Human Systems Engineering and Design (IHSED2024): Future Trends and Applications

AHFE International

Accelerating Open Access Science in Human Factors Engineering and Human-Centered Computing

Human Systems Engineering and Design (IHSED2024): Future Trends and Applications

book-cover

Editors: Tareq Ahram, Waldemar Karwowski, Darko Etinger, Tea Mijač

Topics: Artificial Intelligence & Computing, Human Systems Interaction

Publication Date: 2024

ISBN: 978-1-964867-34-2

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1005522

Articles

Exploring the Potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Human-Centred Design

This study evaluated the suitability of a generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool for impersonating human test participants in human-centred design (HCD) research. The experiment involved 23 office workers who gave feedback on a telepresence robot concept through an online questionnaire. The same questionnaire was answered by the AI tool (Copilot Microsoft Edge), using the background information of the human participants as an input. The results revealed that the human and AI groups had contradictory answers to the question of benefits of the concept: the human participants did not see much value in the telepresence robot system, while the AI participants gave more positive responses. Otherwise, answers were similar in relation to identifying challenges and improvement ideas. However, the AI tool suggested more improvement ideas than human participants. The findings suggest that even though there is potential in utilising AI in HCD (e.g., inventing ideas) there are still challenges to overcome, for example, in understanding the use context and experiences of users. These findings can be used by researchers and designers when utilising AI in HCD, and AI technology developers who aim to improve AI tools to better mimic human cognitive processes.

Susanna Aromaa, Hanna Lammi

Conference Proceedings

A Structured Method for the Selection of Business Processes Suitable for Robotic Process Automation

As companies increasingly adopt software applications to improve business efficiency, often digitization gaps arise when legacy systems fail to integrate with new applications. These gaps often result in redundant task execution across incompatible systems. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) emerges as a solution by automating such tasks. However, selecting the right processes that will be subjected to RPA is crucial to avoid failures and resource waste. Therefore, this paper introduces a four-stage method to evaluate processes for RPA suitability, grounded on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). By systematically analyzing scientific literature and incorporating weights from RPA experts, this paper sheds light on the complex nature of process selection criteria for RPA. Tested in a company, the method facilitates the process selection, indicating its practical applicability.

Frederic Meyer, Sven Hinrichsen, Elio Padoano

Conference Proceedings

Does it Feel Safer? A Pilot Study on the Stress Levels of Humans for Varied Robot Control Strategies and Collaboration Scenarios

Human-robot collaboration is an essential factor in current industry and social applications. A key aspect of meaningful and effective collaboration is the safety of the human worker. Therefore, different objective metrics allow researchers to assess safety based on measurements like distance between humans and robots, speed of the robot, or force exerted by the robot. However, for an effective collaboration, objective safety metrics are essential, as well as the subjective perception of safety by the user. To investigate the subjective stress level of users during human-robot collaboration, we conducted a pilot study with 20 participants with varied control strategies and collaboration scenarios. Furthermore, a stress prediction model is proposed based on the collected data. The results show that the collaboration scenario significantly influences the subjective stress levels of users, and trends in the data indicate that the robot’s collision avoidance strategy also impacts stress levels. The proposed stress prediction model shows the potential to forecast the stress levels of users based on the collected data, enabling possible feedback options for different control solutions. However, further studies are required to investigate generalized stress prediction models for various collaboration scenarios and control strategies.

Heiko Renz, Khazar Dargahi Nobari, Mohammed Faizan, Torsten Bertram

Conference Proceedings

Building a Multicamera and Multimodal 3D Skeleton-based Pose Estimation Dataset to Enhanced Human-Robot Collaboration

Human Pose Estimation (HPE) is an essential computer vision task that plays a significant role in ergonomics, human-centered design of workplaces, and collaborative robotics, particularly in providing a safe, adaptive, and valuable human-robot collaboration (HRC). Nevertheless, the need for a concise and practical approach to setting up a multicamera and multimodal system for HPE dataset generation remains an open issue in the literature.The main goal of this work is to describe in concise steps a protocol that serves as a guide in the exploratory stage of the approach to construct an extensive multicamera and multimodal dataset used to enhance HRC. In this paper, the proposed protocol specifically addresses the challenge of designing a biomechanical model that can consistently reproduce complex and variable human motion analyses in an assembly task while considering ergonomic factors. Furthermore, the resulting work led to the definition of a marker set for one single-person future pipeline involving the placement of thirty-two reflective markers for 3D motion analysis, specifically emphasizing the upper segments of the human body, including the hands. The future generation of this dataset will hold significant promise for advancing the study of HRC. It will introduce reliable and precise multimodal data collection, such as human kinematics and video data, including depth data, which will then be used for posture metrics analysis. Finally, the dataset will be a valuable resource for the research community, enabling the training of machine learning models. These models will empower collaborative robots (cobots) to learn from human demonstrations, enhancing their efficiency and ergonomic performance in assembly tasks.

Carla Sofia Alves, Luís Louro, Ana Colim, André Cardoso, Débora Pereira, Duarte Fernandes, Mohammadamin Salimi, João Oliveira, Estela Bicho

Conference Proceedings

Towards narrative-based technology to assist people with dementia when going out

This paper introduces an experimental design for collecting narratives and utilization of them based on person-centered care (Kitwood et al, 1992) as a preliminary study toward using narratives in technology to assist people with dementia when going out. One of the issues in dementia care is balancing risk management and independent living support. The act of going out is important for independent living, but dementia increases risks when going out, such as inability to return home by oneself. A typical behavior of people with dementia is to try to get home even though they are home, then go out and get lost. They may recognize other places where they have lived in the past as their current home. In other words, they may recognize their past selves as their current selves. Although there are previous studies on analyzing wayfinding by people with dementia (Sheehan et al, 2006), there is no research that collects and uses narratives in technology. We focused on organizing narratives by era on the basis of changes in their living environments in the past, and using these to assist them when they go out.We propose a narrative framework that organizes the location of one’s home in each era, the people and things that were cherished at the time, and episodes. Understanding the location of people with dementia’s past home and the things they cherished can help predict the purpose and destination of their outings. However, such narrative components are not necessarily known and need to be obtained from people with dementia, their family, or care workers. One effective way to get people with dementia to talk about the past episodes is to have conversations while walking around familiar places.For the safety of the “conversations while walking” experiments, we identified various risks when people with dementia go out. The identification was conducted through an assessment by three dementia care experts working at a nursing care facility (3rd, 4th and 5th authors of this paper). We assessed four categories: general risks for the elderly, risks specific to people with dementia, risks to themselves while going out, and risks to themselves after returning home. The number of risks extracted in each category were 9, 10, 8, and 8, respectively. For example, the roadside risk was identified as one of the general risks for the elderly. The cognition for the current situation was identified as one of the risks specific to people with dementia. We also conducted a risk check using Google Street View and an experimenter walking on-site to confirm the expected route in preparation for the outing experiment.The narratives collected in future experiments are planned for use in assistive technologies such as robots. As principles in designing patient-technology and care-worker-technology interactions, we consider the five petals of person-centered care: comfort, attachment, inclusion, occupation, and identity, in addition to human dignity and support for independent living. Future work will include conducting narrative collection experiments and analyzing results as well as detailed interaction design. Kitwood, T. and Bredin, K. (1992). Towards a theory of dementia care: Personhood and well-being, Ageing and Society, Vol.12, No.3, pp.269-287.Sheehan, B., Burton, E. and Mitchell, L. (2006). Outdoor wayfinding in dementia. Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice. Vol.5, pp.271-281.

