Interest in the integration of evolutionary computing and computation intelligence continues to grow with many successful applications in evidence across engineering design and manufacture domains. Examples include the utilization of powerful stochastic search and optimization algorithms, neuro- and fuzzy-based control and design/system simulations and resource and job-shop scheduling applications. Highly accessible modelling and analysis tools within problem solving environments increasingly support the designer in the coupling of systems and techniques. This has led to the integration of computational intelligence technologies which now play a significant role within emerging suites of optimization software.
The Adaptive Computing in Design and Manufacture (ACDM) Conference is a biennial, single stream event that provides a UK-based forum for this area of research and application. The Conference supports a high quality, discussive environment that has been enjoyed by international audiences since 1994. A rigorous reviewing process ensures high quality presentations that represent state-of-the-art whilst the single stream format ensures close interaction between delegates. Further details of the 2008 Conference can be found at http://www.ad-comtech.co.uk/ ACDM08
Although significant potential has been realized, extensive applied and fundamental research remains essential to ensure best utilization of available computing resources by improving the overall efficiency of the various techniques, and to promote the emergence of new paradigms. The potential of adaptive computing within the design field goes far beyond the optimization of specific complex systems. The development of appropriate strategies involving the various techniques and technologies can provide extensive support in multi-disciplinary design domains characterized by uncertainty, poor problem definition, multiple objectives and variable constraints. The integration of engineering heuristics with adaptive computation and a human-centred interactive role for adaptive search processes within design team activities is a growing area of research. Emerging research is also further addressing the integration of evolutionary computing and associated computational intelligence technologies with multi-level design across highly complex engineering, pharmaceutical, organizational, communication and financial systems. Thus the wider potential of these technologies is being realized.
This Special Issue comprises selected papers from the 2008 ACDM Conference proceedings that have subsequently been further developed by the invited authors before being submitted to a second reviewing process, resulting in their acceptance for journal publication. The published papers address several of the issues of the previous paragraph, such as multi-disciplinary engineering design, uncertainty, poor problem definition, multiple objectives and variable constraint. The integration of engineering heuristics and human-centred interactive intelligent systems are also evident.