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carrying capacity is somewhat academic. Concern was expressed, however, in 

 terms of the present vehicle's capability to perform more varied tasks, such 

 as surveys, which required the addition of more equipment. The problem is 

 not so pressing with the larger vehicles, particularly those with variable 

 ballast systems, which can accommodate additional mass and bulk without 

 sacrifice to the vehicle's buoyancy and maneuverability. 



4.15 HUMAN ENGINEERING 



The term "human engineering" herein refers to the adequacy of the design and 

 layout of the vehicle controls and data displays. Adequacy is measured in 

 the ability of the pilot to efficiently operate the vehicle and rapidly 

 comprehend the data he is receiving which is related to vehicle control. 



Problems in this area are not severe enough to cause cancellation or abortion 

 of missions. They do influence the efficiency with which the pilot can control 

 his vehicle and attain a successful mission. 



In one instance the operator experienced difficulty in controlling the vehicle 

 simply because the control surfaces were too close together. Separation of 

 various controls, particularly vehicle attitude controls, was desired in order 

 to avoid bumping and accidentally activating one control when another was 

 desired. This is not a problem on control panels where the vehicle has a 

 single joystick control. 



Another control problem was expressed by an operator whose vehicle was 

 controlled solely from within a van. In this instance a portable control 

 consolette was desired during the launch/retrieval procedure so that the pilot 

 could (from the deck) directly view the relationship and proximity of vehicle-to- 

 support ship. This procedure would also help coordinate actions between pilot 

 and winch operator since both could view the same scene at the same time and 

 communicate directly with each other rather than through an intermediary. 



Dissatisfaction with the display location of various data was expressed by 

 another operator. The suggestion was made that critical vehicle control and 

 attitude data, such as depth, heading and altitude, should be displayed on 

 the pilot's TV monitor. This arrangement would allow the pilot to keep his 

 eyes on the TV instead of turning away from it to view another part of the 

 console. This is particularly critical when the vehicle is working around or 

 within a structure and intense, full-time concentration is necessary. The 

 same operator felt that digital compass displays were not satisfactory, and 

 that analog displays were more easily comprehended and retained by the pilot. 



A North Sea operator of one of the larger vehicles felt that the pilot lacked 

 a feeling of rapport for the vehicle and the ambience in which it was working. 

 He suggested that, perhaps, head-coupled TV and servo-controlled operator's 

 chairs that would reflect the vehicle's attitude might give the operator a 

 better feeling for the overall conditions under which the vehicle was operating. 



The same North Sea operator, whose vehicle conducts bottom and pipeline 

 surveys, felt that efficiency could be improved by physically separating the 

 pilot from the data collection/display instrumentation. During such surveys. 



