Title: Challenges for developing intelligent, interactive and cooperative PLM systems: introductory article on applications of artificial intelligence and virtual reality to product lifecycle management

Authors: Omar Lopez-Ortega, Nickolas Sapidis, David Wallace

Addresses: Centro de Investigacion en Tecnologias de Informacion y Sistemas, Instituto de Ciencias Basicas e Ingenieria, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Mexico. ' Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering, University of the Aegean, Ermoupolis, Syros, Greece. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA, USA

Abstract: Current Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems are document-oriented, have difficulties with customisation and present drawbacks to the enhancement of inter-enterprise collaboration. To elaborate on a modern concept of PLM, it is necessary to adopt intelligent, cooperative and interactive technologies. To do so, we present a paper that contains useful ideas to be challenged and debated: the notions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and soft-computing and a literature review regarding AI, soft-computing and Virtual Reality (VR) approaches to the PLM systems. To conclude, we present the guest editors| comments on the papers of this Special Issue.

Keywords: product lifecycle management; intelligent PLM; interactive PLM; cooperative PLM; artificial intelligence; AI; soft computing; virtual reality; VR.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPLM.2006.009383

International Journal of Product Lifecycle Management, 2006 Vol.1 No.3, pp.195 - 210

Published online: 28 Mar 2006 *

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