Jerry Duncan

Operator-Automation Interaction in Agricultural Vehicles

Over the last 25 years, considerable research has been conducted in an effort to understand human behavior in automated systems. These efforts have yielded a number of valuable findings about the overall nature of human-automation interaction across a wide range of domains, such as aviation, surface transportation, medical systems, manufacturing environments, and maritime vehicles. In this article, we provide an overview of another domain that has been heavily influenced by automation: agricultural vehicles. We share some observations about the impacts of automation on human behavior within this domain, discuss some of the tools and methods being used to investigate these issues, and speculate about the lessons to be learned about human-automation interaction from this arena.

An Immersive VR Application for Interactive Product Concept Generation and Qualitative Evaluation

Currently, new product concepts are evaluated by developing detailed virtual models with Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools followed by evaluation analyses (e.g., finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics, etc.). Due to the complexity of these evaluation methods, it is generally not possible to model and analyze each of the ideas generated throughout the conceptual design phase of the design process. Thus, promising ideas may be eliminated based solely on insufficient time to model and assess them. Additionally, the analysis performed is usually of much higher detail than needed for such early assessment. By eliminating the time-consuming CAD complexity, engineers could spend more time evaluating additional concepts. To address these issues, a software framework, the Advanced Systems Design Suite (ASDS), was created. The ASDS incorporates a PC user interface with an immersive virtual reality (VR) environment to ease the creation and assessment of conceptual design prototypes individually or collaboratively in a VR environment. Assessment tools incorporate metamodeling approximations and immersive visualization to evaluate the validity of each concept. In this paper, the ASDS framework and interface along with specifically designed immersive VR assessment tools such as state saving, dynamic viewpoint creation, and animation playback are presented alongside a test case example of redesigning a Boeing 777 in the conceptual design phase.Copyright

Immersive Product Configurator for Conceptual Design

Currently, new product concepts are evaluated by developing detailed virtual part and assembly models with traditional Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools followed by appropriate analyses (e.g., finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics, etc.). The creation of these models and analyses are tremendously time consuming. If a number of different conceptual configurations have been determined, it may not be possible to model and analyze each of them. Thus, promising concepts might be eliminated based solely on insufficient time to assess them. In addition, the virtual models and analyses performed are usually of much higher detail and accuracy than what is needed for such early assessment. By eliminating the time-consuming complexity of a CAD environment and incorporating qualitative assessment tools, engineers could spend more time evaluating additional concepts, which were previously abandoned due to time constraints. In this paper, a software framework, the Advanced Systems Design Suite (ASDS), for creating and evaluating conceptual design configurations in an immersive virtual reality environment is presented. The ASDS allows design concepts to be quickly modeled, analyzed, and visualized. It incorporates a PC user interface with an immersive virtual reality environment to ease the creation and assessment of conceptual design prototypes. The development of the modeling and assessment tools are presented along with a test case to demonstrate the usability and effectiveness of the framework.

Using a web-based query engine and immersive virtual reality to select and view 3D anthropometry in vehicle operator workstation design

This paper presents the development and testing of a tool for designing vehicle operator workstations using 3D anthropometry. The tool consists of two major modules: 1) a webbased engine to query a large database of human anthropometry for selecting human operators representative of a specified user population, and 2) an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) software application used to view the selected anthropometry in relation to vehicle CAD designs. This tool allows a designer to view and interact with fully immersive 3D representations of vehicle operator enclosures and controls from typical CAD models along with digital human models selected from the anthropometry database. This environment allows visualization to aid in the trade-off decisions that come between ergonomic and functional (i.e. structural, electrical, etc.) design. The environment makes use of a webbased interface for the querying of a large anthropometric dataset with over 4500 participants. A designer is presented with a rich set of features to build, store, and manage queries using attributes such as height, weight, reach, gender, and occupation to locate pertinent subsets of subjects for a specific vehicle design. A list of subjects obtained from the query engine can then be sent to a VR environment for viewing with vehicle CAD data. This linkage makes the selecting and viewing of subjects seamless. A detailed description of the design problem being addressed, software development, and sample test cases are presented to demonstrate the intuitive nature and ease of use of the environment.

Intuitive Measurement Interface for Simplified Mesh Models for Rapid Conceptual Design

Conceptual design involves generating hundreds to thousands of concepts and combining the best of all the concepts into a single idea to move forward into detailed design. With the current tools available, design teams usually model a small number of concepts and analyze them using traditional Computer-Aided Design (CAD) analysis tools. The creation and validation of concepts using CAD packages is extremely time consuming and unfortunately, not all concepts can be evaluated. Thus, promising concepts can be eliminated based on insufficient time and resources to use the tools available. Additionally, these virtual models and analyses are usually of much higher fidelity than what is needed at such an early stage of design. To address these issues, an desktop and immersive virtual reality (VR) framework, the Advanced Systems Design Suite (ASDS), was created to foster rapid geometry creation and concept assessment using a unique creation approach which does not require precise mating and dimensioning constraints during the geometry creation phase. The ASDS system removes these precision constraints by using 3D manipulation tools to build concepts and providing a custom easy-to-use measurement system when precise measurements are required. In this paper, the ASDS framework along with a unique and intuitive measurement system are presented for large vehicle conceptual design.Copyright

Metamodeling for the Quantitative Assessment of Conceptual Designs

Software packages used in the engineering design process have become increasingly complex. Computer aided design (CAD) and finite element analysis (FEA) tools are capable of generating high fidelity models and simulations that have become indispensible components of any design. However, a fair amount of experience and time is required to effectively use such software. When designing at the conceptual level, a high level of accuracy is not needed. Rapid concept generation and evaluation is the primary focus. Unfortunately, few tools exist that successfully suit these needs. The Advanced Systems Design Suite (ASDS) is an application which allows a user to quickly design 3D conceptual models and perform both qualitative and quantitative assessments. This quantitative feedback provided through the use of metamodels which, once constructed, can be evaluated in real time. In this paper, two different metamodeling techniques are applied: Polynomial Response Surface (PRS) and Polynomial Chaos Expansion (PCE). Experiments are carried out using various models in order to determine which is most suitable to a conceptual design and assessment application. Both third order PRS and PCE with second order interaction effects were found to yield positive results when generated from as few as thirty data points.

Facilitating University-Industry Collaborations in Human Factors and Ergonomics

There are many benefits of university-industry collaborations in the field of human factors and ergonomics. Such collaborations can yield high-quality scientifically based solutions to industry challenges and provide unique opportunities for students to work on complex and interesting problems. However, there are also challenges that can impede the success of these collaborations such as mismatched expectations, unclear communications, and bureaucracies on both sides. For this discussion panel we have two university researchers and three industry members. We will discuss benefits and challenges of university-industry collaborations, share experiences from how we have been able to maximize the benefits and minimize the challenges, and have an interactive discussion with the audience regarding how best to facilitate successful university-industry collaborations.

An Immersive Workstation Design Tool Using Three-Dimensional Anthropometric Data

With the recent completion of the Civilian American and European Surface Anthropometry Resource (CAESAR), a comprehensive set of three-dimensional anthropometric data has been made available to the design community. This paper presents the development of a virtual reality tool which makes use of three-dimensional CAESAR data in a fully-immersive, virtual reality (VR) environment. This advanced operator workstation design tool enables design decisions to be made in a three-dimensional setting, allowing accurate visualization of relationships among human landmark data and workstation geometry. Methods for filtering and selecting data are presented. In addition, the utilization of landmark relationships specified by 3D data in an immersive, 3D design space are examined. The rationale, development, and implementation of this advanced operator workstation design tool are also presented.