DARPA Taps PARC-Led Team to Develop Computational Framework for Product Design

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has selected Xerox’s PARC subsidiary to lead a team to create a new computational model designed to eliminate limitations in computer-aided design technology platforms and advance digital manufacturing processes.

PARC said Tuesday it will work with Oregon State University and Intact Solutions on the Fabricating with Interoperable Engineering, pLanning, Design and Analysis program.

The FIELDS initiative seeks to “transform product design by creating a system that automatically searches high-dimensional spaces of shape, material and process alternatives” as well as produce platforms to a suite of design specifications, said PARC CEO Tolga Kurtoglu.

PARC and its partners will work to integrate mathematical models and computations for physical artifacts with heterogenous material structure and facilitate interoperability for the integration of analysis, synthesis and manufacturing planning processes.

“We aim to demonstrate the very first example of a fully automatic ‘compilation’ process from design requirements into fabrication instructions using the developed representations and algorithms,” said Saigopal Nelaturi, research area manager at PARC.