Reviews of Human Factors and Ergonomics

This chapter investigates driver distraction, a pressing road safety issue. First, research findings regarding the demands placed on drivers by the primary driving tasks and various non-driving-related secondary tasks are reviewed. Second, promising theories and models are reviewed for characterizing how driver distraction is caused and how it affects the driving task. Third, a review is provided of current investigation and measurement methods used in distraction research, guidelines, standards, antidistraction devices, and antidistraction legislation. Fourth, the most important implications from this review are summarized for the various stakeholders in the driver distraction debate. And finally, some important issues for future research into driver distraction are discussed, as is the importance of considering driver distraction in the context of an integrated safety vision.

Modern vehicle cockpits have begun to incorporate a number of information-rich techno-logies, including systems to enhance and improve driving and navigation performance and also driving-irrelevant information systems. The visually intensive nature of the driving task requires these systems to adopt primarily nonvisual means of information display, and the auditory modality represents an obvious alternative to vision for interacting with in-vehicle technologies (IVTs). Although the literature on auditory displays has grown tremendously in recent decades, to date, few guidelines or recommendations exist to aid in the design of effective auditory displays for IVTs. This chapter provides an overview of the current state of research and practice with auditory displays for IVTs. The role of basic auditory capabilities and limitations as they relate to in-vehicle auditory display design are discussed. Extant systems and prototypes are reviewed, and when possible, design recommendations are made. Finally, research needs and an iterative design process to meet those needs are discussed.

The widespread adoption of personal service robots will likely depend on how well they interact with users. This chapter was motivated by a desire to facilitate the design of usable personal service robots. Toward that end, this chapter reviews the literature concerning people interacting with personal service robots. First, ongoing research related to the design of personal service robots is discussed. This material is organized around generic activities that would take place when a user initiates interaction with a future personal service robot, for example, understanding the robot’s affordances or its cognitive capabilities, as well as when a personal service robot initiates interaction with a user, for example, understanding the user’s intent or engaging and communicating with the user. Second, research areas that deserve more attention from the human-robot interaction community are discussed, for example, understanding when people do and do not treat robots as if they were people. Throughout the chapter, recommendations for the design of future personal service robots are offered along with recommendations for future research.

Distal upper extremity (DUE) work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are among the most costly injuries suffered in industry today. These WMSDs are reported in both office (computer use) and manufacturing environments. Job physical exposure analysis techniques for DUE WMSDs range from simple checklists to quantitative models. A summary of literature review of biomechanical, physiological, psychophysical and epidemiological bases for job physical exposure risk factors for DUE WMSDs is provided. Several job analysis methods suitable for manufacturing environments are reviewed and discussed. A comparative analysis of Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), Threshold Limit Value for Hand Activity Level (TLV for HAL), and the Strain Index is provided along with results from validation studies and advantages and disadvantages of each method. Three examples from industries are provided to demonstrate applications of RULA, TLV for HAL, and the Strain Index. Last, issues with current job analysis methods when a worker rotates to different jobs and/or when a job consists of several tasks are discussed as well as the need for more robust models to account for these variations in physical exposure in real-world environments.

This chapter reviews relevant research on emotion, focusing on aspects of emotion that are most relevant to human factors design. The review begins with a discussion of basic emotion concepts, such as low-level positive and negative affect; emotion dimensions of arousal and valence; and prototypical emotions, such as anger, happiness, and fear. The interaction between emotion processing and cognitive processes, such as attention, perception, and decision making, is also discussed. After a review of the nature of emotion, the problem of measuring emotions is considered. Available techniques for emotion measurement are surveyed, and recommendations are made concerning which techniques should be used in different contexts and interactive settings. Novel measures are also introduced for assessing variability in emotional experience and for measuring emotional expressiveness. After laying the intellectual groundwork for understanding the nature of emotional interaction and its measurement, the chapter then shifts to exploring the implications of emotional processing for the design of interactive systems. Affective designs are reviewed in the following domains: consumer products, health care, and robots. The chapter concludes with presentation of an initial set of guidelines relating to the design of interactive systems that take into account emotional processing. The material presented in this chapter is highly relevant to human factors engineering because knowledge of emotional processing and how it affects the state of operators or users and their performance can lead to more usable, effective, efficient, and satisfying interaction.

The technology underlying night vision goggles (NVGs) enhances human ability to operate in dark and low-light conditions. However, NVG-aided vision is limited relative to daylight human vision and may entail risks. This review focuses on NVGs with image intensifier technology and explores the impact of their use on human performance. The review covers technology and device characteristics (image quality and field of view), physical configuration (ocular configuration, NVG weight, and forward center of gravity), and contextual and environmental factors (mission and task aspects, lighting, weather, and terrain). The key human factors in NVG use are visual and cognitive performance (visual acuity and contrast sensitivity, stereopsis and depth perception, distance and size estimation, spatial orientation, and situation awareness), and physical and physiological aspects (neck strain and injuries, and headaches). Understanding technology and contextual factors and their influence on human factors is critical to improving performance and safety with NVGs. Technology and device improvements, along with appropriate mission planning and training, play a critical role in aided night vision performance.

Maritime shipping operates within a complex operational setting and incorporates many types of workplaces and work roles. The maritime domain has been a bit slower than other complex domains in its research and development of human factors and ergonomics application. The problem remains that the operator is continuously being excluded from the loop, which increases the probability of shipboard errors and accidents. This chapter begins by providing a general introduction to the maritime domain and its unique characteristics and is followed by a section on the information environment on the bridge. The section on the information environment on the bridge highlights the importance of integrating the end user into the bridge system and how technology must provide intuitive information at the right level of complexity at the right time. The main focus of this chapter is then split into two areas of current high significance: fatigue on board and maritime culture (also incorporating safety culture issues). Fatigue on board is of major concern, and most studies indicate that a systems approach must be adopted. This approach should account for aspects such as the number of personnel, trip length, frequency and duration of port visits, and shift planning. Within the area of maritime culture, multiculturalism and the way it is managed on board ships, including shipboard practices, affect safety. In the area of safety culture, three recommendations are central: (a) increase compliance with regulations, (b) implement a safety management system, and (c) implement a behavioral safety system. In general, this review indicates that more data are needed on human-technology-organizational issues in the maritime domain.

In this chapter, we review research on the use of virtual reality (VR) and haptic technologies for studying human performance in tasks involving the tactile sense, including locomotion and upper-extremity motor-control training or rehabilitation. We present a general organizing framework of motor-control tasks and identify types of VR systems that have been developed for supporting the tactile sense in simulation of such tasks. We divide this coverage into gross motor tasks with a focus on locomotion and gait, in part because of the volume of research that has been conducted in this area, and fine motor skills with a focus on training for surgical tasks and upper-extremity rehabilitation. In covering VR technology, we review visual devices that facilitate hand-eye or body-eye coordination as well as physical task simulators (e.g., treadmill interfaces and haptic controllers). The directions of locomotion and motor-control task research exploiting these technologies are identified, and seminal studies representing each area are summarized. On this basis, we define a collection of VR simulation design recommendations from task and functional perspectives. The review also identifies the underlying cognitive and physical bases for specific observations on human performance made by previous research. Finally, the summaries of research studies are used as a basis for identifying future directions of research that should be addressed by the human factors community.