Projects

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are becoming increasingly widespread in almost all areas of private and professional life and are indispensable for people's lives today. However, the skilled crafts sector is still in the early stages of digitalization, as skilled crafts work is characterized by a high proportion of manual, experience-based and non-automated activities. However, an increasing need for qualifications in the use of ICT technologies can also be observed here. As an example for the building trade and the electrical guild, FachWerk is pursuing the goal of qualifying skilled tradespeople for the future use of the potential of ICT technologies through the needs-based development and testing of a multimedia teaching and learning arrangement.

As part of the project, the Department of Human-Machine Systems Engineering at the University of Kassel is responsible for the development, provision and evaluation of a usable digital learning environment for the self-learning phase. For this purpose, existing learning management systems are identified in the conception phase and evaluated for their suitability for use on the basis of previously collected requirements. Furthermore, a concept for the digital learning environment is developed and iteratively implemented. In order to ensure the usability of the learning environment, implementations are evaluated during development with the involvement of practice partners.

Cooperation partner

Department of Technology and Innovation Management at the University of Kassel
University of Hanover
Berufsförderungswerk des Handwerks GmbH, Korbach
Gringel Bau + Plan GmbH, Schwalmstadt
Hübschmann Aufzüge GmbH & Co. KG, Korbach
Employment Agency, Korbach
Chamber of Crafts Kassel

Funding and duration

Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 2 / 2017 - 1 / 2020

The aim of the RadAR+ project is to develop a personal, adaptive learning travel assistance system for public transport. The user is supported in orientation and navigation, particularly when changing means of transport, in order to reduce the stress of the journey. Travelers are provided with relevant information, i.e. all the information that is useful for them on their individual route in the current situation. The system independently records the user's actions and needs, accesses external real-time data such as delay information and integrates this into their mobility planning. To do this, it collects, filters and evaluates past experiences on the user's device and presents alternative options in a suitable manner according to individual habits and needs, such as longer transfer times for older or physically impaired users. The use of augmented reality technologies to display information in data glasses and interactive voice control creates a hands-free interface that is simple and intuitive to use.

The project consortium consists of research, development and application partners who combine all the necessary expertise in the fields of mobility, augmented reality, voice-user interfaces, human-machine interaction and user modeling. The Department of Human-Machine Systems Engineering at the University of Kassel is particularly responsible for the user-centered development and design of the system. Users are involved in all development phases from conception to evaluation. This ensures that necessary adaptations to user expectations are identified at an early stage and that the greatest possible usability and acceptance of the technical solution is guaranteed in the long term.

Cooperation partner

House of Logistics & Mobility GmbH, Frankfurt am Main
Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics, Prien am Chiemsee
HaCon Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH, Hanover
Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund Servicegesellschaft mbH, Frankfurt am Main
Ubimax GmbH, Bremen
voiceINTERconnect GmbH, Dresden
Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund GmbH, Hofheim am Taunus
Fraport AG, Frankfurt am Main

Funding and duration

Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 1 / 2016 - 6 / 2019

Further information on the project

• www.radarplus.de

With touch-sensitive screens (touchscreens), information is not only displayed, but can also be manipulated in the same place. This makes it possible to carry out complex interactions on a small surface area and remain flexible at low cost. At the same time, however, the feeling familiar from mechanical keys, the feedback­conveyed via the sense of touch, is lost. People who have developed skills on mechanical controls over the course of their lives, such as typing­, are at a particular disadvantage here. But in other cases, too, using a smooth, immobile surface is more difficult than using mechanical keys, which translates into lower input­speed and higher error rates.

To address this problem, tactile feedback in the form of vibrations is currently being artificially generated. Although this already employs simple haptic feedback, there is a lack of recommendations for designing a form of haptic feedback that is task-appropriate, conforms to expectations, and is adapted to proven mechanical models.

