Ergonomics in Design: The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications, 2005
Quality and Health Outcomes Once upon a time, a young boy, aged about four, was taken by his uncl... more Quality and Health Outcomes Once upon a time, a young boy, aged about four, was taken by his uncle on a tractor to plow the stubble in the previous year's cornfields. The ground was rough, and they bounced around a lot on the seat, which consisted of a shaped steel platform mounted on a V-shaped steel spring. The rough field also caused the front wheels to transmit the bumps to the steering wheels. When the little boy was allowed to drive, it soon became clear that the immaculately straight furrows were turning into a zigzagging mess; he was certainly not in line to win the plowing championship at the village gymkhana (a horse show and contests testing agricultural skills). The boy's performance was degraded by his inability to manage the mechanical vibrations inherent in the task and equipment. Some years later, he returned to work on the farm and was given the much less precise task of towing a set of harrows behind the tractor to further break up the soil before planting the corn. The technology had not improved much he still sat, day in and day out, on a sprung seat, albeit with an old cushion to provide a modicum of damping, and the steering wheel still harmonized with the dancing front wheels. The short-term costs of these efforts were very tired and sore hands and arms. After finishing his undergraduate education in ergonomics, he had a choice between going to graduate school and working for the British aircraft industry, which at that time was very concerned about pilot performance and health as affected by vibrating fixed-wing airplanes and helicopters. He chose the former path, but not before he had the opportunity to learn about the substantial fatigue and performance decrements encountered by pilots, who sometimes had difficulty in reading their instruments correctly and in performing target-aiming tasks. To this day, pilots of small aircraft and helicopters are still hampered by a hostile mechanical vibration environment.
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2001
The purposes of this panel are to inform the human factors community regarding the challenges of ... more The purposes of this panel are to inform the human factors community regarding the challenges of designing the International Space Station (ISS) and to stimulate the broader human factors community into participating in the various basic and applied research opportunities associated with the ISS. This panel describes the variety of techniques used to plan and evaluate human factors for living and working in space. The panel members have contributed to many different aspects of the ISS design and operations. Architecture, equipment, and human physical performance requirements for various tasks have all been tailored to the requirements of operating in microgravity.
Astronaut physical performance capabilities in micro gravity EV A or on planetary surfaces when e... more Astronaut physical performance capabilities in micro gravity EV A or on planetary surfaces when encumbered by a life support suit and debilitated by a long exposure to micro gravity will be less than unencumbered pre flight capabilities. The big question addressed by human factors engineers is: what can the astronaut be expected to do on EVA or when we arrive at a planetary surface? A second question is: what aids to performance will be needed to enhance the human physical capability? These questions are important for a number of reasons. First it is necessary to carry out accurate planning of human physical demands to ensure that time and energy critical tasks can be carried out with confidence. Second it is important that the crew members (and their ground or planetary base monitors) have a realistic picture of their own capabilities, as excessive fatigue can lead to catastrophic failure. Third it is important to design appropriate equipment to enhance human sensory capabilities, ...
Page 187. The Development of ergonomic Workload Stress Index Via a Fuzzy Sets Modelling Approach ... more Page 187. The Development of ergonomic Workload Stress Index Via a Fuzzy Sets Modelling Approach Jen-Gwo Chen1, Hwa S. Jung2, and Brian J. Peacock3 1, 2 Department of Industrial Engineering University of Houston ...
