Design of Wearable Communication Equipment in Metallurgical Noise Environment

Abstract

The environmental noise and earplug usage in metallurgical industry can easily compromise the information transmission among workers, which increases the risk of accidents. Therefore, in the context of steel rolling operation, developing a wearable device that can transmit instructions through graphical language is necessary to replace the traditional form of body communication. Based on field investigation, questionnaire survey, and in-depth interview, the communication demands of front-line operators were acquired, and information about working site, working language, and communication gestures was collected. The functional operation process and electronic product components were selected based on the wearability, displaying effects, and environmental applicability of image transmission carriers. An intelligent wearable device combining gesture and touch screen controls was designed and further developed. The device is easily put on and taken off, possesses high flexibility, and allows natural interactions. This design minimizes the communication difficulty caused by noise during steel rolling operation, and ensures that information, in required languages, can accurately transmit towards different regions of the metallurgical industry through visual information transmission.