In the InterHapt project, human perception with respect to haptic sensations and the technical possibilities for generating haptic feedback were empirically investigated. For this purpose, different scenarios were designed, laboratory experiments for input on stationary and mobile touch-sensitive screens were set up and equipped with different forms of haptic feedback­. Subjective assessment by test subjects and objectively determined behavioral and performance data from test subjects were used to evaluate the forms of feedback.

Finally, design recommendations were derived from the experimental results, including stationary systems for experts (for example, cash register systems) and for average users (for example,­ticket­machines). Mobile devices such as smartphones are also covered by the design recommendations. This has closed knowledge gaps about human characteristics in haptic perception and laid the foundations for further implementation in application-oriented research projects at a later stage. The visual and auditory interfaces of today's interactive systems, which are already described as multimodal, can be supplemented by another useful modality in the future. An early initiated dialog with users and implementation partners as well as a final workshop ensured the transfer of the project results.

Funding and duration

Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 5 / 2014 - 10 / 2015

Further information on the project

• www.interhapt.de

Against the backdrop of rising energy costs, companies are increasingly striving to manufacture their products in an energy-efficient manner. Previously unused energy-saving opportunities are therefore coming to the fore. Although compressed air is considered an expensive energy source that is produced with low efficiency, leaks in compressed air systems have often been neglected due to poor spatial accessibility and low product relevance. However, regular inspections can detect them at an early stage and reduce losses. The same applies to the inspection of high-temperature systems such as hardening furnaces. At the same time, opportunities for improving working environment factors often remain undetected if there is no comprehensive recording and inspection of these variables. For example, multimodal mapping of the local climatic situation can contribute to a better assessment of the workplace situation.

The aim of the Robotair research project is to develop and evaluate a prototype, cost-effective ground-to-air service robot system for the detection and localization of compressed air leaks for the purpose of sustainable resource and energy use as well as for the recording of work environment factors to ensure healthy working conditions and increase productivity. It consists of a teleoperated flying robot and a semi-autonomous robot, both equipped with a sensor payload, as well as a mobile control station. There, a meaningful situation picture is created from the sensor signals and visualized for the user.

The project consortium consists of research, industrial development and application partners who are pooling all the necessary scientific and industrial expertise in the fields of mobile robotics, human-machine interaction, measurement technology, plant inspection and operation, compressed air systems and ergonomics. Together, the requirements are determined and a system prototype is created, the robust functionality and usability of which is evaluated in the laboratory and in field studies in the automotive industry.

Cooperation partners

Department of Measurement and Control Engineering at the University of Kassel
Volkswagen AG, Volkswagen Plant Kassel, Baunatal
Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics, Wachtberg
SONOTEC Ultraschallsensorik Halle GmbH, Halle (Saale)
AIBOTIX GmbH, Kassel
Postberg+Co. Druckluftcontrolling GmbH, Kassel
S-ELEKTRONIK GmbH & Co. KG, Wangen im Allgäu

Funding and duration

Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 1 / 2013 - 3 / 2016

Further information on the project

• www.robotair.de

FREE deals with the analysis, design, use and evaluation of various cooperating means of transport, including e-mobility in the area of leisure and event transportation and is the first project of its kind in Germany. The aim is to integrate various sustainable mobility options for visiting leisure destinations and events and relates to the entire mobility process from information and booking to the actual change of location. A new feature is the integration of a central, integrated booking system, which can be used to book not only hotel rooms but also additional modules such as the use of vehicles and event transportation. The mobility services include streetcars and buses, e-buses, e-cars, pedelecs and rental bikes, including the charging infrastructure for e-vehicles.

The Human-Machine Systems Engineering department will provide scientific and methodological support for the user- and task-oriented development of the information and booking system in various work packages. The task of the information and booking system is to facilitate the entire e-mobility process for the target group, from information and booking of mobility modules to the actual change of location. To this end, a web portal solution and a solution for mobile devices will be developed to meet the various needs of the target group in different contexts.

