Technical tours provide HFES Annual Meeting attendees with opportunities to see HF/E in action at special sale prices! The following tour sites have been selected to showcase settings in which researchers and practitioners work. The exact timing of these tours will be available soon. For those tours not sold out in advance, tickets may be purchased during the meeting. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis on receipt of fully paid registration. HFES reserves the right to cancel any tour. A full refund will be provided.
Jump Links:
To Register: If you already are registered to attend the annual meeting, simply email registration@meetingplanners.com with the name of the tour(s) you want to attend. They will add it to your registration and send you a revised confirmation/invoice and link for online payment remittance. New registrants will not be able to add tours when they register for the full meeting due to system configurations. Please register for ASPIRE and then promptly contact registration@meetingplanners.com to request the tour you want to attend be added to your registration.
Shuttle Information: Please note that the time your shuttle bus departs the hotel will be earlier (in come instances up to an hour earlier) than the start time of the tours as listed below. Present your ticket and board your shuttle at least 15 minutes before departure (you will receive your ticket at the HFES registration desk on-site). See Shuttle Location Here. Shuttles will depart on time. No refunds are provided if you miss your shuttle.
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 - 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
- This tour is capped at 13 registrations
- Tour Fee: $55 The same fee applies to members/non-members and each registration type
- The shuttle will depart the Biltmore at 12:30 pm. It will depart the tour location a few minutes after 3 pm. Expect to be back at the the hotel by 3:40 pm.
The facility features four standard usability labs, a focus group/conference room, and a large, 45 x 30 foot space that permits motion capture, IMU, or other dynamic studies to be conducted. The team will command specialized equipment, such as motion capture cameras, physiological data recording equipment, optometric equipment, IMUs, and eye trackers, although none of these may be on display at the time of the tour, depending upon their use on confidential projects. The research staff will be prepared to talk about the use of this equipment, however, as well as the work that occurs at this and the other two lab facilities that are part of the larger J.S. Held User Research Labs (URL) network. The larger team provides bespoke user research, based on published scientific methodologies and fifty years of failure analysis and litigation support, and also supports litigation by providing de novo empirical data.
- Facility is fully ADA accessible and the entirety of the tour is on level ground
- Cell phones are permitted; photography is permitted upon request in real-time, at the discretion of the tour guide; video and/or audio recordings are not permitted
- There are no particular attire or footwear restrictions
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 from 8:30 am - 10:00 am
- Tour Fee: $60 The same fee applies to members/non-members and each registration type
- This tour is capped at 26 registrations
- The shuttle will depart the Biltmore at 7:30 am. It will depart the tour location a few minutes after 10:00 am. Expect to be back at the the hotel by 11:00 am.
The Center for Human, Artificial Intelligence, and Robot Teaming (CHART) is a cutting-edge facility dedicated to advancing the science of human, AI, and robot teaming. CHART applies the social science of teams to develop human-machine teams that complement each other. The facility's research spans diverse fields, integrating insights from computer science, robotics, psychology, art, and behavioral sciences to develop human-machine testbeds and team effectiveness measures that provide a rich infrastructure for this research. CHART leads the way in developing metrics for team dynamics and trust measurement, ensuring that human-AI-robot teams are resilient, effective, and ready to tackle national security challenges. The tour covers select testbeds and research projects, including Nancy Cooke’s General Human Operation of Systems as Teams (GHOST) Lab, Artificial Social Intelligence for Successful Teams (ASIST) project, and Space Challenge project; Jamie Gorman’s Systems Psychology Lab; and Heejin Jeong’s HiMER Lab with XR/Robotics. With its multidisciplinary approach, CHART is revolutionizing how we understand and implement human-machine teaming.
- Fully accessible
- No restrictions on apparel, footwear
- No photography restrictions
- Bring a photo ID
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 from 2:00 pm - 3:15 pm
- This tour is capped at 37 registrations
- Tour Fee: $55 The same fee applies to members/non-members and each registration type
- Shuttle departs the hotel at 1:15 pm and departs Exponent at the end of the tour at 3:15 pm. Anticipate being back at the Biltmore by 4:00 pm.
Exponent’s Phoenix location is home to the Test & Engineering Center (TEC) and Centers for Scientific User Research (CSUR). The facility and diverse laboratory space sits on over 140 acres in North Phoenix. The facility includes a two-mile test track, vehicle handling pad, an anechoic chamber, thermal testing capabilities, full-scale vehicle crash test capabilities, and CSUR which is a 6,000 square foot state-of-the-art user research center. CSUR has six user study suites of various sizes, can be connected to the test track, and includes an A/B testing lab, focus group lab, and optometry lab. Our Phoenix facility is a uniquely collaborative environment that is built around diverse scientific and engineering backgrounds coming together to utilize the testing and laboratory infrastructure. The tour will include an opportunity to see much of the testing infrastructure and laboratory space, examples of how Exponent uses these resources, and discussions and background on Exponent’s consulting activities and our staff who work at the facility.
- Exponent states that this tour is partly ADA accessible
- Wear comfortable walking shoes, and appropriate clothing for occasionally being outside
- Attendees will need to sign an authorization form/NDA to enter the property
Thursday, September 12, 2024 - 9:30 am to 11:00 am
- 9:30 am – 11 am (Maximum is 13 individuals, excluding Host Committee member)
- Shuttle departs hotel at 8:45 am and departs venue to return to the hotel at 11:00 am. You should be back at the Biltmore before Noon.
- NOTE: We will offer a second tour time (Noon to 1:30 pm) if the 9:30 tour sells out
Tour Fee: $65 The same fee applies to members/nonmembers and each registration type.
Discover the human factors and ergonomics (HF/E) innovations at the Amazon Fulfillment Center, where cutting-edge technology and efficient processes create an optimized work environment. Amazon's fulfillment centers, some as large as 28 football fields, are designed to enhance employee well-being and productivity. Bright, expansive spaces feature advanced robotics and miles of conveyor belts, all working in harmony to reduce physical strain and increase efficiency. On a tour, you’ll witness how orange robots transport towering stacks of goods and how innovative systems, like air-puff labeling, streamline the fulfillment process. These technologies not only boost operational efficiency but also demonstrate Amazon's commitment to integrating technology with human expertise. Join us to experience firsthand how Amazon is transforming the workplace through HF/E principles, making it a leading example of modern fulfillment operations.
- All guests must wear flat, closed-toe and closed-heeled shoes. We recommend wearing comfortable shoes/sneakers. Long hair must be tied above the shoulders, and loose-fitting clothes (such as long jewelry or scarves) are not permitted. Scarves worn for religious reasons are permitted, but must be securely tucked in.
- Registrants must be able to walk up and down at least one flight of stairs and walk approximately 1 mile
- Guests may bring their keys, wallet, transparent plastic water bottles, and cellphones on the tour
- Safety around machinery is extremely important at Amazon, so they don’t allow the following:
- Luggage, briefcases, handbags or backpacks
- Cameras or recording devices (aside from your cellphone)
- Food
- Weapons
- Bring photo ID (for example: driver’s license, passport, residency card)