Human Machine Interfaces

An HMI is a software application that presents information to an operator or user about the state of a process, and to accept and implement the operators control instructions. Typically information is displayed in a graphic format. Human machine interfaces vary widely, from control panels for nuclear power plants to the screen and input buttons on a cell phone. A human user needs some way to tell the machine what to do, to make requests of the machine, or to adjust the machine. All of these devices can be utilized to send commands to a system or even an interlinked set of systems.