IMPROVEMENTS IN RIDE AND HANDLING (STEERING, SUSPENSIONS), ANTHROPOMETRY (AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT, B... more IMPROVEMENTS IN RIDE AND HANDLING (STEERING, SUSPENSIONS), ANTHROPOMETRY (AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT, BRAKE-BY-WIRE) DRIVER WORKLOAD AND ATTENTION HEAD-UP AND VIRTUAL IMAGE DISPLAYS ENHANCED VISIBILI- TY FOR NIGHT DRIVING IN-CAR NAVIGATION SYSTEMS
After a short introduction on generalities about probability distributions, the book consists of ... more After a short introduction on generalities about probability distributions, the book consists of 40 chapters describing in alphabetical order individual distributions commonly encountered in applications. It is a substantially revised edition with, in particular, new diagrams and a longer treatment of the Weibull distribution in its two, three and five parameter forms. With two exceptions the distributions are univariate, i.e. one-dimensional. Typically for each distribution there is an introductory paragraph about potential applications, the formula for the distribution, the main properties of the distribution, usually some diagrams illustrating the shape of the distribution, and some notes on relations with other distributions and on how its parameters might be estimated from data. In some cases a note on simulation of values is included. The book ends with some computational references, some statistical tables and a short bibliography. The book contains a large amount of information clearly set out in concise form. The introductory notes on the motivation for the individual distributions are sometimes perfunctory and inevitably are no substitute for a careful discussion of the domain of potential applicability of, for example, the exponential distribution or the negative binomial distribution. They are of little or no help in dealing with the question: `Here is a particular kind of problem calling for a simple form of probability distribution: what kind of distribution might be useful?' However, the book could certainly be a valuable reference source on such specific if rather narrow questions as: `Given involvement in the use of the negative binomial distribution, what are its moments?' A criticism of the book is the failure to give references for further reading about individual special distributions. The short general bibliography is no help on where to look for particular points. D R Cox
This paper describes in general terms the range of concerns currently on the horizon for vehicle ... more This paper describes in general terms the range of concerns currently on the horizon for vehicle designers, with emphasis on human factors issues. Specific new automotive technologies are taken up individually, under four major categories: Ride and Handling. Anthropometry, ...
Ergonomics in Design: The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications, 2002
Differences More than 100 years ago, research psychologists articulated a general rule about the ... more Differences More than 100 years ago, research psychologists articulated a general rule about the capabilities of the human perceptual system to distinguish differences between physical quantities (Fechner, 1860). They focused on how small a difference could be detected a justnoticeable difference (JND for short.) Around the same period, statisticians started to worry about significant differences and adopted a risk-based approach in which they admitted that they would be wrong 1%, 5%, or 10% of the time due to chance. Clinical, psychological, and human factors researchers have agonized over these problems for decades (e.g., Jacobson &Traux, 1991; Jacobs, 2000). Some people call the 1% risk level an honestly significant difference (HSD). Those who opt for a 10% significance level are talking about a perhaps significant difference (PSD). People in the real world often require even greater confidence by using the definitely noticeable difference (DND). A convenient DND rule is to require a quantum tenfold difference, although some people will accept smaller exponents. Other differences include practical difference (.01 seconds in a race), small differences (peas in a pod), big differences (chalk and cheese), irrelevant differences (the number of points scored in a losing game), and meaningless significant differences (differences on dimensions irrelevant to the problem at hand). There is also the challenge of actual differences and perceived differences. Readers will no doubt offer even more classes of difference, some of which may be fuzzy and some semantic. Two outstanding discussions of the perception of differences are to be found in James (1890) and Ladd and Woodworth (1911). James discussed the conditions of discrimination, first stating the obvious ("the things must be different") and then, "the sensations excited by differing objects should not come simultaneously but fall in immediate succession" (James, 1890, p. 494). Ladd and Trumbull discussed "The Quantity of Sensation," paying particular attention to the robustness and conditions of Weber's (see Stevens, 1951) and Fechner's (1860) development of psychophysics. Contemporary psychologists and instructors in research methods have addressed the differences between statistical and clinical significance (Jacobson & Traux, 1991) and "When is an apparent difference a significant difference?" (Jacobs, 2000). Luce and Krumhansl (1988) provided a comprehensive overview of psychophysical techniques.
