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Hybrid work systems—platform-based work planning—designing productive and human-centered work processes

Hybrid Work Systems – Plattformbasierte Arbeitsplanung zur Gestaltung produktiver und menschzentrierter Arbeitsprozesse

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Abstract

Ergonomic and economic factors are important for the design of modern industrial workplaces. Planning tools such as digital models of human motion or motion capturing by video can assist in simulations, monitoring, analyzing and final design of work processes. Combining simulation and motion capture reaps the respective benefits of each approach. Another important aspect is the ability of planners to remotely cooperate when they assess and design future digitally enhanced workplaces. Hybrid Work Systems offers a digital platform to ergonomics experts and workplace designers where they can collaboratively develop economically viable and ergonomically suitable workplaces. Human motion is recorded and categorized via a marker-less video capture system using machine learning algorithms and the recorded work process data can be fed into the simulation. The concepts, systems and interfaces and the interactions with assessment methods for time and ergonomic analysis (e.g. MTM-UAS and EAWS) are demonstrated in an assembly use case for a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine. The platform-based approach and the digitalization enables remote cooperation of experts, which gives companies faster access to a wider pool of expertise and it comes to designing workplaces that take into account ergonomics, economics and workforce demographics.

Practical Relevance: The research reported here addresses industrial work planning and offers new perspectives on how to achieve time measurements and ergonomic analyses when experts have limited access to the actual workplace under scrutiny, e.g., because of a pandemic or because of time or money constraints. The results are of interest to companies with an Industry 4.0 and digitalization agenda and to experts in industrial work planning who are willing to explore digitally enhanced remote work via collaborative Internet platforms.

Zusammenfassung

Bei der Gestaltung von Arbeitsprozessen sind ergonomische und wirtschaftliche Kriterien zu beachten. Mit Hilfe von Planungswerkzeugen wie digitalen Menschmodellen sowie Motion Capturing können Arbeitsausführungen simuliert bzw. erfasst, analysiert und gestaltet werden. Ein kombinierter Ansatz von Simulation und Motion Capturing ermöglicht die Nutzung der jeweiligen Vorteile. Zudem sind ortsunabhängige Kooperationsmöglichkeiten bei der Arbeitsgestaltung für eine zukünftige digital geprägte Arbeitsgestaltung nutzerzentriert auszugestalten. Mit Hilfe des Hybrid Work System sollen Fabrik- und Arbeitsplatzplaner sowie Ergonomen in die Lage versetzt werden, über eine digitale Plattform zusammenzuarbeiten, um ergonomische und wirtschaftliche Arbeitsplätze zu entwickeln. Dazu sind die Bewegungen mittels einer markerlosen Videoaufnahmen und maschinellen Lernen zu erfassen und um arbeitsprozessbezogene Daten in einer Simulation zu verarbeiten. Hierzu werden entsprechende Konzepte und Systeme sowie deren Schnittstellen und Interaktionen mit zeitlichen und ergonomischen Bewertungsverfahren wie MTM-UAS und EAWS anhand des Use Cases Zylinderkopfmontage vorgestellt. Mit Hilfe des Ansatzes kann eine kooperative, ortsunabhängige Zusammenarbeit erreicht werden, die Unternehmen bei der Gestaltung ergonomischer, Demographie-fester sowie wirtschaftlicher Arbeitsprozesse unterstützt sowie einen schnelleren Zugang zu mehr Expertise ermöglicht.

Praktische Relevanz: Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit Arbeitsplatzplanung in der Industrie und eröffnet neue Perspektiven für die Zeit- und Ergonomie-Bewertung für den Fall, dass Experten nur beschränkten oder keinen direkten Zugang zu den betrachteten Arbeitsplätzen haben. Diese Situation kann plötzlich während einer Pandemie oder aufgrund allgemein zu hoher Kosten entstehen. Die Resultate der Arbeit sind für Produktionsfirmen von Interesse, die Digitalisierung und Industrie 4.0 auf ihrer Innovationsagenda haben, sowie für Experten für industrielle Arbeitsplatzplanung, die willens sind, digitale Formen der Zusammenarbeit über kollaborative Internet-Plattformen zu erkunden.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. imk Industrial Intelligence GmbH, Amselgrund 30, 09128, Chemnitz, Germany

    Michael Spitzhirn

  2. MTM ASSOCIATION e. V., Eichenallee 11, 22609, Hamburg, Germany

    Martin Benter

  3. PROFACTOR GmbH, Steyr-Gleinkstitut, Im Stadtgut D1, 4407, Steyr-Gleink, Austria

    Christoph Heindl

  4. Fraunhofer Austria Research GmbH, Theresianumgasse 7, 1040, Vienna, Austria

    Noël Scheder &  Gerhard Reisinger

  5. Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft m. b. H., Jakob-Haringer-Straße 5/3, Salzburg, Austria

    Felix Strohmeier &  Wernher Behrendt MSc

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  1. Michael Spitzhirn
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  2. Martin Benter
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  3. Christoph Heindl
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  4. Noël Scheder
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  7. Wernher Behrendt MSc
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Correspondence to Michael Spitzhirn.

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Spitzhirn, M., Benter, M., Heindl, C. et al. Hybrid work systems—platform-based work planning—designing productive and human-centered work processes. Z. Arb. Wiss. 76, 489–509 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41449-022-00342-6

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