Advanced Human-machine Interface Research Articles

Advance human–machine interface automatic evaluation

The need for accessibility evaluation tools is motivated by several endogenous and exogenous reasons coming from the end user (the designer and the developer) and companies releasing information systems. Existing evaluation tools mainly concentrate on examining the code of Web pages: Web pages more and more frequently contain non-HTML parts that entirely escape from being treated by existing techniques. This is the case of the advanced human---machine interface (AHMI), a piece of software programmed in C/C++, used for controlling the advanced flight management system in the aircraft cockpit. Studying this new user interface (UI) requires a structured approach to evaluate and validate AHMI designs. The goal in this work is to develop an evaluation tool to automate the process of evaluating the AHMI. The method addresses: support of multiple bases of guidelines (accessibility or usability or both) on-demand (partial or total evaluation), with different levels of details (a presentation for developers and for those responsible for certifying accessibility). The method goes a step toward the automatic evaluation of UI containing non-HTML parts.

The Aouda.X Space Suit Simulator and Its Applications to Astrobiology

We have developed the space suit simulator Aouda.X, which is capable of reproducing the physical and sensory limitations a flight-worthy suit would have on Mars. Based upon a Hard-Upper-Torso design, it has an advanced human-machine interface and a sensory network connected to an On-Board Data Handling system to increase the situational awareness in the field. Although the suit simulator is not pressurized, the physical forces that lead to a reduced working envelope and physical performance are reproduced with a calibrated exoskeleton. This allows us to simulate various pressure regimes from 0.3-1 bar. Aouda.X has been tested in several laboratory and field settings, including sterile sampling at 2800 m altitude inside a glacial ice cave and a cryochamber at -110°C, and subsurface tests in connection with geophysical instrumentation relevant to astrobiology, including ground-penetrating radar, geoacoustics, and drilling. The communication subsystem allows for a direct interaction with remote science teams via telemetry from a mission control center. Aouda.X as such is a versatile experimental platform for studying Mars exploration activities in a high-fidelity Mars analog environment with a focus on astrobiology and operations research that has been optimized to reduce the amount of biological cross contamination. We report on the performance envelope of the Aouda.X system and its operational limitations.

Research on Communication Method for the Coal Mine Drainage Control System

The communication method of the automatically drainage monitoring system for underground coal mine is researched. The advanced PLC control technology and visual InTouch human-machine interface are used to design the control system. The information which is measured by downhole monitoring device can be real-timely transmitted to the ground monitoring stations through the Ethernet optical fiber communication system.The monitoring system can realize on-site manual and automatic control, also can realize remote monitoring and management.This paper mainly describes the implementation process and implementation principle of the data transfer between control unit and remote host computer via Ethernet technology.

Cost-Justifying Investments in Advanced Human-Machine Interface Technologies I: A Cost-Benefit Framework for the Process Industries

Advanced human-machine interfaces (HMIs), such as those developed under the ecological interface design framework, continue to show substantial advantages for supporting effective operator control (Vicente, 2002). However, prospective industry users of these technologies have expressed a need to make a quantitative economic case for designing and implementing advanced HMIs. To date, no comprehensive cost justification study has been published on advanced HMIs. The purpose of this paper is to report original work on a cost-benefit framework for advanced HMI's. We first present a brief summary of findings from a literature review of existing human factors cost justification studies and present a working list of metrics. We then describe a general cost-benefit framework derived from this list of metrics and discuss issues to be considered in applying this model in practice.

Designing future advanced controller displays

This paper describes the design of an advanced human-machine interface for well-trained, professional users, i.e. air traffic controllers. The safety implications of their tasks, combined with the short reaction time available to the user, result in high demands on the interface between the human and the supporting information system. The increasing demand for air traffic capacity (which can not be accommodated by just deploying more personnel as the additional co-ordination offsets the workload reduction) necessitates the introduction of innovative support tools to prevent human overload. Experience with the introduction of such tools stresses the need to design their user interfaces using a ‘human-centred approach’, contrasting with the traditional ‘technology-centred approach’.

Interface Design for Monitoring and Recovering Critical Safety Functions in APR1400 Control Room

The advanced human-machine interface (HMI) in nuclear power plants provides an information environment that supports the operators' burdensome cognitive tasks. Safety function status check (SFSC), one of such tasks, can benefit from well-designed information aid. This paper describes an interface design for supporting the operator's SFSC task as an element of HMI for Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400) of Korea. A prototype interface scheme for the SFSC task was developed based on the task analysis on APR1400 HMI and an evaluation of existing plants. The interface consists of three hierarchical levels of information: the goal tree including safety functions and their success paths, the flow structure of the success paths, and the system's topological structures related to the success paths. The interface is expected to have advantages in terms of cognitive information processing, which are currently being verified through systematic evaluations under diverse contexts and will be accordingly improved.

Development of an advanced human–machine interface for next generation nuclear power plants

An advanced human–machine interface (HMI) has been developed to enhance the safety and availability of a nuclear power plant (NPP) by improving operational reliability. The key elements of the proposed HMI are the large display panels which present synopsis of plant status and the compact, computer-based work stations for monitoring, control and protection functions. The work station consists of four consoles such as a dynamic alarm console (DAC), a system information console (SIC), a computerized operating-procedure console (COC), and a safety system information console (SSIC). The DAC provides clean alarm pictures, in which information overlapping is excluded and alarm impacts are discriminated, for quick situation awareness. The SIC supports a normal operation by offering all necessary system information and control functions over non-safety systems. In addition, it is closely linked to the other consoles in order to automatically display related system information according to situations of the DAC and the COC. The COC aids operators with proper operating procedures during normal plant startup and shutdown or after a plant trip, and it also reduces their physical/mental burden through soft automation. The SSIC continuously displays safety system status and enables operators to control safety systems. The proposed HMI has been evaluated using the checklists that are extracted from various human factors guidelines. From the evaluation results, it can be concluded that the HMI is so designed as to address the human factors issues reasonably. After sufficient validation, the concept and the design features of the proposed HMI will be reflected in the design of the main control room of the Korean Next Generation Reactor (KNGR).

Life Cycle Integrity Monitoring of Nuclear Plant with Human Machine Cooperation

Motivation, technical framework, and state-of-the-art of a research project called Life Cycle Integrity Monitoring are described in this paper. The project was established to significantly improve operational safety of large-scale artifacts by developing and introducing advanced techniques for efficiently supporting maintenance and repair activities. As the main technique of crucial importance, the life cycle information management system was proposed with component techniques of distributed artificial intelligence and advanced human-machine interface. Actual implementation of a prototype system, and observations obtained through preliminary evaluation of the prototype as well, are summarized and ongoing technical evolutions are briefly addressed.

Transitioning advanced interface technology from aerospace to manufacturing applications

This paper is concerned with applying advanced human-machine interface technology within manufacturing. The technology involves knowledge-based concepts for aiding and training operators and maintainers of complex systems. This technology has been primarily developed in the aerospace industry. This paper chronicles experiences in transitioning this technology to manufacturing applications. A variety of insights and lessons learned is summarized.