ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses there is something very different and noteworthy about the particular type of product. General purpose computers are unique in that they are "smart" machines. It deals with the Human Factors and/or Ergonomics concept or methodology referred to as the Hazard Control Hierarchy (HCH). The HCH is a prioritized strategy for controlling or mitigating the hazards associated with a given product. The main point is that "smart" devices represent an entirely different set of potential capabilities and achievable event scenarios—ones that are well within the range of an intelligent, dynamically responsive machine, such as the Acme laptop. Note that the designers/manufacturer of the computer anticipated some of the hazards associated with the computer, but they only used paper documentation as the medium to convey that information to users. Further developments can be expected in the ways in which people and computer-like devices will symbiotically interact and jointly accomplish activities and tasks.