The purposes of this panel are to inform the human factors community regarding the challenges of ... more The purposes of this panel are to inform the human factors community regarding the challenges of designing the International Space Station (ISS) and to stimulate the broader human factors community into participating in the various basic and applied research opportunities associated with the ISS. This panel describes the variety of techniques used to plan and evaluate human factors for living and working in space. The panel members have contributed to many different aspects of the ISS design and operations. Architecture, equipment, and human physical performance requirements for various tasks have all been tailored to the requirements of operating in microgravity. INTRODUCTION The activitiesof the NASA spacehuman factors engineering function are monitored and
1. S.O. Edeki, Hilary Okagbuem and Abiodun Opanuga. 2016. The U-quadratic distribution as a proxy... more 1. S.O. Edeki, Hilary Okagbuem and Abiodun Opanuga. 2016. The U-quadratic distribution as a proxy for a transformed triangular distribution (TTD). Research Journal of Applied Sciences, 11 (5): 221-223. 2. Shaw, W. T., & Buckley, I. R. C. 2007. The alchemy of probability distributions: beyond Gram-Charlier expansions, and a skew-kurtosis normal distribution from a rank transmutation map. arXiv preprint arXiv: 0901.0434.
Perhaps the greatest challenge facing the Human Factors profession is the ability to communicate ... more Perhaps the greatest challenge facing the Human Factors profession is the ability to communicate effectively with their customers. One example is the NASA Standard 3000, which is an extensive compilation of human factors information, but an inefficient tool in the design and evaluation processes. These shortcomings are indicated by the need for interpretation of much of the material by human factors specialists and the amount of time spent dealing with “waivers.” An alternative approach is being developed which provides specific quantitative targets (engineering specifications) for design and evaluation, coupled with a process of continuous improvement. The targets are developed for measurable aspects of the environment or humansystem interface, by a consensus of human factors, domain experts and user representatives. This participative approach will ensure "buy-in" by all parties ahead of time and thus reduce the need for waivers. Although variable interactions are key to...
Proceedings of the Human Factors Society Annual Meeting
Statistical tests are used to identify the parent distribution corresponding to a data set. A hum... more Statistical tests are used to identify the parent distribution corresponding to a data set. A human observer looking at a histogram can also identify a probability distribution that models the parent distribution. The accuracy of a human observer was compared to the chi-square test for discrete data and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and chi-square tests for continuous data. The human observer proved more accurate in identifying continuous distributions and the chi-square test proved to be superior in identifying discrete distributions. The effect of sample size and number of intervals in the histogram was included in the experimental design.
The goal of this panel is to bring together experienced human factors professionals and systems e... more The goal of this panel is to bring together experienced human factors professionals and systems engineers to discuss how the two groups can work together to develop optimal designs that include appropriate consideration of the human users and maintainers. The experience of the ...
Traditional human factors design involves the development of human factors requirements based on ... more Traditional human factors design involves the development of human factors requirements based on a desire to accommodate a certain percentage of the intended user population. As the product is developed human factors evaluation involves comparison between the resulting design and the specifications. Sometimes performance metrics are involved that allow leniency in the design requirements given that the human performance result is satisfactory. Clearly such approaches may work but they give rise to uncertainty and negotiation. An alternative approach is to adopt human factors design rules that articulate a range of each design continuum over which there are varying outcome expectations and interactions with other variables, including time. These rules are based on a consensus of human factors specialists, designers, managers and customers. The International Space Station faces exactly this challenge in interior volume control, which is based on anthropometric, performance and subject...
The NASA Space Human Factors community engages in activities that range from basic research throu... more The NASA Space Human Factors community engages in activities that range from basic research through advanced development projects to applications associated with ongoing programs such as the International Space Station and the Shuttle. This panel of NASA human factors specialists will present information relating to advanced development projects aimed at the creation of tools that can be applied to the analysis, design and evaluation of space vehicles and operations, and future space vehicle design concepts. The projects are: “The voice of the customer” - a description of the multiple pathways used to obtain astronaut information and opinion; International Space Station emergency medical procedure evaluation and redesign; the “magic windows” project which provides a multifunctional display system for operations and personal use on space vehicles and analogs; analytical approaches to digitally scanned crew member anthropometric data; crew member activity measurement, modeling and sch...
