Focus on First Open Call winners: Improving workers’ health, emotional distress recognition & human-machine collaboration based on AI-at-the-edge in manufacturing SMEs

WHAT ABOUT THE EXPERIMENT? 
 

As the manufacturing sector transitions to Industry 5.0, there's a pressing need for a shift to human-centered digitalization to enable an increased collaboration between humans and machines. However, the current standard often remains machine-centric, frequently overlooking the well-being of workers.

Work-related stress is one of the leading causes of health problems in Europe and up to 60% of lost working days are due to stress-related illnesses. Despite recent advancements in IoT and wearables, only small percentage of companies utilize these technologies to support workers' needs and improve well-being.

Our experiment aims to address this gap by exploring a distress recognition system that can leverage AI-at-the-edge and human-centered digitalization principles for SMEs. The primary focus is on prioritizing worker well-being by reducing stress and fostering inclusivity for all workers to enhance safety, flexibility, and productivity. Cultivating acceptance of the system is central to our approach as well as employing human-centered design principles alongside trustworthy AI and privacy standards. Here AI-at-the-edge has immense benefits, not only in terms of latency, but also for privacy preservation.

We are a diverse team combining experiences from tech, digital health & business.

 

WHAT IS THE EXPECTED IMPACT?  
 

AI-at-the-edge technologies & their integration into new processes and devices, enables not only enhancements in operational efficiency but also significant advancements in worker well-being. Prioritizing workers’ health fosters a positive work environment that also boosts overall job satisfaction and performance.

The experiment enables to explore assembly processes, reduce worker frustration, and improve overall well-being while fostering data-driven decision-making.

Further, leveraging novel scalable technologies for AI-at-the-edge computing enhances our competitiveness and opens avenues for new business models centered around hardware-enabled services.

By optimizing key processes and enabling a more cost-efficient production in Europe, SMEs can allocate resources more effectively and invest in areas that drive long-term value.