Posted on 08/15/2019 11:24:55 AM PDT by CedarDave
The US Navy is to replace touchscreen controls on destroyers with physical systems in 2020 after a report into the fatal 2017 USS John S McCain collision branded the controls ‘unnecessarily complex’.
The investigation into the accident that resulted in the deaths of 10 sailors said that the complexity of the control system and a lack of training led to the collision.
Bridge design on US naval vessels is largely uncontrolled by the military, with a lack of specific requirements leaving design decisions to shipbuilders.
The step-back in technology will give sailors more tactile feedback and remove the ambiguity and uncertainty that played a role in the collision.
The Navy will retrofit mechanical controls on all DDG-51 (Arleigh Burke) class destroyers that currently use the Northrop Grumman Integrated Bridge and Navigation System (IBNS).
When reached for comment Northrop Grumman told Naval Technology: “We continue to work closely with the Navy on its navigation modernisation program by providing advanced capabilities to support the fleet.”
After incidents with the USS McCain and USS Fitzgerald, the US Navy surveyed the crews of its ships and found a majority of sailors wanted to see a return to more intuitive mechanical controls.
A report from the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that: “Training on the operation of the Integrated Bridge and Navigation System for John S McCain watchstanders was inadequate, because it did not ensure that the crew could perform the basic functions of the watch, such as the transfer of steering and thrust control between bridge stations.”
The report also found that “The design of the John S McCain’s touch-screen steering and thrust control system increased the likelihood of the operator errors that led to the collision.”
The report did not place sole blame on the IBNS, however, adding that the sailors’ lack of training and fatigue also played a key role in the incident.
The incident was caused when sailors attempted to pass control of the throttle from one console to another, resulting in the belief that they had lost control of the ship.
The system on board the ship allows throttle and steering to be controlled from multiple stations on the USS McCain’s bridge. The ship’s crew enabled the “backup manual mode” to get more intuitive control of the ship, however, this meant it could be controlled from multiple stations. As a result crew members on all three stations could steer the ship when they tried to regain control of the vessel steering swapped between the three stations.
As a result, the report recommended that the US Navy “issue permanent guidance directing destroyers equipped with the Integrated Bridge and Navigation System to operate in computer-assisted steering modes, except during an emergency.”
The report added: “Mechanical throttles provide complementary information to an operator: direction, force, and the ability to confirm either visually or by touch whether the throttles are ganged and working in unison.
“Mechanical throttles are used in aviation and on most vessels still operating in the Navy. They are often preferred over touch-screen displays as they provide both immediate and tactile feedback to the operator.”
The report concluded that the US Navy should revise the way it trains sailors to use the IBNS system and provide clearer technical manuals on how to correctly transfer controls between the systems consoles.
I guess elevators are out now, too. :(
FAA gave a warning about this to small aircraft not long ago.
It just seems like touch screens and weapon systems are bad combo.
Me also driving the manual truck. The only thing on touchscreen vehicles that appeals to me is the back-up camera.
I am with the Navy on this, I think with old style controls, rather than touch screens give better feedback to the user. Especially like in the original Star trek, where the panels would short out and explode in a cloud of sparks, possibly taking out a red shirt along with it. Now that was feedback!
Few things get your attention quicker than “Man Aft Steering”! over the 1MC in a high traffic area.
Like a modern car radio!
Mechanical hand crank car windows almost never failed.
I disagree. Instead of a screen dimmer which is readily accessible, guys on a new civilian ship started just throwing their jackets over the screen because they could not readily dim it at night. Turns out that they needed to go to a sub-menu of a sub-menu. The red light should be a quick and easy switch not a time consuming hunt through several screens.
It was also career advice !
Don’t be a red shirt!
Yep, It had gone beyond all intelligent logic now.
“I despise touchscreens.”
Ditto. First things I do with a new laptop is turn off the touchscreen and turn off the touchpad.
In high-stress, high-adrenalin situations, the first thing to deteriorate is fine motor control. That do you need to work touch screens? Fine motor control. Duh.
When you are talking about a system as important as the steering of a battleship, why aren’t there redundant controls? Why not have the touchscreens but have mechanical controls in place to override the touchscreens if the need arises? Airplanes that are much, much more weight sensitive than a battleship have numerous redundant systems.
I was in a sports car with a manual transmission and the driver got stuck in a rut on the side of the road. I watched her try several times to get it out. I then said I think I can do this if you will let me try.
So, got in the driver's seat, put it in first gear, let the clutch out slightly and as the car rocked up the side of the rut, pushed it in again. Rocked up the other side and let the clutch out again.
Couple of rocks and I was up and out of the rut. Standard maneuver with a manual transmission. Try doing that with an automatic transmission with a touch screen.
Some of these human-machine interfaces have been designed over decades. Some over millennia. They work because they have evolved over time to be the best way to do it.
Particularly in cars/trucks. If the driver has to take eyes off the road to determine what state the controls are in and switch them to the state he desires, then the controls are badly designed. And many controls in cars from the last few years are badly designed. Touch screens almost guarantee this form of bad design.
“I guess elevators are out now, too. :(”
Carry something in both hands and ask a the nice person next to you to push the buttob. He/she/it will go away felling happy that they got to help someone.
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