Ergonomic Design Benefits Users of Large-Display Workstations

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  • By Brandie Woodard
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ROME, New York --  Advances in computer and display technology and a dramatic shift in work responsibilities have rendered small, standard computer monitors inadequate because they no longer meet the demands of the workplace. There has been a great deal of work designing ergonomically friendly office furniture, but to date no published guidelines exist for large-display workstations, which are being increasingly integrated into the workplace. What works for a small monitor does not work for a large monitor.

The ergonomically designed large-display workstation consists of two 30" displays, each with a resolution of 1600x2560 and one 56" Quad-HD display with a resolution of 3840x2160. This creates a display system with a combined resolution of 16,486,400 pixels, which is 7.95 times that of HDTV. The display height, display tilt, and keyboard tray height are independently electro-mechanically controlled and paired with a manual keyboard tray distance adjustment. The system is on casters for portability and can be collapsed to a depth that fits through a standard 3-foot doorway. It maximizes a user's workspace while minimizing the footprint necessary to provide such a powerful display system.

The workstation was showcased at the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference in September 2011, where it was pivotal in showing off other AFRL-developed software. The display met or exceeded all expectations and was a constant item of conversation and interest from all attendees.

The actual unit displayed is on its way to the Joint Space Operations Center's (JSpOC) Mission Integration Enclave (MIE) facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, where the workstation and software will be tested against actual mission needs and find a suitable home where its unique capabilities will enhance warfighter effectiveness. A clone of the workstation is being fabricated to host at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Rome Research Site's 222nd Command and Control Squadron detachment of the Air National Guard. Here it will be used to train and support their unique mission for both the National Reconnaissance Office and the U.S. Air Force's Space Command. Having operators on both coasts use the workstation with various software requirements gives researchers at AFRL valuable insight into future enhancements and how best to serve the Air Force and its mission.