Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:28:38-1:29:30

Computer tools still need naval design judgement

A question about historical designers using modern software leads to a warning that visualisation tools cannot replace expert naval judgement.

Artificial IntelligenceComputer Aided DesignEngineering EducationHuman JudgementNaval ArchitectureNaval ConstructionNaval ExercisesSimulationWarship Design
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Question

Would historical ship designers have been happy to use a tool like UAD?

Short answer

Yes for rapid design and visualisation, but experienced constructors would still challenge implausible outputs and rely on their own knowledge.

Notes

Designers of the period would probably value a tool like UAD for design and visualisation. Experienced constructors who went to sea and watched exercises would also object when its artificial intelligence or physical assumptions produced implausible behaviour. The tool aids exploration but cannot supply the prior naval knowledge needed to recognise a bad output. The same lesson applies to engineering education: learn the underlying work well enough to catch a computer when it is confidently wrong.