Capturing the system requirements for adopting Industry 5.0 in quality inspection: an evidence-based approach

Abstract

Manufacturers face the challenge of adopting digital solutions to maintain competitiveness in the era of flexible manufacturing. The human remains a crucial asset in ensuring this flexibility. Industry 5.0 strongly emphasizes human-centric approaches to achieve sustainability and resilience in the industry. Notably, in-line quality inspection stands out among the assembly operations to minimize waste and ensure quality. With the increasing trend toward high-mix low-volume manufacturing, the reliance on operators' traditional tools and cognitive skills for quality inspections is no longer sufficient. Complexity escalates when manual assemblies involve components of varying sizes. Technologies such as augmented reality and computer vision can potentially support quality inspection in manual assembly. However, successful implementation depends on comprehending the specific requirements of the end users. We propose a qualitative approach to refining the requirements in applied research projects that aim to implement human-centered technologies. The approach was applied in a research project for in-line quality inspection with 18 professionals from two manufacturing companies. We instantiated the method using qualitative methods including questionnaires and focus groups with diverse stakeholders with demonstrations. We further investigated the verification and implementation of our method.