Design Assistant: Accelerating Electronics Design with Natural Language

 

Introduction

The Design Assistant is a CELUS-native feature that enables engineers to create and modify functional circuit designs using natural language prompts. Whether you're exploring design ideas or iterating on a specific solution, Design Assistant interprets your intent and translates it into structured block diagrams on the design canvas.

What Is the Design Assistant?

The Design Assistant helps you build or refine electronic systems by describing your intent in plain language. It automates early design steps by placing functional blocks, creating connections, and maintaining context—all without requiring manual routing or precise tool commands.

Users can also upload sketches or images, allowing Design Assistant to auto-generate a corresponding draft layout. While not perfect in all cases, the assistant dramatically reduces time to first prototype and lowers barriers for both new and experienced users.

 

Design Assistant: Enter Natural Language commands

How to Use the Design Assistant

There are two typical approaches:

Open-Ended Prompts

Ideal for early-stage ideation or top-down exploration.
Example: “Build me a smartwatch.”
Design Assistant will generate a plausible functional baseline using common building blocks.

 

Design Assistant: Open-Ended Prompt

 

Specific Prompts

Useful for targeted edits or incremental updates.
Example: “Add a power supply and connect it to the microcontroller.”
Design Assistant will place the appropriate blocks and automatically create the requested links.

 

Design Assistant: Specific Prompts

 

What Can You Do With It?

Core Capabilities

• Add, remove, or substitute functional blocks.

• Create or delete connections between block ports.

• Upload sketches or images to auto-generate a visual design draft.

• Handle sequential instructions or long compound prompts.

 

Design Assistant: Update Functional Block

 

Unique Features

• Contextual Memory: Design Assistant remembers prior instructions and adapts based on version history.

• Multilingual Input: Commands in multiple languages are supported.

• Reference by Custom Names: Rename blocks (e.g., “Red LED”) and refer back to them later in your prompt.

Example Interaction:

1. "Add LED to the microcontroller"

2. "Add one more" 

 

When using the image upload feature, you may leave the text field empty and the Design Assistant will interpret the image to generate a draft design on the canvas. Alternatively, you can add a text prompt alongside the image to clarify your intent or provide additional instructions.

 

Creating Complex Projects with Design Assistant

For best results, use an iterative approach:

Start with a high-level structure:

“Microcontroller powered from USB with wireless communication.”

Then refine:

“Add an OLED display and button.”
“Add a temperature sensor.”
“Connect display, sensor, and button to the same supply line.”

This modular flow allows Design Assistant to progressively expand the architecture without misinterpreting dense or vague inputs.