Effects of magnification methods and magnifier shapes on visual inspection

Ergonomics in apiculture: A case study based on inspecting movable frame hives for healthy bee activities

The agricultural sector suffers from high risk of injury and damage to human health. There is considerable research not only identifying these risks but also finding ways to mitigate them. Beekeeping or apiculture, recognised as part of this sector, has many risk factors such as heavy lifting, high degree of manual materials handling, twisting, and awkward positioning common to all agriculture areas. It also has some unique risks such as those resulting from bee stings and smokers. However, there is much less attention focused on the health and safety of apiculture to the human beekeepers, and much more attention focused on bee health and safety. An ergonomics case study on beekeeping inspection tasks involving three independent, local beekeepers showed that many tasks involve awkward positions of the body, arms and hands, excessive lifting well beyond recommended weight limits, eye strain, and chemical and sting exposure. In addition, beekeepers are more interested in bee and hive health rather than reducing human-centred risk factors such as those due to excessive lifting. Standard ergonomics interventions such as a magnifier inspection and lift assist systems as well as interventions unique to beekeeping such as a smokeless method of calming bees are recommended. The beekeeping industry seems to have been forgotten in the modernisation of technology and agricultural practices. This paper offers some initial insights into possible points for research, development and improvements.

Effects of magnification modes and location cues on visual inspection performance

Image magnification often results in disorientation through loss of orientation and location during inspection. This study investigated the effects of three different magnification modes viz. full screen, circular, and fixed-area on visual inspection performance. Also, to improve participants’ global orientation with respect to the original product, location cues in the form of halftone landmarks were introduced as a job aid and their effectiveness on inspection performance was examined. Twenty-eight undergraduates participated in the experiment. Significant magnification mode effect was found, but the location cue effect was found non-significant. The results suggested that the presentation of content/contextual information on one single screen should be considered together with the nature of the visual task and participants’ search behaviors, and that the aid of location cues might be useful when the visual task demanded a high level of search memory and/or an unsystematic search strategy was employed by inspectors.

Effects of learning for linear and differential video magnifiers

This study sought to determine the learning effects of repeated practice with the traditional linear and the novel differential linear and differential non-linear magnification methods on visual inspection performance. Performance feedback of speed and accuracy and process feedback of scan paths and coverage of search area were given to subjects in order to facilitate the learning process. Objective performance in terms of speed and accuracy and subjective evaluation using the NASA Task Load Index paradigm were captured and analysed. The results showed that there were positive learning effects for the three magnification methods and the learning effects for the two differential magnification methods were greater than that for the traditional linear method. Three exponential learning curves were established for the three search tasks, which showed that search performance with the differential linear and differential non-linear magnifications would surpass the traditional linear method after four and 10 sessions of repeated practice, respectively.