ABSTRACT
The interfaces and interaction methods thattraditionally high-technology industriessuch as aerospace, nuclear power or maritime are using in their productsis now beginning to look a little tired when compared to developments in the consumer domain such as smart phones or gaming platforms (Cohen & McGee, 2004). The often astonishing times from research to product launch that are achieved by mobile telecoms companies or console gaming manufactures are in stark contrast to the lengthy projects often seen in the aerospace and defence domains (for example see Kingsley-Jones, 2007). The method presented here is part of a wider study conducted by BAE Systems of interface technologies used in BAE Systems products in the information security, maritime and aerospace domains. BAE Systems required a structured assessment of novel and emerging technologies to assess the potential for performance advantage.The analysis had to be high-level, conducted quickly using a little resource as possible.The method presented here was developed by the author to meet these requirements. Other methods for the assessment of technology exist, but none could easily cope with the wide range of products offered by BAE Systems and remain within the budgetary and time constraints of the project. Such assessments are necessary since the variety of interface technologies meeting the required standards are increasing year on year. As such, the method had to be flexible enough to allow these very different business areas to be assessed and compared with ease.
A selection of novel and near-novel technologies were identified by the Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) Human Factors Capability and from this, a list of