Cooperation partner

Regionalmanagement Nordhessen GmbH, Kassel
Kasseler Verkehrs-Gesellschaft AG, Kassel
EAM, Kassel
Städtische Werke AG, Kassel
Heinrich Müller ebikes mieten+mehr, Kassel
Department of Transport Planning and Transport Systems at the University of Kassel

Funding and duration

Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development, 10 / 2012 - 9 / 2016

Further information on the project

• www.free-e-mobil.de

Demographic change in Germany is already presenting society with major challenges. The consequences of demographic change include the increasing number of older people in need of support and a shortage of qualified specialists of working age. The development of so-called age-appropriate assistance systems for a self-determined life - AAL for short - is a possible solution. The research project "TAAndem - AAL training in tandem" is dedicated to this topic. The aim of this project is to tap into the potential of innovative technical developments for age-appropriate assistance systems and put them into practice.

To this end, employees in various AAL professions are to learn how to design, offer and use the new technical possibilities in such a way that the actual needs and wishes of the people to be supported are fully taken into account as part of further training measures. Employees with medical, nursing and social professional knowledge (e.g. nursing staff) should come together with technically qualified people (e.g. craftsmen) to work on practical project tasks. In addition, links are to be established with university teaching and higher education and thus with the future developers of assistance systems. The didactic approach of tandem learning, in which pairs of differently qualified participants support each other in the learning process using concrete case studies, is to be adopted.

For example:

• an architect and a physiotherapist can configure and plan the installation of a stairlift for a senior citizen with walking difficulties,
• a geriatric nurse and a master electrician can plan the installation of elevators in a home for the visually impaired,
• a care service manager and a mechatronics student configure a home emergency call and control system,
• a health insurance consultant and the managing director of a medical device company customize a computer keyboard for Parkinson's patients and
• a nurse and a computer scientist develop a sensor-controlled information system for diabetics.

Cooperation partners

Department of Information Systems at the University of Kassel
INNIAS Institut für nachhaltige, innovative und angewandte Systemtechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Frankenberg/Eder
Kreishandwerkerschaft Waldeck-Frankenberg, Korbach
Arbeitskreis Altersgerechte Assistenzsysteme, Kassel

Funding and duration

Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 1 / 2012 - 6 / 2015

Further information on the project

• www.taandem.de

The E2V two-wheeled electric vehicle offers a solution for mobility in areas and spaces outside of current public transportation areas, such as parklands, airports and pedestrian zones. It is intended for use by untrained people who are facing such a vehicle for the first time and who may also be restricted in their physical or spatial mobility. In addition, the first application scenario is based on people interested in tourism who want to explore an area that is still unknown to them and are interested in information about this area. Simple, intuitive operability and the provision of operating, navigation and tourist information are necessary for acceptance by this group of people and for safe use.

• Tourist information for users, such as tips, images and background information, tailored to their individual needs and presented at the right time or in the right place.
• Operational information for users, such as information provided by the vehicle on handling, rental conditions, traffic regulations, limits of the traffic area, safety aspects, which are displayed on request, when required or in the event of imminent incorrect operation.
• Information about the vehicle for display in the fleet operator's control center, such as position, charge status, user support requirements.

The information needs of future users and operators are first determined, then the appropriate display is determined and implemented in prototypes. Finally, the success of the project will be verified with the participation of users and operators. Finally, the acceptance of this new transport concept will also be examined.

The E2V project is part of the activities of the interdisciplinary Vehicle Systems Research Network (FAST) at the University of Kassel.

Cooperation partners

University of Kassel (consortium leader)
Department of Systems and High Voltage Engineering
Department of Electrical Power Supply Systems
Department of Vehicle Systems and Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering
Department of Lightweight Design
Department of Human-Machine Systems Engineering
EAM GmbH & Co KG, Kassel
FINE Mobile GmbH, Rosenthal
Hella KGaA Hueck & Co.., Lippstadt
Ernst Hombach GmbH & Co. KG, Uehlfeld
Hymer Leichtmetallbau GmbH & Co. KG, Wangen
Krebs & Aulich GmbH, Derenburg

Funding and duration

Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 8 / 2011 - 10 / 2014

In this project, an internet-based application for smartphones is being developed that offers visitors to a major event or other tourist events a wide range of information and communication options. This application is to be understood as an intelligent, practical event companion with which visits to events can become individual experiences.

