During the recent SKillAIbility consortium meeting, MADE Competence Center showcased an AR-assisted assembly workstation that exemplifies the project’s focus on human-centric manufacturing technology. This demonstration provided tangible evidence of how SKillAIbility’s core principles can be implemented in real-world manufacturing settings.
The workstation demonstrated by MADE uses interactive projections directly on the assembly surface to guide operators through each step of the process. Sensors detect components and track hand movements, allowing the system to provide real-time feedback and automatically progress through assembly steps.
“This system can help any type of operators to complete a procedure,” explained MADE’s representative during the demonstration. “We can imagine that the expert operator and also the junior one can follow the same operation to complete the procedure.”
The system supports operators with a range of guidance methods, including text instructions, images, and videos that explain complex tasks. This multi-modal approach ensures accessibility for different learning styles and experience levels.
Alignment with SKillAIbility’s core principles
The demonstration highlighted how the AR-assisted workstation embodies all four key principles of the SKillAIbility project:
- Symbiosis: The system creates a seamless collaboration between human and technology, with each contributing their unique strengths to the assembly process. The technology handles instruction delivery and error detection, while the human operator provides dexterity, judgment, and adaptability.
- Inclusivity: By providing clear, step-by-step guidance, the workstation makes assembly tasks accessible to workers with varying experience levels and abilities. As noted during the demonstration, both expert and novice operators can successfully follow the same process.
- Empowerment: Rather than dictating exact movements, the system provides guidance while allowing operators to maintain control over their work. This approach builds confidence and autonomy while reducing stress associated with memorizing complex procedures.
- Augmentation: The technology enhances operator capabilities through real-time guidance, error prevention, and quality control, leading to improved productivity and higher-quality outcomes without removing the human element.
Relevance to project goals
This use case is particularly relevant to SKillAIbility’s mission of creating human-centric pathways to manufacturing skills and jobs. As MADE’s demonstrator observed, “Training becomes just a consequence, not the main focus of this instrument.”
This insight captures a transformative potential of human-centric technology: by embedding guidance within the work process itself, we can reduce barriers to entry for manufacturing careers and create more inclusive workplaces. This approach aligns perfectly with SKillAIbility’s goal of ensuring technological advancement benefits all workers, including vulnerable groups and those with limited prior training.
Watch the full video demonstration from MADE:
