• Enhance decision making process at supply chain level thanks to collaborative technologies to engage the full ecosystem
• New cross-sectoral supply chain models
• Resilience of workers vs resilience of company vs resilience of society
• The interlink between sustainability and Resilience
• New models for integrating social innovation in industrial context
• Digital transformation to leverage social Economy
• Transformative strategies to bounce new normal

• Innovative collaborative technologies to support and empower workers through human-centric approach and with less manual and repetitive tasks
• Operator augmentation and empowerment in robot-human collaborative teams

• Innovative collaborative technologies to support and empower workers through human-centric approach and with less manual and repetitive tasks
• Multimodal intelligent interfaces in human-robot collaboration: NLP and gestures processing
• Human emotional and cognitive states detection for intelligent systems adaptation, using wearable and image / environmental sensors
• Operator augmentation and empowerment in robot-human collaborative teams

HUMAN AT THE CENTER OF THE LOOP

• co-design and co-development of new technologies
• Adaptive/Natural Human-Machine Interfaces
   

ROBOTICS

• Cobots
• Management and control of robots fleets
• Guidance and manipulation, perception and interaction

Integrate machine and human labor in mass-customization contexts

• in a synergistic environment, transitioning from virtual to real-world applications emphasizing key aspects like quality of life, creativity, and the production of high-quality personalized goods. 
• Product differentiation and customization must originate from automated facilities and not be "handmade" addressing to industry instead of craftsmanship.

• Seamless integration of SSH methodologies with technological frameworks
• Creation and improvement of technological tools to improve worker safety, well-being and overall conditions (from collaborative robotics to collaborative assets)

Hybrid interaction paradigms for future digital experiences inindustrial environments: Remote and virtual interaction and supervision of systems with stronger human-in-the-loop approach

Requirements within topics on the project level:

Mandatory integration of co-design and multidisciplinary approaches in future call topics where human centricity is an important dimension.

• Deep understanding of human-machine-robot collaboration in modern factories (relations, roles, data exchange, cooperation, …)
• Reflection of the impact of automation and digital HMIs on human work (cognitive workload, decision making, ...)
• Training for upskilling – reskilling operators in a context that changes very quickly
• Adoption of digital technologies for ergonomics and UX analysis, prediction and optimization (using wearable and environmental sensors) -> privacy issues, technology acceptance, impact on working procedures
• Adoption of AI for auto-generated training, instructions, assistance on operators / workers

Physical augmentation: advanced mechatronics and robotics for a seamless and natural human-machine cooperation and interaction

Cognitive augmentation: advanced information sharing and personalized digital work instructions / advanced visualization technologies / intuitive interaction with AI and data analytics technologies

How to improve the well being of the human in the workplace, while improving the manufacturing system's overall performance?

How new technologies should address human centric manufacturing?

Develop technologies to create robotic assistants with human-like qualities in terms of intelligence and empathy, dexterity and adaptability

• Advanced sensing and perception
• Adaptive control and learning systems
• SS&H approaches for emphatic HRC

An immersive working experience reintroduces humans in the loop of the smart factory’s operations so that they become again the centre of the whole production system and exchange with it their unreplaceable experience and creativity.

Develop new frameworks for natural and intelligent Human Robot Collaboration, a sophisticated form of collaboration where humans and cobots contribute equitably to the task, share a workspace, possess high-levels of situational and operational awareness enabling simultaneous and adaptive actions and decisions.

• Standardized modules for Human-DT
• Power balancing between stakeholders
• Human-AI Co-Learning
• Natural interaction models

Develop technologies to create robotic assistants with human-like qualities in terms of intelligence and empathy, dexterity and adaptability

Human-AI teamwork

• How to work together with generative AI so that the work can be done efficiently?
• Can AI tools be trusted?

Human-autonomous systems

• How to work with autonomous systems?
• How the work changes with different levels of autonomy?
• How to ensure the situational awareness for the worker? (Human-in-the-loop)

• How combine autonomous factory with human centricity?
• Adaptable and personalised technology (Diversity in personel)
• Understandability and safety of complex (AI) systems for humans
• Human centred technology and organisations: how to implement? Technology developers and integrators and management.
• Scaling up of technologies in companies: how can we ensure that companies and employees themselves can implement, adapt, reconfigure technology/systems?  For instance: non-programmable solutions for generating working instructions out of data.   (High tech HMI require a lot of programming now)

Human & technology complementarity for excellence in manufacturing

Associated to: 

• Zero-defect and zero down time high precision manufacturing, including predictive quality and non destructive inspection methods
• Scalable, reconfigurable and flexible first-time-right manufacturing

Employing technologies related to:

• Smart mechatronic systems, devices and components
• Simulation and modelling (digital twins)
• Data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning

Digital platforms and engineering tools supporting creativity and productivity of research & development processes

Associated to:

• Advanced manufacturing processes for smart and complex products
• Manufacturing processes and approaches near to customers or consumers

Employing technologies related to:

• Advanced smart material and product processing technologies, and process chains
• Data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning

• Resilient human-cyber-physical production systems 
• Human-centred and trustworthy AI 

Digitalization, Robotics & AI (Generative and LLM’s) can give an edge to competitiveness, sustainability & resilience, but how do we balance the socio-technical aspect? How to develop innovative technologies that can support and empower workers? Need closer collaboration with industries and workers. What are their needs?

Optimization of existing workplace through collaborative AI, as well as real time assessment and adjustment of operating conditions – performing both hardware and software interventions to enhance working conditions

• Design of new human centric environments using Generative AI
• Optimization of existing workplace through collaborative AI, as well as real time assessment and adjustment of operating conditions – performing both hardware and software interventions to enhance working conditions
• Advanced human-robot interaction using the latest technologies of AI (e.g. generative AI, LLMs etc.)
• Seamless Human robot collaboration
  • Enhancing workplaces using - robot autonomy and advanced robot decision making
  • Exploiting AI capabilities in Big Data processing
  • Human actions analysis and prediction – intuitive and uninterrupted operation

Robots as companion workers, increase the presence of robots in the industry (and in some situations less humans)

Human in the center of the loop –technology as an extension of operator capacities

Personalized Generative AI worker replicas – Generative AI: fine-tuning and meta prompting dedicated techniques for specific tasks. Multimodal Foundational models (language, speech2text, visual,  navigation….)

Important role of Big Data, of automation, of new robot types (e.g. humanoids), new HMI types

Adaptive/Natural Human-Machine Interfaces

Adaptive/Natural Human-Machine Interfaces
Zero Programming