Ergonomics in Design: The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications, 2005
Quality and Health Outcomes Once upon a time, a young boy, aged about four, was taken by his uncl... more Quality and Health Outcomes Once upon a time, a young boy, aged about four, was taken by his uncle on a tractor to plow the stubble in the previous year's cornfields. The ground was rough, and they bounced around a lot on the seat, which consisted of a shaped steel platform mounted on a V-shaped steel spring. The rough field also caused the front wheels to transmit the bumps to the steering wheels. When the little boy was allowed to drive, it soon became clear that the immaculately straight furrows were turning into a zigzagging mess; he was certainly not in line to win the plowing championship at the village gymkhana (a horse show and contests testing agricultural skills). The boy's performance was degraded by his inability to manage the mechanical vibrations inherent in the task and equipment. Some years later, he returned to work on the farm and was given the much less precise task of towing a set of harrows behind the tractor to further break up the soil before planting the corn. The technology had not improved much he still sat, day in and day out, on a sprung seat, albeit with an old cushion to provide a modicum of damping, and the steering wheel still harmonized with the dancing front wheels. The short-term costs of these efforts were very tired and sore hands and arms. After finishing his undergraduate education in ergonomics, he had a choice between going to graduate school and working for the British aircraft industry, which at that time was very concerned about pilot performance and health as affected by vibrating fixed-wing airplanes and helicopters. He chose the former path, but not before he had the opportunity to learn about the substantial fatigue and performance decrements encountered by pilots, who sometimes had difficulty in reading their instruments correctly and in performing target-aiming tasks. To this day, pilots of small aircraft and helicopters are still hampered by a hostile mechanical vibration environment.
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2001
The purposes of this panel are to inform the human factors community regarding the challenges of ... more The purposes of this panel are to inform the human factors community regarding the challenges of designing the International Space Station (ISS) and to stimulate the broader human factors community into participating in the various basic and applied research opportunities associated with the ISS. This panel describes the variety of techniques used to plan and evaluate human factors for living and working in space. The panel members have contributed to many different aspects of the ISS design and operations. Architecture, equipment, and human physical performance requirements for various tasks have all been tailored to the requirements of operating in microgravity.
Astronaut physical performance capabilities in micro gravity EV A or on planetary surfaces when e... more Astronaut physical performance capabilities in micro gravity EV A or on planetary surfaces when encumbered by a life support suit and debilitated by a long exposure to micro gravity will be less than unencumbered pre flight capabilities. The big question addressed by human factors engineers is: what can the astronaut be expected to do on EVA or when we arrive at a planetary surface? A second question is: what aids to performance will be needed to enhance the human physical capability? These questions are important for a number of reasons. First it is necessary to carry out accurate planning of human physical demands to ensure that time and energy critical tasks can be carried out with confidence. Second it is important that the crew members (and their ground or planetary base monitors) have a realistic picture of their own capabilities, as excessive fatigue can lead to catastrophic failure. Third it is important to design appropriate equipment to enhance human sensory capabilities, ...
Page 187. The Development of ergonomic Workload Stress Index Via a Fuzzy Sets Modelling Approach ... more Page 187. The Development of ergonomic Workload Stress Index Via a Fuzzy Sets Modelling Approach Jen-Gwo Chen1, Hwa S. Jung2, and Brian J. Peacock3 1, 2 Department of Industrial Engineering University of Houston ...
