Human Factors in Robotics

Abstract

The term "human factors" may simply be described [1J as the study of relationships between new technology's products and processes and the people who make use of them. Frederick W. Taylor, the father of scientific management, would probably be called the first human factors engineer because he performed studies to determine the most suitable designs for shovels [2]. The government of the United States has played a pivotal role in the development of the human factors field, by establishing laboratories at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Brooks Air Force Base, to carry out human factors-related research. During the years of World War II engineering systems became highly complex and the requirement for the human factors consideration became a necessity. By the mid-1940s human factors engineering began to be recognized as a specialized discipline. With respect to robotics, human factors engineering is basically concerned with the way robotic equipment interfaces systems, and the environment should be designed so that it is compatible to the individuals who use it. In industrial robotics, basic concern is associated with the design of con- troller panels, computer terminals, and teach pendants, in addition to ambient conditions [3J . Examples of such conditions are temperature, noise, and illumination. Generally, it may be said that human factors principles are being successfully applied in several industrial areas, but in industrial robotics they still remained to be explored systematically. This chapter discusses several aspects of human factors in robotics.