Emulator technology is the methodology that replaces simulators in engineer
ing design by surrogate models, sometimes called meta-models. The methodolo
gy has three distinct stages: data capture, modelling and optimization. Spa
ce-filling experimental designs are used to gather information; then specia
lized adaptive models, derived from statistical principles, are used to emu
late the system. The advantage of emulators is that they run many times fas
ter than the simulators, which means they can be used in multi-domain envir
onments for multi-objective optimization. This is generally not possible us
ing the simulators themselves due to the computational burden. Emulator tec
hnology should be considered as part of the general data-capture and modell
ing environment within industry.