The first version of the "EventWalker" will be available in the documenta year 2012. An improved version will then be available in 2013 to coincide with the city of Kassel's 1100th anniversary celebrations. The app aims to help local and non-local visitors to find places of interest using GPS and to take part in guided tours, information events or festivities based on their individual interests. Barcodes placed at specific event locations can be read with the smartphone camera and thus provide access to further details about attractions or additional services. The "EventWalker" should be able to answer the following questions, for example: Where is there an opportunity to see celebrities? Is someone from my home town attending this event? Are there people here with similar interests with whom I could exchange ideas? The social networking, communicative components of the "EventWalker" in particular are new for this type of application.

The Department of Human-Machine Systems Engineering at the University of Kassel contributes its expertise in the usable design of human-machine systems to the project and uses it as a concrete case and implementation example of a methodically guided user-oriented design process. This includes requirements analyses, the creation of usage scenarios, the ergonomic design of the smartphone user interface and the prototypical realization of the human-machine interaction in order to obtain user feedback early on in the development process. Usability tests and field studies will be carried out in an evaluation phase. The "EventWalker" will later be available free of charge via one of the so-called app stores.

Cooperation partner

Trout GmbH, Kassel
Kassel Marketing GmbH, Kassel

Funding and duration

LOEWE - State Offensive for the Development of Scientific and Economic Excellence, State of Hesse, 4 / 2011 - 8 / 2013

According to the German government's plans, there will be more than one million electric vehicles on Germany's roads by 2020. The development of a corresponding infrastructure of charging stations is an essential prerequisite for this. This is because electric vehicles will draw their electricity from special electric charging stations, which can be located in parking lots, parking garages and private parking spaces, for example. However, there are still no mass-produced solutions for these charging stations. The systems presented so far as part of pilot projects, at trade fairs or on the Internet are mostly the first attempts by companies whose core business is not the construction of such stations. They therefore often resemble control cabinets or are design pieces, often with limited usability.

In this project, charging stations are to be developed in a user-oriented design process in order to ensure not only technical functionality and compliance with safety standards, but in particular maximum usability. To this end, the Human-Machine Systems Engineering department will initially carry out user- and task-oriented requirements analyses and define usage scenarios. Solution concepts are to be designed according to anthropometric, perceptual and cognitive ergonomic aspects and human-machine interaction is to be supported with assistance functions. The solutions will be coordinated with the project partners and realized in the form of prototypes so that user participation based on models allows early feedback in the development process. Field and laboratory studies will then be used to demonstrate the benefits, acceptance and usability of the solutions and thus gain scientifically sound findings for usable charging stations. The project partners plan to present the initial project results at the Hannover Messe 2012. The start of series production is already planned for 2013.

Cooperation partners

Department of Lightweight Construction at the University of Kassel
Plug'n Charge GmbH, Bad Emstal
SEM-Schnellladung Elektro Mobilität GmbH & Co KG, Bad Emstal
Institute for Industrial Design at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Darmstadt
TÜV Technische Überwachung Hessen GmbH, Kassel

Funding and duration

LOEWE - State Offensive for the Development of Scientific and Economic Excellence, State of Hesse, 4 / 2011 - 5 / 2012

During the reorganization of the Human-Machine Systems and Ergonomics lectures, students showed an unexpectedly high level of interest in the content and, in particular, in its practical consolidation. Students from different disciplines with very different backgrounds come together. 38% of the students do not come from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Internships and laboratories for students in technical disciplines usually teach them how to use technical equipment and methods. Between the students and the world, whose properties they are supposed to get to know, are measuring devices whose abstract values have to be read, written down and evaluated. The experience is limited to the recording of series of numbers and their representation in curves. Students of psychology or product design who are not aiming for an engineering degree are far removed from this form of experience. But even within the mechanical engineering student group, for example, knowledge of mathematics varies greatly. This heterogeneity of interests and prior knowledge should be dealt with skillfully here.

