HARTU, driven by an industrial-centric and human-centered approach, has actively translated this methodology into tangible actions during its initial 11 months of operation. Far from being mere buzzwords, the consortium has diligently undertaken activities aligned with this vision, focusing on the analysis of five industrial cases. This analysis has led to the identification of specific requirements, laying the foundation for the setup of initial laboratory and real demonstrators, crucial for testing and validating the concepts developed within HARTU.

Eight key use cases have been delineated to guide the project’s direction:

1.  Spare parts delivery preparation
2. Kitting in the automotive sector
3. Pre-assembly in the automotive sector
4. Handling for mass customisation in the consumer goods sector
5. Sorting operations in the agri-food sector
6. Fixtureless assembly in hand tool manufacturing sector
7. Order preparation: pallet to pallet
8. Order preparation: box to box

In parallel, a series of human-centered workshops have been conducted, engaging workers and managers from companies representing the industrial scenarios. The workshops aimed to propose design recommendations, identify user needs, and gather requirements from the users’ perspective, ensuring that the development of solutions is not only effective but also acceptable to end users.

The culmination of these efforts will be presented in deliverables D1.1 and D1.2, in which the results of the workshops and the user-centered design approach will be made public. HARTU’s commitment to a human-centered methodology ensures that the solutions developed resonate with and meet the needs of end users, marking a significant step forward in the project’s mission.

Cover image: photo by Cash Macanaya on Unsplash