Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Computer Science Department

Proposal for a Masters Thesis

CONFIGURATION DESIGN: THE VT PROBLEM

This thesis would study the ability of DSPL to encode configuration design knowledge. The Knowledge Acquisition community has issued some standard problems for study and solution, so that different methods for acquiring knowledge and building knowledge-based systems (KBS) can be compared. DSPL is a language for building KBSs to do routine design, where the design problem can be expressed as assigning values to a predetermined set of attributes. The VT problem is the design of an elevator. It was solved by a system called VT in 1986. A complete specification of the problem is available.

The work would consist of an extensive literature review, an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of DSPL, in general and for this problem, and the building of a system that solves the VT task, or as much of it as can be handled by DSPL. Suitable preparation for the thesis would be a knowledge of, or at least interest in, AI, Expert Systems and Design.


Prof. 	David Brown
	FL 131 
	831-5618 
	dcb@cs.wpi.edu