[The essential tension of human-machine systems].
The initially interchangeable terms ergonomics and human factors have taken on different meanings over the last 50 years. Especially in the area of occupational health hazards, the scope of ergonomics has been narrowed down to the analysis of musculoskeletal stress to determine critical values, which has led to the dose model. In contrast, human factors (sometimes replaced by engineering psychology) have focussed on the optimization of allocating tasks in human-machine systems. An example from the BMW plant in Regensburg shows that in a workplace where the musculoskeletal stress remains below the critical values humans are better than machines, but that situations leading to traumata can nevertheless arise. In conclusion, possibilities provided by virtual reality are discussed regarding the integration of optimal human-machine systems with principles of preventing occupational hazards.
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Lehrstuhl für Experimentelle Angewandte Psychologie, Universität Regensburg, Germany. Alf.Zimmer@psychologie.uni-regensburg.de
D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008328:Man-Machine Systems; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012371:Robotics