NSERC-Toyota-Maplesoft Industrial Research Chair in Mathematics-Based Modeling and Design announced

Results intended to speed up the design and prototype of new automotive products.

Waterloo, Canada : Maplesoft, a leading provider of high-performance software tools for engineering, science, and mathematics, today announced a partnership with the University of Waterloo, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Toyota Corporation, that will produce new methods for modeling physical systems. The Industrial Research Chair is being granted to Dr. John McPhee, from the Department of Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo, and Executive Director of the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR).

Current engineering practices create computer models that are numerical in nature, to explore different design concepts and evaluate their performance. A more natural way to model a system is to use mathematics, and the main goal of this research is to develop the theory and computer algorithms necessary to automatically create engineering models in a mathematical form. This will speed up the model-based development approach for new products, an approach that is being pioneered by Maplesoft, and embraced by the automotive industry as it strives to become more efficient and responsive to consumer demands.

Dr. John McPhee and his team will collaborate with experts at Maplesoft and Toyota to develop these math-based models and computer simulations, with a focus on automotive applications such as vehicle dynamics, powertrains, and hybrid electric vehicles. With symbolic computation at its core, Maplesoft was among the first companies to realize the impact that mathematics-based modeling will have on vehicular research. With the newly released MapleSim aiding multi-domain modeling, it will play a crucial role in the research which aims to enhance the development of multi-domain system models comprising mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and other components.

“There is currently a crisis in our automotive sector,” said Dr. John McPhee. “To be globally competitive, automotive manufacturers must design new products faster, safer, and better. The proposed research will speed up the automotive design process, and result in fewer costly prototypes and experimental testing.”

Maplesoft and Dr. John McPhee have a long standing collaboration. In addition to several contracts, as Executive Director of the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research, Dr. McPhee has supported or participated in several major funding programs. Through these various multi-million dollar initiatives, he has access to a world-class team of researchers with expertise in a wide range of automotive-related fields.

“This research proposal is central to Maplesoft’s philosophy of technology development,” said Jim Cooper, President and CEO of Maplesoft. “Access to new algorithms for mathematics-based modeling will be crucial and will have a lasting impact when incorporated into current and future commercial products developed by our company. Maplesoft is confident that the results of this new research will prove beneficial for the company and the sector on a larger scale.”

Maplesoft’s partnership will provide direct and early access to research results which can be incorporated into the product development cycles at Maplesoft.