| The requirement to integrate human
capabilities and limitations into the work environment necessitates
the use of careful specification and design. Our specification
capabilities provide your design process or design team with
the South African human capabilities during the early stages
of a development process. This enables processes and / or products
to be effectively integrated within the complex human-technology-environment.
We strongly advocate the integrated development process with
the appropriate feedback loops, from the user statement of objectives
to the final product evaluation of the system.
This approach is applicable for the specification and design
of human-machine systems and physical environments:
• Vehicle/equipment design for operability and maintainability
• Compartment layouts and designs for vehicles and vessels
• Control room design
• Specialised workstation design
• Computer workstation design
• Office ergonomics and layout
• Human-computer interaction
ERGOTECH design capability offers
the very latest CAD and solid modelling techniques to support
the above processes:
• Full 3D mannikin line and shaded presentations (representing
the South African population with regard to physical size;
other populations are also available on our systems).
• Rapid prototyping capability (incorporating our 3D
laser scanning bureau).
Human-machine systems are designed and specified
with the emphasis on human-machine interface (also referred
to as MMI). Also considered is layout, physical free space,
arrangement of controls, displays, reach envelope, viewing
angles, physical and visual access, labels, alarms and maintainability.
ERGOTECH uses the latest South African Anthropometric and Biomechanical data when designing
or specifying systems.
Physical environment includes factors such
as noise, temperature, illumination, vibration, ventilation,
and aesthetics.
Human-computer interaction (HCI) specification
and design aims to provide optimal working conditions in terms
of efficiency, effectiveness and user acceptance. Our HCI
specification and design capability covers aspects such as
• visual display requirements
• data entry
• environmental requirements
• information representation
• operator guidance
• usability
We also provide design inputs and specifications for related
systems, which include systems such as control panels and
touch screens.
Facilities which aid us in the design process
include the following:
• Intergraph workstations running CAD modeling
• Maya Free Form modeling
• 3D Laser Scanning bureau
• Workstation running AutoCad®
• Workstation running Maya®
Examples of our recent design inputs to improve the operator’s
environment:
• Remote control: A handheld remote control that allows the hands to adopt a natural grasp while still allowing the operator to manipulate all the controls.
• Industrial Vehicle Seating: Vehicle seating specially designed so that an operator can
be seated comfortably with mandatory safety equipment still
attached to his/her equipment belt.
• Mining Locomotives: Designing of the cab layout of locomotives used in the mining
environment in South Africa to accomodate the South African
mining worker population.
• Ambulance: Specialised ambulance layout that provides easy access to
all the medical equipment for the 5th to 95th percentile critical
care assistant.
• Office Layout:
Improved office workflow and aesthetics through
the ergonomics re-design of office interiors.
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