Masayuki Ihara, Hiroko Tokunaga, Tomomi Nakashima, Hiroki Goto, Yuuki Umezaki, Takashi Minato, Yutaka Nakamura, Shinpei Saruwatari

Conference Proceedings

Enhancing Worker Well-Being: A Study on Assistive Assembly to Mitigate Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Modulate Cobot Assistive Behavior

Industry 5.0 emphasizes human-centric approaches in manufacturing, aiming to prioritize worker well-being and productivity. Assembly lines are crucial in manufacturing, demand understanding, and improvement to enhance production performance and worker safety. This study addresses the importance of Assistive Assembly in improving working conditions, particularly at preventing Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD). In this context, integrating collaborative robots (cobots) is a promising solution to ease workers’ burdens. However, its deployment in the assembly line requires further research to achieve better results. This research employs a human-centric approach in a laboratory setting to further explore the dynamics of assistive assembly to modulate a cobot's assistive behaviour. A proof-of-concept where participants assemble windows’ frames under Non-Assistive (NA) and Assistive (A) conditions was conducted, with real-time guidance provided in the latter. Perceived physical effort, kinematic analysis of upper limb movements, and electromyographic (EMG) analysis of muscle activity were performed. Results indicate significant reductions in perceived physical effort under the A condition compared to NA. Kinematic and EMG analyses reveal joint angles and muscle activation improvements, suggesting reduced physical strain in A condition. The study highlights the potential of assistive technologies, particularly cobots, in enhancing ergonomics and reducing physical strain in assembly processes, laying the groundwork for future advancements in Human-Robot Collaboration in industrial assembly lines.

André Cardoso, Ana Colim, Estela Bicho, Ana Braga, Débora Pereira, Sergio Monteiro, Paula Carneiro, Nélson Costa, Pedro Arezes

Conference Proceedings

Ostrich Locomotion-Inspired Walking Cane for Senior Adventurers

This research paper proposed an ostrich locomotion-inspired walking cane as an aid for elderly individuals traversing natural landscapes. A unique leg structure that provides exceptional balance and stability to ostrich locomotion on uneven support was utilized. An experiment was conducted to compare the balance provided by the ostrich-inspired cane with that of a conventional small quad cane. Healthy male and female participants [Age 49 male and age 20, 20, 25 females] were instructed in testing procedures and provided written consent. Wireless inertia sensors were affixed to various points on the participant s' body and on the cane itself. Participants practiced standing and walking with both types of canes before engaging in balance challenging activities imitating age-related motion stability perturbance, including standing while rolling a ball forward and backward, and standing while rolling a ball clockwise, and walking while swinging over a cup. Each type of activities was performed on three different types of terrain including the firm, grassy, and gravelly surfaces. The Floquet multipliers analysis on motion data revealed that the ostrich locomotion-inspired cane outperformed the conventional cane in providing stability during gait and standing on both grassy and gravelly terrain. While further experimentation with a larger and more diverse population is necessary, this bio-inspired balance maintenance has the potential to revolutionize walking cane design and encourage older adults to engage in landscape travel for their well-being.

Amaraporn Boonpratatong, Supatcha Charoensiri, Saowalak Manakitpaiboon, Kornnapa Noiklay, Sineenart Rungarun, Suphakij Khaonetr

Conference Proceedings

Culturally Sensitive Mobile App for Female Sanitation and Hygiene in Low-income Countries

In recent years, numerous discussions on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) have taken place, with a particular focus on developing countries. As many of them lack access to basic tools and education, a notable impact is observed specifically on the health and well-being of the adolescent female population. Although several initiatives have been implemented regarding infrastructure and policies, they have not provided a straightforward solution to this problem. The key challenges faced by this community include limited access to information, insufficient WASH infrastructure tailored to the female population, and the impact of early marriages and teen pregnancies that lead to educational obstacles. These circumstances have heightened the need for a tool to support female sanitation and hygiene practices in Mozambique. This paper describes the design process and development of a mobile application solution to support female students of Mozambique in enhancing their sanitation and hygiene practices.WASH, female sanitation and hygiene, and design for localized needs are the central topics of this research. While embracing technology, we also acknowledge several challenges that co-exist within the Global South regarding the limitations in technological infrastructure, digital literacy, and cultural restrictions that prevent potential solutions from bringing practical benefits. Our motivation stemmed from the lack of educational resources specifically addressing the WASH topic for the target female population. However, the development of a digital solution for this target population is challenging from a technological and design perspective in terms of understanding and identifying the complexity of female sanitation and hygiene practices and needs. Participatory Design (PD) was applied to encourage participant engagement and inform the design of the prototype. The HCD approach was used for the mobile application design to ensure proper product development for a sensitive population considering their way of life, surroundings, environment, culture, and traditions.To further inform the application design, this work is composed of three main design phases that involve various stakeholders, such as end users, to allow iterative design refinement. Firstly, we conducted a baseline questionnaire with young female students in Mozambique, followed by two focus group interviews with design researchers and experts in the fields related to WASH. Our findings identify the opportunity to serve this population by developing a mobile application. We describe that designing for sensitive, Global South communities requires accounting for deeper factors, such as individual motivations and or cultural norms, highlighting the importance of applying contextualized methods that consider the full range of constraints and resources in communities. Building upon these insights, we aim to stimulate discourse on the importance of considering context-related factors that inform the design of a culturally sensitive mobile application and how these insights can inform action points for Human-Centered Design practice for Low-Income countries.

Juan Jimenez Garcia, Niyousha Saeidi, Onita Basu

Conference Proceedings

Use Of Assistive Technologies For People With Visual Impairment: Smart Glove Design For Clothing Field

Assistive technology is a current area that has the potential to enhance the quality of life for individuals with visual impairment through innovative initiatives. This research involves a comprehensive review of assistive and wearable technology for visually impaired people, covering areas such as mobility, communication, and daily activities. It was observed that existing assistive technologies primarily focus on navigation and communication, with limited research on clothing-related assistive devices. Additionally, existing products often lack aesthetic appeal and functionality due to the high weight and size of technical materials and insufficient integration of electronics into clothing. Therefore, based on the user-centred design approach, the construction of the Smart Glove which involved detailed consideration of user needs, requirements, tasks, limitations, and barriers was carried out in this research. It was developed to address the challenges faced by visually impaired individuals in identifying the color, silhouette, details, and pattern of garments. In this context, two glove prototypes (e.g. knitted and neoprene gloves) were produced, with electronics integrated into the design. These prototypes were evaluated for pragmatic and hedonic qualities through testing with five users. Considering the feedback obtained from user tests, both hedonic and pragmatic, the gloves were generally satisfied with their weight, stitching, fit and feel.

