Located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, HEL acted as the Army’s lead laboratory for human factors and ergonomics research from 1951 to 1992.

Researchers at HEL investigated methods to maximize combat effectiveness, improve weapons and equipment designs, and reduce operation costs and errors.

[1][5][6] The group initially consisted of seven people and was led by its first director, Dr. Ben Ami Blau, who slowly increased the work force to around 40 military and civilian personnel.

[5][7] By that point, the organization amassed a total of 257 military and civilian employees and gained international recognition for its research in the field of human factors.

However, the process of developing military specifications and standards with the U.S. Army Missile Command revealed severe deficiencies in HEL’s knowledge of human performance, largely due to insufficient equipment and funding.

Examples of data voids included the effects of acoustical energy on operator health and performance as well as knowledge on the symbolic representation of information on displays.

These improvements eventually enabled the laboratory to develop the first simulation of the operating consoles for the Patriot system as well as apply human factors engineering to its design.

[8] In 1975, AMC approved a pilot program that converted the human engineering groups at its Major Subordinate Commands into HEL detachments.

[15] For these human performance tests, researchers brought in non-commissioned officers from the Army’s major military specialties as well as regular combat troops and soldiers who completed basic training to help evaluate how an equipment would fare in a battlefield environment.

Researchers focused on factors such as vision, hearing, endurance, stress, strength, height, and weight, and recorded their findings in a large data bank that other Defense agencies could access.

Considering everything from noise levels produced by a gun to the ease with which an operator could reach a vehicle’s brake pedal, researchers in this directorate evaluated the man–machine interface for gaps in safety and efficiency.

In addition to aiding the design and development of military technologies, HEL researchers also conducted troubleshooting to identify human engineering problems whenever soldiers in the field reported issues with operating or maintaining a piece of equipment.

[1] The Close Combat–Light and Heavy Division evaluated Army weapons, clothing, equipment, and combat vehicles to increase the individual’s survivability and efficacy on the battlefield.

The Armor team was responsible for human factors engineering considerations in tracked and wheeled combat vehicles, such as tanks, trucks, and jeeps.

The Test Bed Development team created new systems to evaluate concepts intended to reduce crew size and training requirements as well as increase survivability and firing platform responsiveness.

[19][20] Following HELBAT I, HEL worked with the Frankford Arsenal to develop a laser range finder for the forward observer that could not only measure distances but also locate targets using an azimuth scale.