To this end, this work placement should take place in such a way that the focus is not on measuring and calculating, but on experiencing, evaluating and designing. The form of work placement envisaged here is unusual in two respects. On the one hand, personal experience takes the place of measurement and evaluation. Secondly, the heterogeneity of the group of participants is exploited by forming groups not from friends in the same field of study, but specifically from students from different disciplines, who then complement each other with their previous knowledge.

The stations of the practical course deal with visual perception (size, contrast, shape of displays), auditory perception (volume and loudness perception, pitch and sound perception, hearing threshold, warning signals) and haptic perception (force perception on control elements, joysticks, steering wheel, force feedback) as well as spatial vision and directional hearing.

Funding and duration

Heterogeneity program of the University of Kassel, 3 / 2011 - 2 / 2012

For students, the preparation of extensive independent work means a great deal of effort. In particular, the formally correct use of literature proves to be difficult. However, evaluating literature and handling sources and citations is an essential part of independent learning.

A digital bibliographic data record already exists in BibSonomy for a great deal of literature. This can be imported into an individual literature management system (e.g. Citavi) for further use. With a suitable citation style, both the citation in the text and the entry in the bibliography can then be generated from this data record. Due to the complicated use of BibSonomy, this method is rarely used by students. In addition, BibSonomy is hardly known to students.

The aim of this project is to develop the Web 2.0 application BibSonomy by improving the usability of the user interfaces and a concept to support independent learning of BibSonomy. This should lower the hurdle for students to use BibSonomy and simplify the handling of extensive literature collections.

Cooperation partner

Department of Knowledge Processing at the University of Kassel

Funding and duration

e-Learning project funding of the University of Kassel, 1 / 2011 - 11 / 2011

If students have questions or problems regarding their studies, they have a wide range of information sources and contacts at their disposal. Many use personal contact with the professor or a member of staff in the department. However, the large number of sources means that the wrong staff are often contacted or questions are incomplete or imprecise. Some of the information available is insufficient or inadequately used. This results in an actually avoidable consulting effort.

The causes of the consulting effort differ between the two specialist areas involved. The Department of Human-Machine Systems Engineering looks after a very heterogeneous group of students, while the Department of Business Information Systems looks after a large number of students in the early stages of their studies. These two different use cases were examined in order to determine the necessary requirements for a web-based assistance system. The system should support students in independently accessing information and contacting the right member of staff with complete questions.

As part of the project, the two different use cases of heterogeneity and large events were specifically analyzed and a suitable web-based form system was created that guides students in formulating questions, queries the necessary data and assigns the appropriate employee. The integration and connection of the system to be developed into the existing infrastructure of the University of Kassel (Typo3) was tested as part of the system implementation using the university's own installations.

Cooperation partner

Department of Business Informatics at the University of Kassel

Funding and duration

e-Learning project funding of the University of Kassel, 1 / 2010 - 12 / 2010

The VENUS project is being funded as part of the 2nd funding phase of the Hessian State Offensive for the Development of Scientific and Economic Excellence (LOEWE) from 2010-2013.

Many areas of private and personal life are already permeated by IT applications. The Internet has become a part of daily life for many people and more and more cell phones offer their users high-speed Internet access. In addition, social networks have influenced relationships between people and will continue to enrich coexistence with new forms of communication, coordination and interaction. The computerization and networking of everyday life is progressing continuously and rapidly.

The visionary Mark Weiser wrote as early as 1991: Ubiquitous computing technologies "weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it". In ubiquitous computing, the provision and processing of information becomes part of the surrounding infrastructure. Information and services are universally available, with the technology receding into the background. It offers customized services that are adapted to the needs of the user.

