Pierre T. Kirisci

Safety Requirements in Collaborative Human–Robot Cyber-Physical System

The paper identifies the basic technology and functional requirements of a cyber-physical system to control human–robot collaboration in an industrial environment. The paper defines the collaboration grading of human–robot co-working environment based on the prevailing safety concepts in workspace sharing. Detailed requirements are generated for each interaction mode and few collaboration indices are established. Different indices are found to be useful for the purpose of categorization of collaboration levels. A specific case is discussed later for a detailed Cyber-Physical System solution in a smart production or logistical context. The paper ends with a general guideline that is formulated to cater for various industrial level human–robot collaborative scenarios. An important aspect of the collaboration guideline is a sensor catalogue to meet cyber-physical system design requirements.

A methodology to develop collaborative robotic cyber physical systems for production environments

The paper identifies the need for human robot collaboration for conventional light weight and heavy payload robots in future manufacturing environment. An overview of state of the art for these types of robots shows that there exists no solution for human robot collaboration. Here, we consider cyber physical systems, which are based on human worker participation as an integrated role in addition to its basic components. First, the paper identifies the collaborative schemes and a formal grading system is formulated based on four performance indicators. A detailed sensor catalog is established for one of the collaboration schemes, and performance indices are computed with various sensors. This study reveals an assessment of best and worst possible ranges of performance indices that are useful in the categorization of collaboration levels. To illustrate a possible solution, a hypothetical industrial scenario is discussed in a production environment. Generalizing this approach, a design methodology is developed for such human robot collaborative environments for various industrial scenarios to enable solution implementation.

Creative design for inclusion using virtual user models

The development of products that are accessible to the largest possible group of users can be regarded as a major challenge for manufacturers of consumer products. It is therefore crucial, that the product development process is supported by practical methods and tools that can help incorporate these essential human factors in early phases of the development process. Ergonomics evaluation and user testing with real users are user centred design methodologies often conducted by companies that are not only complex, but can be very time and cost-intensive. As an alternative approach virtual user models (VUM) have been proposed for supporting the early phases of the product development process. In this paper we will present the model-based design approach of the European research project VICON supporting inclusive design of consumer products particularly at the early stages of product development.

Supporting Inclusive Design of Mobile Devices with a Context Model

The aim of inclusive product design is to successfully integrate a broad range of diverse human factors in the product development process with the intention of making products accessible to and usable by the largest possible group of users (Kirisci, Thoben et al. 2011). However, the main barriers for adopting inclusive product design include technical complexity, lack of time, lack of knowledge and techniques, and lack of guidelines (Goodman, Dong et al. 2006), (Kirisci, Klein et al. 2011). Although manufacturers of consumer products are nowadays more likely to invest efforts in user studies, consumer products in general only nominally fulfill, if at all, the accessibility requirements of as many users as they potentially could. The main reason is that any user-centered design prototyping or testing aiming to incorporate real user input, is often done at a rather late stage of the product development process. Thus, the more progressed a product design has evolved the more time-consuming and costly it will be to alter the design (Zitkus, Langdon et al. 2011). This is increasingly the case for contemporary mobile devices such as mobile phones or remote controls.

Supporting inclusive design of user interfaces with a virtual user model

The aim of inclusive design is to successfully integrate human factors in the product development process with the intention of making products accessible for the largest possible group of users. In order to meet this challenge, the involvement of human users has so far been an efficient approach. Yet, such ergonomics evaluation experiments that employ a versatility of user groups can be very time and cost-intensive. Therefore, virtual user models (VUM) have been proposed for supporting certain phases of the product development process. In this paper a model-based design approach is proposed, which supports inclusive design of physical user interfaces of consumer products at the early stages of product development. Accordingly the objective is to explore how virtual user models can be used to conceptualize user interfaces of consumer products in such a way that even the needs of users with physical impairments are fully considered.

