Publications related to Soft systems methodology

Learning Physics-Consistent Particle Interactions

Olga Fink, David Simon Kammer, Zhichao Han

Interacting particle systems play a key role in science and engineering. Access to the governing particle interaction law is fundamental for a complete understanding of such systems. However, the inherent system complexity keeps the particle interaction hi ...

Oxford University Press2023

An Integrated Approach to Designing Robust Turbocompressors on Gas Bearings Through Surrogate Modeling and Constrained Multi-Objective Optimization

Jürg Alexander Schiffmann, Soheyl Massoudi, Cyril Picard

Designing turbocompressors is a complex and challenging task, as it involves balancing conflicting objectives such as efficiency, stability, and robustness against manufacturing deviations. This paper proposes an integrated design methodology for turbocomp ...

ASME Amer Soc Mechanical Engineers2023

A Theory of Value for Service Ecosystems

Blagovesta Hristova Kostova

In this thesis, we present a theory of value for the design and analysis of service ecosystems. The theory is based on general systems thinking. The concept of a system is used for relating knowledge from different disciplines (such as software engineering ...

EPFL2022

Synthesis of Novel Integrated Actuators Powered by Shape Memory Alloys

Sean Thomas

In the modern age of miniaturisation, Smart Materials, a type of material that reacts mechanically to a certain stimulus, have become an integral part of this revolution. Among these materials, Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs), which have the highest volumetric ...

EPFL2022

Plug-and-Play Fault Detection and Isolation for Large-Scale Nonlinear Systems With Stochastic Uncertainties

Giancarlo Ferrari Trecate

This paper proposes a novel scalable model-based fault detection and isolation approach for the monitoring of nonlinear large-scale systems, consisting of a network of interconnected subsystems. The fault diagnosis architecture is designed to automatically ...

2019

Interface and requirements analysis on the DEMO Heating and Current Drive system using Systems Engineering methodologies

Minh Quang Tran, Hartmut Zohm

In this paper we present the methodology implemented for analyzing System Requirements and Interfaces of the Heating and Current Drive (HCD) system of the European Demonstration Fusion Power Reactor DEMO. The work consisted in updating the preliminary fram ...

2019

Systems engineering perspective to the integration of the heating and current drive system in the EU DEMO: Analysis of requirements and functions

Ashley Richards Brown

In the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium, the Work Package Heating and Current Drive (WPHCD) is undertaking the development and design of the DEMO Heating and Current Drive (HCD) system, supported by the Work Package Plant Level Systems Engineering, D ...

2018

Anomalies in Scheduling Control Applications and Design Complexity

Amir Aminifar

Today, many control applications in cyberphysical systems are implemented on shared platforms. Such resource sharing may lead to complex timing behaviors and, in turn, instability of control applications. This paper highlights a number of anomalies demonst ...

Ieee2017

Coexistence of Multiple Nonlinear States in a Tristable Passive Kerr Resonator

Miles Henry Anderson

Passive Kerr cavities driven by coherent laser fields display a rich landscape of nonlinear physics, including bistability, pattern formation, and localized dissipative structures (solitons). Their conceptual simplicity has for several decades offered an u ...

American Physical Society2017

Materials and technologies for soft implantable neuroprostheses

Stéphanie Lacour, Grégoire Courtine

Implantable neuroprostheses are engineered systems designed to restore or substitute function for individuals with neurological deficits or disabilities. These systems involve at least one uni-or bidirectional interface between a living neural tissue and a ...

Nature Publishing Group2016

How to Stop Under-Utilization and Love Multicores

Anastasia Ailamaki, Pinar Tözün, Danica Porobic, Iraklis Psaroudakis, Erietta Liarou

Designing scalable transaction processing systems on modern hardware has been a challenge for almost a decade. Hardware trends oblige software to overcome three major challenges against systems scalability: (1) Exploiting the abundant thread-level parallel ...

2014

Design, Modeling and Optimization of Stochastic Reactive Distributed Robotic Systems

Grégory Mermoud

This dissertation describes a complete methodological framework for designing, modeling and optimizing a specific class of distributed systems whose dynamics result from the multiple, stochastic interactions of their constitutive components. These componen ...

EPFL2012

Proposition of methodology for optimization of energy system design under uncertainty

François Maréchal, Matthias Dubuis

Current superstructure size for energy system design is increasing with computing facility improvement. Despite such approach allows to link and to analyse a lot of elements, demonstrating the advantage of a global optimization, non-negligible uncertaintie ...

Elsevier Science Bv2012

Design Methodology and Innovative Device Concept for Acoustic Hearing Implants

Hans Bernhard

Nowadays, hearing impaired people can be treated with a multitude of different devices and surgical interventions that are selected in function of the type and degree of hearing loss of the patient. These known therapies cover the major part of possible he ...

EPFL2011

Contextual Factors in the Adoption of Social Software: a Case Study

Denis Gillet, Maryam Najafian-Razavi

Over the past decade, social computing has emerged immensely as a phenomenon among distributed communities. The benefits of social systems depend on a large part on the existence of an active user community who use it continuously to deploy and share infor ...

2011

Méthodologie de la synthèse des systèmes énergétiques industriels

Raffaele Bolliger

This work presents a synthesis method that leads to the preliminary design of industrial energy systems. Such systems are composed of several technologies that transform, through a set of physical unit operations, raw materials and energy into products and ...

EPFL2010

Multi-experts scheduling system for real-time applications

Mario Bellino

This thesis focuses on the decisional process of autonomous systems, and more particularly, on the way to take a decision when the time at disposal in order to assess the whole situation is shorter than necessary. Indeed, numerous systems propose solutions ...

EPFL2009

Toward Quantifying System Manageability

George Candea

Manageability directly influences a system's reliability, availability, security, and safety, thus being a key ingredient of system dependability. Alas, we do not have today a good way to measure manageability or reason quantitatively about it, and this is ...

2008

Assessing the Crash-Failure Assumption of Group Communication Protocols

André Schiper, Sergio Mena

Designing and correctly implementing Group Communication Systems (GCSs) is notoriously difficult. Assuming that processes fail only by crashing provides a powerful means to simplify the theoretical development of these systems. When making this assumption, ...

2005

Modeling and Analysis of Beaconless and Beacon-Based Policies for a Swarm-Intelligent Inspection System

Alcherio Martinoli, Nicolaus Correll

We are developing a swarm-intelligent inspection system based on a swarm of autonomous, miniature robots, using only on-board, local sensors. To estimate intrinsic advantages and limitations of the proposed possible distributed control solution, we capture ...

2005