From a technical perspective, ubiquitous computing (UC) leads to context-sensitive applications that can adapt to the current environment during runtime and thus provide users with services tailored to the situation. As a result, ubiquitous computing and self-adaptivity go hand in hand. This implies a variety of technical and non-technical consequences. The universal availability of services and the associated self-adaptation of applications create new challenges that are clearly not only of a technical nature.

The aim of VENUS is to explore the design process of future networked ubiquitous systems that are characterized by context-sensitive and self-adaptive behaviour. The project aims to explore the foundations of such systems and, in particular, to create a design methodology that supports the development of socially acceptable ubiquitous computing applications, i.e. applications that not only fulfill the functional requirements but also comply with the given user requirements in terms of usability, trust and legal regulations. Consequently, VENUS focuses on the interactions between the new technology, the individual user and society. The long-term goal of VENUS is to create a comprehensive interdisciplinary development methodology for the design of ubiquitous computing systems.

VENUS deals with the fundamentals, the design method and the evaluations of context-sensitive, self-adaptive ubiquitous computing applications that fulfill technical and non-technical requirements. The work program is divided into the working groups Fundamentals, Methods and Laboratory.
In the work area Design Aspects, we will build on the current state of the art of the participating research areas and extend it with regard to the special requirements of situational ubiquitous computing applications.
In the methodology area, we will develop a general, interdisciplinary design methodology that covers all phases of the software lifecycle. The unique, distinctive feature of this methodology will be the integration of non-technical features into the development process.
In the lab, we will test the design methodology and create and test demonstrators of innovative, context-aware, self-adaptive ubiquitous computing applications.

The lack of a systematic development methodology that takes into account both technical requirements and social acceptance is a major challenge for the development of new technologies such as ubiquitous computing systems. VENUS aims to provide a comprehensive solution in the form of an interdisciplinary and integrative methodology for the development of ubiquitous computing systems. This methodology will strengthen the development of new ubiquitous computing applications that meet technical and non-technical user expectations.

Cooperation partner

Department of Communication Technology at the University of Kassel
Department of Public Law at the University of Kassel
Department of Distributed Systems at the University of Kassel
Department of Information Systems at the University of Kassel
Department of Knowledge Processing at the University of Kassel
Department of Applied Information Security at the University of Kassel

Funding and duration

LOEWE - State Offensive for the Development of Scientific and Economic Excellence, State of Hesse, 1 / 2010 - 12 / 2013

Further information on the project

• www.uni-kassel.de/eecs/iteg/venus

In order to prevent damage to people, the environment and capital goods, gases that are potentially hazardous to health or form explosive mixtures must be detected and located quickly and reliably from plants and infrastructure facilities.

The aim of the RoboGasInspector project is to develop and evaluate an innovative human-machine system with cooperating inspection robots equipped with remote gas detection technology and local intelligence, in which the detection and localization of gas leaks can be handled largely autonomously by mobile robots. The further development of sensor technology opens up new potential here with IR-optical remote measurement methods.

The development of new inspection technologies and the concentration of the flexibility and efficiency of human operators on the managerial control of the technical system is desirable, not only for economic reasons, but also against the background of relieving people of repetitive routine tasks while at the same time providing better coverage of the usually extensive inspection area.

In this joint project, the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing and the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics are working together as research partners and telerob Gesellschaft für Fernhantierungstechnik and the companies Adlares GmbH and Hermann Sewerin GmbH, which specialize in remote measurement technology, as industrial development partners under the leadership of the Human-Machine Systems Engineering and Measurement and Control Technology departments at the University of Kassel. PCK Raffinerie GmbH and Wingas GmbH, operators of large petrochemical plants and supply networks, are involved as application partners.

The planned demonstration and evaluation cases were selected in such a way that a transfer to various other applications and thus an increased broad impact of the utilization of the results is possible.

