Watchdog Agent - an infotronics-based prognostics approach for product performance degradation assessment and prediction

In today’s competitive market, production costs, lead time and optimal machine utilization are crucial values for companies. Since machine or process breakdowns severely limit their effectiveness, methods are needed to predict products’ life expectancy. Furthermore, continuous assessment and prediction of product’s performance could also enable a collaborative product life-cycle management in which products are followed, assessed and improved throughout their life-cycle. Finally, information about the remaining life of products and their components is crucial for their disassembly and reuse, which in turn leads to a more efficient and environmentally friendly usage of products and resources. Development of the Watchdog Agente answers the aforementioned needs through enabling multi-sensor assessment and prediction of performance of products and machines. q 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.