IMPROVEMENTS IN RIDE AND HANDLING (STEERING, SUSPENSIONS), ANTHROPOMETRY (AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT, B... more IMPROVEMENTS IN RIDE AND HANDLING (STEERING, SUSPENSIONS), ANTHROPOMETRY (AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT, BRAKE-BY-WIRE) DRIVER WORKLOAD AND ATTENTION HEAD-UP AND VIRTUAL IMAGE DISPLAYS ENHANCED VISIBILI- TY FOR NIGHT DRIVING IN-CAR NAVIGATION SYSTEMS
After a short introduction on generalities about probability distributions, the book consists of ... more After a short introduction on generalities about probability distributions, the book consists of 40 chapters describing in alphabetical order individual distributions commonly encountered in applications. It is a substantially revised edition with, in particular, new diagrams and a longer treatment of the Weibull distribution in its two, three and five parameter forms. With two exceptions the distributions are univariate, i.e. one-dimensional. Typically for each distribution there is an introductory paragraph about potential applications, the formula for the distribution, the main properties of the distribution, usually some diagrams illustrating the shape of the distribution, and some notes on relations with other distributions and on how its parameters might be estimated from data. In some cases a note on simulation of values is included. The book ends with some computational references, some statistical tables and a short bibliography. The book contains a large amount of information clearly set out in concise form. The introductory notes on the motivation for the individual distributions are sometimes perfunctory and inevitably are no substitute for a careful discussion of the domain of potential applicability of, for example, the exponential distribution or the negative binomial distribution. They are of little or no help in dealing with the question: `Here is a particular kind of problem calling for a simple form of probability distribution: what kind of distribution might be useful?' However, the book could certainly be a valuable reference source on such specific if rather narrow questions as: `Given involvement in the use of the negative binomial distribution, what are its moments?' A criticism of the book is the failure to give references for further reading about individual special distributions. The short general bibliography is no help on where to look for particular points. D R Cox
This paper describes in general terms the range of concerns currently on the horizon for vehicle ... more This paper describes in general terms the range of concerns currently on the horizon for vehicle designers, with emphasis on human factors issues. Specific new automotive technologies are taken up individually, under four major categories: Ride and Handling. Anthropometry, ...
Ergonomics in Design: The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications, 2002
Differences More than 100 years ago, research psychologists articulated a general rule about the ... more Differences More than 100 years ago, research psychologists articulated a general rule about the capabilities of the human perceptual system to distinguish differences between physical quantities (Fechner, 1860). They focused on how small a difference could be detected a justnoticeable difference (JND for short.) Around the same period, statisticians started to worry about significant differences and adopted a risk-based approach in which they admitted that they would be wrong 1%, 5%, or 10% of the time due to chance. Clinical, psychological, and human factors researchers have agonized over these problems for decades (e.g., Jacobson &Traux, 1991; Jacobs, 2000). Some people call the 1% risk level an honestly significant difference (HSD). Those who opt for a 10% significance level are talking about a perhaps significant difference (PSD). People in the real world often require even greater confidence by using the definitely noticeable difference (DND). A convenient DND rule is to require a quantum tenfold difference, although some people will accept smaller exponents. Other differences include practical difference (.01 seconds in a race), small differences (peas in a pod), big differences (chalk and cheese), irrelevant differences (the number of points scored in a losing game), and meaningless significant differences (differences on dimensions irrelevant to the problem at hand). There is also the challenge of actual differences and perceived differences. Readers will no doubt offer even more classes of difference, some of which may be fuzzy and some semantic. Two outstanding discussions of the perception of differences are to be found in James (1890) and Ladd and Woodworth (1911). James discussed the conditions of discrimination, first stating the obvious ("the things must be different") and then, "the sensations excited by differing objects should not come simultaneously but fall in immediate succession" (James, 1890, p. 494). Ladd and Trumbull discussed "The Quantity of Sensation," paying particular attention to the robustness and conditions of Weber's (see Stevens, 1951) and Fechner's (1860) development of psychophysics. Contemporary psychologists and instructors in research methods have addressed the differences between statistical and clinical significance (Jacobson & Traux, 1991) and "When is an apparent difference a significant difference?" (Jacobs, 2000). Luce and Krumhansl (1988) provided a comprehensive overview of psychophysical techniques.
