A review of:“People and Productivity”. Edited by Robert A. Sutermeister. (McGraw-Hill.) [Pp. 520.] 54s.

Abstract

The benefits for the consumer, and for the practising ergonomist of implementing a marketing strategy designed to increase consumer awareness of ergonomics is discussed with reference to the experiences of ICE Ergonomics, a commercial ergonomics research and consultancy organization based in Great Britain. The marketing strategy, which addresses the areas of publicity, education and practical involvement, forms one part of an integrated marketing strategy now being implemented by ICE.     

A Review of:“Fundamentals of Psychology”. By FRANK A. GELDARD. ( New York,John Wiley and Sons. ) [Pp.437.] 57s.

Abstract

Industrial Design is a discipline which, despite an early pre-occupation with styling and making technology saleable, is now centrally concerned with user needs. This is reflected in Coventry's unique degree course in the Industrial Design/Transport Department at Lanchester Polytechnic. The course contains a significant commitment to Human Factors and this is evident in the range of design projects which are undertaken either by students or as sponsored research. The emphasis in these projects is on practical designs which meet user requirements.

This paper describes the following typical course projects:

1. The competition winning design for a dinghy which can be used as an emergency life-raft.

2. An adaptation of a standard front-wheel-drive car with a transverse slide seat to allow easy access for a wheel chair user.

3. The design for a bus seat which can be used either as a conventional seat or as a standee ‘lean’ seat.

4. Design of a vehicle for use by spina bifida children.

5. Design for a pedal driven power unit for transport and machine uses in Developing Countries.

6. The design of adult tricycles for the transport of mothers plus children under 5 yr.

It is concluded that greater collaboration between industrial designers and ergonomists would be possible if the latter published their data in a more accessible form, and that designers must place greater emphasis on the product evaluation aspect of their work.     

A Review of: “Exploration of the Solar System by Infrared Remote Sensing”. By R. A. HANEL,B. J. CONRATH,D. E. JENNINGS and R. E. SAMUELSON. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.) [Pp. 458.] Price £75.00.

Crop classification is a key issue for agricultural monitoring using remote-sensing techniques. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data are attractive for crop classification because of their all-weather, all-day imaging capability. The objective of this study is to investigate the capability of SAR data for crop classification in the North China Plain. Multi-temporal Envisat advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) and TerraSAR data were acquired. A support vector machine (SVM) classifier was selected for the classification using different combinations of these SAR data and texture features. The results indicated that multi-configuration SAR data achieved satisfactory classification accuracy (best overall accuracy of 91.83%) in the North China Plain. ASAR performed slightly better than TerraSAR data acquired in the same time span for crop classification, while the combination of two frequencies of SAR data (C- and X-band) was better than the multi-temporal C-band data. Two temporal ASAR data acquired in late jointing and flowering periods achieved sufficient classification accuracy, and adding data to the early jointing period had little effect on improving classification accuracy. In addition, texture features of SAR data were also useful for improving classification accuracy. SAR data have considerable potential for agricultural monitoring and can become a suitable complementary data source to optical data.     

A Review of: “The Psychology of Thinking”. By NEIL BOLTON. (London: Methuen; New York: Barnes and Noble, 1972.) [Pp. ix+291.] £3.20.

We are in the midst of a major shift in the way computers are designed and used. The architectures, both of computer systems and of the organizations which use them, are changing from hierarchies (‘tiers’) to networks (‘peers’). This gives us, as individuals and as a profession, a challenging opportunity to enlarge our ‘systems approach’ in order to help solve the difficulties which will inevitably arise from such a major shift.     

A review of: “Man and his Thermal Environment” By R. P. CLARK and O. G. EDHOLM. (London: Arnold, 1985.) [Pp.288.] £39·95. ISBN 0-7131-4445-9.

Abstract

A computer-video interactive system is described that enables a trained observer to systematically record and view the behaviour of athletes performing within a team-sport competition. This system is designed to allow the recall of selected video instances from previously recorded athletic behaviours. In order to accomplish this form of analysis, a computerized recording system and a video cassette recording machine were combined using specialized hardware and software. A system for the analysis of field hockey is used to exemplify how the interaction of computers and video recorders can aid in the sport analysis process.     

A review of: “A Manager's Guide to Ergonomics in the Electronic Office. By MARVIN J. DAINOFF and MARILYN HECHT DAINOFF (Chichester John Wiley and Sons, 1987.) [Pp. xii + 230.] £19·95.

When polygon displays are used to represent multiple sources of information, sometimes they can be processed in parallel so that the significant information can be taken in ‘at a glance’. Previous studies found that reaction times (RTs) remained constant as the number of vertices was increased (Greaney and MacRae 1993). However, these studies did not call for the explicit identification of critical vertices and used polygons that were relatively regular. The present study required abnormal vertices to be identified, and it was found that RTs increased as a function of the total number of vertices. In addition, RTs were longer when the variability of the displayed information was greater, that is, when the polygon was more irregular. It was concluded that the polygon display may have more potential as a global warning indicator than as a means of displaying individual parameter values, which must be assessed separately.     

A review of: “System Identification—Parameter and State Estimation.” By PIETER EYKHOFF. (Bristol : John Wiley & Sons, 1974.) [Pp. 555.] Price £12.50.

This article extends the concept of input–output finite time stability (IO–FTS) to a class of hybrid systems, namely impulsive dynamical linear systems, which are systems that exhibit jumps in the state trajectory. Sufficient conditions are given for the analysis of IO–FTS and for the design of both static output and state feedback controllers, guaranteeing IO–FTS of the closed loop system. In the general case the presented results require to solve feasibility problems involving either linear matrix inequalities or bilinear matrix inequalities, which can be solved numerically in an efficient way by using off-the-shelf optimisation tools, as illustrated by the proposed examples.     

A review of: “Human Motor Actions: Bernstein Reassessed.” Edited by H. T. A. WHITING. (Oxford: North-Holland, 1984.) [Pp. xxxv + 633.] ISBN 0-444-86813-5.

The physical work performance of eight fit fire fighters wearing fire brigade uniforms and wearing breathing apparatus was assessed. They were tested in a climatic chamber set at temperatures of 15 and 45°C respectively. The test was performed with and without fire fighting equipment. The subjects walked on a treadmill at a speed of 3.5km/h, which produce a workload equivalent of 20% of the subjects' maximal oxygen uptake without equipment, and 30% with equipment. The test lasted for 60 min. Heart rate, oxygen uptake, skin and deep body temperatures were measured during the test. The subjects estimated perceived physical exertion and perceived temperature. Wearing fire fighting equipment increased the oxygen uptake by 0.4 1min^-1. Heart rate at the end of the experiments reached near-maximum levels when the temperature was 45°C with equipment, and deep body temperature increased to an average of 38.7°C. The subjects' ratings of perceived exertion were highly correlated to heart rate. The loading induced by heat and protective equipment reduced the ability to perform strenuous work. The combination of thick clothing and heavy breathing apparatus was found to have a significant limiting effect on the endurance of fire fighters.     

A review of: “Human Judgments and Optimality.” By M. W. SHELLY,II, and G. L. BRYAN (Editors). (John Wiley, 1964.)

Abstract

In order to evaluate the efficiency of various commercial chemical fabric softeners, a technique of obtaining subjective assessment known as ‘magnitude estimation’ was used to estimate the fabric softness. Particular emphasis was given to subjective scaling and limits of human perception. Comparison between softness and compression ( a physical measure) was demonstrated