Forming a view: a human factors case study of augmented reality collaboration in assembly.

Industry 4.0 technology is promoted as improving manufacturing flexibility, and competitiveness; though Australia has been slow to adopt. The Australian Navy shipbuilding program provides opportunities for accelerating technology adoption, revitalising manufacturing productivity and competitiveness. Adopting a sociotechnical systems lens, our research sought to identify usability, workload, and user experience of an augmented reality head-mounted display (AR-HMD) deployed to complete multiple work tasks in a workflow (electrical assembly, collaborative robot (cobot) mediated inspection, and remote troubleshooting using video call). Usability was rated 'average' (System Usability Scale mean = 69.8) and workload 'acceptable' (NASA Task Load Index mean = 25.8) for the AR-HMD alone, with usability of the integrated work system (IWS) rated 'good' (SUS mean = 79.2). Results suggest software interfaces, tracking, and gesturing methods for the AR-HMD require improvement. This trial shows the AR-HMD provides a versatile platform for integrating multiple digital technologies without hindering effectiveness of end-user performance, potentially benefiting productivity and quality.

Using an augmented reality head-mounted display (AR-HMD) to reduce and correct errors in electrical assembly identified factors influencing technology adoption in shipbuilding. Mental workload, interface design, tracking, and gesturing most hindered successful performance. AR-HMDs can facilitate the use of more complex integrated technologies (i.e. cobot), improving usability and acceptance.

The acceptability of climate change in agricultural communities: comparing responses across variability and change.

This study examined how the terms used to describe climate change influence landholder acceptability judgements and attitudes toward climate change at the local scale. Telephone surveys were conducted with landholders from viticultural (n = 97) or cereal growing (n = 195) backgrounds in rural South Australia. A variety of descriptive and inferential statistics were used to examine the influence of human-induced climate change and winter/spring drying trend terms on adaptation responses and uncertainties surrounding climate change science. We found that the terms used to describe climate change leads to significant differences in adaptation response and levels of scepticism surrounding climate change in rural populations. For example, those respondents who accepted human induced climate change as a reality were significantly more likely to invest in technologies to sow crops earlier or increase the amount of water stored or harvested on their properties than respondents who accepted the winter/spring drying trend as a reality. The results have implications for the targeting of climate change science messages to both rural landholders and communities of practice involved in climate change adaptation planning and implementation.