Human Systems Engineering and Design III

Table of Contents

1. Human Cyber-Physical Systems Interactions

   1. Frontmatter

   2. Optimizing the Human Psyche in a Pandemic

      Sherry Palamara

      Abstract

      While the human psyche is not a machine, during said Pandemic, undeniable considerations for human nature is pertinent to all studies. Tesla [1], emphasizes human as “mass moved by a force”. Perceiving Mass as thought then moves force to either deplete or break through friction. James [2] identifies habits as “fundamental properties of matter”; plasticity “structure weak enough to yield an influence, but strong enough not to yield all at once”. “All at once” is this pandemic influence. Bringing Maslow’s Motivational Hierarchy [3] from optimizing potential to basic sustenance and safety needs. The very foundation that enhances self-actualization progression while climbing Social Belongingness and Self-Esteem hierarchy. Creative redesign may optimize a paradigm shift from Pandemic influence via efficient-solution-optimizing Breakthrough, efficient-non-optimizing Heuristic, non-efficient- optimizing Algorithm and non-efficient-optimizing Brainstorming. If removing friction accelerates momentum, habitual routines maintain constancy for new accelerated mass and humans grow mentally stronger. Deepening common-sense-reasoning, psychosocial-etiquette, and conscientious-awareness is discussed.

   3. Towards Intelligent Pick and Place Assembly of Individualized Products Using Reinforcement Learning

      Caterina Neef, Dario Luipers, Jan Bollenbacher, Christian Gebel, Anja Richert

      Abstract

      Individualized manufacturing is becoming an important approach to fulfill increasingly diverse consumer expectations. While there are various solutions for the manufacturing process, such as additive manufacturing, the subsequent automated assembly remains a challenging task. As an approach to this problem, we aim to teach a collaborative robot to successfully perform pick and place tasks by implementing reinforcement learning. For the assembly of an individualized product in a constantly changing manufacturing environment, the simulated geometric and dynamic parameters will be varied. Using reinforcement learning algorithms capable of meta-learning, the tasks will first be trained in simulation, and then performed in a real-world environment where new factors are introduced that were not simulated in training to confirm the robustness of the algorithms. A concept comprised of selected machine learning algorithms, hardware components as well as further research questions to realize the outlined production scenario are the results of the presented work.

   4. A Probabilistic Model of Taking-Over Control from Semi-autonomous Vehicles

      Hermann Kaindl, Gunther Paul

      Abstract

      In automated driving scenarios with semi-autonomous vehicles of today and the near future, a request for taking-over control may at any time be communicated to a human driver. Empirical studies exist of, e.g., the effects of different modalities used in this human-machine interaction, and of drowsiness of drivers involved, depending on manual or automated driving. However, there is no model available yet of how the decision-making time in the course of taking-over control from the automated vehicle depends on the driver’s drowsiness. Hence, we present a probabilistic model of the decision-making time as influenced by certain properties characterizing the driver’s drowsiness according to previous work.

   5. Selecting the Right Tool for the Task: A Hard-Soft Cake Eating Experiment with a Spoon and Fork

      Sondre Bjarkum, Maximilian Stiegler Chadoyan, Fausto Orsi Medola, Frode Eika Sandnes

      Abstract

      It is generally accepted that one need to select the correct tool for a given task. The same holds for eating utensils. A cake eating experiment was designed to determine if the visual appearance of cakes with different associated hardness would affect the choice of eating utensil. A total of 25 participants was recruited. The results did not reveal any effect of cake type, or presentation layout on the choice of eating utensil. It therefore seems that other factors, such as, for instance, customs and/or habits, are more influential in the choice of cake eating tool choice.

   6. Exploring Relationship Between User Satisfaction and Impacts of Digital Competence Certification System in Schools

      Igor Balaban, Aleksandra Sobodić

      Abstract

      This research developed a measurement instrument to assess user satisfaction and impact of digital competence system in primary and secondary schools. The testing platform was a prototype of a digital competence certification system that has been developed and piloted during 2019 in primary and secondary schools in six European countries involving more than 800 teachers and 6.000 students. In the process of evaluation, 298 teachers’ responses were analysed, and the measurement instrument was evaluated for validity and reliability. Results revealed a strong positive relationship between user satisfaction and impacts the DC system has on teachers and their work. Such a relationship is expected to engage teachers to use the system as well as their students to acquire new competences. Moreover, it is concluded that satisfaction contributes to motivation, user experience and performance within the system.

