Skip to main content
EnglishEN
European Commission logo print header
Content archived on 2024-04-15

Expert System Builder

Objective

The ESB project investigated the extent to which the production of expert systems could be industrialised. It created an Expert System Builder (ESB) for the use of personnel not experienced in artificial intelligence to develop and test expert systems. Trial applications were made. The result compares with the most advanced products in the world.
The expert system builder (ESB) project was launched at a time when research into expert systems technology was intense. The project's basic objective was to produce a highly integrated environment for expert systems development.
Several basic components were defined: the expert system shell itself; an object oriented language, FLAME; and a person machine interface generator. These components were built on top of common LISP. The X-window standard was chosen, and four different demonstrators within the domain of fault diagnosis of electronic systems and process control were used to test and validate concepts and results.

A solution has been developed for the construction of knowledge based expert systems which is particularly useful for the rapid prototyping of computer based applications.

The project investigated the extent to which the production of expert systems could be industrialized. It created an expert system builder (ESB) for the use of personnel not experienced in artificial intelligence to develop and test expert systems. Trial applications were made. The following components of the ESB system were realized: the object oriented system; the inference engine; the knowledge representation formalism; the model system; and the man machine interface system. Three simple expert systems for the diagnosis of electronic equipment and one for the diagnosis of a process control system were developed to provide practical feedback.
The following components of the ESB system were realised:
-the object-oriented system (FLAME)
-the inference engine (called the Basic Expert System Builder or BESB)
-the knowledge representation formalism (CONCEPT)
-the model system
-the Man-Machine Interface system (MMI).
Three simple expert systems for the diagnosis of electronic equipment and one for the diagnosis of a process control system were developed by the partners to provide practical feedback.
The full system is now complete, and a commercial product is available (with special conditions for CEC-supported projects).
Exploitation
A preliminary version of the ESB has been used by third parties since early 1988.
Sren T. Lyngs has announced the commercial release of THOR (based on BESB) and ODIN (based on an early version of the ESB) for the automatic creation of the domain and product layers for power plant applications.
Plessey-Siemens and Sren T. Lyngs have ported and commercially developed the latest version of the ESB, which is now available as a commercial product (ESB96).
Tecsiel has announced porting to various machines and the commercialisation of the system.
Syseca has exploited the system internally (especially the MMI system), and has put on the market an interface design and prototyping tool for complex applications called SPIRITS. A new version with improved functionalities is to be announced in the autumn of 1992.
ESB will be used extensively in the study of multimedia MMI for expert systems in a real-time environment in ESPRIT II project 2397, PROMISE.

Fields of science

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Data not available

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

Data not available

Coordinator

PLESSEY SIEMENS ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS LTD
EU contribution
No data
Address
GRANGE ROAD
BH23 4JE CHRISTCHURCH
United Kingdom

See on map
Total cost
No data

Participants (4)

Share this page

Download

Last update: 5 April 2023

My Booklet

Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/1523

European Union, 2024