Exploring high-level Perspectives on Self-Configuration Capabilities of Systems

Abstract: Optimization of product performance repetitively introduces the need to make products adaptive in a more general sense. This more general idea is often captured under the term 'self-configuration'. Despite the importance of such capability, research work on this feature appears isolated by technical domains. It is not easy to tell quickly whether the approaches chosen in different technological domains introduce new ideas or whether the differences just reflect domain idiosyncrasies. For the sake of easy identification of key differences between systems with self-configuring capabilities, I will explore higher level concepts for understanding self-configuration, such as the {\Omega}-units, in order to provide theoretical instruments for connecting different areas of technology and research.