With the increasing complexity of modern industrial automatic and robotic systems, a burden is placed on system operators, who are required to supervise and interact with very complex systems, typically under difficult and stressful conditions. To overcome these challenges, it is necessary to adopt a responsible approach based on an anthropocentric design methodology so that machines adapt to human capabilities rather than vice versa. In this article, we consider an integrated methodological design approach, referred to as measure, adapt, and teach (MATE), which consists of devising complex automatic or robotic solutions that measure the current operator's status and adapting the interaction accordingly, while providing him or her with the necessary skills and expertise to improve the interaction. A MATE system, shown in Figure 1, endeavors to be usable for all users, thus meeting the principles of inclusive design. However, the use of such a MATE system calls to attention several ethical and social implications, which are discussed in this article. Additionally, a discussion about which factors in the organization of companies are critical with respect to the introduction of a MATE system is presented.The increasing complexity of industrial automatic and robotic production systems is a result of industry competitiveness and the need to comply with market demands. As a consequence, along with this progress comes the need for laborers to acquire more advanced skills to operate such systems. Furthermore, they must also endure challenging work conditions, such as noisy environments, tight schedules, the fear of job loss, and/or psychological pressure due to the presence of supervisors. Such strenuous conditions are amplified when vulnerable users, such as those cognitively or physically impaired as well as elderly and low-educated operators, are involved in the interaction. In typical operative scenarios, these classes of workers are barred from job positions that necessitate the meticulous attention to detail required to interact with a robot or within a complex factory plant. Alternatively, in the case that these workers are granted any such occupations, their responsibilities and duties are severely limited. To invert such a policy, complex product systems need to be simplified. The adoption of a MATE system will enable such a goal, as the system strives to be

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In this paperwe address the need to design adaptive interacting systems for advanced industrial production machines. Modern production systems have become highly complex and include many subsidiary functionalities, thus making it difficult for least skilled human operators interact with them. In this regard, adapting the behavior of the machine and of the operator interface to the characteristics of the user allows a more effective interaction process, with a positive impact on manufacturing efficiency and user’s satisfaction. To this end, it is crucial to understandwhich are the user’s capabilities that influence the interaction and, hence, should be measured to provide the correct amount of adaptation.Moving along these lines, in this paper we identify groups of users that, despite having different individual capabilities and features, have common needs and response to the interaction with complex production systems. As a consequence,we define clusters of users that have the same need for adaptation. Then, adaptation rules can be defined by considering such users’ clusters, rather than addressing specific individual user’s needs.

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Modern industrial automatic machines and robotic cells are equipped with highly complex human-machine interfaces (HMIs) that often prevent human operators from an effective use of the automatic systems. In particular, this applies to vulnerable users, such as those with low experience or education level, the elderly and the disabled. To tackle this issue, it becomes necessary to design user-oriented HMIs, which adapt to the capabilities and skills of users, thus compensating their limitations and taking full advantage of their knowledge. In this paper, we propose a methodological approach to the design of complex adaptive human-machine systems that might be inclusive of all users, in particular the vulnerable ones. The proposed approach takes into account both the technical requirements and the requirements for ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) for the design of automatic systems. The technical requirements derive from a thorough analysis of three use cases taken from the European project INCLUSIVE. To achieve the ELSI requirements, the MEESTAR approach is combined with the specific legal issues for occupational systems and requirements of the target users.

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