Luca GualtieriFree University of Bozen-Bolzano | Unibolzano · Faculty of Science and Technology
Luca Gualtieri
Doctor of Engineering
Safety and Ergonomics in Industrial Human-Robot Interaction
About
28
Publications
11,348
Reads
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719
Citations
Citations since 2017
Introduction
I am working as senior technologist (postdoc) at the Smart Mini Factory lab. (SMF -https://smartminifactory.it/it/), Free University of Bozen-Bolzano.
I am responsible for research in the field of industrial collaborative robotics. In particular, I am focusing on human-robot interaction from the point of view of the opertator's occupational health and safety, ergonomics and organization of shared workplaces in assembly settings.
Additional affiliations
December 2017 - December 2022
Position
- Research Associate
Description
- Main activities refer to research in the field of industrial collaborative robotics, focusing on human-machine Interaction from the point of view of the opertator's occupational health and safety conditions, ergonomics and workplace organisation.
December 2017 - November 2021
Position
- PhD Student
Description
- Doctoral candidate (cycle 33) in Sustainable Energy and Technologies. PhD project title: “Development of techniques and technologies for safety and ergonomics in collaborative robotics”.
November 2016 - November 2017
Position
- Research Associate
Description
- Main activities refer to development and management for international Blended-Learning training projects of new technologies in Coordinate Metrology and Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) in automotive and aerospace industrial fields.
Education
November 2013 - October 2016
October 2010 - October 2013
Publications
Publications (28)
Collaborative robots are revolutionising the manufacturing industry and the way workers perform their tasks. When designing shared workspaces between robots and humans, human factors and ergonomics are often overlooked. This study assessed the relationship between cognitive workload, workstation design, user acceptance and trust in collaborative ro...
The article proposes a human-centered conceptual model to integrate Augmented Reality (AR) and Dynamic Digital Models (DDM) to improve training and reduce occupational risks in industrial contexts. A general model integrating DDM and AR to support immersive training and customized and real-time risk management is missing in the literature. The prop...
Industry 4.0 is the concept used to summarize the ongoing fourth industrial revolution, which is profoundly changing the manufacturing systems and business models all over the world. Collaborative robotics is one of the most promising technologies of Industry 4.0. Human-robot interaction and human-robot collaboration will be crucial for enhancing t...
As a key and enabling technology of Industry 4.0, there is no doubt that manufacturing enterprises will benefit from the introduction of collaborative robots (cobots) in their production processes. A large part of collaborative applications will arise from the re-design of existing manual assembly workstations. For this reason, companies need metho...
The reduction of physical barriers between humans and robots has been accelerated in recent years by advancements in
industrial robotics and sensor technologies. To ensure safety in human-robot interaction (HRI), various collaborative
operations can be implemented according to recent standards and deliverables. This paper presents a review of rec...
This experimental study is set out to explore the effects of collaborative robotic system features on Workers’ perceived cognitive workload, usability and visual attention. This work’s primary objective is to identify strategies for lowering workers’ cognitive workload and increase usability when collaborating with robots in assembly tasks, ultimat...
In the context of Industry 4.0, a human-robot collaborative assembly system is an example of a cyber-physical production system, where operators and robots interact during assembly. Considering the growing market and the increasing use of industrial collaborative robotics, companies need support in the proper and profitable introduction of this tec...
Industrial collaborative robotics is one of the most promising technologies of Industry 4.0. In particular, human-robot collaboration in assembly will be particularly interesting for manufacturing companies. In this context, the interaction between humans and robots opens new possibilities but also challenges. A major problem is related to safety:...
![Figure 13. Identification of categories, clusters and sub-clusters [120].](profile/Luca-Gualtieri/publication/356642495/figure/fig3/AS:1097297647681539@1638627554723/Identification-of-categories-clusters-and-sub-clusters-120_Q320.jpg)
![Figure 14. Percentage distribution of papers for each cluster [120].](profile/Luca-Gualtieri/publication/356642495/figure/fig4/AS:1097297647669251@1638627554946/Percentage-distribution-of-papers-for-each-cluster-120_Q320.jpg)
![Figure 15. Total annual paper production per cluster [120].](profile/Luca-Gualtieri/publication/356642495/figure/fig5/AS:1097297647677453@1638627554970/Total-annual-paper-production-per-cluster-120_Q320.jpg)
Industrial collaborative robotics is an enabling technology and one of the main drivers of Industry 4.0. It introduces a safe and physical human-machine interaction by allowing the sharing of production tasks and workspaces. The aim is to bring together the advantages of automation and cyber-physical systems with the inimitable strengths of humans....
Industrial collaborative robotics is an enabling technology and one of the main drivers of Industry 4.0 in industrial assembly. It allows a safe physical and human-machine interaction with the aim of improving flexibility, operator’s work conditions, and process performance at the same time. In this regard, collaborative assembly is one of the most...
Nowadays, the wire harness assembly process is still manually performed due to the process complexity and product variability (e.g., wires of different kind, size and length). The Wire cobots project, in which this work was conceived, aims at improving the current state-of-art assembly process by introducing in it collaborative robotics. A shared w...
Human–robot collaboration is a main technology of Industry 4.0 and is currently changing the shop floor of manufacturing companies. Collaborative robots are innovative industrial technologies introduced to help operators to perform manual activities in so called cyber-physical production systems and combine human inimitable abilities with smart mac...
By looking at the last few decades, industrial production has undergone great changes. Industry 4.0, also called the fourth industrial revolution, describes the change in the entire value chain through the digital networking of systems, machines, and products. In addition, product variety and complexity in assembly increased due to customization. B...
