On managing the human factors engineering of hybrid production systems

In the transition toward total automation, contemporary manufacturing systems are predominantly composed of production equipment that is neither completely manual or automated. The development of these systems, identified as hybrid production systems, employ and integrate the capacities of human operators with intelligent machines. It is argued that human activities in hybrid automated systems are critical in achieving productivity gains. Given this importance, hybrid systems must be designed to optimize production. Optimal human factors engineering is possible only when engineers and their management are aware of the technical challenges, created by hybrid systems, and the range of options available for meeting these challenges. The authors describe these challenges and their possible solutions, specifically targeted to the management of engineering and technology-based organizations