Assessing TRL of HCI Technologies Supporting Shop Floor Workers

Abstract

Successful worker-centered Industry 4.0 solutions depend on the maturity of the technologies supporting workers' interaction with information systems. This paper discusses the methodology we followed while creating and updating the FACTS4WORKERS approach for monitoring available technologies together with an assessment of their readiness for being used on industrial shop floors. Our approach is based on the creation of a taxonomy of technologies to be considered and the assessment of their readiness following an adaptation of the technology readiness assessment methods defined by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) or European Space Agency (ESA). Further, the approach discussed can be cost-effective, productive, and easily adopted by any company, especially small and medium sized enterprises, which are considering starting an ICT project (with a substantial human computer interaction component). While our approach focuses on technology maturity, we believe that other aspects could also be evaluated to determine the readiness level of a technology to be used on the shop floor, including, for example, the expected benefits for the workers or remaining technology challenges.