Autor: Thies Beinke

The employee remains a key productivity element in industrial assembly. Assembly assistance systems have therefore become an integral part of employee support. This paper presents a novel assistance system that complements process-related assistance with human-centered functionalities. In addition, an approach for the systematic evaluation of assembly assistance systems is presented in this paper. The research is based on an evaluation of the current state of the art through systematic market analysis of available assembly assistance systems.

Due to the possibility of operator intervention, semi-autonomous systems allow for a better handling of complexity than fully autonomous systems. The use of a digital twin provides a novel interface for interaction with such systems. This paper describes the implementation of the control and user interface in a system with a digital twin. It is shown how the developed control architecture can be combined with different methods of human-machine interaction and virtual training. With this extended use of the control system by a digital twin the concept can be extended beyond the operation phase and can be used in other phases of the product life cycle.

In manual assembly, assistance systems are applied for the informational and physical support of employees. So far, assistance mainly focuses on some process-related aspects of assembly processes, while system acceptance, motivational perspectives are not considered. This article presents the gamification approach as a possibility to support the motivation of the workers. To facilitate a successful implementation of gamification, this paper presents a structured and method-based selection approach for game design elements.

The use of autonomous systems is not efficient in all applications due to variable system environments or small quantities. Semi-autonomous systems are able to bridge this gap. This article presents a digital twin-based approach for human-machine interaction using adaptive automation. A case study shows how a modular digital twin can support the operator of a CPS in specific tasks. This method allows for a distinction between short-term signal changes and long-term behavior modification. Thus, semi-autonomous systems can support operators in scenarios in which autonomous systems are not viable.

The digitalisation of the working world leads to the need and at the same time to the possibility of qualifying employees in a context-oriented, individual and process-oriented way. The challenge in this context is the target-oriented and coordinated use of different learning forms and systems. The present contribution provides an approach for combining content-related and structural gamification in e-learning and the increase of motivation for e-learning as well as knowledge consolidation through mobile learning by means of a game application tailored to the sector of application. To this end, the need to adapt education to digital change is described at the beginning, the pillars of the envisaged concept (gamification, e-learning and mobile learning) are classified, an implementation of the application case of the maintenance of wind turbines is delivered and, finally, the results of the evaluation as well as the added value of this contribution are discussed.

The economic operation of the offshore wind energy turbines is of fundamental importance for the industry. Due to the prevailing weather conditions at sea these operations require optimal plannung and control. This contribution presents the work process and information requirements of an offshore service company. Suitable industry 4.0 technologies are identified to increase information transparency for the supply chain. In conjunction with a cooperative planning and control instrument, a reliable basis of decison-making for the execution of service assignments can be provided. This constitutes a direct contribution to a reduction of operation costs for offshore service logistics.

The comprehensive digitalization of work environment constitutes major challenges in connection with new media and an extended human-computer interaction. In this context, service and maintenance proved to be an important field of application for this form of Industry 4.0. An adequate process execution and documentation has to be secured, even under challenging conditions, e.g. malfunctions on short notice, harsh working conditions or tight timeframes. These requirements as well as the increasing digitalization promote the application of Augmented Reality solutions in this area. With a focus on maintenance of wind energy turbines, this article describes the state of the art in relation to current solution approaches and development needs in connection with a process-oriented application of Augmented Reality. Therefore, current solutions that are already on the market are considered as well as results of the joint research project “AR Maintenance System”.

Having derived from the end consumer market, the idea of a sharing economy is currently increasing important in more and more economic branches. Even conservative industries such as logistics are now beginning to see the potential of resource sharing. This paper discusses the scope and conditions of transferring this approach to the field of offshore wind energy logistics. It will be shown that standardizing objects and processes as well as making supply and demand transparent are considered the basis for transferring resource sharing into offshore wind energy logistics.

The challenge for the offshore wind industry is the transition form a “pioneer industry” to a mass-volume industry. Especially if the ambitious goal of the federal government to install offshore wind turbines with a total capacity of 6.5 gigawatts by 2020 in North and Baltic Sea is considered. For a reliable and economical generation of electricity, a development of the offshore wind turbines for the entire product life cycle is needed as well as the optimization of processes. At present a lot of data is recorded in the individual life cycle phases which contains valuable information for the optimization and further development of offshore wind turbines. Within this paper an approach for the merging information along the life cycle of offshore wind turbines aiming at product improvement will be presented.

Potentials for industry and research - Analysis on two respective examples The following contribution addresses the global network of the wind energy industry. Production as well as distribution of wind energy turbines takes place on an increasingly interconnected global market starting from the leading European market. The emerging markets of offshore wind energy as well as the second-hand market for wind energy turbines provide high development potential for industry and research. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of these submarkets are analyzed based on two respective examples.