Industry 5.0: prioritizing human comfort and productivity through collaborative robots and dynamic task allocation

Abstract

Moving from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 marks a substantial shift in the way technology is incorporated into workplace design. In Industry 4.0, the emphasis was on automating the production process to maximize efficiency and output. However, with Industry 5.0, the focus has shifted towards placing people at the heart of the production process. This involves creating workspaces that prioritize human comfort and productivity and integrating technology that enhances human abilities. Collaborative robots, or cobots, are a critical technology in this transition as they work alongside humans to improve efficiency while enabling greater human involvement. However, to make the most of cobots, it is necessary to design workspaces that optimize human comfort and productivity, by considering the needs and preferences of both human and robotic resources. A promising strategy for achieving this goal is the implementation of a dynamic multi-objective task allocation system. The method proposed in this work uses physiological and performance data to assess the well-being of human operators and reallocates tasks dynamically to avoid overworking or fatiguing them. This represents a significant step towards creating production environments that prioritize the well-being and productivity of human workers.