The Cognitive Operator 4.0

Abstract

While previous Industrial Revolutions have increasingly seen the human as a cog in the system, each step reducing the cognitive content of work, Industry 4.0 contrarily views the human as a knowledge worker putting increased focus on cognitive skills and specialised craftsmanship. The opportunities that technological advancement provide are in abundance and to be able to fully take advantage of them, understanding how humans interact with increasingly complex technology is crucial. The Operator 4.0, a framework of eight plausible scenarios attempting to highlight what Industry 4.0 entails for the human worker, takes advantage of extended reality technology; having real-time access to large amounts of data and information; being physically enhanced using powered exoskeletons or through collaboration with automation; and finally real-time monitoring of operator status and health as well as the possibility to collaborate socially with other agents in the Industrial Internet of Things, Services, and People. Some of these will impose larger cognitive challenges than others and this paper presents and discusses parts of the Operator 4.0 projections that will have implications on cognitive work.

A Review on Communicative Mechanisms of External HMIs in Human-Technology Interaction

“…Is it a good idea to try and replicate human communicative behavior in an autonomous system, would humans be comfortable with that, would communication be facilitated as it is in human-human interaction, or are we limiting ourselves to conventional interaction modes while missing new interaction opportunities offered by the system? In summary, one of the more pertinent scenarios of the Operator 4.0 typology [3] regards "collaborative robot" applications, and for these applications to be implemented effectively, for collaboration to run smoothly and effortlessly, the communication between human and robot is essential [1]. We have discussed how this collaboration can be further enhanced by understanding how humanmachine interaction actually unfolds and how the behavior of the robot itself might prove a valuable clue to predicting its movements.…”

“…The Cognitive Operator 4.0 [1] described three topics of particular interest for future R&D, aligned with the Industry 5.0 hallmarks [2] that emphasize human centricity, mental workload, cognitive embodiment, and communication (or human-technology communication rather). The latter of these -communication -outlines how information exchange and interaction between humans and technology is becoming increasingly important to enable efficient work practices for the Operator 4.0 [3].…”

Information display preferences for assembly instructions in 6 industrial settings

“…It also highlights among other things the need for proper communication between systems and users to be able to utilise the coming technological advancements. Something that is even further highlighted in the cognitive operator 4.0 by Thorvald et al (2021).…”

A human-centered perspective on individual risks for digital innovation management: an integrative conceptual review

“…For example, I4.0 technologies may increase the complexity of skills needed among workers such as problem-solving and decision-making resulting in cognitive overload and fatigue (Wixted et al, 2018). This can be the case of exoskeletons where the lack of skills of the workers may result in physical discomfort or lack of human flexibility (Fox et al, 2020;Thorvald et al, 2021). Likewise, while virtual and ARbased technologies can improve work procedures and enhance workers' cognitive abilities, they can also impair psychological well-being with a sense of isolation (Vanneste et al, 2020).…”