The main goal of this paper was to examine whether image processing can be an effective tool in automatic quality control systems for furniture manufacturing, at least in cases where delamination is a key problem. Image processing turned out to be a very effective way of delamination factor monitoring. Moreover, the research analyzed the quality effect of up or down milling of melamine-faced MDF. The delamination factor increased significantly with increasing tool wear. However, the increase was not very regular. The experimental data showed that up milling had a significant advantage over down milling.

Human contact with the natural environment effectively counteracts negative symptoms of stress and has many positive psychological effects. For this reason, forests within city limits are increasingly seen as part of public health promotion. Being in an urban forest can take many forms, but there is still little known about whether being in a forest alone, without engaging one’s senses, is as effective for human renewal as an experience that involves greater, more conscious activation of the senses of sight, hearing, smell. A study measuring the effect of the forest (spring aspect) on human mental relaxation during passive exposure was conducted on a sample of 19 Polish young adults. The experiment consisted of two series. In the first, participants read an academic textbook in a tree stand for 20 min, while in the next session—conducted at the same location—they contemplated the landscape. Before the experiment and after each of the two series of tests, four psychological questionnaires were administered: the Profile of Mood State (POMS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS) and the Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS). Analyses showed that being in a forest environment positively influenced the subjects’ mental relaxation, while the level of benefit from the activation of the senses, especially vision (looking at the forest) was significantly higher compared to the passive activity of reading a text. The research indicates that forest bathing is the best form of relaxation that can be obtained through contact with the forest.

Background and Objectives: In recent years, there has been a significant increase in interest in the health benefits of contact with nature. The theoretical and practical aspects of this issue are constantly being investigated. It is worth noting, however, that there is a large group of people for whom the only available form of contact with nature can only be through images (the view outside the window, photos and films about nature), recorded sounds of nature or descriptions of nature. Research indicating how much exposure to nature in the dimension of virtual reality achieves improvements in well-being, mood and vitality is therefore urgently needed. Material and Methods: The main goal of the experiment was to examine whether watching a 20-min 2D video of forest environment or reading a textbook on forest knowledge for 20 min would bring any psychological benefits. The order of both exposures was intentionally changed (reversed) for every second participant in this study to reduce the order effect. A group of 16 volunteers, students of Warsaw University of Life Sciences, took part in the experiment. The psychological tests before and after each of the two parts of the experiment (viewing a picture with sound and reading a book) were established using five questionnaires: Profile of Mood State (POMS); Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS); Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS); Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results: As a result of the analyses, a 20-min viewing of a 2D video of a forest with natural sounds of nature was shown to have a positive effect on the psychological relaxation of the subjects in the form of an increase in restorativeness and vitality in the participants of the experiment, as well as a greater decrease in negative feelings, tension and anger than when reading a forest-themed book. Watching a video of a landscape can reduce tension and anger levels significantly, which can be an important guideline in relation to the interior design of public spaces and the protection of employees from the adverse effects of psychosocial working conditions, as well as the desire to stabilize anger and maintain emotional stability in everyday life.