The purposes of this panel are to inform the human factors community regarding the challenges of ... more The purposes of this panel are to inform the human factors community regarding the challenges of designing the International Space Station (ISS) and to stimulate the broader human factors community into participating in the various basic and applied research opportunities associated with the ISS. This panel describes the variety of techniques used to plan and evaluate human factors for living and working in space. The panel members have contributed to many different aspects of the ISS design and operations. Architecture, equipment, and human physical performance requirements for various tasks have all been tailored to the requirements of operating in microgravity. INTRODUCTION The activitiesof the NASA spacehuman factors engineering function are monitored and
1. S.O. Edeki, Hilary Okagbuem and Abiodun Opanuga. 2016. The U-quadratic distribution as a proxy... more 1. S.O. Edeki, Hilary Okagbuem and Abiodun Opanuga. 2016. The U-quadratic distribution as a proxy for a transformed triangular distribution (TTD). Research Journal of Applied Sciences, 11 (5): 221-223. 2. Shaw, W. T., & Buckley, I. R. C. 2007. The alchemy of probability distributions: beyond Gram-Charlier expansions, and a skew-kurtosis normal distribution from a rank transmutation map. arXiv preprint arXiv: 0901.0434.
Perhaps the greatest challenge facing the Human Factors profession is the ability to communicate ... more Perhaps the greatest challenge facing the Human Factors profession is the ability to communicate effectively with their customers. One example is the NASA Standard 3000, which is an extensive compilation of human factors information, but an inefficient tool in the design and evaluation processes. These shortcomings are indicated by the need for interpretation of much of the material by human factors specialists and the amount of time spent dealing with “waivers.” An alternative approach is being developed which provides specific quantitative targets (engineering specifications) for design and evaluation, coupled with a process of continuous improvement. The targets are developed for measurable aspects of the environment or humansystem interface, by a consensus of human factors, domain experts and user representatives. This participative approach will ensure "buy-in" by all parties ahead of time and thus reduce the need for waivers. Although variable interactions are key to...
Proceedings of the Human Factors Society Annual Meeting
Statistical tests are used to identify the parent distribution corresponding to a data set. A hum... more Statistical tests are used to identify the parent distribution corresponding to a data set. A human observer looking at a histogram can also identify a probability distribution that models the parent distribution. The accuracy of a human observer was compared to the chi-square test for discrete data and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and chi-square tests for continuous data. The human observer proved more accurate in identifying continuous distributions and the chi-square test proved to be superior in identifying discrete distributions. The effect of sample size and number of intervals in the histogram was included in the experimental design.
The goal of this panel is to bring together experienced human factors professionals and systems e... more The goal of this panel is to bring together experienced human factors professionals and systems engineers to discuss how the two groups can work together to develop optimal designs that include appropriate consideration of the human users and maintainers. The experience of the ...
Traditional human factors design involves the development of human factors requirements based on ... more Traditional human factors design involves the development of human factors requirements based on a desire to accommodate a certain percentage of the intended user population. As the product is developed human factors evaluation involves comparison between the resulting design and the specifications. Sometimes performance metrics are involved that allow leniency in the design requirements given that the human performance result is satisfactory. Clearly such approaches may work but they give rise to uncertainty and negotiation. An alternative approach is to adopt human factors design rules that articulate a range of each design continuum over which there are varying outcome expectations and interactions with other variables, including time. These rules are based on a consensus of human factors specialists, designers, managers and customers. The International Space Station faces exactly this challenge in interior volume control, which is based on anthropometric, performance and subject...
The NASA Space Human Factors community engages in activities that range from basic research throu... more The NASA Space Human Factors community engages in activities that range from basic research through advanced development projects to applications associated with ongoing programs such as the International Space Station and the Shuttle. This panel of NASA human factors specialists will present information relating to advanced development projects aimed at the creation of tools that can be applied to the analysis, design and evaluation of space vehicles and operations, and future space vehicle design concepts. The projects are: “The voice of the customer” - a description of the multiple pathways used to obtain astronaut information and opinion; International Space Station emergency medical procedure evaluation and redesign; the “magic windows” project which provides a multifunctional display system for operations and personal use on space vehicles and analogs; analytical approaches to digitally scanned crew member anthropometric data; crew member activity measurement, modeling and sch...
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