Operate a Boat

Fundamentals of ergonomics applied to helm stations of boats. From the tiller hinged on the stern, up to the steering wheel introduced by the great Vessels, depending on the type of vessel to which it refers, may also profoundly change the requirements of good ergonomics of a helm station. The develop of marine engineering knowledge has led to the development of ever-increasing size of vessels; so, the solution of a traditional tiller would become inconsistent with the figure of the helmsman, therefore a single man would not have been able to control properly. To do this, the solution was introduced through chains and ropes, pulleys referrals through appropriate scaling, by leading the rudder to the steering wheel. In doing so, any vessel, however large, could be ruled by one man. From sea to air or land the steering wheel is an application derived from the marine “rudder wheel”, which can be traced back to the sixteenth century. Nowadays, however, the traditional tiller still exists and is highly appreciated for boats -usually small and light- designed following the priority for simple, reliable and efficient solutions. The spread of boats of larger size, has described the adoption of a fairly standard setting, designed to meet ergonomic requirements for the functional control of the boat, in the most direct and efficient way. The introduction of modern technologies, for transfer the control signals and monitoring, have developed interesting application of these "drive by wire", totally innovative if compared to traditional mechanical technologies. Even more interesting are the "Wi-Fi" or "blue-tooth" solutions, now entering the market. Today times, to control the movement of a large vessel through a joystick is one of the most proven and reliable solutions. Moreover, the modern technology allows applications of remote controls able to drive a boat from anywhere, even from outside the boat itself, like in a videogame. This introduces new and different ergonomic problems.