Jessica van Heerden
Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation
Papers
1
Total Citations
42
H-Index
1
About
Dr. Jessica van Heerden is a leading researcher in human-robot collaboration (HRC) for advanced manufacturing, with a focus on integrating safety and risk assessment into the earliest stages of workplace design. Her seminal 2017 paper, "Integrated risk assessment and safety consideration during design of HRC workplaces" (42 citations), provides a foundational framework for system integrators facing the growing demand for flexible, collaborative production lines. By shifting safety analysis from an afterthought to a core design parameter, van Heerden enables manufacturers to increase automation levels without sacrificing worker safety or operational flexibility. Her work directly addresses the critical challenge of balancing productivity with human well-being in Industry 4.0 environments. Through her contributions, van Heerden has become a key voice in the transition toward truly collaborative factories, where robots and humans work side by side safely and efficiently. Her research continues to influence both academic safety standards and practical industrial implementation.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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