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Designing new ways of working in Industry 4.0

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The transition towards Industry 4.0 and the increasing implementation of new digital technologies in industrial operations are creating new challenges and opportunities concerning human work and work organization. Overcoming these challenges and taking advantage of the emerging opportunities require new sociotechnical and human-centered design and engineering methods and approaches. This Ph.D. thesis investigates how the introduction of new digital technologies in industrial work systems affect human well-being and overall system performance. Also, this thesis presents implications, recommendations, and prescriptive frameworks for assisting practitioners in (re)designing work systems in connection with the implementation of new digital technologies. The overall focus of these prescriptive supports is to ensure human well-being and overall system performance.
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... ▪ Capacidad: Carga útil; Ejes; Alcance; Velocidad; Movilidad; Actuación ▪ Entrada de partes ▪ Operación: Alimentación de elemento; Manejo del elemento; Montaje del elemento ▪ Salida del sub-elaborado Respecto de esta situación de análisis, el autor [34] considera que la Capacidad es la clave de la evaluación, mientras que el investigador [44], en su trabajo "Capability-based task allocation in humanrobot collaboration" asegura que la calve está en el tipo de material a manipular, el autor [27] agrega que el factor crítico es en realidad el agarre. Si se consideraran sistemas de ensamblaje colaborativo multi-robot multi-operador, el conjunto Entrada Salida es particularmente importante [25]. ...
... Conforme estudios realizados, los especialistas[24] aseguran que existe una brecha entre las unidades de fabricación existentes y la necesaria para la I4.0. La introducción de estas nuevas tecnologías y la integración de otros habilitadores de la I4.0 están teniendo un importante impacto sociotécnico[25]. La I4.0, la cual comenzó como resultado de la era de la información y la tecnología, incluye sistemas que reciben, transmiten, evalúan y administran datos. ...
Article
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The aim of this work was the development of a reference framework and methodology for the technical feasibility study of the use of collaborative robots in manufacturing SMEs. According to our previous study, the technical factor is one of the five evaluation variables for decision-making for the incorporation of Cobots in workstations, being them: the technical factor, the ergonometric factor, the quality, the economic-financial factor. and the regulatory one. This work has been carried out in three phases: (1) a systematic analysis of the literature regarding the use of Cobots in SMEs and its corresponding technical evaluation was carried out, (2) the evaluation method was selected, and (3) the applied to a case of incorporation of a Cobots in a workstation of a small company that manufactures electrical products in Argentina. This methodology collaborated with the decision-making of senior management to understand whether the activities of feeding, handling and assembling electrical parts and components could be carried out efficiently and effectively by means of a robotic arm.
... Similarly to other human factors and ergonomics frameworks related to HRC, such as the one developed by Kadir (2020), the guidelines presented and evaluated in the current study could benefit from the integration with other human factors frameworks and techniques such as Cognitive Work Analysis (CWT) (Vicente, 1999), Cognitive Tasks Analysis (CTA) (Crandall et al., 2006), and Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) (Hollnagel, 2003). As it was suggested by Kadir (2020), the developed guidelines could be further improved and refined through consultations and involvement with experts in CTA, CWT and HTA. ...
... Similarly to other human factors and ergonomics frameworks related to HRC, such as the one developed by Kadir (2020), the guidelines presented and evaluated in the current study could benefit from the integration with other human factors frameworks and techniques such as Cognitive Work Analysis (CWT) (Vicente, 1999), Cognitive Tasks Analysis (CTA) (Crandall et al., 2006), and Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) (Hollnagel, 2003). As it was suggested by Kadir (2020), the developed guidelines could be further improved and refined through consultations and involvement with experts in CTA, CWT and HTA. Similarly, those methods could draw important suggestions in their applications by the guidelines here presented. ...
Article
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 the operator's work conditions and production performance. In this regard, this enabling technology opens new possibilities but also new challenges. There is no doubt that safety is of primary importance when humans and robots interact in industrial settings. Nevertheless, human factors and cognitive ergonomics (i.e. cognitive workload, usability, trust, acceptance, stress, frustration, perceived enjoyment) are crucial, even if they are often underestimated or ignored. Therefore, this work refers to cognitive ergonomics in the design of human-robot collaborative assembly systems. A set of design guidelines has been developed according to the analysis of the scientific literature. Their effectiveness has been evaluated through multiple experiments based on a laboratory case study where different participants interacted with a low-payload collaborative robotic system for the joint assembly of a manufacturing product. The main assumption to be tested is that it is possible to improve the operator's experience and efficiency by manipulating the system features and interaction patterns according to the proposed design guidelines. Results confirmed that participants improved their cognitive response to human-robot interaction as well as the assembly performance with the enhancement of workstation features and interaction conditions by implementing an increasing number of guidelines.
