<
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/nasa-turns-to-ai-to-design-mission-hardware>
"Spacecraft and mission hardware designed by an artificial intelligence may
resemble bones left by some alien species, but they weigh less, tolerate higher
structural loads, and require a fraction of the time parts designed by humans
take to develop.
“They look somewhat alien and weird,” Research Engineer Ryan McClelland said,
“but once you see them in function, it really makes sense.”
McClelland pioneered the design of specialized, one-off parts using
commercially available AI software at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Maryland, producing hardware he has dubbed evolved structures.
To create these parts, a computer-assisted design (CAD) specialist starts with
the mission’s requirements and draws in the surfaces where the part connects to
the instrument or spacecraft – as well any bolts and fittings for electronics
and other hardware. The designer might also need to block out a path so that
the algorithm doesn’t block a laser beam or optical sensor. Finally, more
complex builds might require spaces for technicians’ hands to maneuver for
assembly and alignment.
Once all off-limits areas are defined, the AI connects the dots, McClelland
said, producing complex structure designs in as little as an hour or two. “The
algorithms do need a human eye,” he said. “Human intuition knows what looks
right, but left to itself, the algorithm can sometimes make structures too
thin."
These evolved structures save up to two-thirds of the weight compared to
traditional components, he said, and can be milled by commercial vendors. “You
can perform the design, analysis and fabrication of a prototype part, and have
it in hand in as little as one week,” McClelland said. “It can be radically
fast compared with how we’re used to working.”
Parts are also analyzed using NASA-standard validation software and processes
to identify potential points of failure, McClelland said. “We found it actually
lowers risk. After these stress analyses, we find the parts generated by the
algorithm don’t have the stress concentrations that you have with human
designs. The stress factors are almost ten times lower than parts produced by
an expert human.”
McClelland’s evolved components have been adopted by NASA missions in different
stages of design and construction, including astrophysics balloon
observatories, Earth-atmosphere scanners, planetary instruments, space weather
monitors, space telescopes, and even the Mars Sample Return mission."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-homicide-education-sierra-leone-solar-china/>
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
