Reflection
December 18, 2021
Reflecting on my semester in ENP 162: Human-Machine System Design.
This semester we covered so many topics relating to the way humans and machines interact. We covered everything from automation and machine learning to social robotics and emotive display. This course was a great way to get in introductory view into the future of human factors and design or even different avenues we can go into in industry.
I really enjoyed learning about task analyses and the way that breaking down tasks can lead to automation. By taking a task that humans complete and breaking it down to the granular level, we’re able to more clearly see what tasks are actually fit to be automated and passed on to a machine to complete. That methods seems so simple, but was really eye opening to see applied to real world examples.
I really enjoyed learning about task analyses and the way that breaking down tasks can lead to automation. By taking a task that humans complete and breaking it down to the granular level, we’re able to more clearly see what tasks are actually fit to be automated and passed on to a machine to complete. That methods seems so simple, but was really eye opening to see applied to real world examples.
Figure 1. Task analysis of cooking spaghetti
One example at the front of everyone’s minds is self driving cars and that’s a relevant example in today’s world, but I think the applications in healthcare are also work discussing. For example, there are now continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps that automate the process that once consisted of multiple finger sticks and insulin injections a day. This is just one example of automation in the healthcare space, but if we think 5-10 years into the future, I can see the potential for a lot more automation that reduces the burden on caregivers, healthcare providers, and patients managing chronic conditions. I would love to see more emphasis on the healthcare system in this curriculum in future years.
As for the future of human-machine systems, I think we’re going to continue to see an increase in their prevalence as more and more people and industries adopt their use. Today’s world is so reliant on being connected to the internet and having simple tasks automated that human-machines systems are going to be seen across lots of industries. As for human-machine system designers, there is definitely going to be a need for designers to make sure these systems are designed with human factors in mind so they are actually usable.
I’m sure we’ll get to the point where machines are designing their own systems, but in the mean time some human has to think about ways to make these systems usable to different demographics and abilities.
As for the future of human-machine systems, I think we’re going to continue to see an increase in their prevalence as more and more people and industries adopt their use. Today’s world is so reliant on being connected to the internet and having simple tasks automated that human-machines systems are going to be seen across lots of industries. As for human-machine system designers, there is definitely going to be a need for designers to make sure these systems are designed with human factors in mind so they are actually usable.
I’m sure we’ll get to the point where machines are designing their own systems, but in the mean time some human has to think about ways to make these systems usable to different demographics and abilities.