artificial intelligence

Immersive Human Digital Twins for Industry 4.0

Immersive Human Digital Twins for Industry 4.0

Supporting adaptive human-centric production by integrating cognitive and physical states
Tajbeed A. Chowdhury ORCID Icon, Eric Wagner ORCID Icon, Paul Motzki ORCID Icon, Martina Lehser ORCID Icon
The rapid advancement of immersive technologies has created new opportunities to transform human-machine collaboration in industry. This paper presents an immersive platform with a digital twin that combines both physical and cognitive characteristics of human dynamics. By integrating multimodal sensing, human biomechanics, and cognitive state into digital twin technology, the proposed system enhances operational safety and ensures better ergonomics. The main argument is that human digital twins are not only desirable but essential for next-generation industrial systems. We discuss the limitations of existing human modeling approaches, outline the conceptual foundations of human digital twins, and demonstrate their industrial relevance across safety, productivity, ergonomics and sustainability.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 3 | Pages 6-13 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.26.3.1
Creative Intent and Reflective Practices for Reliable and Performative Human-AI Systems

Creative Intent and Reflective Practices for Reliable and Performative Human-AI Systems

In our contribution we underline the relevance of creative intent for making semi-autonomous human-AI systems reliable and performative. We show the challenges resulting from the autonomy of AI-based systems and argue that human creative intent allows to cope with them and to bring systems forward. It provides them with the capacity to generate meaningful contextual interactions through hybrid human-technology reflective practices. We illustrate the necessity for enhancing the reliability of systems on the basis of a high variety of use cases from (semi)autonomous driving, manufacturing, software development, healthcare and higher education - all of outstanding relevance for societal development towards a bright future. Against this background we discuss how to design technology for keeping human creative intent and performative reflective practices in the loop. The outlook gives emphasis to future research methods with respect to living lab components and ethnographic research in ...
Industry 4.0 Science | 2023 | | DOI 10.30844/wgab_2023_5
Determining Sustainable Application System Architectures

Determining Sustainable Application System Architectures

EAM as enabler for the design of transferable AI solutions
André Ullrich ORCID Icon, Norbert Gronau ORCID Icon
The need to sometimes respond very quickly to changes requires companies to have a high degree of flexibility and speed of reaction. Application system architectures, which usually consist of old and self-developed systems, often do not allow companies to meet these requirements. However, investment funds for new software are limited, so priorities must be set when it comes to replacing legacy systems. An adaptability analysis is an efficient analysis method for planning the renewal of the application system landscape. This article describes the procedure and results of an adaptability analysis, using the example of an internationally active automotive supplier.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 39 | 2023 | Edition 1 | Pages 46-52 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.23.1.46
Integration of Artificial Intelligence into Factory Control

Integration of Artificial Intelligence into Factory Control

Norbert Gronau ORCID Icon
With the increasing availability of IoT devices and significantly greater incorporation of Internet-enabled technologies into manufacturing processes, the idea of improving factory control through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is also coming to the fore. Using the example of high-variation series manufacturing, this article describes which steps need to be taken to improve factory control with AI.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 39 | 2023 | Edition 1 | Pages 95-99 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.23.1.95
Artificial Intelligence in ERP Systems

Artificial Intelligence in ERP Systems

Development potential and benchmarking
Marcus Grum ORCID Icon, Nicolas Korjahn
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more important for a variety of industries, which is why enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems also offer many possible uses of AI. Due to their newly acquired, AI-based adaptability and learning abilities, modern AI-integrated ERP systems are able to develop competencies, plan processes, make forecasts and interact intelligently with humans. It is not uncommon for such systems to initiate major structural changes for companies and to open up new markets and design areas [1]. In order to measure the progress of an ERP system in terms of AI, the Center for Enterprise Research (CER) has developed an AI maturity model. Building on this model, a tool for evaluating AI integration in an ERP system should be able to showcase potential for development and enable market comparison.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 39 | 2023 | Edition 1 | Pages 100-105 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.23.1.100
Trends and Challenges in Factory Software

Trends and Challenges in Factory Software

Norbert Gronau ORCID Icon
Any networked information system that is used in the context of manufacturing and logistics in a factory can be referred to as factory software. This article describes six trends that will significantly influence the way software is used in factories in the near future. The trends are described in ascending order in terms of significance of impact.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 39 | 2023 | Edition 1 | Pages 114-119 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.23.1.114