Wageningen, 15 August 1996 - The Observer has recently made its entry into a new market: the automotive industry. Volvo, the well-known Swedish car manufacturer, is the first company in its kind to recognize the potential of The Observer as a powerful tool in human factors and ergonomics research. In August, Volvo acquired a Video Tape Analysis System with the new Windows-based software for its Cognitive Ergonomics laboratory in Göteborg.

The Cognitive Ergonomics laboratory provides research services to various divisions of the Swedish multinational. Observational studies are a key element of the design process. "By accurately recording and analyzing the driver's actions in response to all sorts of signals coming from outside the car or from on-board information sources, we hope to improve the design of the human-machine interface", says human factors engineer Trent Victor. "Our ultimate goal is to design cars which are safer and easier to use." Mr. Victor and his colleague Karin Erlandsson will film the driver with car-mounted cameras. Back in the lab, an AEC BOX-18 adds VITC time code to the tapes, which are subsequently coded with The Observer using a Panasonic AG-7355 VCR and an AEC PC-VITC/RDR time code reader. Next, the observational data will be subjected to various analyses within and outside The Observer, in order to assess how a person's behavior is influenced by the driving environment.

We are happy that The Observer will contribute to strengthen Volvo's already excellent reputation!

For more information, please contact the product manager of The Observer.