Thesis (PhD) - Swinburne University of Technology, Industrial Research Institute Swinburne - 2006. / A thesis submitted to the Industrial Research Institute, Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Swinburne, ne University of Technology - 2006. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (p. 218-229).

Thesis (doctoral)--Technische Universiteit Delft, 1998. / Summary also in Dutch. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, August, 1990. / Title from PDF t.p.

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, November, 1995. / Title from PDF t.p.

Thesis (doctoral)--Technische Universiteit Delft, 1998. / Summary also in Dutch. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005.

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, June, 2002. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 136-137)

M.Sc. (Computer Science) / This study comprises an investigation into and a discussion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques and methods which are suitable for the implementation of a computerised intelligent autonomous manufacturing environment. To this end neural networks, fuzzy logic, genetic algorithms and Petri nets are discussed. The purpose is to define a broad framework for the implementation and integration of intelligence in the Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) environment. A number of examples have been used throughout the study in order to illustrate the relevant function or concept. Currently there is a lack of an integrated structured developmental approach towards the implementation of AI techniques in the CIM industry. In this dissertation we examine the relevant topics in some detail before progressing to the development of the Real-time Artificial Intelligence Agent Model (RAIAM) framework. The RAIAM framework establishes an environment suitable for the insertion and application of AI techniques and methods into a computerised CIM system structure. This is accomplished by the establishment of a centralised database and message handling unit, and by the usage of intelligent modular agents. An expert database system (EDS) based on a centralised blackboard design is used as the structural basis for RAIAM. Although it makes use of this centralised database system, it is a largely modular approach as it makes use of agents to communicate and process information and actions.

M.Sc. / MANTIS, which is the acronym for "Motion Analysis and Tracking Integrated System", was originally conceived as part of the Interactive Visual-Event Scheduling tool (IVIS). MANTIS is used as an interpreter of and to interface between the vision system, which monitors the visual objects on the shop floor, and the physical-environment manager. MANTIS uses object behaviour models in order to validate the motion of each object and to identify exceptions in this regard. The physical-environment manager then further evaluates this information in relation to other data which it collects and passes on to the Dynamic Scheduling System. It also tracks the objects on the shop floor and uses this information to generate a kinematics model for each object which, in turn, is used to track the object, as well as to predict its position in the next frame. The main reasons for the predictions are to provide the vision system with pertinent information which it can use in order to improve its efficiency and accuracy by reducing its search space and providing additional information to be used in weighing close matches of objects up against each other. In order to accomplish all this, MANTIS needs to define the behavior model of an object and the valid margins for each model. These models are then used for the validation, tracking and prediction of each object's motion on the shop floor, thereby providing real-time feedback to the scheduling system, which then uses this data to maintain its Master Production Schedule.

The continued assimilation of advanced computing and information technologies in the workplace in the midst of rapidly changing socioeconomic conditions has led many corporations to transform their corporate culture and structure. These profound changes are implicating corporate functions such as planning, design, manufacturing, and marketing. A significant form of corporate re-structuring has been in the computer and information technology mediated integration of these functions which is sometimes labeled Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM). Fundamental questions are provoked regarding the reshaping of these emerging modes and relations of production. Do these developments represent a departure from traditional Taylorist or Fordist workplace operations and organization? Are these emerging modes of work which generally are interwoven with Japanese inspired quality improvement programs and associated manufacturing methods producing a more human-centered workplace? Do these shifts in corporate re-structuring support the possible unfolding of forms of human-centered workplace democracy? To critically inquire and address the above questions, a case study was conducted involving a large manufacturing firm which has been undergoing a radical re-structuring of all its corporate operations. The case study method involves an analysis of the internal discourse(s) and practice(s) of an emerging manufacturing facility called the Factory of the Future (FOF) in the context of a changing corporate culture mediated by computer and information technologies and changing organizational practices. Many sources of information were appropriated to construct a collage of textual material in order to present FOF's unique genealogy and to provide a detailed description of the emerging phenomenon of CIM. Among these were internal documents, videos, and interviews conducted with factory and office workers. Based on a critical interpretation of the case study findings a number of provisional conclusions were reached and may be summarized as follows: • Certain neo-Taylorist and neo-Fordist modes of production are emerging both in the factory and office as the transformation of the corporation proceeds toward a CIM mode of operation. • More human-centered organizational practices have marked the changing corporate culture although they are at times subject to conflicts and contradictions. • Managerial power has grown in the midst of computer and information mediated systems, even though worker participation and involvement in work related decisions has also been enhanced. / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies / Graduate