What makes an algorithm industrial strength?

Industrial Problems Seminar 

Thomas Grandine (University of Washington)

Abstract

In this talk, I will discuss the details of two algorithms for parametrizing planar curves in an industrial design context. The first algorithm, developed in an academic setting by world class researchers, solves the problem posed by the researchers in a very satisfying and elegant way. Yet that algorithm, elegant though it may be, turns out to be ineffective in a real world engineering environment. The second algorithm is an extension of the first that eliminates the issues that caused it to be inadequate for industrial use.