16.453
Human Systems Engineering
Provides a fundamental understanding of human factors that must be taken into account in the design and engineering of complex aviation, space, and medical systems. Focuses primarily on derivation of human engineering design criteria from sensory, motor, and cognitive sources. Includes principles of displays, controls and ergonomics, manual control, the nature of human error, basic experimental design, and human-computer interaction in supervisory control settings. Students taking graduate version complete a research project with a final written report and oral presentation.
Fall 2011 · Human Factors Engineering
Topics
- Introduction and vision I
- Vision II
- Space bioastronautics
- Research methods I
- Research methods II
- Vestibular/spatial disorientation
- Displays
- Space human factors
- Manual control I
- Manual control II
- PIO and Cooper Harper
- Handling qualities
- Space physiology
- Auditory
- Automaton, situation, awareness
- Flight deck automation working group
- Decision making; FAA regulations
- Attention/workload
- Fatigue/circadian rhythms
- Anthropometry/environmental ergonomics
- Response selection and control of movement
- Automobile HF
Readings
- LEC #: 2 · TOPICS: Vision II · READINGS: Chapter 6 in [PV]. · CASES: “Delta 554—Undershot Landing at LaGuardia.” Case 18 in [DBL], pp. 233–46.
- LEC #: 4 · TOPICS: Research methods I · READINGS: Chapter 2 in [PV]. · CASES: “American 1420—Pressing the Approach.” Case 19 in [DBL], pp. 247–74.
- LEC #: 5 · TOPICS: Research methods II · READINGS: Bluman, Allan. Chapters 5–9 in Elementary Statistics: A Step by Step Approach . 5th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2003. ISBN: 9780072880717. · CASES: “Flightcrew-Related Accident Data: Comparison of the 1978–1990 and 1991–2001.” Case 20 in [DBL], pp. 275–88.
- Chapter 8 in [PV].
- LEC #: 10 · TOPICS: Manual control II · READINGS: Jagacinski, Richard J., and John M. Flach. Chapters 13–14 in Control Theory for Humans: Quantiative Approaches to Modeling Perfomance . CRC Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780805822939. · CASES: “FedEx 14—Pilot-Induced Oscillations in the Landing Flare.” Case 6 in [DBL], pp. 85–94.
- LEC #: 11 · TOPICS: PIO and Cooper Harper · READINGS: Chapter 3 in [PV]. · CASES: “Continental 1943—Gear-Up Landing in Houston.” Case 9 in [DBL], pp. 109–30.
- LEC #: 12 · TOPICS: Handling qualities · READINGS: Chapter 10 in [PV].
- Endsley, Mica R. “Situation Awareness in Aviation Systems.” Chapter 11 in Handbook of Aviation Human Factors . Edited by John A. Wise, V. David Hopkin, and Daniel J. Garland. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1999. ISBN: 9780805816808.
- LEC #: 17 · TOPICS: Decision making; FAA regulations · READINGS: Chapter 11 in [PV].
- LEC #: 18 · TOPICS: Attention/workload · READINGS: Chapter 9 in [PV]. · CASES: “American 1572—Accumulation of Small Errors.” Case 3 in [DBL], pp. 37–50.
- LEC #: 20 · TOPICS: Anthropometry/environmental ergonomics · READINGS: Chapters 16–17 in [PV]. · CASES: “Simmons 3641—Over the Gates and into Forbidden Territory.” Case 16 in [DBL], pp. 213–22.
- LEC #: 21 · TOPICS: Response selection and control of movement · READINGS: Chapter 15 in [PV], pp. 341–59 and 367–82. · CASES: “American 102—Runway Excursion After Landing.” Case 10 in [DBL], pp. 131–42.
- Bluman, A. G. Elementary Statistics: A Step-by-Step Approach . 5th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2004. ISBN: 9780072549072.
Prerequisites & course information
Same subject as HST.518[J] Subject meets with 16.400 Prereq: 6.3700 , 16.09 , or permission of instructor G (Fall) 3-0-9 units
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Fall 2011
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.