1. Design methodology

Electromechanical actuator design problems can be understood in mathematical terms as inverse problems.

To explain how to formulate such an inverse problem, let's imagine that a design engineer has in mind the structure, components and dimensions of a new actuator. Based on these precise characteristics, he or she can build a prototype and test it for intrinsic efficiency. This is how many actuators have been designed for decades. However, thanks in particular to the development of numerical methods for solving partial differential equations, the designer has since been able to test and rectify his ideas before the costly phase of building a prototype. So, we've just defined the direct design problem in electromechanics.