Başak Süller Zor, Arzu Vuruskan

Conference Proceedings

Reflexivity for experiential learning and a tool to transform digital practices: Two examples of didactic devices

In the context of digital usages, acting on practices, avoiding risky behaviors or moving towards more responsible mobile consumption are questions that have become central to our hyperconnected lives. Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (CSR) strategies are underway, but companies are struggling to translate into action in some technocentric areas, such as in the Telco world. This paper proposes to examine the interest of the reflexive approach, as described by Vacher (2011), for the user-centered design of innovative and participatory services. Two educational devices were tested with French customers. Within Orange Innovation Research, these two devices have been designed to support customers in their digital uses. The first one focuses on cybersecurity risk management and the second one deals with the appropriation of responsible behavior regarding the purchase and usage of smartphone. We fall within the scope of persuasive technologies, as defined by Foulonneau (2017), within an influence that can be described as responsible and respectful of the recipient “without the use of coercion or deception”.The reflexive process, at the heart of our approach, encourages individuals to analyze and to question their actions and their consequences, thus facilitating the development and transformation of ethical and sustainable behaviors. Reflexivity can be described as experiential learning (Dewey, J. 1938 ), and mobilizes a metacognitive ability on how to learn. The first device deals with a priority topic for Orange: the digital protection of its customers. Through a chatbot, customers are encouraged to verbalize the risks they encounter, analyze their experience and take a step back to consider changing their behavior. The results of experiments with a group of young people show that reflective practice allows participants to become aware of their protective behaviors and to put in place effective and informed strategies aimed at countering daily risks. The second device is a service model designed to assist users in selecting a new smartphone via a questionnaire. The model provides information on the ecological and social impacts of smartphone manufacturing and suggests ways to reduce it. The qualitative test carried out in the laboratory shows that the use of the device allows the generation of "socio-eco-reflections" as well as a meta-reflection, both steps validating the start of a reflexive process. This questioning is accompanied by projections on practices built from the reflexive experience. We postulate that this reflexive approach, in an industrial environment, allows individuals to build and transform their own behaviors through a guided experiential journey. It also promotes the emergence of changes that are significant, adapted, and sustainable. This hypothesis highlights the importance of ethics and behaviors persistence within the framework of CSR, offering promising perspectives for the provision of enabling tools for our clients. Vacher, Y. (2011). La pratique réflexive. Un concept et des mises en œuvre à définir. In Recherche et formation, Vol 66, p. 65-78. Foulonneau A. (2017). Les technologies persuasives adaptatives. Intelligence artificielle [cs.AI]. Thèse, Université Grenoble Alpes. Dewey, J. 1938 Experience and Education (Internet Archive). Experience and Education. Macmillan Publishers. P. 9-10.

Dubois Caroline, Foucault Béatrice

Conference Proceedings

Solid-enabled personal online data stores: uncovering UX implications for online data management

Enhanced transparency, control, and usability in online data management systems are in greater demand due to the challenges users face in tracking who accesses and stores their online personal data. In response, the W3C web standard Solid (Social Linked Data) provides users with data vaults to address these issues. This transformation in how individuals interact with their personal data online through data vaults also presents new challenges in UX design. This paper presents an exploratory usability testing study (n=10), during which participants created and interacted with a data vault within a job application context, aimed at identifying how data vaults impact the user experience. Our study uncovered three key factors introducing UX challenges associated with Solid-enabled data vaults (1) users’ mental models shaping expectations, (2) fears, doubts and the mitigating role of brand trust, and (3) a challenge of explainability rather than usability. These empirically derived factors were analysed through established theoretical frameworks on mental models, technology acceptance, and human-data interaction, enabling the formulation of practical implications and future research topics to address these challenges.

Tim Theys, Tom Haegemans, Peter Mechant, August Bourgeus, Jelle Saldien

Conference Proceedings

The Role of Colour in Urban Place-Making: A Study of Public Art in Lisbon

In the urban environment, public art stands out as a defining attribute that contributes to the cultural and social fabric. This encompasses a wide range of artistic expressions, including sculptures, paintings, murals, installations, performances, light and sound projections, and graffiti. These artistic elements not only shape the identity of a place but also serve as a means of representing the community's voice and honouring significant local figures. The presence of public art fosters interactions among individuals and instils a sense of belonging, ultimately enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the urban landscape and creating a more welcoming atmosphere.Amid a globalized context characterized by the repeated replication of building shapes, materials, textures, and colours with little regard for cultural and social context or sustainable principles, the establishment of a distinct cultural and social identity within the built environment becomes crucial. A deliberate focus on urban environment and community identity serves to nurture a sense of belonging and plays a pivotal role in the concept of place-making. This underscores the importance of human-centred design and the incorporation of diversity in shaping public spaces. Solutions must involve public participation and contribute to fostering meaningful interactions between individuals and their urban surroundings, ultimately enhancing the user experience.Thematic paintings and sculptures adorning building facades not only enhance visual interest but also serve to promote local and international artists, amplify community voices, and celebrate significant social and cultural figures. In this communicative process, colour emerges as a powerful tool for drawing attention, forging symbolic associations, enhancing aesthetic value, and eliciting human emotions and behaviours. Whether through vibrant, colourful compositions or subdued, monochromatic ones, the use of colour reinforces the intended message and enriches the communication process. This is evident not only in physically and socially challenged areas but also in traditional neighbourhoods, where the impact on the lived experience of residents and visitors is unmistakable. The presence of public art contributes to the vibrancy of communities, augmenting the local economy and fostering community well-being. Consequently, urban planners, architects, designers, and artists are called to collaborate in sculpting humanized public environments.This article seeks to achieve the following objectives: a) Foster a discourse on the impact of public art in shaping the concept of place-making. b) Examine how colour contributes to this process. To achieve these goals, the article proposes: c) A comprehensive review of literature related to public art, place-making, and colour. d) Analysis of select case studies located in Lisbon city. The intended outcome is to elucidate the interconnectedness of these key subjects, drawing insights from the analysed case studies to understand how the chromatic compositions contribute to conveying messages and how the presence of public art influences the identity of urban areas and communities.

Cristina caramelo gomes

Conference Proceedings

Bio dyes and Bio pigments: the sustainable approach in industrial textile dyeing and printing processes

Unfortunately, The textile industry is a sector responsible for producing more than 2 billion tons of effluents/waste. A large part of the waste and effluents are discarded into the ecosystem, particularly in aquatic ecosystems, essentially after the finishing processes, which include dyeing and printing processes. Dyeing is one of the most polluting processes in the textile industry, representing a high source of pollution. According to the World Bank, the textile dyeing industries are responsible for more than 20% of the pollution of all water used at the industrial level. One of the serious problems related to the group of synthetic dyes is the level of chemical compounds used for their production, which has a high level of toxicity, corresponding to a carcinogenic and mutagenic potential. The problems mentioned have impacts on the environment and human health, as they can irritate people's skin, eyes, and respiratory tract. Likewise, several health problems such as neurotoxicity, carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, and developmental toxicity may arise due to exposure to wastewater pollution. One of the emerging areas of research is related to the exploration of obtaining natural dyes from microorganisms, known as Bio dyes or Bio pigments. However, the approaches used also limit the yield and performance of the formulations obtained, since the dyeing process occurs directly, through exposure of the microorganism to the substrate. Furthermore, to date, there is no solution applicable to continuous dyeing. This research work's main objectives are research and development to obtain dyes for application in textile finishing processes, namely dyeing, and printing, using bacterial metabolic processes for the biopro-duction of these bio dyes or bio pigments. Additionally, this research is expected to obtain dyeing and printing processes with a reduction in contaminated effluents, due to the high biodegradability of bio dyes or bio pigments to be developed through the metabolism of microorganisms, thus contributing to the reduction of decontamination processes of industrial effluents.

