Smart industry: thanks to AI, new employees can be onboarded straight away

Thema:
Artificial intelligence

Production processes in the manufacturing industry are becoming increasingly complex. And that makes the task of familiarising new employees with their working environment quickly and effectively all the more challenging. TNO is developing a system that uses artificial intelligence. The aim is to ensure that employees are given exactly the instructions they need at a particular time.

In most factories nowadays, assembly line work is carried out by advanced machines. In the manufacturing industry meanwhile, more and more work is also performed by robots. However, there is much that they cannot do. People are still needed for operating machinery and for complex and varied work, so they remain an important element in factories everywhere.

Little time to onboard people

The manufacturing industry prefers to employ people with engineering qualifications. In the Netherlands, though, people in that category are thin on the ground. So how about taking on people with no engineering background? In many cases that is the only option, but it does present a challenge. That’s because it takes a lot of time to onboard an inexperienced employee. In the meantime, customers want to know where the products are that they have ordered. In short – stress!

System that allows tailor-made solutions

It would be ideal if every employee – experienced or not – were to receive work instructions tailor-made for their situation. Not on paper, but step-by-step instructions projected onto a computer screen or smart glasses for example, or by a beamer onto a work table. And that is exactly what can be achieved using TNO’s ‘adaptive operator support system’.

Real-time instructions, thanks to AI

The system, which is controlled by artificial intelligence, also ensures that employees receive their instructions in real time – that is, precisely when they need to carry out an action or check something. Not only that, but the instructions are adapted to the level of knowledge and experience of the individual employee.

Below you can see how this works with the current Operator Support System prototype:

Extra boost for the manufacturing industry

TNO is working in partnership with Omron () and Thomas Regout International in the Flexible Manufacturing field lab on the Brainport Industries Campus. These companies are going to test and evaluate a prototype of the adaptive operator support system. Demonstration models are also being set up at the Brainport Industries Campus and at RoboHouse in Delft.

Interested firms will soon have the opportunity there to learn more about this AI system, which can give an extra boost to production capacity in the manufacturing industry.

Get inspired

32 resultaten, getoond 1 t/m 5

‘Giant AI goes down the European road’

Informatietype:
Insight
31 March 2023

TNO supports the alarming call of the Future of Life Institute regarding AI. Regulation is urgent and cannot be left solely to the market. Read TNO's response.

AI Systems Engineering & Lifecycle Management

Informatietype:
Article

The AI system for the future. At TNO, we work on AI systems that remain reliable and can handle new functions in the future.

Rob de Wijk on the rise of AI in geopolitical context

Informatietype:
Insight
27 September 2022

Anne Fleur van Veenstra, director of science at TNO’s SA&P unit, interviews Rob de Wijk, emeritus professor of international relations in Leiden and founder of The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. Rob is also a much sought-after expert who appears on radio and television programmes. What does the rise of AI mean geopolitically and in armed conflicts?

Bram Schot on the impact of AI on mobility

Informatietype:
Insight
27 September 2022

Marieke Martens, science director at TNO and professor of automated vehicles at the Eindhoven University of Technology, talks to Bram Schot. Schot was the CEO of Audi until 2020, having previously held management positions at various car makers, including Mercedes and Volkswagen. Their conversation concerns the influence of AI on mobility. How will AI impact the production process? And what does a future with autonomous vehicles look like?

Eppo Bruins on AI in different government domains

Informatietype:
Insight
27 September 2022

Michiel van der Meulen, chief geologist for the Geological Survey of the Netherlands (GDN), speaks with Eppo Bruins. Bruins was educated as a nuclear physicist and has spent many years working in the world of science, innovation, and technology. Between 2015 and 2021, he was a Dutch member of parliament for the Christian Union. He was recently appointed chairman of the Advisory council for science, technology and innovation (AWTI). What will AI mean for the various government domains in the coming years?