Augmented Reality

The increasing complexity of industrial environments demands new competencies from workers, particularly the ability to interact with advanced digital systems. Traditional training methods often fall short in supporting the effective transfer of applied knowledge to such contexts, and the effectiveness of this transfer, as measured by performance-based outcomes, remains to be investigated. To address this gap, the present study employed a between-subjects experimental design comparing augmented reality- and paper-based instructions within a realistic production training scenario. The results show that participants who learned with augmented reality completed the production process significantly faster and with fewer errors than those using paper instructions. In addition, learners using augmented reality reported higher usability and experienced lower cognitive load during training. These findings suggest that augmented reality can enhance the transfer of practical skills in industrial ...

In today’s manufacturing industry, digital twins are a key enabler for optimizing production processes and efficient resource use. However, creating digital twins is often associated with high or difficult-to-estimate costs and typically requires unknown characteristic values, such as material parameters, making practical implementation challenging. With RAPIDZ, we present a tool for creating and using digital twins that overcomes these barriers through its modular structure. The virtual modeling of physical systems enables comprehensive analysis and real-time forecasting of material flows, energy consumption and machine performance. The use of RAPIDZ increases production line efficiency, enhances flexibility and response time, and enables proactive maintenance to minimize downtime.

Digital Twins offer great potential for increasing efficiency in logistics. Digital supply chain twins (DSCT) enable data-driven decisions and optimize processes at location and network level. A study conducted during an expert workshop shows that companies are interested in DSCT, but challenges such as data quality, cross-actor data exchange and interoperability are hindering their widespread implementation. While pilot projects exist, market penetration remains low. Successful implementation requires standardized interfaces and contractual frameworks for data exchange. As a result, DSCT can make logistics networks more resilient and sustainable in the long term.

Assistance systems improve work processes, shorten learning times and increase flexibility in the workplace. Human-centered, resilient and sustainable production approaches where user acceptance is of the utmost importance play a crucial role in the digitized Industry 5.0. Two user studies investigate how useful the support of technologies like augmented reality and AI chat actually is. In the context of cognitive assistance systems in intralogistics, artificial intelligence and augmented reality have a great potential and can contribute to an improvement in process performance. The usability of these systems in terms of human-centricity of Industry 5.0 is crucial. This article describes the results and findings of two user studies conducted in the laboratory for intralogistics work processes (picking and packing). The assistance systems used were evaluated using the System Usability Scale.   Cognitive assistance systems in intralogistics Assistance systems make a ...

Small and medium-sized enterprises still face the challenge of shaping their digital transformation. Maturity models offer a way to capture the situation within a company and support the formation of an Industry 4.0 vision. This paper presents a methodology that companies can use to develop a roadmap for shaping digital transformation by enabling the transfer of this vision into concrete decision-making steps.