Dispositivo de ajuda perceptiva na atividade de inspeção visual para detecção de plantas cítricas com Huanglongbing (HLB, Greening)

Abstract

This research aimed to develop a perceptual assistant device for citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) Greening´s scouts, which are workers responsible for symptomatic diseased plants identification by visual inspections on field. The methodology used has as starting point the Ergonomics Work Analysis (EWA) of HLB´s scouts, proceeded by Gonçalves (2011). The inspection´ EWA is articulated with Engineering Project methods for device development from the Activity standpoint. From EWA problem structuring, the device concept was defined as a lens which provides perceptual aid to HLB scouts by color contrast enhancement of mottling leaves, facilitating yellow bunch identification during visual inspection, but without any restriction to additional symptoms identification. Based on efficiency and productivity perspective, confronted against health and wellbeing perspective, it was used a method of data acquisition for quantitative analysis by statistical analysis of variance, related to inspection activity efficiency, and qualitative analysis, by semi-structured interviews related to user perception about wearing the perceptual assistant device. Results show that, in one hand, wearing the device helps to relief some cognitive constraints related to inspection activity, such as lightness, sun light reflection, shadows over the leaves, sun light direction variation, and also enhances symptomatic mottled leaves visualization. On the other hand, related to inspection efficiency, wearing the device does not resulted in higher or lower HLB identification on field. Therefore, the perceptual assistant device utilization for health improvement in the workplace and how is done mobilization and coordination between different social actors around the device development and evaluation, stays in this research as a reference about a way to create innovation.