Cristina Carvalho, Marlene Couceiro, Gianni Montagna, Carla Costa Pereira, Figueiredo Carlos

Conference Proceedings

User experience assessment with high level autonomous vehicle console – a pilot test

To gain broad approval, autonomous vehicles must not only be seen as practical but also as safe and effective. The interior design of both current and future vehicles is characterized by increasingly smooth and seamless surfaces. By integrating ergonomic design principles that prioritize the use of lightweight materials and aerodynamically efficient forms in autonomous vehicles, there is potential to reduce energy consumption, making a significant contribution to the overall sustainability of transportation systems. This study focuses on evaluating the user experience with an autonomous vehicle console prototype. The primary goal is to gain valuable insights into usability, efficiency, and overall user satisfaction regarding the console prototype. The participants engaged with the console interface in a controlled laboratory setting, with each interaction lasting less than 10 minutes. Initially, participants conducted a series of trial interactions with the autonomous vehicle's console, guided by the primary investigator, for a period of 3 minutes. Following this, they completed a questionnaire consisting of 12 items, including the System Usability Scale (SUS). It's worth noting that the majority of the participants, accounting for 60% of the total, were familiar with Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous vehicle concepts. The overall assessment score, determined through the System Usability Scale (SUS), reached an impressive 84.5. Consequently, the console prototype received a favorable verdict regarding its acceptability, further supported by an outstanding qualitative rating. In summary, the empirical findings collectively support the idea that the usability features of the autonomous vehicle console currently meet acceptable standards. Future research efforts will focus on an expanded participant pool, and center on the evaluation of haptic feedback, backlight effects, and capacitive touch sensations pertaining to the buttons.

Hatice Kirkici, Paulo Pedrosa, Paula Carneiro, Sandra Melo, Ana Colim

Conference Proceedings

Enhancing the user experience of children in family vehicles

The design of family-oriented vehicles is typically tailored to the needs of parents. Examining the current market for family vehicles reveals a primary focus on providing sufficient storage space, safety features and accessibility, particularly for the rear seat. The actual needs of children appear to be secondary to those of their parents. Aside from foldable tables, integrated screens or charging options for smartphones and tablets, there are only a few elements that enhance the passenger experience for children, especially on longer journeys. Furthermore, entertainment options are usually digital and provided as content at separate devices or integrated screens. According to the research report by the KFN University of Hannover, intensive media usage can lead to poor concentration, sleep disorders and a decrease in social contact which is contrary to a healthy child development. Particularly on long journeys by vehicle, media consumption has a counterproductive effect, making children restless, bored, and experiencing difficulties in calming down during night journeys. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the car has become more appealing for longer holiday trips. According to a study by the German Federal Statistical Office, compared to 2019 10% more trips with at least one overnight stay were made by car in 2021. The heightened use of cars has raised customer expectations and requirements. Additionally, longer journey durations mean more stress for the children as passengers. The question arises: how can the driving experience for children be enhanced, especially on long distances? In collaboration with Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation, design recommendations were developed to improve the experience of children in family vehicles. This 6-month project involved expert interviews, user interviews, an early stage user experiment, prototyping of ideas and a final user tests with children. Two field of basic research were analysed. On the one hand the status quo in industrial- and product design regarding to child-oriented design patterns and on the other hand the cognitive, motor and sensory development stages of children in general. The latter serve to form meaningful user group clusters with appropriate abilities and needs. In addition to the literature research, interviews were conducted with experts and children to complete the knowledge base towards an application-oriented perspective. Product developers and designers from two leading international toy manufacturers, a designer from an international children's furniture company, an educationalist, and a child psychologist were interviewed regarding design principles, gender differences in children's toys, the influence of media on play behavior, and the changing needs of children as they get older. In addition to the experts' opinion, guerrilla testing with paper prototypes was carried out at the Science Festival in Stuttgart to gather the children's perspective. Eighteen children aged between 5 and 14 were asked about their favourite activities in the car and their likes and dislikes about being a passenger. Initial hypotheses were formed based on the findings from the literature review, the expert interviews, and the Guerrilla testing. On this basis, a further test phase was started with three children of different ages. Existing toys were clustered according to different characteristics of their sensory stimulation, such as auditory, visual, haptic, etc. The toys were allocated to the children and tested for their acceptance and play flow during day and night rides. Functional prototypes were built, to test the acceptance of the concepts in a final user study. FDM printing, maker tools such as Arduinos as well as existing toys such as plates for building blocks were used for the development of the prototypes that were integrated into the vehicle interior. For the final testing, 10 children between the ages of 6 and 10 from the 1st to 4th grade were invited to experience the prototypes within a user experiment. The concepts were tested both during the day and in simulated night-time driving. Furthermore, the test runs were carried out with single children as well as with children in pairs. Based on the testing results, 6 design principles were developed, each with 1-2 application examples. The study proposes a methodology, combining expert knowledge and experimental user testing for effective children-oriented design projects. However, it identifies a gap in theoretical and generic design principles specific to children's products, underscoring the need for guidelines in development projects and educational curricula for future designers and engineers.

Franziska Braun, Sebastian Stegmüller, Antonino Ardilio

Conference Proceedings

From Driving to Quality Time: Deriving User Requirements for Interiors of Highly Automated Vehicles

The advent of SAE L4 automated vehicles transforms drivers into passengers, enabling engagement in non-driving related activities (NDRAs) and eliminating traditional interior design constraints. This shift entails new, complex requirements for vehicle interiors to enhance NDRA experiences, crucial for future product differentiation. However, limited knowledge in NDRA-centered interior development introduces significant design uncertainty. How will future interiors look like? This paper, as part of the KAI project (Bonerz et al., 2023), shall help car concept developers answer this question. It aims at reducing aforementioned uncertainties and high error costs in the concept phase of an interior. In order to ensure a high level of user acceptance, reliable user requirements and layout recommendations for the definition of vehicle interiors of tomorrow are needed. For generating these, the authors propose a method. This paper details the methodical approach taken for analysis of a Co-Creation study (CC) described in (Satrio et al., 2022) and shows exemplary specific results. The study was conducted in 2022 with 30 users, each covering four NDRAs in two travel scenarios. In this, participants expressed their needs by arranging component placeholders in an interior mock-up. The datasets were numerically and geometrically analyzed to identify NDRA specific interior arrangements. Criteria evaluated included configuration and number of seats, required components, their positioning, and criteria of visibility and reachability. The study revealed that NDRAs significantly influence preferred vehicle interior layouts, affecting the number of passengers, interior components, and seat configurations. The CC provides valuable insights into user motivations, and the interpretation helps translating the given information into user requirements and layout recommendations, which serve as a foundation for NDRA-centered interiors. As vehicle automation evolves, such methods are crucial to ensure interior design meets changing user requirements and technological advancements.

