Redefining Engineering Design: Introducing Design-OS

In engineering, whether it's mechatronic, control, or embedded systems, design often happens in a haphazard manner. Requirements aren't always clear, and the link between intent and parameters is often murky. Enter Design-OS, a framework poised to change how we approach system design.

what's Design-OS?

Design-OS is a specification-driven workflow that organizes engineering design into five clear stages: concept definition, literature survey, conceptual design, requirements definition, and design definition. The specification is the contract between human designers and AI agents, ensuring traceability and supporting agent-augmented execution. Through this structured approach, Design-OS aims to make the design process both visible and auditable.

Why This Matters

Why should engineers and developers care about this new workflow? it's simple: traceability and reproducibility. With Design-OS, every stage of the design process is documented, making it easier to revisit decisions and assumptions. This is essential for industries where documentation isn't just a benefit but a requirement.

The upgrade introduces three modifications to the execution layer: enhancing collaboration, improving transparency, and extending specification-driven orchestration from software to physical systems. Backward compatibility is maintained except where noted below.

The Case Study: Control Systems

In a practical demonstration, the design process was tested on two rotary inverted pendulum platforms: the SimpleFOC reaction wheel and the Quanser Furuta pendulum. These fundamentally different implementations were both accommodated by the same specification-driven workflow. This illustrates Design-OS's versatility and applicability across varying implementations.

Developers should note the breaking change in the return type when adapting to new platforms. The specification is as follows: Design-OS aligns closely with requirements-driven and systematic design frameworks, yet it introduces AI assistance much earlier in the process.

Looking Forward

Human-AI collaboration is no longer relegated to the peripheries of engineering design. By integrating AI earlier in the workflow, Design-OS doesn't just change processes. it changes mindsets. Will this be the new standard in system design? The potential for improved efficiency and reproducibility might make it hard to resist.

Design-OS is more than just a new tool. it's a step towards a transparent and collaborative future in system engineering. The framework isn't just a promise for better designs but a call to rethink our approach to engineering.