Bianca-Iulia Ionescu, B. Sc. Computer Science and IT, Inea, d. o. o., Ljubljana

Abstract:

Manufacturing represents around 15% of the value-added and total employment in Europe. It is also of great importance to the EU and its R&D efforts, to which almost two thirds is contributed by manufacturing. Many of these efforts have so far been focused on automating manufacturing and the use of smart devices, which both experts and the general public have since named Industry 4.0.
While Industry 4.0 focuses mostly on connectivity and data analytics, the focus will shift more towards the human component in the future. The reason is, on one hand, in the growing complexity of the manufacturing processes. There is also growing awareness that in most industries the operators cannot be fully replaced by machines in spite of the growing power of automation supported by artificial intelligence. In the context of the fluctuating labour force and a need for new skills and knowledge, the question is how to include the operators in the control process in the most efficient manner. There are two important aspects of that problem. One is training the operators and shortening the learning process, which becomes essential for the overall productivity. The second aspect concerns the efficient interaction between the operators and machines.
The aim of this paper is to review the present position of the operators in manufacturing and the enabling technologies supporting their role in automation. A glimpse of new approaches to decrease the learning curve of the operators will be addressed, such as various potential training systems and required knowledge management methods in a paperless, more effective future. That is complemented by new ways of adapting human-machine interfaces and novel ways of implementing the user experience.

Keywords:
human machine interface, user experience, operator, training, Industry 4.0, Industry 5.0