Modular System Design Approach for Online Ergonomics Assessment in Agile Production Environment

Shorter product lifecycles, mass individualization and agile concepts for lot size1 require more flexible production. Constant challenges may result in optimized processes. However, opimization effects not only on the production technologies but also on the operators and their ergonomics. A simulation based ergonomic evaluation in such hybrid workspaces is tough and fruitless due to constantly changing in the production processes and to the diversity of the human activities. An online ergonomics assessment and real-time feedback ensures that employees improve the quality of their workplace and maintain healthy working conditions. This work proposes a method for agile production or traditional factory floors using a marker less camera-based system using real-time joint position estimations as input and providing a continuous or summarized individual ergonomic feedback as output. Furthermore, first implementation results considering the requirements and overall system design for online ergonomic evaluation in agile production environment are discussed.