This paper presents a new concept, a ‘human-computer co-operative system’, as the next-generation knowledge-based system for application to project risk management. It first discusses the characteristics of project risks followed by the development of a common expert system for managing such risks. Then, system limitations are identified in terms of knowledge association, and a ‘human–computer co-operative system’ is proposed to overcome these limitations by explicitly incorporating human intuitive ability into the computer system. Finally, evaluations of the human–computer co-operative system are also described.

The study of languages of shape is rich and interesting. One can develop formal grammars whose languages are non-realizable shape (nonsense objects), as well as grammars whose languages are classes of realizable shape. This paper develops several graph-based multi-dimensional languages that are complete in the physical solids. Thus, realizable shape is a language.

An efficient locally minimum-time trajectory planning algorithm for coordinately operating multiple robots is introduced. The task of the robots is to carry a common rigid object from an initial position to a final position along a given path in three-dimensional workspace in minimum time. The number of robots in the system is arbitrary. In the proposed algorithm, the desired motion of the common object carried by the robots is used as the key to planning of the trajectories of all the non-redundant robots involved. The search method is used in the trajectory planning. The planned robot trajectories satisfy the joint velocity, acceleration and torque constraints as well as the path constraints. The other constraints such as collision-free constraints, can be easily incorporated into the trajectory planning in future research.

A logic-based approach for automating the processing of design standards is illustrated. This approach is composed of three steps: conceptualization, formalization and implementation. Conceptualization is referred to as the representation of the knowledge necessary for solving the problem of interest in terms of objects and relations. Formalization is referred to as the representation of the objects and relations of interest as axioms using the language of predicate calculus. And, Implementation is referred to as the representation of the axioms of interest and the strategy for manipulating axioms using the constructs of a programming language.

The paper illustrates the logic-based approach to engineering problem-solving automation by considering the portion of the AISC Specification that governs the design of axially loaded members. First, the relations of interest are identified (Conceptualization). Then, predicate calculus is used to formally represent the relations (Formalization) as axioms and to mechanically manipulate them. The checking and designing of structural components via mechanical manipulation of the axioms are illustrated in the paper. Finally, a constraint logic programming language is used to develop a computer program for automatic processing of the specification (Implementation). This program is composed of a set of rules that closely resemble the formulated axioms.