»Smart« Is Old News – Make Way for Empathy

Human-technology solutions for the resilient production of tomorrow are created in the project EMOTION. Their key concept is empathy.

Imagine a factory in which machines not only perform tasks, but also recognize what the various actors in their environment – other machines, humans and robots – currently need. A factory in which machines and robots independently identify faults, bottlenecks and overloads, and where they offer their help when necessary by adapting autonomously. Welcome to EMOTION – a Fraunhofer flagship project that aims to strengthen the resilience of manufacturing companies in the face of crises and disruptive developments.

Flexibility as a common mission

The core idea is this: In production systems, resilience arises from synergies in the interaction between people and intelligent machines. When the actions of all players seamlessly intertwine, they can react dynamically to unexpected events and learn from them. The result is an agile production system that skillfully navigates through turbulence and remains capable of acting even under harsh conditions.

What does it take? Empathy! »With EMOTION, we want to transfer the ability to empathize from humans to technical systems,« Christopher Mühlich explains. He is coordinating the lighthouse project in which seven Fraunhofer Institutes are working together. »In an empathetic production system, each component is not only aware of its own technical status, but also that of all other participants – and can react accordingly.«

© Fraunhofer IPK / Larissa Klassen

Synergy in action

But theory only goes so far. A combination of the latest technologies from the fields of smart maintenance, machine learning, the Internet of Things and automation is required to equip production systems with these features. 

The developed solutions are then tested and refined further in close cooperation with industry. »At project presentations, we regularly experience growing enthusiasm as soon as we get to the specific applications,« says Mühlich. »Afterwards, there are often lively discussions about what the concept could make possible.«

To demonstrate some of these possibilities, Fraunhofer IPK is developing a complex practical scenario for the empathetic cooperation between technical systems based on a process chain for the production of fuel cells. »An overarching goal here is to closely integrate the areas of production planning and control as well as maintenance and production – an essential step towards a robust overall system.«

»With EMOTION, 
we want to transfer 
the ability to empathize
from humans to technical systems.«

Safety first: data spaces

The human user is seamlessly integrated into the overall system as they receive individual support from the empathetic assistance systems. Their customized installation involves the processing of personal data, bringing up significant questions concerning the issue of data sovereignty. »Handling sensitive data is a topic that is understandably very important to companies,« says Mühlich. »We have therefore given a lot of thought as to how we approach this.«

The project partners have developed a solution that combines two innovative technologies to ensure that employees' privacy is not jeopardized: federated learning and data spaces. This gives each employee a virtual data space in which their data is only accessible to them. The AI approach of federated learning makes it possible to train models exclusively on this individual data when optimizing assistance systems or production processes. Only the models themselves – without the sensitive data – are then brought together at a central location. »This allows us to use the full potential of the available data while at the same time protecting personal information,« explains Mühlich.

To be continued …

EMOTION has successfully completed its first year. The AI, data and hardware technologies that have been developed are being brought together in an overarching platform. Mühlich describes his role as a project networker as highly fascinating, albeit a lot of work. »We are starting the second year with lots of new ideas,« he sums up. 

»And we are getting closer to the vision of a completely self-controlling factory in which people and machines work together empathetically, step by step.«

More information

 

FUTUR article

From Smart to Heart

A new Fraunhofer lighthouse project is investigating how production systems can become more resilient through cooperative behavior. Empathy plays a crucial role in this.