Ergonomics in control

Discussions of completely automatic plants, pilotless aircraft and other fantasies of the automation euphoria have now become outmoded and replaced by more rational considerations concerning the proper integration of men into complex systems. Ergonomics is the technology concerned with the application of the human sciences to problems of the effective deployment of manpower. This review attempts to outline the history and scope of ergonomics, and to indicate the types of problems which arise and the general way in which solutions are approached. A brief account is provided of the nature of human abilities, and the ways in which such knowledge should be applied to the design of equipment and systems. The object throughout is to provide a frame of reference, indicating the types of questions which require to be asked and answered. No attempt is made to provide a compendium of detailed facts and figures for designers to use.