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CrossControl works in partnership with OEMs and System Integrators to make industrial machines smarter, safer and more productive. Our latest range of onboard computing solutions includes displays and monitors, in sizes 3.5”-15”. These connect with the machine to provide intuitive operator interface, smart controls, instrumentation, engine diagnostics and advanced guidance systems. 

The platform is supported by our open and modular software suite. CrossControl offers support for tool chains of choice, including Qt, HTML5 and CODESYS, to help enable the quick development of custom applications, facilitate bespoke parameter integration and reduce customer time to market. The platform also features ready-made software components and libraries that help further shorten the application design cycle. Examples of prebuilt modules include windowing for multiple applications, GUI object libraries, computer vision, digital manuals, and connectivity. With the platform architecture, based on Linux and Qt, it is easy to integrate additional open source components to further shorten the application design cycle and extend the platforms functionality.

Operator Comfort includes more than just the cushioning in the chair, it is everything that surrounds a driver as they operate a vehicle, steering wheel height, pedal positioning, seat support, harnessing and control interface. Research from Norway and Italy, as part of an overall EU study, looking into HMI in heavy machines has shown the importance of ergonomics in reducing operator fatigue, and research from Markus Wallmyr, Head of UX at CrossControl while jointly working as a researcher with Mälardalen University in Sweden has demonstrated the importance of display placement in improving information detection and operator efficiency. Additionally displays or monitors placed nearer the operator’s natural field of view can also increase information acquisition and retention. This can lead to quicker more accurate task completion and faster turnaround times, something that can have huge benefits in productivity as machine operators can take in guidance without place more than necessary load upon  their mental capacity. 

In industrial operations, fatigue may be an issue even for drivers working normal, daytime shifts as the study in 2008 from Friswell & Williamson, pointing to the growing number of hazards for the ‘wakeful-but-fatigued’ driver and supported by Matthews et al in 2011. This issue can be alleviated by employing eye tracking tools in the cab that monitor operators and give warnings through the display when fatigue is detected. Under laboratory testing conditions, studies of vigilance have been especially important for investigating task-induced fatigue, as suggested by Davies & Parasuraman in 1982. In certain circumstances, even short-duration tasks requiring sustained attention can show rapid and operationally significant performance decrements as Temple et al. noted in 2000. The speed of this deterioration can be reduced if the operator is given increased support and guidance from the operator aids and improved interaction via the machine’s display, reducing their mental load through task automation and computer guided operations, like depth control while digging trenches and slope control when landscaping a site. More recently, the problem of cognitive fatigue has surfaced in a range of performance contexts other than traditional vigilance paradigms as shown by Ackerman in a 2011 study. A variety of conditions influence the speed of the onset of fatigue including operator factors like sleep deprivation. High workload, monotonous tasks that give the machine user few opportunities to change their procedure appear to be the most vulnerable to the effects of fatigue as shown in the research carried out by Matthews et al in 2010. Giving users task flexibility and variety through changes in the display can help to break up this monotony and keep them feeling fresher during longer shifts. Conversely, tasks that offer high levels of challenge and intrinsic interest can be highly fatigue-resistant (Holding, 1983). Sleep loss, daylight levels, and task workload are three major areas of fatigue research, but there remain yet other sources of fatigue. Environmental stressors may produce fatigue as one of a range five psychological symptoms as demonstrated by Hancock in 1984. These stressors may include loud noise, high temperatures, poor quality displays (that elicit eye strain), and others. Thus reducing the stressors in the vehicle can be of huge benefit to the operator and their productivity such as high quality displays and a comfortable air-conditioned, soundproofed cabin. This emerges as one of the additional benefits of the move to all electric vehicles is reduced operator fatigue. This could be attributed to the lower noise and cleaner air that operators experience during their shift. In recent tests mining companies have noted that operators almost rush to select the newer all electric machines for shift work, noting that after their shift they feel noticeably less tired and more alert.  As operators showed a preference for the new all electric vehicles, similarly operators have shown a preference for vehicles with better integrated, more intuitive, controls. More modern displays with crisper graphics and higher screen fidelity also offer reduced eye strain. Proper support during longer operation periods can also improve operator’s overall health, a comfortable chair and controls within easy reach are part of this solution. To help OEMs achieve this, the latest displays from CrossControl can also be integrated directly into the armrest to provide additional HMI solutions within easy reach of any operator.

Operating heavy vehicles, for instance an excavator, requires a high level of attention to the vehicle, situational awareness and attention to the task. Efficiency and increased productivity are key to industry success, the continuing digital transformation taking place in industrial vehicles aims to improve productivity and user experience, but it can also increase the operator’s mental load; because of a higher demand of attention to instrumentation and controls. This can subsequently lead to a reduction in situation awareness and an increased risk of potentially fatal accidents. One way to mitigate this effect is to display key information directly within the operators’ field of view, which enhances information detectability through quick glances. This can be done today with a modular and flexible display solution, and may move towards using mixed reality interfaces in future implementations.  As part of this study of placement, and to better understand how these new tools for information distribution are best used, CrossControl has utilized eye-tracking to study users' attention to the task, situational awareness, and HMI. The results indicate the benefits of optimal display placement, and the hazards of poor location choice. Plus the study showed the positives available with mixed reality approaches including a more modern Heads Up Display. The implementations planned more with the operator in mind showed a lower reported mental workload and an improved rate in detection and assimilation of information.

OEMs want to offer the best user experiences in interacting with their systems, so as to provide users, and contractors, the best return for their investment. Advanced graphical capabilities are available on CrossControl displays due to the hardware accelerated graphics and powerful on board SoC. These allow for more dynamic HMI solutions and the possibility to create HMI solutions that can lead to greater information assimilation and a more positive user experience. Having a wide range of display sizes to choose from, all capable of running the same software, thanks to CrossControl’s software platform, is a huge advantage to OEMs in being able to select the right fit for each machine without committing additional engineering resources to building new applications for each machine and each new device size. Additionally flexible integration solutions allow for displays to be installed in the dashboard, A-pillar, armrest or roof of any vehicle cab to create a harmonious HMI solution that benefits users.  CrossControl’s new platform for machine intelligence offers separate computing hardware and monitors. This approach enables a new, adaptive lifecycle approach where each component can be independently managed and upgraded. The monitors deliver a best-in-class viewing experience, featuring optically bonded IPS type displays and high brightness for excellent visibility in demanding environments. Their slim bezels not only provide a modern aesthetic that refreshes the cabin design for the next generation of machines but also simplifies installation and allows for bigger screens and better information visualization while navigating the same physical footprint constraints. This allows the OEM greater freedom in how they arrange their HMI and receive key information and guidance based on the latest research and operator feedback.

As more and more information is being shared with the user through displays having them function as stand-alone pieces of equipment is becoming an obstacle to an integrated and smooth interaction supporting dynamic use cases. The latest solutions from CrossControl allow OEMS to give users the resources they need for a comfortable and productive working environment.