In a recent editorial, the editor of Evaluation Engineering, the only trade magazine left that specializes in covering the electronics test and measurement industry, asked the title question. In asking the question he brought up the 2017 collision between the USS John McCain and a Libyan oil tanker. He wrote:
A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation report stated that the McCain sailors were using an integrated bridge and navigation system (IBNS), which is a multifunctional pair of touchscreens designed by Northrup-Grumman.
That interface had been installed only a year before the fatal accident, and the NTSB report stated that the lack of proper training on the new touchscreen interface was the cause. Prior to installing the IBNS, McCain sailors had been using traditional mechanical controls with knobs and dials. The NTSB found that in the August 2017 incident, a sailor became confused about the interface that controlled only one side of the ship, with that sailor instead believing he was commanding steering of the entire ship’s destroyer’s throttle.
As a result of the tragedy, the U.S. Navy will revert its destroyers back onto a physical throttle and traditional knobs-and-dials control system over the next 18 to 24 months.
He goes on to ask the question whether or not the increasing use of touchscreens on electronic test equipment is a good thing or a bad thing. Pretty much the same question could be asked of amateur radio gear. Even relatively inexpensive radios, such as the IC-7300 (below) are using touchscreens. In fact, the touchscreen is one of the big selling points of this radio.
I rather like the touchscreen on my IC-7300, especially after I figured out how to use it. And, I think that the designers did a good job of balancing the use of the touch screen with the knobs and buttons on the radio. I think it would be a pain in the butt to have to adjust the volume by tapping the screen or clicking on an icon.
Personally, I think that the Navy jumped the gun on their decision to eliminate touchscreens altogether. As was pointed out, the problem wasn’t necessarily the touchschreen, but rather a lack of training on how to use it. Perhaps a hybrid approach, such as on the IC-7300 would have been a better choice than going back to all manual controls.
What do you think? If you have a touchscreen on your radio, tell me how you like it (or dislike it).