BKCASE and GRCSE projects, systems engineering education should include full-fledged education of software engineer. Soon it will be the same for every engineering specialties.
• Conclusion: generation change of engineering technologies will be with the same impetuosity as in case of software technologies: one in five years.

2. Merging of engineering and engineering management.

• ISO 15288 have only one technical (i.e. “true systems engineering”) process from four. Other three are belong to engineering management disciplines.
• According to ASEM Handbook technology management and systems engineering are part of engineering management.  Also ASEM perform survey that show 50% of engineers obtain some of management functions during first 5 years of their work.
• Lean, agile, collaborative engineering, concurrent engineering and other non-cascade life cycle kinds requiring different organizations of engineers. Choosing one of life cycle kinds is management or engineering task?
• engineering thinking in management: factory physics, enterprise engineering.

Conclusion: engineering and management merged now de facto, in nearest future they tend to be joint discipline.

3. Explicating of engineering knowledge.

• System thinking and philosophical logic as a base discipline (not only mathematics).
• Engineering method research (engineering heuristics vs scientific theories), non-classical logics.
• Situational method engineering.
• Pattern languages, architectural patterns.
• Reference processes frameworks, bodies of knowledge, method components catalogs, methodologies.
• Generative design and generative manufacturing: computer should invent, not only simulate.
• Knowledge management and capturing of tacit knowledge.

Conclusion: art and mastery of today will be in curriculum tomorrow, level of art and mastery will be significantly higher.

4. New methods of systems definition.

• GORE
• Architectural languages (SysML and AADL is only first, ontology-based languages will be next).
• TRIZ, DSM.
• Multi-physic simulations and behavioral modeling.
• Model-oriented engineering and virtual mock-ups.
• Data-centric engineering and data logistics (data-centric information management).
• Collaborative design and concurrent engineering.
• Generative design.

Conclusion: old engineers needs retraining to perform system definition of nearest future.

5. New methods of system realization.

• New materials (composites, nano-, meta-).
• Additive manufacturing, 3D printing.
• Generative manufacturing.
• Robotics.
• New modularity, new logistics, new construction and assembly (Broad Group from China construct 15 store building in 6 days, preparing to construct 666 meters hight skyscraper in 4 months).

Conclusion: competition of engineering companies in nearest years will be more sever than you can imaging now.

6. Additional requirement from market and regulations.

• Safety greater than in nature environment.
• Environment cleaner than in raw nature.
• Non-defectedness (6 sigma: 3.4 defects for 1mln. products).
• De facto lessening role of intellectual property regulations.

Conclusion: changing requirement change the concept of “impossible”.

7. Expansion to non-traditional material.

• Software engineering (this is past trend but still important).
• Gene and bio-engineering.
• Molecular and nano-machines, meta-materials, drugs engineering.
• Enterprise engineering.
• Social engineering (ignoring all the critics).
• Underwater mining engineering.
• New physics (quantum devices, plasma, doubtful LENR and Mach effect devices).
• Systems of systems (including engineering of standard based extra large distributed systems, e.g. internet).

Conclusion: improbable earlier diversification of engineering and engineering specialties.