User Interface Design for VCMMs: an Approach to Increase Fidelity and Usability

In recent years the declaration of uncertainties according to the ISO GUM (1995) has pushed the development of the so called Virtual Coordinate Measuring Machines - VCMMs as a software tool to generate uncertainty estimates for industrial applications. That is, a tool to calculate measurement uncertainty estimates based on real metrology information to be used in the context of quality systems. Recent tests on commercial VCMMs have shown that the fidelity of the simulation process to the real world is as important as the numerical correctness of uncertainty calculations. In this paper a VCMM interface design is proposed, focusing on techniques to increase the software fidelity and usability in industrial metrology applications. Results show that the quality of the simulation can be improved by proper user guidance as much as the software usability by the application of basic principles of software prototyping using the MVC model