Virtual user concept for inclusive design of consumer products and user interfaces

Many research projects have identified three major obstacles to a broad implementation of Design for All: lack of awareness among users, designers and suppliers, technical feasibility and commercial viability. Mainstream manufactures do not have a detailed understanding of the needs of people with disabilities. This paper presents an approach to use standards-based Virtual User Models that covers mild and moderate disabilities to support designers in understanding these needs. This approach consists of a virtual laboratory with three design phases to allow designers to plan and evaluate the user interfaces of their products. We review here the state of the art and present our Virtual User Model as a mixture of human and environment context

Security framework for industrial collaborative robotic cyber-physical systems

Abstract The paper introduces a security framework for the application of human-robot collaboration in a futuristic industrial cyber-physical system (CPS) context of industry 4.0. The basic elements and functional requirements of a secure collaborative robotic cyber-physical system are explained and then the cyber-attack modes are discussed in the context of collaborative CPS whereas a defense mechanism strategy is proposed for such a complex system. The cyber-attacks are categorized according to the extent on controllability and the possible effects on the performance and efficiency of such CPS. The paper also describes the severity and categorization of such cyber-attacks and the causal effect on the human worker safety during human-robot collaboration. Attacks in three dimensions of availability, authentication and confidentiality are proposed as the basis of a consolidated mitigation plan. We propose a security framework based on a two-pronged strategy where the impact of this methodology is demonstrated on a teleoperation benchmark (NeCS-Car). The mitigation strategy includes enhanced data security at important interconnected adaptor nodes and development of an intelligent module that employs a concept similar to system health monitoring and reconfiguration.

Prototype of a virtual user modeling software framework for inclusive design of consumer products and user interfaces

The recent developments in technology inspire designers and engineers in creating more and more sophisticated and smart consumer products. However, the most ingenious device in the world will fail, if its users are not able to access the mastermind it provides. How can we best support product creators in the thorny task of inclusive design? In this paper a prototypic realization of a virtual user modeling framework to support designers in creating more inclusive products following the phase-based product development process is presented. A qualitative usability survey evaluated the acceptance of the proposed end-user applications among designers and the effectiveness of the recommendations-driven support --- the paper provides insights.

An end user and environment field study for an inclusive design of consumer products

In this paper an approach to improve the design of every day consumer products for inclusive design with a focus on elderly people with mild to medium physical and sensory impairments is presented. As mainstream manufactures do not have a detailed understanding of the needs of this target group the idea is to use a Virtual Human Model that covers these impairments. A Virtual Laboratory with three design phases is the approach to allow designers to plan and evaluate the user interfaces of their products. The paper gives a state of the art and presents the Virtual User Model as a mixture of human and environment context. In this paper we present results of an detailed ethnographic study. The research carried out on a group of 58 elderly people from the UK, Ireland and Germany who had a range of three mild-to-medium impairments; hearing, vision and manual dexterity.

Vergleich von Methoden für die Gestaltung Mobiler EndgeräteA Comparison of Methods for the Design of Mobile Devices

Zusammenfassung Es existieren diverse Methoden, Werkzeuge und Entwicklungsumgebungen für die Realisierung von Software Benutzungsschnittstellen. Anderseits gibt es bislang nur wenige Ansätze, um die Gestaltung mobiler Endgeräte systematisch zu unterstützen. In diesem Beitrag werden vielversprechende Gestaltungsmethoden aus dem HCI-Umfeld identifiziert, die aus kontextueller Sicht für die Umsetzung mobiler Endgeräte herangezogen werden können. Wir gehen der Frage nach, inwiefern diese Methoden für den konzeptionellen Entwurf zukünftiger Generationen mobiler Hardware-Komponenten geeignet sind. Es werden notwendige Kriterien für eine angemessene Gestaltungsmethode abgeleitet, und zur Klassifizierung der betrachteten Methoden herangezogen. Dieser Beitrag hat zum Ziel, die wesentlichen Merkmale zu erarbeiten, die eine Methode besitzen muss, um den Gestaltungsprozess mobiler Endgeräte systematisch zu unterstützen.