Summary
Occupational ergonomics is facing a new complex challenge caused by the adaptation of industrial processes to the demands of the high-mix, low-volume production. In such processes, humans operate in, and interact with dynamically changing environments. The underlying physical interactions can cause variations of human states, and make a traditionally identified ergonomic pose of a human non-efficient and unproductive, or vice versa. This challenge has contributed to the growth of musculoskeletal disorders in manufacturing and service industries undergoing a lean transformation, and calls for new thinking on occupational ergonomics.
Ergo-Lean proposes to study, for the first time, human ergonomics during complex human-robot-environment interactions, and investigate methods to anticipate the effect of worker actions in the short, middle and long term. It explores the potential of collaborative robotics technology to deliver an original set of anticipatory behaviors that contribute to the improvement of human physical factors during interaction. Ergo-Lean will create radically new Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) systems where the robot and human directly interact, forming a dyad which optimally solves manufacturing problems in the environment, with the robot flexibly contributing to ergonomic improvement of workplace conditions. To achieve this, the research will be articulated along five multidisciplinary scientific objectives to: i) Understand and formulate human ergonomics during dynamic interactions; ii) Investigate ways of applying the HRC technology to the mitigation of occupational risks; iii) Evaluate the influence of feedback interfaces for ergonomic coordination of motor redundancy; iv) Study shared authority models for ergonomic HRC systems; and v) Challenge and demonstrate the improved adaptability and acceptability of Ergo-Lean systems. Ergo-Lean will have profound socio-economic impacts by improving workers’ wellbeing and contributing to productivity.
Ergo-Lean proposes to study, for the first time, human ergonomics during complex human-robot-environment interactions, and investigate methods to anticipate the effect of worker actions in the short, middle and long term. It explores the potential of collaborative robotics technology to deliver an original set of anticipatory behaviors that contribute to the improvement of human physical factors during interaction. Ergo-Lean will create radically new Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) systems where the robot and human directly interact, forming a dyad which optimally solves manufacturing problems in the environment, with the robot flexibly contributing to ergonomic improvement of workplace conditions. To achieve this, the research will be articulated along five multidisciplinary scientific objectives to: i) Understand and formulate human ergonomics during dynamic interactions; ii) Investigate ways of applying the HRC technology to the mitigation of occupational risks; iii) Evaluate the influence of feedback interfaces for ergonomic coordination of motor redundancy; iv) Study shared authority models for ergonomic HRC systems; and v) Challenge and demonstrate the improved adaptability and acceptability of Ergo-Lean systems. Ergo-Lean will have profound socio-economic impacts by improving workers’ wellbeing and contributing to productivity.
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More information & hyperlinks
| Web resources: | https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/850932 |
| Start date: | 01-11-2019 |
| End date: | 31-10-2024 |
| Total budget - Public funding: | 1 488 750,00 Euro - 1 488 750,00 Euro |
Cordis data
Original description
Occupational ergonomics is facing a new complex challenge caused by the adaptation of industrial processes to the demands of the high-mix, low-volume production. In such processes, humans operate in, and interact with dynamically changing environments. The underlying physical interactions can cause variations of human states, and make a traditionally identified ergonomic pose of a human non-efficient and unproductive, or vice versa. This challenge has contributed to the growth of musculoskeletal disorders in manufacturing and service industries undergoing a lean transformation, and calls for new thinking on occupational ergonomics.Ergo-Lean proposes to study, for the first time, human ergonomics during complex human-robot-environment interactions, and investigate methods to anticipate the effect of worker actions in the short, middle and long term. It explores the potential of collaborative robotics technology to deliver an original set of anticipatory behaviors that contribute to the improvement of human physical factors during interaction. Ergo-Lean will create radically new Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) systems where the robot and human directly interact, forming a dyad which optimally solves manufacturing problems in the environment, with the robot flexibly contributing to ergonomic improvement of workplace conditions. To achieve this, the research will be articulated along five multidisciplinary scientific objectives to: i) Understand and formulate human ergonomics during dynamic interactions; ii) Investigate ways of applying the HRC technology to the mitigation of occupational risks; iii) Evaluate the influence of feedback interfaces for ergonomic coordination of motor redundancy; iv) Study shared authority models for ergonomic HRC systems; and v) Challenge and demonstrate the improved adaptability and acceptability of Ergo-Lean systems. Ergo-Lean will have profound socio-economic impacts by improving workers’ wellbeing and contributing to productivity.
Status
SIGNEDCall topic
ERC-2019-STGUpdate Date
27-04-2024
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