US Navy: "No" to touchscreens
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US Navy: "No" to touchscreens
So the US Navy is taking touchscreens out of a class of ships and replacing them with physical controls, saying that the screens were responsible, in part, for the Navy accidents several years ago. They said the screens make things "overly complex" and apparently when throttle was transferred to another station the ship steering was inadvertently transferred also.
I have never worked with the big touchscreen in the Tesla Model3 but I've heard that, in general, it goes too far in imposing touchscreen control for many functions that could just as well by performed by individual controls not needing visual attention.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/08...rs-should-too/
I have never worked with the big touchscreen in the Tesla Model3 but I've heard that, in general, it goes too far in imposing touchscreen control for many functions that could just as well by performed by individual controls not needing visual attention.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/08...rs-should-too/
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Hopefully it starts a trend to end this touchscreen replacing most buttons fad, I am not surprised, they are often clumsy to use and don't belong in the operation of critical systems especially in a moving vehicle/boat/aircraft.
sounds more like a combination of bad HMI design, lack of training, and lack of testing for abnormal conditions not the technology itself but that is the knee jerk reaction. I build control system for a livings to run refineries and process plants which include the HMI
older article:
https://arstechnica.com/information-...-ui-confusion/
blame touchscreens!
older article:
https://arstechnica.com/information-...-ui-confusion/
The report found that the McCain did not have the right type of watch on duty for navigation in congested waters and that watchstanders' training was insufficient. But there was never a warning signal from the Alnic of impending collision or a change of course by the merchant in an effort to avoid the collision. "Despite their close proximity, neither JOHN S MCCAIN nor ALNIC sounded the five short blasts of whistle required by the International Rules of the Nautical Road for warning one another of danger," investigators found, "and neither attempted to make contact through Bridge to Bridge communications."
Last edited by 4TehNguyen; Aug 13, 2019 at 06:25 PM.
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Interesting... Touchscreens are still new to the world of aircraft avionics but they may not be suitable for high-stress, military and special operations environments.
Source
The Problems with Touchscreen Avionics
I’ve checked out the touchscreen systems from Garmin and Rockwell Collins, and while they’re great solutions in calm air; throw in a bit of chop and I’ll take the solid feel a button or **** any day. Especially in a helicopter or special missions aircraft.
Another issue with current touchscreen technologies is, at least what we’ve seen in our tests, they don’t offer the high level of ruggedness avionics used in military and special missions applications require. During our tests, the high levels of structural vibration play havoc with their functionality.
And while trying to press an on-screen icon in turbulence is an obvious problem, an even bigger challenge one faced by every military and special missions pilot is the simple fact that wear gloves when they fly.
If you don’t think that’s a problem, try dialing your smartphone with gloved hands. And if it’s hard with the phone in your hand, imaging trying to do it while maneuvering an aircraft with one arm extended to the instrument panel.
It’s not only difficult it’s potentially dangerous. In our tests, the typical touchscreen operation requires that the pilot keep their attention focused down on the display way too long. Pilots need to keep their heads up and eyes out.
And that’s doubly important when you’re flying a helicopter. Unless the aircraft is equipped with an autopilot or a Genesys HeliSAS Stability Augmentation Systems, you want your hands on the stick and cyclic – not hunting and pecking on a touchscreen.
I’ve checked out the touchscreen systems from Garmin and Rockwell Collins, and while they’re great solutions in calm air; throw in a bit of chop and I’ll take the solid feel a button or **** any day. Especially in a helicopter or special missions aircraft.
Another issue with current touchscreen technologies is, at least what we’ve seen in our tests, they don’t offer the high level of ruggedness avionics used in military and special missions applications require. During our tests, the high levels of structural vibration play havoc with their functionality.
And while trying to press an on-screen icon in turbulence is an obvious problem, an even bigger challenge one faced by every military and special missions pilot is the simple fact that wear gloves when they fly.
If you don’t think that’s a problem, try dialing your smartphone with gloved hands. And if it’s hard with the phone in your hand, imaging trying to do it while maneuvering an aircraft with one arm extended to the instrument panel.
It’s not only difficult it’s potentially dangerous. In our tests, the typical touchscreen operation requires that the pilot keep their attention focused down on the display way too long. Pilots need to keep their heads up and eyes out.
And that’s doubly important when you’re flying a helicopter. Unless the aircraft is equipped with an autopilot or a Genesys HeliSAS Stability Augmentation Systems, you want your hands on the stick and cyclic – not hunting and pecking on a touchscreen.
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