Robots and humans as co-workers?

TL;DR

This paper explores the social and human-centered challenges of integrating autonomous systems and robotics into complex work environments, emphasizing the need for participatory design and social considerations in human-technology interaction.

Contribution

It highlights the importance of integrating social and human factors into the design of autonomous work systems and proposes a participatory approach for future workplace design.

Findings

Autonomous systems impact social dynamics in workplaces.

Human intervention capacity may be limited in complex environments.

Participatory design strategies are essential for effective human-robot collaboration.

Abstract

The design of work organisation systems with automated equipment is facing new challenges and the emergence of new concepts. The social aspects that are related with new concepts on the complex work environments (CWE) are becoming more relevant for that design. The work with autonomous systems implies options in the design of workplaces. Especially that happens in such complex environments. The concepts of "agents", "co-working" or "human-centred technical systems" reveal new dimensions related to human-computer interaction (HCI). With an increase in the number and complexity of those human-technology interfaces, the capacities of human intervention can become limited, originating further problems. The case of robotics is used to exemplify the issues related with automation in working environments and the emergence of new HCI approaches that would include social implications. We conclude that studies on technology assessment of industrial robotics and autonomous agents on manufacturing environment should also focus on the human involvement strategies in organisations. A needed participatory strategy implies a new approach to workplaces design. This means that the research focus must be on the relation between technology and social dimensions not as separate entities, but integrated in the design of an interaction system.