Revolutionizing Manufacturing Systems with Pervasive Computing: P-roms

We propose to apply novel pervasive computing technologies to revolutionize manufacturing of extremely complex products such as commercial and defense aerospace systems. Such manufacturing systems consist of a collection of extensive manual and automated data, participation of many specialized personnel and use of distributed product data repositories. These complex, low volume products have tens of thousands of components produced by hundreds of suppliers, requiring component and process traceability. These manufacturing systems are subject to dynamically changing environments and use cutting edge processes. Pervasive computing has the potential to revolutionize current manufacturing systems by drastically improving their ability to handle dynamically changing situations in a seamless and cost-effective fashion. To address these significant problems, we propose to use automated, continual, and unobtrusive software services and proactive real-time collaborations among physical devices, software agents, and personnel in heterogeneous manufacturing environments.