Matthis Hoetter, Claus Bertram Bonerz, Marco Lohrey

Conference Proceedings

Evaluation of Human Adaptation in a Monoscopic Video See-Through Headset

Video see-through (VST) cameras, integrated in virtual reality (VR) headsets, offer a convenient means to bridge the real world and virtual objects. However, performing tasks within a VST system can deviate from real-world experiences. In this study, we assess the technical specifications of a commercially available consumer-grade virtual reality headset and investigate user performance across various tasks within a VST environment using a pilot user study and the prism adaptation method. Tasks include object relocation, drinking, screwing, and typing on a physical tablet. Our findings reveal a decline in performance for tasks requiring close-range interaction and screen-based operations, accompanied by a user adaptability to the studied tasks. We also note mild motion sickness symptoms but find no discernible aftereffects associated with the tasks examined.

Long Cheng, Valentin Holzwarth, Andreas Kunz

Conference Proceedings

Geospatial Positioning Using a Smartphone and the MS HoloLens

During excavations, very often underground facilities are damaged, as shown in a statistics from the U.S. From all these damages, more than 36% were because of locating problems. This paper thus introduces a system that relies on Google Street View geospatial data to determine the precise position for excavation work. The visual surrounding is captured by a smartphone using Google’s ARCore and Visual Positioning System (VPS). Google’s VPS transforms the camera data into a local point cloud. Concurrently, the rough location of the smartphone is found using its GPS. This location is necessary to determine which section of the global point cloud (based on Street View data) has to be compared to the local point cloud. This comparison yields an accurate position and orientation of the smartphone. A QR code with the positional data encoded is displayed on the screen. It has to be scanned with the MS HoloLens 2 (HL2). By doing so, the HL2 is able to determine the smartphone’s position and orientation relative to itself. In combination with the information decoded from the QR code the HL2 can calculate its global position and orientation. With the positional data available on the HL2 the information of the underground facilities can be displayed. The plans are moved to the correct position, and rotated to match the orientation of the HL2. To evaluate this new system it was compared with a system based on real-time kinematics (RTK) in real-life situations. Leica’s FLX 100 plus in combination with refnet’s reference service was used to set up the RTK calibration system. With Leica’s Zeno Connect smartphone app the FLX 100 plus was connected to the reference service. An additional app was used to transfer the positional data via Bluetooth to the HL2. Both systems were examined regarding accuracy and precision under different conditions. The tolerance of the Swiss cadastral system (± 150 mm) was chosen as a reference value. To measure the deviation of the results from the real value, national and cantonal fixpoints were used. These are marked by bolts in the ground and their accuracy is < 10 mm. In order to find the offset of the rotation 5 m lines were drawn in the test plans along the edge of the sidewalk. The deviation was measured by aligning the plans correctly, the errors were equal to the displacement needed. The RTK method performed well in open areas, where almost all results under the reference value of ± 150 mm. In densely built-up areas the accuracy ranged from 1.26 - 8.66 m, and the precision from 4.41 - 13.1 m. The method with Google’s Geospatial API and only a smartphone achieved an accuracy of 0.21 to 0.43 m and a precision of 1.28 - 2.26 m in open areas. In densely built-up areas the accuracy was 0.28 - 0.36 m, and the precision 0.22 - 0.28 m. In these tests no impact due to the age of the Street view data was noticeable.

Jonas Stehlin, Aaron Häusler, Kordian Caplazi, Andreas Kunz

Conference Proceedings

Constructing a Transformer-based Model to Infer Daytime Productivity from Biometric Information During Sleep

Good sleep reduces tiredness and improves daytime work. Sleep quality is primarily determined by sleep satisfaction, sleep stage, and sleep duration. However, the impact of sleep quality on daytime performance, such as sleepiness and productivity, remains unclear. Clarifying the relationship between sleep, daytime productivity, and sleepiness can help quantify the vigor restored by sleep and identify appropriate work hours, ultimately reducing workplace errors and accidents.Existing methods for estimating sleep quality have limitations. EEG-based methods struggle with estimating daytime performance metrics, while methods using wearable sensor devices lack accuracy in estimating sleep parameters. Based on the correlation between biometric indices and sleep quality, this study aims to estimate the next day's productivity directly from non-EEG biometric data, which can be easily measured and analyzed. This approach avoids the loss of information inherent in estimating sleep quality from biometric data and extracts information more closely related to next-day productivity. To achieve our goal, we built a deep learning model based on Multi-Head Attention.Electrocardiogram (ECG), respiration (RIP), and electrodermal activity (EDA) were selected as sleep-related biometrics based on a survey report on sleep quality. Analyzing large amounts of raw data as-is would result in poor computational efficiency, so we extracted feature values from each type of biometric information. Given the uncertainty about which features would contribute to the estimation, we extracted 23 types of features and refined them based on their contribution ratio.To evaluate reaction time, working memory, and sleepiness restored by sleep, we selected the PVT-B, 2-back task, and Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS) to assess daytime performance and subjective sleepiness. To capture the time-series characteristics of sleep biometric data, we used a Transformer-based model with only an encoder to infer daytime productivity. We also output Shapley values to indicate the contribution of each feature to the prediction result, thus improving the model's interpretability.Samples were prepared by mapping the biometric time-series data obtained from the experiment each night to the productivity index data and sleepiness on the following day. Data were collected over 51 days (15 subjects), excluding days with equipment malfunctions. Twenty-three biometric features were extracted from the experimental data in 4-minute time windows. The model was trained to estimate reaction time, the accuracy rate of the 2-back task, and sleepiness. Sleepiness inference was based on a three-category classification: better, same, and worse.The trained model performed well in predicting reaction time, 2-back task accuracy, and sleepiness, with an R2 coefficient greater than 0.5 and an F1 score of approximately 0.8. Shapley values revealed which features contributed significantly to each objective variable. The Transformer model effectively captures daytime productivity from biometric information during sleep and refines the number of features based on Shapley values.This study demonstrates that using non-EEG biometric data and a Transformer-based model can accurately estimate next-day productivity and sleepiness, offering a novel approach to understanding the impact of sleep quality on daytime performance.

Chijing Wang, Ryota Nitto, Takuo Kuroki, Yuki Ban, Miki Nakai, Jun'ichi Shimizu, Tomoyoshi Ashikaga, Shin'ichi Warisawa

Conference Proceedings

How to Facilitate Interaction in Remote Focus Groups: a Practical Guide

There exists a significant knowledge gap in the scientific literature concerning the effective design of remote focus groups, particularly with regard to facilitating interactive engagement among participants. This paper aims to address this gap by presenting a hands-on guide for designing online or remote focus groups, emphasizing approaches to enhance interaction. Our guide is informed by prior works and our recent empirical experiences in conducting remote focus groups. We offer this guide as a resource for researchers, students, and practitioners seeking to conduct remote focus groups and facilitate interactions.

Ala Sarah Alaqra, John Sören Pettersson

Conference Proceedings

Making Artificial Intelligence Intelligent - Solving the Control Problem for Artificial Neural Networks by Empirical Methods

The Graph Model of Combinatory Logic with its elements, the Combinators, is an algebraic representation of neural networks, both for natural and artificial nets. Solving the Control Problem leads to intelligent behavior in the sense of teaching, learning, and conceptualization. This requires the construction of specific fixed-point combinators that implement feedback loops based on empirical sensing. This paper explains the role of the control problem, how to solve it and how to algebraically construct these fixed-point combinators. It proposes a blueprint and technical design for intelligent AI-supported systems that can teach themselves new skills. This is an alternative to deep learning, which requires large training sets.

