The Handbook of Human-Machine Interaction features 20 original chapters and a conclusion focusing on human-machine interaction (HMI) from analysis, design and evaluation perspectives. It offers a comprehensive range of principles, methods, techniques and tools to provide the reader with a clear knowledge of the current academic and industry practice and debate that define the field. The text considers physical, cognitive, social and emotional aspects and is illustrated by key application domains such as aerospace, automotive, medicine and defence. Above all, this volume is designed as a research guide that will both inform readers on the basics of human-machine interaction from academic and industrial perspectives and also provide a view ahead at the means through which human-centered designers, including engineers and human factors specialists, will attempt to design and develop human-machine systems.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the First International Conference on Digital Human Modeling, DHM 2007, held in Beijing, China in July 2007. The papers thoroughly cover the thematic area of digital human modeling, addressing the following major topics: shape and movement modeling and anthropometry, building and applying virtual humans, medical and rehabilitation applications, as well as industrial and ergonomic applications.

The Handbook of Human-Machine Interaction features 20 original chapters and a conclusion focusing on human-machine interaction (HMI) from analysis, design and evaluation perspectives. It offers a comprehensive range of principles, methods, techniques and tools to provide the reader with a clear knowledge of the current academic and industry practice and debate that define the field. The text considers physical, cognitive, social and emotional aspects and is illustrated by key application domains such as aerospace, automotive, medicine and defence. Above all, this volume is designed as a research guide that will both inform readers on the basics of human-machine interaction from academic and industrial perspectives and also provide a view ahead at the means through which human-centered designers, including engineers and human factors specialists, will attempt to design and develop human-machine systems.

This book, on the ergonomics of human−machine systems, is aimed at engineers specializing in informatics, automation, production or robotics, who are faced with a significant dilemma during the conception of human−machine systems. On the one hand, the human operator guarantees the reliability of the system and has been known to salvage numerous critical situations through an ability to reason in unplanned, imprecise and uncertain situations; on the other hand, the human operator can be unpredictable and create disturbances in the automated system. The first part of the book is dedicated to the methods of human-centered design, from three different points of view, the various chapters focusing on models developed by human engineers and functional models to explain human behavior in their environment, models of cognitive psychology and models in the domain of automobile driving. Part 2 develops the methods of evaluation of the human−machine systems, looking at the evaluation of the activity of the human operator at work and human error analysis methods. Finally, Part 3 is dedicated to human−machine cooperation, where the authors show that a cooperative agent comprises a know-how and a so-called know-how-to-cooperate and show the way to design and evaluate that cooperation in real industrial contexts.

This Encyclopedia of Control Systems, Robotics, and Automation is a component of the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems EOLSS, which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. This 22-volume set contains 240 chapters, each of size 5000-30000 words, with perspectives, applications and extensive illustrations. It is the only publication of its kind carrying state-of-the-art knowledge in the fields of Control Systems, Robotics, and Automation and is aimed, by virtue of the several applications, at the following five major target audiences: University and College Students, Educators, Professional Practitioners, Research Personnel and Policy Analysts, Managers, and Decision Makers and NGOs.

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) technology plays a vital role in diverse fields such as education, industry, national policy and cultural development. This is true not only in developed countries but also in rapidly developing countries. HCI technology is not only a relatively new industry in its own right; it also plays a central role in the integration of most, if not all, areas of expertise, including newer technologies, established industries, research and development fields and cultural activities. The evolution of HCI can be viewed analytically using a basic model which consists of three elements: the human, the computer, and the interaction between the two. First, regarding the human, ease-of-use is making computers (or artefacts) accessible to more and more people, including the young, the elderly, the physically or visually handicapped. A new research view, universal usability (or universal design), is emerging. Second, the computer, which interacts with humans, has come a long way from the mainframe to the compact personal computer. Now the locus of computation is shifting from the PC to personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers and electronic whiteboards. Wearable computers, which may be worn like watches, glasses, clothing, and the like, are also greatly changing the traditional image of computers. Third, the interaction between humans and computers has developed from batch processing, through command lines, and on to the WIMP GUI which manipulates objects displayed in a bit map display using pointing devices such as a mouse. In recent years pen-based input interfaces, voice input interfaces, and non-verbal user interfaces (body language user interfaces which use gesture or eye gaze input), have each been actively researched. The chapters in this book deal with ubiquitous computing, interaction strategies and usability. Index.

As modern technologies continue to develop and evolve, the ability of users to interface with new systems becomes a paramount concern. Research into new ways for humans to make use of advanced computers and other such technologies is necessary to fully realize the potential of 21st century tools. Human-Computer Interaction: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications gathers research on user interfaces for advanced technologies and how these interfaces can facilitate new developments in the fields of robotics, assistive technologies, and computational intelligence. This four-volume reference contains cutting-edge research for computer scientists; faculty and students of robotics, digital science, and networked communications; and clinicians invested in assistive technologies. This seminal reference work includes chapters on topics pertaining to system usability, interactive design, mobile interfaces, virtual worlds, and more.

The present book includes a set of selected papers from the fourth “International Conference on Informatics in Control Automation and Robotics” (ICINCO 2007), held at the University of Angers, France, from 9 to 12 May 2007. The conference was organized in three simultaneous tracks: “Intelligent Control Systems and Optimization”, “Robotics and Automation” and “Systems Modeling, Signal Processing and Control”. The book is based on the same structure. ICINCO 2007 received 435 paper submissions, from more than 50 different countries in all continents. From these, after a blind review process, only 52 where accepted as full papers, of which 22 were selected for inclusion in this book, based on the classifications provided by the Program Committee. The selected papers reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the conference. The diversity of topics is an important feature of this conference, enabling an overall perception of several important scientific and technological trends. These high quality standards will be maintained and reinforced at ICINCO 2008, to be held in Funchal, Madeira - Portugal, and in future editions of this conference. Furthermore, ICINCO 2007 included 3 plenary keynote lectures given by Dimitar Filev (Ford Motor Company), Patrick Millot (Université de Valenciennes) and Mark W. Spong (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign).

The papers presented in this volume cover recent progress in applications of new theory on manoeuvring-related problems for surface ships and control and sensor problems for underwater vehicles.