Approaching Interoperability and Data-Related Processing Issues in a Human-Centric Industrial Scenario

Abstract

Industry 4.0 industrial automation paradigm and the related new Operator 4.0 role and pool of competencies are playing a critical role in bringing forth the Digital Transformation to manufacturing industry and SMEs in particular. The human-centric aspect of Industry 4.0 in combination with resilience, sustainability and circularity of manufacturing processes is gaining wider acceptance in Europe and across the globe while the transition towards Industry 5.0 starts to gain momentum as well as the integration of human centric solutions in Industry 4.0 automation systems. The current work uses a three-pronged approach to wearable sensors integrated with existing Industry 4.0 automation systems, by addressing sensor heterogeneity, data interoperability and network latency issues under the umbrella of a single unified and harmonised solution. Such a solution is realised in a realistic industrial scenario showcasing adaptive Human-Robot collaboration and leverages open-source software and open reference architectures.