Thomas Fehlmann, Eberhard Kranich

Conference Proceedings

Importance of Ontologies for Systems Engineering (SE) and Human Factors Engineering (HFE) Integration

The integration of Systems Engineering (SE) and Human Factors Engineering (HFE) is essential for developing comprehensive and reliable systems. This paper addresses the challenge of disparate vocabularies between these domains by leveraging ontologies to facilitate a common understanding. Utilizing standard practices and tools, the creation and implementation of ontologies are demonstrated through this research. By establishing a shared language and linking domain-specific terms, this work highlights the potential of ontological virtual models to enhance stakeholder communications.

Sarah Rudder, Daniel Herber

Conference Proceedings

Problems of content-based cognitive ergonomics

Due to ongoing advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and intelligent technologies, it is important to consider whether the conceptual foundations of technologically important traditional approaches should be re-investigated. Content-based cognitive ergonomics provides a good example of exploring the conceptual foundations and new tools of human–technology interaction (HTI) research, development and design thinking. In modern cognitive ergonomics one of its cornerstones is limited human information processing capacity. Nevertheless, numerous types of problems cannot be investigated, or solutions designed simply by relying on the idea of limited capacity. For example, different types of misconceptions do not overload human attention or memory, but their analysis must be grounded in the concept of “mental content, i.e. information contents of users’ mental representations” In fact, the most important limitation of capacity-based psychological thinking is its inability to express the properties of the representational information content in the mind. However, mental information content forms the foundations for human rationality, reasoning, and intellectual processes, which also guide human actions. The research problem is not in knowing the limits of processing, but rather the contents of such processing. Therefore, we present a description of the ground concepts of content-based cognitive ergonomics in which the analysis, argumentation, and explanations are based on information contents in human mental representations. Rather than providing a typical empirical research paper with results, we demonstrate and discuss how a content-based cognitive scientific approach can be used to investigate the structures of intellectual processes and the contents of mental representation in human thinking within the domain of industrial process control work. This kind of information can be usable and lead to decisive criteria in cognitive ergonomics related to the working process and the relevance of proposed solutions. Thus, we see content-based thinking and research as essential approach for building concrete applications for human interaction with intelligent systems and for further technology development. Content-based thinking is a new conceptual tool in studying and designing human interaction with intelligent machines.

Pertti Saariluoma, José Juan Cañas Delgado, Mari Myllylä

Conference Proceedings

Development of a Metamaterial Numerical Model for Improving 3D-Printed Lower-Limb Prosthetic Liners

Lower limb prosthetic liners predominantly consist of solid elastomers or foam-like polymers, offering minimal room for customization due to constraints in the manufacturing process and materials used. The non-linear material characteristics of biological tissue and the intricate geometry of residual limbs underscore the importance of tailored prosthetic liners to enhance comfort and ensure stability within the liner-prosthesis interface. Additive technologies, particularly 3D printing, enable the rapid manufacturing of intricate shapes using diverse, flexible materials, facilitating extensive customisation. This study focuses on investigating the mechanical properties of 3D-printed metamaterial structures, exploring variations in types of unit cells and cellular density. Through the development of material models and subsequent analysis employing uniaxial compression test results and numerical simulations, this research aims to assess the potential of 3D-printed metamaterial structures in tailoring lower-limb prosthetic liners to provide lower and more uniform contact pressure between the residual limb and the prosthesis while ensuring the stability of the prosthesis.

Vasja Plesec, Blaž Hanželič, Gregor Harih

Conference Proceedings

Securing Worker and Heavy Equipment Safety in Shipyards: A Study on Collision Prevention AI Systems

Accidents between heavy machinery and workers frequently occur in shipyards, leading to severe casualties. To address this issue, this study developed and evaluated an AI-based collision prevention system that can enhance safety between heavy machinery and workers in shipyards. We utilized the shipyard environment in Korea to train an AI model with GPS data from workers and key heavy machinery. The AI model demonstrated the ability to predict collisions with an accuracy exceeding 90% during tests. This research suggests the potential for innovative improvements in safety management in shipyards and anticipates more advanced results with future on-site applications.

Ji-yeon Kim, Ki-hwan Kim, Young Jin Kang, Seok Chan Jeong

Conference Proceedings

Case study on the software-supported development of competences in Scenario-Technique

The content of university teaching in engineering sciences, particularly in product creation, is characterised by the development of application skills. Changing working conditions require new teaching concepts that are oriented towards the needs of students and practice and consider the acquisition of soft skills. A key method to be considered in this context is the Scenario-Technique. In this paper, a one-day workshop based on a software tool for the Scenario-Technique is presented that focusses on competence development for Scenario-Technique in form of a learning concept. Based on a systematic literature analysis, existing approaches for learning the Scenario-Technique are identified and requirements for a subsequently developed software-supported Scenario-Technique workshop are established. Using a case study, the learning concept is validated in two test phases for comprehensibility, user-friendliness, and practical suitability. The result is a concept that enables practice-oriented learning of the Scenario-Technique.

Iris Gräßler, Alena Tušek

Conference Proceedings

SkillDrill – A Modular Training System for Preparing Civilian Experts for Peace Missions

The EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) aims to strengthen civilian and military crisis management. To adequately meet the security policy challenges of peacekeeping, conflict prevention and strengthening international security, appropriately qualified personnel are required. To prepare them for these challenges, the EU has created training institutions and initiatives. Efforts to improve training include all actors such as police, military, diplomatic services, non-governmental peace and human rights institutions and NGOs. Training content ranges from general mission preparation to specialized courses. In the context of international crisis management (e.g., in humanitarian disasters), many actors must collaborate. It includes civilian, military, diplomatic and humanitarian dimensions of assistance or intervention, which require extensive skills on the part of experts deployed to the crisis area. Depending on the task, such skills include analysis, mediation, and intercultural competences. Deployed personnel also have to behave correctly in terms of safety in fragile areas and make decisions under stressful conditions. This extensive knowledge is taught in training courses consisting of theory and practical exercises (e.g., role plays). Training courses always result in high material and personnel expenses. Further, certain skills cannot be trained sufficiently due to a low level of immersion. Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) offer new possibilities for efficient and effective training. The SkillDrill project aims to address above mentioned challenges by providing a VR-/MR-framework to teach essential skills immersively. The framework offers modules for learning the following skills: (a) planning of international peace and humanitarian missions, (b) essential skills needed at the deployment site (c) self-aid and buddy aid in crisis areas. The framework consists of three layers of immersion (digital, VR, MR). The digital layer offers web-based course content on strategic planning. Course content like safety & security training (e.g., behavior at checkpoints), situational awareness and map reading is trained in VR to provide a higher level of immersion. The MR layer allows trainees to practice first aid skills for self-aid and buddy care on manikins while being virtually in the crisis area. This paper details the requirements analysis and technical specification of a training platform for preparing personnel for CSDP missions.

