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US Navy will replace touchscreen with mechanical controls on its destroyers

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Re: US Navy will replace touchscreen with mechanical controls on its destroyers

#61

Post by nostrademons »

newnewpdro wrote: post #10
situational87 wrote: post #4

I'm having trouble visualizing exactly how this works from the text, but it sounds like a total nightmare. Some sort of complicated list of steps for transferring control screens between different stations on the ship, and it's not clear why or when you do this at all. I'm guessing the Navy doesn't spend a lot of time on UI/UX, which is ironic since these long, high-stress shifts with lives on the line is exactly whe…

Transferring controls between stations seems to have obvious utility if you consider the desire to relieve sailors without removing others from their stations. Give the helmsman a bathroom break by transferring the controls to another's station rather than having the people move to the controls. The whole splitting of throttle/steering controls seems a bit odd to me however. I can't imagine a situation where I was at…

Damage control reasons as well. If a shell hits the bridge or CIC and wipes out half the stations, killing the sailors manning them, it's desirable to be able to move critical functions to other live sailors where they are and not make them clear away rubble or dead bodies before they can assume their functions. The previous station may not even exist anymore.

Re: US Navy will replace touchscreen with mechanical controls on its destroyers

#62

Post by Tomte »

rossdavidh wrote: post #2

You know, I think touchscreens are not preferable unless you need/want to be able to have controls for many different systems in the same space (e.g. a smartphone with multiple apps). If you are needing a dedicated control for a high-stakes system, the fact that it's a more modern-looking interface should not matter. Touchscreens are inherently inferior to a mechanical interface, if it's a single-system (i.e. doesn't…

Or if you need to clean/desinfect often. Touchscreens are good in hospitals.

Re: US Navy will replace touchscreen with mechanical controls on its destroyers

#63

Post by 13415 »

dmix wrote: post #41
inflatableDodo wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>We still use controllers for video games over keyboards/mice Not that good an example, at least for first person shooters.

I'm sure the vast majority of FPS players are using controllers...

I would be surprised if that was true for PC games. Keyboard and mouse is vastly superior to any gamepad. Steering wheel and yoke beat keyboard and mouse for simulations, but that's a very specific use case.

Re: US Navy will replace touchscreen with mechanical controls on its destroyers

#64

Post by dnh44 »

twic wrote: post #45
mhandley wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yesterday I was driving back from Scotland to England, doing 70ish, when we ran into a really heavy thunderstorm. Went from good visibility to almost zero in seconds, and the only thing I could properly see was the crash barrier alongside the lane. I found myself desperately trying to see where the road was, simultaneously trying not to get rear-ended as I slowed up, switch on the rear fog lamps and hazards, max wipe…

Honest question: why didn't you take the train? This would have been a good time to take another sip of your whisky and soda.

In the UK taking a train is often (but not always) more expensive than driving and can take longer too. Depending on the route there might not be a viable service. The service in bad weather isn’t very reliable either.

But for some routes it’s really easy and convenient. It just depends on where you are and where you’re going.

Re: US Navy will replace touchscreen with mechanical controls on its destroyers

#65

Post by xnyan »

dmix wrote: post #23

We still use controllers for most video games over keyboards/mice or touch pads for a good reasons related to how games are played (from a couch vs desk) or the types of games. No human computer interface is a panacea. It should always be a mix for any complex system, not either/or.

It depends on the game and your personal preferences. I can't imagine any enjoying a RTS or 4x like Civilization with a gamepad. I prefer a mouse for 1st person shooters, for whatever reason I simply can't aim accurately or quickly with a analog joystick.

Re: US Navy will replace touchscreen with mechanical controls on its destroyers

#67

Post by [deleted] »

13415 wrote: post #63
dmix wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure the vast majority of FPS players are using controllers...

I would be surprised if that was true for PC games. Keyboard and mouse is vastly superior to any gamepad. Steering wheel and yoke beat keyboard and mouse for simulations, but that's a very specific use case.

[deleted]

Re: US Navy will replace touchscreen with mechanical controls on its destroyers

#68

Post by xnyan »

dmix wrote: post #41
inflatableDodo wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>We still use controllers for video games over keyboards/mice Not that good an example, at least for first person shooters.

I'm sure the vast majority of FPS players are using controllers...

I use a keyboard/mouse for PC games not because I'm trying to be an elite couter-strike player, I just find the analog joystick uncomfortable and difficult to use most of the time.

Re: US Navy will replace touchscreen with mechanical controls on its destroyers

#69

Post by leetcrew »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #43
liability wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because when the sensor goes screwy I don't want my car to start flipping shit like the defroster on when it's not needed? Because manual controls make such automation totally unnecessary? Because even if the automated system were designed to be "fail safe", the state that's 'safe' is actually context dependent, therefore manual controls will be necessary anyway? It ain't broke, so stop trying to 'fix' it.

The problem is the current solution doesn't work. Because trying to perfect those settings manually while driving in near zero visibility is scary and dangerous. And nobody even knows the correct settings to use! There are YouTube videos testing whether cold or warm air is the fastest way to defrost and/or defog your window, because nobody knows or remembers. I honestly don't remember and my solution is "try both for…

it's really not that complicated, you just have to understand why condensation is happening in the first place. it's always because the glass is colder than the moist air it is touching. there are two strategies to deal with this: either blow air with very low relative humidity over the glass, or fix the temperature differential itself. if you're using the "blow dry air" strategy, you always want to turn on AC and at least some heat, as this will create low relative humidity.

now in the winter you can sometimes do better than this by fixing the temperature differential itself. you can either lower the windows or cool the entire interior by blowing air with no heat. in reality, most people don't actually want to drive around in the winter with windows down or no heat, so the best tolerable option is usually to do as above: turn on AC and heat.

in the summer you can also get fogging on the outside of the windows. just use your wipers for this.

Re: US Navy will replace touchscreen with mechanical controls on its destroyers

#70

Post by dmix »

xnyan wrote: post #68
dmix wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure the vast majority of FPS players are using controllers...

I use a keyboard/mouse for PC games not because I'm trying to be an elite couter-strike player, I just find the analog joystick uncomfortable and difficult to use most of the time.

It's an analogy. I'm not saying they should specifically be using game controllers to navigate ships.
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