Fraunhofer Center for Assistive Information and Communication Solutions – AICOS
Digital Transformation in industry with a focus on the Operator 4.0
Motivation:
The industrial and service sector in Portugal employs around 23% of active workers, which makes it a highly relevant sector for the National Economy. However, in order to guarantee competitiveness, modernization and internationalization, strategies are on demand, especially concerning digital transformation in manufacturing. Systems developed for this purpose need to be flexible to assist the shift from mass production to mass customization, but always keeping workers, their productivity, job satisfaction and health at the centre so that digital transformation enables sustainable operations.
Solution:
OPERATOR proposes a set of tools for risk exposure data analysis in the workplace, building on the concepts of Positive Ergonomics, Operator 4.0 and on the Job Quality Indices by the Eurofound.
The project aims at developing a technology framework which combines ubiquitous human movement tracking with worker self-reported endpoints for a holistic Digital Twin representation of shop floors. The framework will collect and analyse data regarding workers’ activity and wellbeing on two different levels:
> Individual Level: Automatic and self-reported data collection of ergonomic and mental wellbeing (such as workload, skills and discretion, career prospects and earnings) through wearable and handheld technologies.
> Environmental Level: Data concerning the organization through automatic and self-reported data collection (such as vibration, temperature, humidity and pressure).
Benefit:
The project’s objective is to approach the Industry 4.0 workplace holistically but from the workers’ point of view. OPERATOR’s framework will enable continuous analysis of all the necessary variables for work study, job quality and mental health metrics to offer:
> Fast, accurate and ubiquitous digitalisation of work study, promoting awareness of the interaction between workers and their workplace;
> Self-reporting to digitalise the assessment of job quality indices through ubiquitous technologies designed with and for the workers;
> Implement adequate strategies to prevent workers from engaging in body movements which may be harmful from an ergonomics point of view, thus reducing potential health issues.
Consult the project's Spec Sheet here:
Download:
Partners:
Financed by MIT Portugal and the National Innovation Agency (ANI), OPERATOR results from a partnership between several institutions, such as Fraunhofer AICOS (FhP-AICOS), Zenithwings, NST Apparel Lda, Volkswagen Autoeuropa, Faculty of Science and Technology, University Nova de Lisboa (FCT Nova), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto (FPCEUP), University of Minho (UM), Institute of Medical Engineering and Science (IMES) and Controlconsul - Consultoria, Serviços e Representações, Lda.
Co-funded by:
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