Elisabeth Broneder, Daniela Weismeier-sammer, Monika Psenner, Astrid Holzinger, Sebastian Egger-lampl, Markus Karlseder, Jaison Puthenkalam, Youssef Ibrahim

Conference Proceedings

Insights Gained from Integrating Self-Paced Learning into Digital Learning Environments

Self-paced learning has emerged as a cornerstone of modern education, offering learners unprecedented flexibility and autonomy in their learner journeys. This paper focuses on the design paradigms and support mechanisms necessary to facilitate effective and sustainable learning experiences.The success of self-paced learning lies in its ability to empower learners to engage with course materials at their own pace, anytime and anywhere. This flexibility not only accommodates diverse learning styles and workplace and living circumstances but also fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility in learners. However, while self-paced learning holds immense promise, it also poses significant challenges, particularly in terms of managing learners' study efforts and ensuring the retention of knowledge over a long period of time.One of the first key considerations in designing self-paced learning environments is the structuring of course content. By breaking down complex topics into manageable chunks and leveraging tools such as large language models (LLMs) for dynamic text summarisation (and comparison), digital learning platforms strive to provide learners with clear and comprehensive overviews of the subject matter. These structured environments not only guide learners through their educational journeys but also facilitate the integration of new information with existing knowledge, fostering deeper understanding and retention.This paper presents a digital learning platform for self-paced learning that is already applied in the academic education. The main focus is on self-paced learning in structured learning environments that support the acquisition of comprehensive knowledge to learners that are usually new to the subject matter addressed in the course. Digital courses that allow learners to study autonomously need to take for the learners' metacognition, or their ability to monitor and regulate their learning processes. Metacognitive self-regulation strategies empower learners to monitor their progress and employ effective learning techniques. However, empirical evidence suggests that learners often struggle to accurately assess their own abilities (such as cramming for an exam), leading to suboptimal learning strategies. Managing learners' study efforts is another critical aspect of self-paced learning. Our digital learning platform employs strategies to measure and optimise study efforts, including setting minimum reading times, recommending study breaks, and assigning individual Learning Complexity Indices (LCIs) to course materials. A further challenge of digital courses is the learners’ development of an abstract representation of the knowledge provided by the course. The system must be in the position to allow learners the adoption of knowledge following the semantic wave. Learners continuously switch between from abstract to detailed representation of concepts. Deeper understanding of a concept emerges from recognising which and how many details connect to one particular abstract. The system presented in this paper supports the learners in adopting the semantic wave by enabling them to navigate the content by using their own words as search terms. This active use of the (conceptual) language helps the learners to build up their own mental representation of knowledge structure.The paper presents still work-in-progress, but manifest a strong proof-of-concept that considering semantic wave in the interaction design is an essential ingredient of digital learning environments.

Kurt Englmeier

Conference Proceedings

Importance of cultural change in Systems Engineering Transformation: A model for cultural assessment

Systems Engineering is becoming increasingly important in the engineering of complex technical systems. Its introduction is forcing companies to undertake major transformation initiatives. As established change management approaches show, the corporate culture is an important key criterion for success of transformation. Therefore, when introducing Systems Engineering into an organization, transformation initiatives must be tailored to an existing corporate culture or the corporate culture itself must be changed in order to enable Systems Engineering. In literature and in industrial practice, different approaches for assessment of corporate culture exist. Within this research, a systematic literature review on methods and models for corporate culture assessment is conducted. Core elements are collected and combined with the fundamentals and success factors of Systems Engineering to develop a model for corporate culture assessment. The developed model is applied to the industrial practice of an ongoing Systems Engineering transformation of a large car manufacturer. The results of the assessment are compared with the emerging project challenges. Based on this model and its supporting tool and templates, organizations and transformation leaders are enabled to rapidly obtain an orientation of hindering or supporting currently established cultural aspects with regard to Systems Engineering transformation and to provide a decision basis for further measures.

Iris Graessler, Benedikt Grewe

Conference Proceedings

From System High to Zero Trust: The Impact of Security Requirements on a Multinational Standard with Technical Specifications for Data Dissemination

Technical and technological progress leads to new possibilities for information exchange systems. Particularly, the associated aspects of IT security are continuously evolving. In addition, information is nowadays most of the time stored decentralized and not close to the user working with it. Information is disseminated over different network nodes and geolocations. This leads to the necessity of integrating heterogeneous external and internal systems and applications. As a result of these conditions, new requirements as well as risks to the underlying systems are being identified. Technological progress also opens up new opportunities for attackers and provides additional targets. This is extremely challenging for systems that support data exchange based on a multinational standard such as Coalition Shared Data (CSD).CSD is a concept for the distribution of information in multinational Joint ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) operations. The interfaces, data models and specifications to support this concept are described in the STANAG (STANdardization AGreement) 4559. In order to fulfill the security requirements of a current multinational environment, zero trust architecture is now enforced.In this paper we investigate the compatibility of the zero trust architecture with the current version of STANAG 4559 Edition 4. Here we focus on a specific part of the standard that deals with the storage and dissemination of Joint ISR products. We point out working fields in the areas of authentication, authorization, data integrity and legacy technologies. As the latter is a core problem, our main focus in this paper is the replacement of legacy technology through the communication architecture REST (Representational State Transfer). We highlight the challenges associated with such changes. We explain how the STANAG 4559 Custodian Support Team (CST) deals with these challenges. We also describe how we support these aspects by providing definitions, prototyping and participating in the test events with our implementation.

Lorraine Hagemann, Philipp Klotz

Conference Proceedings

Quality Key Figures for Developing Future Scenarios

The usefulness of the consistency-based Scenario-Technique depends on expertise in identifying future influence factors, assessing their relationships as well as aggregating raw scenarios into alternative visions of the future. Typically, three alternative scenarios are developed, including extrema like positive and negative futures. In this paper, a new set of quality key figures is developed for the selection of these scenarios to reduce room for interpretation and to increase their quality. The three quality key figures include normal distribution, consistency and differentiability. These quality key figures are used iteratively to achieve an optimal balance. For validation purpose, Scenario-Technique was implemented in an internationally active mechanical engineering company for strategy alignments. The resulting future scenarios were developed and integrated into the strategy in eight workshops and three iterations with managing directors. The new metrics proposed in this paper help to create reliable future scenarios for the strategy.

Iris Graessler, Deniz Oezcan

Conference Proceedings

Coupled passenger simulation to optimise the turnaround process and passenger flow.

