MBSE for Mechatronic Systems Design with Human, Energetic, Cyber, and Physical Aspects

Abstract

Technological advances are completely reshaping the world we live in by allowing the design of increasingly sophisticated, fast, accurate systems that serve and assist human beings in different domains. These systems increasingly rely on information technology to process and exchange data to provide enhanced services. Additionally, energy and material resources are getting scarce. To take into account all these aspects during the design, we can then consider that today’s systems are characterized by four dimensions: human, energetic, cyber, and physical. On the other hand, machines and equipment are invading our daily life more than ever. The production and use of these products damage the planet in two ways: firstly, by greedily drawing on the earth’s limited resources (fossil fuels, rare materials, forests, etc.), and secondly by emitting harmful and polluting emissions. Faced with this imminent danger, awareness is growing and regulations are being enforced to control the way we design and produce our systems. With this increasing complexity, current design approaches are hitting their limits and require adaptation. In this perspective, we propose a conceptual framework to structure current systems. This framework will serve as the basis for a new design approach, of which we briefly present an outline with a focus on sustainability aspects. An insulin pump system is used as a case study to illustrate the proposed work.