Robots Working with Humans or Humans Working with Robots? Searching for Social Dimensions in New Human-Robot Interaction in Industry

The focus of the following article is on the use of new robotic systems in the manufacturing industry with respect to the social dimension. Since “intuitive” human–machine interaction (HMI) in robotic systems becomes a significant objective of technical progress, new models of work organization are...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSocieties (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 6; no. 3; p. 23
Main Authors Moniz, António, Krings, Bettina-Johanna
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.09.2016
Subjects
Automation
Automobile industry
Cognitive ability
Employees
Human engineering
Industrial robots
Manufacturing
Manufacturing industry
R&D
Research & development
Robotics
Robots
Social factors
Social impact
Society
Sociology
Technological progress
Work organization
Workload
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Summary:The focus of the following article is on the use of new robotic systems in the manufacturing industry with respect to the social dimension. Since “intuitive” human–machine interaction (HMI) in robotic systems becomes a significant objective of technical progress, new models of work organization are needed. This hypothesis will be investigated through the following two aims: The first aim is to identify relevant research questions related to the potential use of robotic systems in different systems of work organization at the manufacturing shop-floor level. The second aim is to discuss the conceptualization of (old) organizational problems of human–robot interaction (HRI). In this context, the article reflects on the limits of cognitive and perceptual workload for robot operators in complex working systems. This will be particularly relevant whenever more robots with different “roles” are to be increasingly used in the manufacturing industry. The integration of such complex socio-technical systems needs further empirical and conceptual research with regard to “social” aspects of the technical dimension. Future research should, therefore, also integrate economic and societal issues to understand the full dimensions of new human–robot interaction in industry today.
ISSN:2075-4698
2075-4698
DOI:10.3390/soc6030023