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Human–Machine Interaction in Automation (I): Basic Concepts and Devices

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Human and Nature Minding Automation

Part of the book series: Intelligent Systems, Control and Automation: Science and Engineering ((ISCA,volume 41))

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Abstract

Interactive communication , or dialog, between humans and machines (computers) is a two way communication, each part giving feedback to the other about its understanding of the last piece of information received and the progress made for any action that was requested. Human–machine interaction (HMI) is now a well established field of computer science and automation which uses concepts, principles and techniques of human factors engineering, cognitive and experimental psychology, and other closely related disciplines.30, 138, 303, 305, 349, 386, 389 The main goals of HMI are the following:

To understand and analyze the impact that automation and information technology is having on human’s productivity, job satisfaction, human–human communication, and the general quality of life.

To understand better what consequences, good or bad, automation and information technology, could have on human life and on future generations, and what can be done to minimize the undesired effects and maximize the desired ones.

To make automation and computer-based systems easier to use and more effective in the hands of the experts.

Human–machine interface design has been shown to have a significant influence on factors such as learning time, speed of performance, error rates, and user’s satisfaction. While good interface design can lead to significant improvements in task performance, poor designs may hold the user back. Thus, work on HMI is of crucial importance.

This chapter, the first of two chapters on human–machine interaction, presents the basic concepts of human machine interactive systems (applications, design methodologies) and discusses two fundamental categories of interactive/input–output devices, namely the “keys and key boards ” and the “pointing devices ” (touch screens, light pens, graphic tablets, trackballs, mice, and joysticks) including some guidelines for input device selection. Then, the issues of screen design and work station design are considered with primary intent to arrive at practical guidelines that are recommended for human satisfaction, and minimization of stress, fatigue and risk of injury. In the next chapter more advanced human–machine interfaces will be discussed, such as graphical interfaces, knowledge-based interfaces, and intelligent interfaces.

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  1. School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National and Technical University of Athens, 15773, Athens, Greece

    Spyros G. Tzafestas

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Tzafestas, S.G. (2010). Human–Machine Interaction in Automation (I): Basic Concepts and Devices. In: Human and Nature Minding Automation. Intelligent Systems, Control and Automation: Science and Engineering, vol 41. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3562-2_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3562-2_4

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