An interesting model of design is discussed and used to automatically design a subset of n-degree of freedom robotic manipulators. The interesting aspect of this model resides in its implementation using a hierarchical arrangement of multiple expert systems, governed and controlled by the analog of a project or design manager. This expert manager acts to divide the problem into functional units and pass information to lower level experts for resolution and convergence of the design. This paper presents the concept and investigates the number and type of expert systems required and the organization of those systems for the design of a subset of the robotic manipulators. The character and processes of the expert manager program are defined and explored. In the case of robotic design, subexpert systems may be dedicated to configuration selection, servo-motor selection, sizing the structural members, kinetic and kinematic calculations, etc. In addition, the knowledge, data base requirements and distribution are discussed. A methodology for conflict resolution between expert systems is proposed.

The use of dynamic, high performance computer graphics equipment significantly enhances the capabilities of the engineer in the design and analysis of robotic mechanisms. This paper discusses how these enhancements should be making an impact on the engineering design methodology for robotic manipulators.