Human-Machine Interface (HMI)

A Human-Machine Interface (HMI) is a user interface or dashboard that connects a person to a machine, system, or device. While the term can technically be applied to any screen that allows a user to interact with a device, HMI is most commonly used in the context of an industrial process.
HMIs are similar in some ways to Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) but they are not synonymous; GUIs are often leveraged within HMIs for visualization capabilities.
In industrial settings, HMIs can be used to:

• Visually display data
• Track production time, trends, and tags
• Oversee KPIs
• Monitor machine inputs and outputs
• And more

Similar to how you would interact with your air-conditioning system to check and control the temperature in your house, a plant-floor operator might use an HMI to check and control the temperature of an industrial water tank, or to see if a certain pump in the facility is currently running.
Basic HMI examples include built-in screens on machines, computer monitors, and tablets, but regardless of their format or which term you use to refer to them, their purpose is to provide insight into mechanical performance and progress.

HMI technology is used by almost all industrial organizations, as well as a wide range of other companies, to interact with their machines and optimize their industrial processes.

Industries using HMI include:

• Energy
• Food and beverage
• Manufacturing
• Oil and gas
• Power
• Recycling
• Transportation
• Water and waste water
• And many more

The most common roles that interact with HMIs are operators, system integrators, and engineers, particularly control system engineers. HMIs are essential resources for these professionals, who use them to review and monitor processes, diagnose problems, and visualize data.