Cooperation partners

Department of Measurement and Control Engineering at the University of Kassel
Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FhG-FKIE, Wachtberg
BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin
telerob Gesellschaft für Fernhantierungstechnik mbH, Ostfildern
ADLARES GmbH, Teltow
Hermann Sewerin GmbH, Gütersloh
WINGAS GmbH und Co. KG, Kassel
PCK Raffinerie GmbH, Schwedt / Oder

Funding and duration

Technology program "AUTONOMIK - Autonomous and simulation-based systems for SMEs", Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, 12 / 2009 - 5 / 2013

Further information on the project

• www.robogasinspector.de

Students should learn in experiments how human behavior is modeled and how to use these models for the appropriate design of human-machine systems. Knowledge of transfer functions and stability of manually controlled systems and the design of displays will be deepened.

The project will implement three modules that cover basic cognitive and manual-motor tasks occurring in human-machine systems:

• a manual control,
• the AGARD test and
• the Stroop test.

The manual control task consists of an input device, controlled system and display. For example, the speed of a simulated airplane displayed on the screen is controlled by operating the thrust levers with the keyboard. Different controlled systems are created by the fact that the keyboard inputs are taken over directly, integrated once or several times. According to the theory, a stable behavior of the cut-up control loop is no longer possible with more than twofold integration or if the human input is too large, unless it is supported by a suitable preindication. The quadratic deviation from the target speed is added up as a performance criterion.

In the AGARD test, manual control is supplemented by a cognitive task, the Sternberg test. In this test, characters appear on the screen and it must be indicated by pressing a button whether the characters come from a previously specified group, the positive set, or not. Reaction time and error rate serve as performance criteria. According to theory, performance decreases with the size of the positive set, and cognitive and manual tasks influence each other.

The Stroop test can be used to demonstrate and, above all, to experience for oneself that highly automated cognitive processes (such as reading the word YELLOW written in black) cannot be suppressed and hinder other tasks (such as naming the color black in which the word is written).

These three tasks are implemented in separate Flash animations in interaction, calculation and visual and auditory display.

For each experimental module, a framework is also added that repeats the theory known from the lecture. The corresponding task can then be carried out and the boundary conditions can be varied (controlled system, display/pre-display, size of the positive set). The performance criteria are stored anonymously in a 'list of the best' and can be compared with the results of other students. This ensures that students spend longer and more time on the task. At the end, the desired findings are summarized and moderated.

We expect that the intensive engagement with these questions and, above all, the informal self-experience will improve understanding of the processes taking place in human-machine systems. Once the project has been completed, the aim is to develop it further with other demonstrations from human-machine interaction, but also from systems and control engineering.

Funding and duration

e-Learning project funding from the University of Kassel, 11 / 2008 - 10 / 2009

Human interaction with a technical system can take place in a variety of ways. In addition to classic input devices, new and further developed technologies enable alternative interaction possibilities.

Often, the entertainment industry has been the driving factor through which new interaction technologies from research have been quickly brought to market. Well-known examples of this development include Nintendo's Wii game controller, which uses accelerometers and position sensors, and the Apple iPhone's multitouch-enabled touch-sensitive display.

The launch of the Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA) from OCZ Technologies marks the first time a game control system is available that uses the principle of a non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI). The system is designed to enable interaction in computer games without a mouse or keyboard.

The manufacturer promises easy-to-use hardware, streamlined setup and calibration wizards, and preconfigured software profiles for different computer games for easy entry into gameplay. But are the available devices even usable for gaming because of the simple sensor technology? Are users satisfied with the results when using these BCIs? Do they even allow the commercially available BCIs to be used for tasks and applications other than computer gaming? What limitations need to be placed on the use of BCI for human-computer interaction?

A usability test, in which strengths and weaknesses of the system were investigated with various tasks, concludes that interaction tasks can be fulfilled with the investigated BCI alone and that such systems can be a useful addition to conventional input devices. Finally, an assessment of further possible applications in the field of human-computer interaction was made.

Duration

10 / 2008 - 3 / 2009