Human-machine systems

Article By:

Jones, Patricia M. Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois.

Last reviewed:August 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.324900

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• Human-machine systems, published January 2020:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

A complex system that comprise both humans and machines. Human-machine systems engineering is the analysis, modeling, and design of such systems. It is distinguished from the more general field of human factors and from the related fields of human-computer interaction, engineering psychology, and sociotechnical systems theory in three general ways. First, human-machine systems engineering focuses on large, complex, dynamic control systems that often are partially automated (such as flying an airplane (Fig. 1), monitoring a nuclear power plant, or supervising a flexible manufacturing system). Second, human-machine systems engineers build quantitative or computational models of the human-machine interaction as tools for analysis and frameworks for design. Finally, human-machine systems engineers study human problem-solving in naturalistic settings or in simulated environments. See also: Human-computer interaction; Human-factors engineering

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