Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB In the factory of the future, collaboration between humans and machines is an important design aspect. Fraunhofer IOSB is focusing on two pioneering solutions: cobots and AI-based anomaly detection in quality assurance (see below).
Industrial Human-Machine Interaction
Today, interaction with technical equipment and ICT systems is largely carried out with the help of more or less complex graphical user interfaces. In recent years, many developments from desktop, mobile and web interfaces as well as new interaction technologies such as multi-touch, augmented and virtual reality have been integrated into these user interfaces. This offers enormous potential to increase the usability of machines and thus further improve production efficiency. However, current developments present designers and engineers with additional challenges in terms of content: On the one hand, the use of "intelligent" components is leading to more flexible and adaptable systems, but on the other hand, their technological complexity is also increasing. These challenges are exacerbated by the introduction of so-called cyber-physical systems, because people also have to interact with these tiny devices. A key challenge in the development of user interfaces is therefore to reduce the complexity perceived by the user. In addition, users need input and output methods that are tailored to their specific application.
New interaction concepts and intuitive human-technology interaction for industrial applications are therefore particularly important for dealing with increasing digitalization. At Fraunhofer IOSB, the focus is on developing adaptive user interfaces that visualize dynamic machine and process information clearly and comprehensibly. We visualize relevant information tailored to different users, their different needs and competences, different work situations and usage contexts as well as different physical environments. The focus is placed on the user and their task, and the additional effort required to operate the technical system is reduced. In this way, we enable the best possible user experience. The central test and demonstration environments are our usability laboratory in Lemgo, which is linked to the SmartFactoryOWL, and the Karlsruhe Research Factory.
Pioneering solutions from Fraunhofer IOSB
Cobots with AI-supported human-machine interaction
The smart assembly workstation - visionary collaboration between man and machine in manual assembly
Cobots offer personal assistance through AI-controlled interaction. Using intelligent AI methods, the cobots react to the activities of employees in assembly, interacting intuitively using gestures and speech. The robotic arms act proactively and provide support in various assembly phases in order to achieve an optimal symbiosis between man and machine.
AI-based anomaly detection in production
Our "Halodome" complements this symbiosis with an AI system for automatic anomaly detection on components. Here, the AI supports humans in recognizing deviations between faultless and defective components. The intuitive human-machine interaction enables employees to check the results on a touch-based monitor or directly on the component. Experts can retrain the system and improve its recognition capabilities through interactive checks and comments. There is no need for a costly training phase, as the system is ready for use with just a few training examples.