Industry 4.0 design project based on exposure situations: A case study in aeronautics

Area of Science:

• Ergonomics and Human Factors
• Industrial Engineering
• Manufacturing Systems

Background:

• Industry 4.0 introduces new risks for design projects involving work activities.
• Activity-centered and participatory ergonomics offer frameworks for integrating work activities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the value of typical situations in defining requirements for Industry 4.0 design projects.
• To support a design project for a future plant utilizing Selective Laser Melting (SLM) additive manufacturing in aeronautics.

Main Methods:

• Developing an approach based on identifying typical exposure/action situations through video and measurements.
• Conducting collective confrontation interviews using these typical situations, akin to simulations.
• Establishing specific work-related requirements.

Main Results:

• Identified specific work exposure situations through collective interviews.
• Facilitated collective debate on organizational, technical, and social determinants of work.
• Defined work-centric requirements for the design project.

Conclusions:

• Exposure situation discussions provide a framework for transforming work implementation.
• The study highlights the utility of typical exposure situations, complementing typical action situations.
• This approach aids in specifying exposure and identifying transformation perspectives within design projects.