The goal of this research is to develop a set of principles for machine/man compatibility that can be used by system designers or process engineers when designing or selecting computer-based manufacturing systems. These principles are intended to aid in achieving maximum system effectiveness. The proposal has the following steps: Survey of the metalworking industrial sector with respect to the application of machine/man principles, case studies to extract tentative machine/human principles, and from the information gathered, derive principles intended to guide future system design and selection. A computer-based revolution in manufacturing is now under way. Now is the appropriate time to try to set up human factors guidelines for the design of such technology. The principles derived in this proposal will address this need. The investigators are well qualified to conduct this research, and based on their past record should be successful with this work.