Human-robot interaction is a key enabling technology of Industry 4.0 and the prospected pervasiveness of robotics in industrial environments will be not possible without enabling them to safety interact with humans. Such a fact imposes a relevant constraints because the limits imposed by the actual technical deliverables entail strong requirements...
Collaborative robotics relies on a safe physical interaction between robot and operator. However, even if compliance with safety standards is assured, other kind of dangers like psychological stress can be neglected or improperly considered. It has been proven that working and sharing workspace with robots can be psychologically stressing for the o...
Industrial collaborative robotics is one of the main enabling technologies of Industry 4.0. Collaborative robots are innovative cyber-physical systems, which allow safe and efficient physical interactions with operators by combining typical machine strengths with inimitable human skills. One of the main uses of collaborative robots will be the supp...
Industry 4.0 has attracted the attention of manufacturing companies over the past ten years. Despite efforts in research and knowledge transfer from research to practice, the introduction of Industry 4.0 concepts and technologies is still a major challenge for many companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Many of these SMEs...
Collaborative robotics, human-machine interaction (HMI), and human–robot collaboration (HRC) introduce a new concept of collaborative workspaces by allowing a mixed manufacturing environment where humans and machines can work hand-in-hand in a safe, ergonomic, and efficient way. The main issue is to ensure operators’ safety and ergonomics when they...
Collaborative robots are among the key enabling technologies of the fourth industrial revolution and have the potential to change the way people and machines physically interact. Such collaborative robotics applications can be successful in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) only if they are properly implemented, taking into account safety...
Over the past decades, product design has been very much concerned with the topics of Design for Manufacturing and Design for Assembly. The aim was to design products in such a way that they could be manufactured easily and cost-effectively using existing production processes. In consequence of the introduction of Industry 4.0 and collaborative rob...
The introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies and automation in production and assembly is progressing and bringing a number of changes. While automation in the past was planned and implemented mostly independently of the operator, due to a clear separation of automated processes and manual activities, this has changed considerably in today’s produ...
Industry 4.0 rose with the introduction of cyber-physical systems (CPS) and Internet of things (IoT) inside manufacturing systems. CPS represent self-controlled physical processes, having tight networking capabilities and efficient interfaces for human interaction. The interactive dimension of CPS reaches its maximum when defined in terms of natura...
A collaborative robot is an industrial robot, which is able to interact physically and safe with humans in a shared and collaborative hybrid workspace. Collaborative robots are introduced helping operators to perform manual activities in modern manufacturing systems combining human inimitable ability with smart machines strengths. Considering curre...
![Fig. 4. Industrial Internet System for CPPS orchestration [15]](profile/Erwin-Rauch/publication/330394185/figure/fig4/AS:948283983802372@1603099928698/Industrial-Internet-System-for-CPPS-orchestration-15_Q320.jpg)
Industry 4.0 is currently changing the shop- floor of many large manufacturing companies. Small and medium-sized enterprises are also increasingly concerned with the introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies and methods. This requires a great change of employees, creating a strong demand for training and further education for existing workers. The...
In the context of the Industry 4.0 wave, which is currently making its way into production engineering research, human robot collaboration is also a very important topic. With new technologies and ever more intelligent control systems for machines and robots, the cooperation between human and machine has become easier. In the smart factory of the f...
Projects
Projects (2)
The “Smart Mini Factory” laboratory of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (https://smartminifactory.it/it/) and the “Human-Factors, Risk and Safety” research unit of the University of Bologna (https://site.unibo.it/hfrs/en) developed an online survey investigating design guidelines for improving cognitive ergonomics in industrial human-robot interaction.
The survey also aims to investigate experts opinion on the interpretation, implementation and metrics for evaluating these guidelines.
The survey is available at the following link:
https://unibopsice.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b0ZPXSr8KYCQeSG
In case of questions about the survey, or difficulty accessing the website or completing the questionnaire, please contact Dr. Luca Gualtieri (luca.gualtieri@unibz.it) or Dr. Federico Fraboni (federico.fraboni3@unibo.it).
Industry 4.0 refers to the fourth industrial revolution and technological evolution from embedded systems to cyber-physical
systems (CPS) in production. The main objectives of Industry 4.0 can be summarized as the introduction of intelligent
systems in production and logistics, the development of highly adaptable and modular manufacturing and logistics systems,
the integration of sustainable and advanced manufacturing technologies as well as the promotion of automation technology
and human-machine interaction. In the context of Industry 4.0 new ICT and web technologies act as booster or enabler of
smart, autonomous and self-learning factories facing the challenges of even more individualized and customized product
portfolio.
A great challenge for the future lies in the transfer of Industry 4.0 expertise and technologies in small and medium sized
enterprises (SME). SMEs represent the backbone of the economy and have an enormous importance in the development
programs of the European Union for strengthening the competitiveness of European enterprises. Although the high potential
of Industry 4.0 in SMEs, the main limit lies in a lack of concrete models for its implementation and application in small and
medium enterprises. Thus, this research project titled “Industry 4.0 for SMEs - Smart Manufacturing and Logistics for SMEs
in an X-to-order and Mass Customization Environment” aims to close and overcome this gap through the creation of an
international and interdisciplinary research network. Identifying the needs and enablers for a smart and intelligent SMEFactory,
creating adapted concepts and design solutions for production and logistics systems in SMEs and developing
suitable organisation and business models will be the three main objectives of this research network. The applicability of the
results is ensured through a close collaboration with a European small and medium sized enterprise (non-academic partner)
from mass customization industry.