   7. Using Augmented Reality and Step by Step Verification in Industrial Quality Control

      João Alves, Bernardo Marques, Paulo Dias, Beatriz Sousa Santos

      Abstract

      Quality control procedures are extremely important among industrial applications. Generally, these tasks include many repetitive tasks that require manual intervention. Given their complexity, quality control tests are often detailed in video recordings, paper instructions, photos or diagrams to guide workers throughout the process. Augmented Reality (AR) has been making significant progress in the last decades, becoming mature enough to be used in industrial scenarios. While some AR systems have been proposed to support quality control procedures, most of them only present information to workers but do not track or validate the process in real-time being used only to guide it. Another limitation of existing systems is the generation of virtual instructions used by AR systems to guide the operator. In this work, we propose an AR-based tool to guide users by overlaying information in a video stream while performing real-time validation during the execution of quality control procedures. The main objective is to provide dynamic support and decrease the mental workload needed to complete the procedure as well as the number of errors, facilitating the procedure execution by untrained workers. Besides this, the tool allows to create virtual content that can be used to generate step-by-step instructions automatically based on human demonstrations. By making the virtual instruction creation effortlessly it is possible to eliminate the user’s need for memorizing new instructions with each change of the product lines. While presenting task relevant information the system uses computer vision techniques to keep track of the procedure stage, verifying its completion and switching automatically to the next step without requiring any interaction from the user. A comparison between the time taken to perform the procedure with and without validation was made. The results show that the validation process would confer the process a significant efficiency boost, while avoiding possible human errors.

   8. A Comparison of Three Potato Peeler Designs

      Åshild Bøe Drejer, Truls Enstad, Erik R. M. Fog, Thor Oskar F. Viken, Fausto Orsi Medola, Frode Eika Sandnes

      Abstract

      This study set out to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of three common potato peeler designs, and whether there were any differences related to gender in terms of use. An experiment was designed involving a timed potato-peeling task using three different potato peeler designs. A balanced group of N = 20 males and females was recruited. The results showed that the vertical peeler with flexible blade resulted in the shortest peeling times. This peeler also produced least waste although these differences were not statistically significant. The results did not reveal any statistically significant gender differences.

   9. The Effect of Manual Wheelchair Design on Mobility: A Study with Non-Users and Experienced Wheelchair Users

      Sara Raquel Martins Barili, Frode Eika Sandnes, Luis Carlos Paschoarelli, Galdenoro Botura Junior Botura, Fausto Orsi Medola

      Abstract

      The use of inappropriate wheelchairs is believed to limit mobility and reduce the freedom and quality of living for the user. This study therefore set out to investigate the influences of wheelchair design on the performance in a wheelchair agility test. Ten participants performed an agility test involving operating three manual wheelchairs with different designs as fast as possible. The wheelchair designs (independent variable) included a lightweight rigid frame, foldable frame and hospital model. The wheelchairs order was randomized for the agility tests. The time to complete an agility test (dependent variable) was measured with a chronometer. The results show that the use of the rigid frame wheelchair yielded the fastest performance during the agility tests, while the hospital model resulted in longer task-completion times. The findings support the view that active users should be provided with lightweight wheelchairs, as heavy hospital wheelchairs limit mobility.

   10. Rehabilitation of Children Affected by Attention Deficit Disorder

       Carlos Ramos-Galarza, Pamela Acosta-Rodas, Janio Jadán-Guerrero, Mónica Bolaños-Pasquel, Fabiola Saez-Delgado

       Abstract

       This paper presents the conceptual development of a technological application for the treatment of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD). This technological application will consist on serious-gaming to stimulate the different levels of attention. The first level is focused in attention and stimulates it by identifying stimuli through tactile interaction with the user. The second level is selective attention, for which, the child must select a stimulus leaving the irrelevant stimuli aside. The third level will work on sustained attention, where the child must fulfill a game with a longer duration. The next level will contain an activity to stimulate alternating attention, where the child must solve two tasks by alternating the focus of attention. Finally, for the divided attention, it must be resolved two tasks at the same time. With this application it is expected to improve the child’s motivation in the treatment and provide an intervention tool for the clinician.

2. Backmatter