Safety

AI Implementation in Industrial Quality Control

AI Implementation in Industrial Quality Control

A design science approach bridging technical and human factors
Erdi Ünal ORCID Icon, Kathrin Nauth ORCID Icon, Pavlos Rath-Manakidis, Jens Pöppelbuß ORCID Icon, Felix Hoenig, Christian Meske ORCID Icon
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers significant potential to enhance industrial quality control, yet successful implementation requires careful consideration of ethical and human factors. This article examines how automated surface inspection systems can be deployed to augment human capabilities while ensuring ethical integration into workflows. Through design science research, twelve stakeholders from six organizations across three continents are interviewed and twelve sociotechnical design requirements are derived. These are organized into pre-implementation and implementation/operation phases, addressing human agency, employee participation, and responsible knowledge management. Key findings include the critical importance of meaningful employee participation during pre-implementation, and maintaining human agency through experiential learning, building on existing expertise. This research contributes to ethical AI workplace implementation by providing guidelines that preserve human ...
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 1 | Pages 120-127 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.26.1.112
“Entrepreneurial courage is the key ingredient”

“Entrepreneurial courage is the key ingredient”

Interview with Prof. Jan Wörner, Director of the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS)
Production is leaving Earth. As access to space becomes increasingly affordable and reliable, the idea of manufacturing in space is evolving from science fiction to a real industrial strategy. In this interview, Jan Wörner, who has headed not only the German Aerospace Center (DLR) but also the European Space Agency (ESA) for many years, talks about strategic opportunities and regulatory challenges.
Developing Data Standards in Battery Cell Manufacturing

Developing Data Standards in Battery Cell Manufacturing

From requirements analysis to standard development procedure
David Roth, Tom Hülsmann, Felix Tidde
The growing demand for battery cells offers significant potential for the use of digital solutions in their manufacture, which in turn creates opportunities for added value through adaptive and flexible production systems. A key enabler is interoperable data exchange based on formalized data descriptions. Existing ontologies and information models remain too abstract for direct implementation. This paper presents a requirements analysis of data standards in battery cell manufacturing. A procedure for developing domain-specific standards based on OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) is derived from the results.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 41 | Edition 4 | Pages 96-103
Enabling the Future of Manufacturing with Digital Twins

Enabling the Future of Manufacturing with Digital Twins

Opportunities and obstacles
Javad Ghofrani, Darian Lemke, Tassilo Söldner
Digital twins connect physical and digital systems, furthering efficiency, enabling predictive maintenance, and allowing the production of more customized products. Despite these advantages, challenges such as high costs, data synchronization, and security risks hinder widespread adoption. This article explores the potential of digital twins and examines key barriers to integration and implementation, also considering some industrial applications including additive manufacturing as a relevant use case.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 41 | Edition 3 | Pages 72-81
Functional Safety and Cyber Security in the Process Industry

Functional Safety and Cyber Security in the Process Industry

A tension between stability and agility
Thimmo Kugele, Claudia Nowak, Arno Götz, Alexander Lawall ORCID Icon
Functional safety (safety) and cyber security (security) are key aspects of modern industry and technology. Safety aims to minimize risks posed by system malfunctions. This includes measures to protect people and the environment from failures and errors within systems. Security focuses on protecting systems and networks from digital attacks. The primary security objectives include ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability. A joint consideration of safety and security is essential for the future of the process industry, as both the physical safety and digital integrity of modern systems must be ensured. In industrial practice, this creates a field of tension: measures to enhance security can negatively impact safety and vice versa. This article analyzes relevant standards and regulations, presents key approaches for the integrated consideration of safety and security, and highlights areas of further research.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 41 | 2025 | Edition 2 | Pages 87-93
The Advantages of Microservices

The Advantages of Microservices

An examination of current literature on its application in companies
Korvin Lemke ORCID Icon, Ralph Riedel ORCID Icon
The intensive use of the term microservice calls for a theoretical analysis of the technology. Since service-oriented architecture approaches have produced rather disappointing results, the focus should be on the advantages of microservices. This article questions which principles justify the use of microservices as a system architecture. So far, some of the advantages mentioned in the examined literature have not been further explained or defined. There is also a lack of key figures for measuring success.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 41 | 2025 | Edition 1 | Pages 50-59
Real-time Reactions for Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV)

Real-time Reactions for Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV)

Monitoring and controlling with long latencies
Dominik Augenstein, Lea Basler
The constant advance of digitalization confronts companies with new challenges and opportunities. Immediate data processing is now ubiquitous and the advantages are obvious. However, broadband coverage in Germany is insufficient, which makes it difficult to improve processes. Mathematical approaches and machine learning enable timely optimization and smooth production.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 40 | 2024 | Edition 6 | Pages 56-62
Improving Social Media Moderation with Generative Language Models

Improving Social Media Moderation with Generative Language Models

Study on the detection and correction of disinformation
Anton Schegolev, Maximilian Ambros ORCID Icon
Fake news are increasingly dominating the digital world. The question arises: Can modern technologies reverse this trend? The article highlights the potential of the GPT-4o language model for identifying fake news in online comments and news articles and for correcting false information. With impressive accuracy, the model shows how language technology can combat misinformation.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 40 | 2024 | Edition 6 | Pages 72-79 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.24.6.72
Setting Up Assembly Assistance Systems

Setting Up Assembly Assistance Systems

System for the efficient configuration of assembly instructions and assistance functions
Dennis Keiser, Dario Niermann ORCID Icon, Michael Freitag ORCID Icon
In industrial assembly, humans are working more closely with machines due to assembly assistance. However, despite their great potential, the implementation of digital systems is time-consuming, which entails high training requirements. Small and medium-sized businesses, in particular, are reaching their limits. A newly developed setup system is designed to facilitate the introduction and use of such assembly assistance systems and increase their acceptance.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 40 | 2024 | Edition 6 | Pages 32-39
BSI Recommends: Virtual and Secure Surfing

BSI Recommends: Virtual and Secure Surfing

Clemens A. Schulz
Every day there are cyber attacks in the industrial sector − only the most spectacular incidents make the headlines. Like the attack on the automotive supplier Continental last summer or on the commercial vehicle supplier SAF-Holland in March this year. The financial damage caused by such attacks and the loss of trust among customers and employees are enormous. As protection against cyber attacks, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) now recommends that companies use a browser with so-called virtualised instances for the first time. This is because most attacks enter company networks via the internet. Such a browser can systematically keep attackers out of the network and is therefore a particularly effective protection.
Industrie 4.0 Management | Volume 39 | 2023 | Edition 3 | Pages 14-16
1 2 3