... En un trabajo realizado en Italia, el 74,8% de los encuestados, han respondido que consideran a la I4.0 como una oportunidad de cambio el cual revitalizará el sector manufacturero italiano [23] Conforme estudios realizados, los especialistas [24] aseguran que existe una brecha entre las unidades de fabricación existentes y la necesaria para la I4.0. La introducción de estas nuevas tecnologías y la integración de otros habilitadores de la I4.0 están teniendo un importante impacto sociotécnico [25]. La I4.0, la cual comenzó como resultado de la era de la información y la tecnología, incluye sistemas que reciben, transmiten, evalúan y administran datos. ...
... Puntualizando el factor técnico, se tienen los siguientes factores y sub-factores: [34] considera que la Capacidad es la clave de la evaluación, mientras que el investigador [44], en su trabajo "Capability-based task allocation in human-robot collaboration" asegura que la calve está en el tipo de material a manipular, el autor [27] agrega que el factor crítico es en realidad el agarre. Si se consideraran sistemas de ensamblaje colaborativo multi-robot multi-operador, el conjunto Entrada Salida es particularmente importante [25]. ...
Conference Paper
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RESUMEN El objetivo de este trabajo fue el desarrollo de un marco de referencia y metodología para el estudio de viabilidad técnica del uso de robots colaborativos en pymes manufactureras. De acuerdo con nuestro estudio anterior, el factor técnico es una de las cinco variables de evaluación para la toma de decisiones para la incorporación de Cobots en estaciones de trabajo, siendo ellas: el factor técnico, el ergonométrico, la calidad, el económico-financiero y el regulatorio. Este trabajo se ha realizado en tres fases: (1) se realizó un análisis sistemático de literatura en lo referente a el uso de Cobots en pymes y su correspondiente evaluación técnica, (2) se seleccionó el método de evaluación, y (3) se aplicó a un caso de incorporación de un Cobots en una estación de trabajo de una pequeña empresa de manufactura de productos eléctricos en la Argentina. Esta metodología colaboró con la toma de decisiones de la alta gerencia para comprender si las actividades de alimentación, manipulación y montaje de piezas y componentes eléctricos podrían ser realizadas de manera eficiente y eficaz por medio de un brazo robótico. ABSTRACT The aim of this work was the development of a reference framework and methodology for the technical feasibility study of the use of collaborative robots in manufacturing SMEs. According to our previous study, the technical factor is one of the five evaluation variables for decision-making for the incorporation of Cobots in workstations, being them: the technical factor, the ergonometric factor, the quality, the economic-financial factor. and the regulatory one. This work has been carried out in three phases: (1) a systematic analysis of the literature regarding the use of Cobots in SMEs and its corresponding technical evaluation was carried out, (2) the evaluation method was selected, and (3) the applied to a case of incorporation of a Cobots in a workstation of a small company that manufactures electrical products in Argentina. This methodology collaborated with the decision-making of senior management to understand whether the activities of feeding, handling and assembling electrical parts and components could be carried out efficiently and effectively by means of a robotic arm.
... En un trabajo realizado en Italia, el 74,8% de los encuestados, han respondido que consideran a la I4.0 como una oportunidad de cambio el cual revitalizará el sector manufacturero italiano [23] Conforme estudios realizados, los especialistas [24] aseguran que existe una brecha entre las unidades de fabricación existentes y la necesaria para la I4.0. La introducción de estas nuevas tecnologías y la integración de otros habilitadores de la I4.0 están teniendo un importante impacto sociotécnico [25]. La I4.0, la cual comenzó como resultado de la era de la información y la tecnología, incluye sistemas que reciben, transmiten, evalúan y administran datos. ...
... Puntualizando el factor técnico, se tienen los siguientes factores y sub-factores: [34] considera que la Capacidad es la clave de la evaluación, mientras que el investigador [44], en su trabajo "Capability-based task allocation in human-robot collaboration" asegura que la calve está en el tipo de material a manipular, el autor [27] agrega que el factor crítico es en realidad el agarre. Si se consideraran sistemas de ensamblaje colaborativo multi-robot multi-operador, el conjunto Entrada Salida es particularmente importante [25]. ...
Preprint
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The aim of this work was the development of a reference framework and methodology for the technical feasibility study of the use of collaborative robots in manufacturing SMEs. According to our previous study, the technical factor is one of the five evaluation variables for decision-making for the incorporation of Cobots in workstations, being them: the technical factor, the ergonometric factor, the quality, the economic-financial factor. and the regulatory one. This work has been carried out in three phases: (1) a systematic analysis of the literature regarding the use of Cobots in SMEs and its corresponding technical evaluation was carried out, (2) the evaluation method was selected, and (3) the applied to a case of incorporation of a Cobots in a workstation of a small company that manufactures electrical products in Argentina. This methodology collaborated with the decision-making of senior management to understand whether the activities of feeding, handling and assembling electrical parts and components could be carried out efficiently and effectively by means of a robotic arm.
Conference Paper
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