The clocks are changing this weekend. Daylight savings and the semi-annual changing of time always reminds me of the one time, in 1988, when I almost missed my plane due to human error. The “human” meaning, of course, me. I arrived for my flight with more than an hour to...
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A U.S. Marine makes his way through a challenging crawl obstacle – one of many that influenced the development of the LEAP system.
Mini-Series Part 2: The Bathroom A few weeks ago, I started this blog mini-series on human factors (HF) considerations in renovations. By and large, Part 1 covered kitchen concepts. This edition – Part 2 – covers the bathroom. The bathroom, like it or not, is the most important room of...
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Recently I heard about yet another tragic death of someone falling onto a subway track. It amazes me that this still happens and that no sure-fire preventative measures are out there to eliminate these senseless deaths. Not too long afterward, I had cause to use the free train provided from...
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As a company we believe that people are the most important part of any system. As a result, we usually strive to make systems easier, safer, and more comfortable for human users. However, it’s not always that straightforward. Sometimes, you may want a system to be easily accessible to one...
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Mini-Series Part 1: The Kitchen Long before I worked at HSI®, a human factors (HF) research consulting firm, I paid the bills by working at a kitchen and bath showroom. Laugh as you might (my friends certainly did), I was the go-to person for anything from self-opening toilet seats, air...
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After an intense bid submission process, and a few weeks eagerly awaiting an award announcement from Public Works and Government Services Canada, we learned last week that we are the winning team for the newest Human Factors Engineering Support RFP for the Director Soldier Systems Project Management (DSSPM). This contract...
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The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have posted a video on YouTube promoting Defence Research and Development Canada’s CAN-LEAP combat mobility course. This course was developed by HSI® in conjunction with the United States Marine Corps (USMC), by using feedback from operations to design realistic obstacles with advanced sensors to quantify...
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In military research and development, we often come across equipment specifications that have to be met to resolve technical issues and keep pace with the capabilities of other nations. Because new and exciting technologies are developed at an unprecedented rate, it’s easy to focus on the technological attributes of new...
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Life is a series of choices. Some are simple, such as deciding to take an umbrella with you on a cloudy day forecast for showers. Others, however – such as which refrigerator to purchase from a wide selection of colour, configuration, brands, benefits and prices – are not. When trying...
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