The turnaround process at an airport is a crucial part of flight operations. It is a precisely choreographed sequence of activities and events to ensure aircraft depart on schedule. The individual turnaround processes with passenger movements of boarding and deplaning play a pivotal role, as they are on the critical path of the turnaround. Delays in any of these processes have an immediate impact on the duration of the entire process. If the delay is long enough to cause the flight to miss its scheduled departure slot, the delay will increase even more as a new available slot must be allocated. This in turn will cause further delay. Nevertheless, individual processes in the terminal and within the aircraft cabin are already operating at their local optimum. Our approach is to couple a passenger flow simulation of an airport terminal with a boarding simulation of an aircraft cabin. Aim of this coupling is to investigate how possible developments and restrictions in one of these areas can affect the overall process of the passenger's travel chain. In addition, this coupled simulation can be used to asses, in the long term, whether measures that can already be prepared in the terminal can help make cabin boarding more efficient.For this purpose, we developed a toolbox to analyse and evaluate operational measures along the process chain of travelling at an airport. This paper covers the travel process from security checks to aircraft seat. For this purpose, we refined and coupled an earlier version of a simulation that only covered the airport security check area by adding typical boarding processes of a medium sized international airport. The model is based on a real European airport serving around 12 million passengers per year (as of 2019). The simulation model incorporates a new algorithm calculating the passenger density and contact rate for each passenger in terms of their time and space requirements. Based on the output of the simulations of the process chain in combination with our algorithm we can show the effectiveness of measures like social distancing and their consequences to minimize contact rates along travel processes at airports. The paper describes the modelling, the algorithm to calculate the passenger density and contact rate, as well as results and findings of the simulation runs. It will show how passenger density, capacity, waiting times and waiting space are affected. Finally, we depict the technical visualisation resulting from the coupling of the simulations. For this purpose, common interfaces are defined and parameterised in order to enable a standardized import to a downstream visualisation software. The holistic simulation is used to simulate a wide range of process optimisations and define their impact on the entire process.

Martin Jung, Florian Rudolph, Axel Classen

Conference Proceedings

Interoperable Data Distribution Through Coalition Shared Data by Means of Standardization

Interoperability, especially when exchanging data, is an ongoing effort, as requirements and use cases change over time and technical innovations have to be considered. In the domain of military Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) a standard has been developed that supports the interoperable distribution of data in a heterogeneous network of organizations. The standard is maintained within a Custodian Support Team (CST).In regular meetings, chaired by a Custodian, aspects such as new technologies, requirements or security innovations are presented and discussed. If accepted by the team specifications are developed, prototyped by various partners and tested in interoperability exercises and trails. If the innovations prove useful the standard is updated accordingly.This paper discusses the use cases of STANAG 4559 and how such a complex interoperability standard can be developed and maintained through dedicated organizational means. It shows how the specific standard could be further enhanced to serve a wider audience in civil and military data distribution as Multi Domain Operations.

Roland Rodenbeck, Daniel Haferkorn, Barbara Essendorfer

Conference Proceedings

Multilevel Information Delivery Strategy (MIDS): A strategic design based model and method for equitable access to environmental information.

Faced with the climate crisis scenario, it is crucial to take collaborative action that involves multiple actors from civil society, the private and public sectors. However, often in the process of integrating environmental information and designing tools to disseminate it, the unique requirements of each user group are overlooked. This raises the question: how can we develop an environmental information delivery strategy that caters to the diverse needs of its users? To address this issue, strategic design and co-creation methodologies were employed in the "Environmental Observatory of Mining Projects", an applied research project aimed at improving the equitable delivery of information in four communes in Chile. Through this project, a Multilevel Information Delivery Strategy (MIDS) model was developed that outlines the various levels of environmental information delivery required for sustainable and resilient local community development adaptable to multiple contexts.

Katherine Mollenhauer, Cala Del Rio, Javiera Rodriguez, Kay Bergamini, Vanessa Rugiero, José Ignacio Medina

Conference Proceedings

SDG 9: Digital Innovation in Foreign Trade through Industry 5.0

The evolution of the service industry, the development and progress in society around the world, has involved strategic decision-making in the management of the different economic sectors, a cross-cutting issue that has become the pillars and precursors of the different stages of growth and development of society. it is the value chain of international trade; It is made up of Customs Agencies, the Freight Transport, Storage and Supply Service, as well as the Supply Chain and Integral Logistics Services. With the QHS Methodology, the chronological stages of evolution, sophistication of digitalization of services from the systemic approach are analyzed; Government, Business, Academia, Chambers-Associations and Consulting Services. Concluding on the impacts on efficiency, effectiveness, productivity and competitiveness of digital innovation in global business intelligence with a local focus.

Rodolfo Martinez Gutierrez, Jorge Vicente Villa Garcia, Carmen Carey-Raygoza, Artemio Lara Chavez

Conference Proceedings

Participatory approach for specifying user requirements for maritime border surveillance system

Maritime safety and security in European waters constitute of organizationally multi-layered activities, also including cooperation, coordination and information exchange between numerous civilian and military authorities and European agencies. Risks and threats at sea are multifaceted with increasing complexity over time and managing them requires increased collaboration at various levels for achieving comprehensive situational awareness and operational efficiency. A multitasking platform integrating new sensing capabilities from coastal, low-altitude and high-altitude platforms with different external data sources and exploiting novel AI supported risk assessment and visualization capabilities may support national authorities in reaching these objectives. This paper reports a user requirements development process for such a system implementing participatory, iterative design approach. Security-critical development context may severely constrain requirements process in a multi-stakeholder environment. However, in-depth interaction between users and developers does ensure consistent, holistic, and unambiguous requirements process, thus increasing technology acceptance and project success.

Laura Salmela, Sirra Toivonen, Jari Laarni, Jaana Keränen, Antti Väätänen

Conference Proceedings

Climate Threats and Resilience Assessment of Road and Railway Networks: Scenario Analysis for 2025, 2030, 2050

Road and railway networks are significantly impacted by climate change, facing various climate extremes on different scales (de Miranda Pinto et al., 2018, Hooper and Chapman, 2012, Nemry and Demirel, 2012)Forecasting the future impacts on these essential transport and logistics links, vital for human lives, goes beyond likelihood and risk severity. Resilience, a key factor, is evaluated uniquely in this study. We employ Bayesian network analysis to assess the strength of road and railway systems in relation to various climate-induced threats under changing climatic conditions. (Zhou et al., 2017). This research model explicitly impacts road networks for 2025, 2030, and 2050 by analysing the likelihood of occurrences, the extent of damage, and overall resilience.Understanding the urgency of these impacts is essential for proactive planning and policymaking. This study, with its comprehensive framework that integrates various factors influencing the resilience of transportation networks, is a proactive step. It highlights the importance of incorporating resilience assessments into infrastructure planning and management, which will help mitigate potential disruptions and ensure the continued functionality and reliability of transport networks in the face of climate change.

Mark Ching-Pong Poo, Leila Kamalian, Zaili Yang, Yui-yip Lau

Conference Proceedings

Colouring Kombucha Biofilm

Guided by the principles of sustainability, we believe that the development of biomaterials offers the most promising solution for the textile and clothing industries. They present a potential path towards a closed-loop system, where waste from one process becomes raw material for another.Our research explores the potential of bacterial cellulose, particularly kombucha biofilms, as a primary source of material, as these biofilms offer unique advantages: they are renewable, biodegradable, and have inherent strength and flexibility.This study is motivated by the potential of natural dyeing in these biofilms and its application in fashion design. It begins with a comprehensive review of the existing literature on the use of kombucha in clothing, followed by the current limitations and opportunities of the experimental procedures carried out at BioLab Lisboa. What we learned about dyeing during the biofilm fermentation process was useful for continuing the research we are now talking about into the type of dyeing that happens in biofilm after it dries.During the process, we will analyse and discuss the results and conclusions on the potential of biofilms dyed in primary colours. Our goal is to not only address current difficulties, but also fully explore the possibilities of using kombucha biofilms in fashion design.

Carla Costa Pereira, Isabella Carvalho, Cristina Carvalho

Conference Proceedings