Economy Seats Have Shrunk and a Court Wants the FAA to Prove That They’re Still Safe. By Bart Jansen, USA Today, July 31, 2017, https://usat.ly/2vKuOfA. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been ordered to provide documentation explaining why it should not regulate seat size. A consumer group argued “that the narrower seats and less space between rows in the economy cabin are a safety risk that could hamper an evacuation and a health hazard for passengers who could develop deep vein thrombosis from being too wedged-in to move.” The court’s reprimand ordered the FAA to provide a “properly reasoned” explanation of its evacuation standards.
Runway Incursion Prompts Calls for Safety Upgrades. By John Croft, Aviation Daily, July 12, 2017, http://bit.ly/2vCcMfS. It has been 40 years since the deadliest collision (558 fatalities), between a PanAm and a KLM 747 at Tenerife airport. In that on-runway head-on collision, the KLM crew assumed that the plane had been cleared for takeoff despite inadequate visibility down the runway (http://cbsn.ws/2nn8TVA). In a nighttime close call of October 5, 2016, at Brussels Airport, the crew of an Air Dolomiti Embraer 195 believed that they had been cleared for takeoff and crossed the flight path of an inbound Aer Lingus A320. Fortunately, 229 fatalities were avoided when the Aer Lingus crew and the tower noted the intruding Embraer and the A320 broke off the approach. For details, see the Safety Investigation Report at http://bit.ly/2uCOfGW.
Preparing for War: Visit an Aircraft Carrier During Major Combat Training in VR. By Melissa Nelson-Gabriel, USA Today, June 26, 2017, https://usat.ly/2vgZGnu. See 360° footage with virtual reality interactivity aboard the USS Eisenhower. The images are available on a variety of platforms. The clips include flight ops, carrier deck operations, resupply, life in a floating city (N = ~5000), and aircraft launches. This approach has potential as an innovative way to study work and living environments.
Doctors Are Saving Lives With VR. By Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, July 28, 2017, https://usat.ly/2umuSi9. The article describes how Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) has used virtual reality (VR) to replace more expensive manikins, which require updates and maintenance. In a simulated CHLA emergency room, VR allows the trainee to observe changes in the VR patient, which provides situational “reinforcement that you did the correct thing or the incorrect thing if the situation gets worse.” Stanford University’s School of Medicine has developed the Stanford Virtual Heart, which allows medical trainees to “explore and manipulate” a lifelike heart. Although, in the eyes of consumers, VR may have been oversold and overhyped, its evolution may be following the path of Google Glass. In 2015, Google Glass fell out of style due to privacy concerns, unfashionable looks, and high cost, but since its makeover by Alphabet, it has found use in agricultural, manufacturing, shipping, and health systems.
Immersive Technologies Are Promising Tools for Human Centric Design. By Andrew Sweeney, MDDI, July 26, 2017, http://bit.ly/2uE5eVx. Sweeney argues that designers can benefit from virtual reality’s (VR) ability to create immersive contextual simulations, and study users’ activities and behaviors in complex environments, without interfering with the information collection process. By combining VR with tools such as eye tracking, designers can more rapidly determine users’ needs and design constraints. He concludes, “While VR will not, nor should not, completely replace in-person user testing, it adds a tool to the product development toolbox to help medical products be developed that people can, and will want to, use.”
How Cyclists Can Stay Safe on the Road. By Rachel Bachman, Wall Street Journal, July 1, 2017, http://on.wsj.com/2un1g4r. Human Factors and Ergonomics Society member Rick Tyrrell describes how to increase drivers’ awareness of cyclists. On the basis of his studies, he recommends that cyclists use flashing taillights during the day; take advantage of biomotion by putting florescent material and lights on body/bicycle parts, such as legs and pedals (this motion informs drivers of the cyclist’s presence); and reduce reliance on reflective clothing.
Playing Video Games at Work Reduces Stress, Study Shows. By Michel Gorman, Newsweek, July 26, 2017, http://bit.ly/2v0fotx. Human Factors and Ergonomics Society member Michael Rupp and colleagues induced cognitive fatigue in 66 participants, who were then given a 5-min rest break. “Those who took a silent rest break reported that they felt less engaged with work and experienced worry as a result, whereas those who participated in the guided relaxation activity saw reductions in negative affect and distress. Only the video game players reported that they felt better after taking the break.” The authors concluded that playing a casual video game, even briefly, can restore individuals’ affective abilities, making game playing a suitable activity to restore mood in response to stress.
Additional Links
Smart Phones and Zombies: Texting while driving is illegal in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Smartphones have been associated with technoference (eroded relationships), the expected 11% increase in pedestrian fatalities, and fatal or near-fatal selfies: https://usat.ly/2unkmau
Mars Expeditions: Induced hibernation: http://bit.ly/2ulb9iR; training for EVAs (extravehicular activity) on Mars: http://bit.ly/2vijN2Y; do we need to land on Mars? http://bit.ly/2wpSMuJ
Chairless Chairs for Factory Workers: A Flexible Exoskeleton: http://bit.ly/2tU7YS1
Autonomous Vehicle Designers Learn From Aviation and Trains: http://detne.ws/2tymi01
Acceptance of Autonomous Automobiles: Skeptics: http://nyti.ms/2vGUfiv; the handoff conundrum: http://bit.ly/2iSEfAa; Cadillac’s self-driving system: http://bit.ly/2s5L32b; pilotless commercial aircraft? Start with commercial transports: http://bit.ly/2uqYvTt
Textalyzer, the New Breathalyzer? http://n.pr/2pD9HK8
Ergonomic Design Award to Three Samsung Washing Machines: http://bit.ly/2vkttvl
Cyberspace Situation Awareness: http://bit.ly/2uncmGm; http://bit.ly/2und4aP; https://goo.gl/2AqVEC
100 Years of Aviation Safety History Archive Photos: http://bit.ly/2hFtUvB
Humanscale Again Available: http://bit.ly/2vCbYI3
Needed: Reliable DUI Test for Marijuana: http://n.pr/2tTIyoT
Finally, What Emojis Actually Mean: https://usat.ly/2uxulh6
