Technology assessment approach to human-robot interactions in work environments

Abstract

Due to (ongoing) technical processes with regard to applications of robotics one may analyse the organizational effects this technology has in two sectors: 1) Manufacturing: where industrial robotics has a long tradition and the human-machine interaction is organized basically by Tayloristic working structure (division of labour, changes of qualification and skills, speeding up processes, high economic efficiency). Through new innovative applications in robotics this sector is actually facing new challenges of this interaction with regard to new issues i.e. safety, complexity of work environment etc. 2) Health: the application of assistive robot systems in surgery operations is still very recent, but has already created specific pattern of working environment which show significant similarities to manufacturing. In both sectors the impact of robotics on the organizational working environment is widely unknown. This paper explores scientific knowledge about the impact of robotics on working environment in both sectors based on different methods of Technology Assessment.