Methodological approach for the design of a complex inclusive human-machine system

Modern industrial automatic machines and robotic cells are equipped with highly complex human-machine interfaces (HMIs) that often prevent human operators from an effective use of the automatic systems. In particular, this applies to vulnerable users, such as those with low experience or education level, the elderly and the disabled. To tackle this issue, it becomes necessary to design user-oriented HMIs, which adapt to the capabilities and skills of users, thus compensating their limitations and taking full advantage of their knowledge. In this paper, we propose a methodological approach to the design of complex adaptive human-machine systems that might be inclusive of all users, in particular the vulnerable ones. The proposed approach takes into account both the technical requirements and the requirements for ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) for the design of automatic systems. The technical requirements derive from a thorough analysis of three use cases taken from the European project INCLUSIVE. To achieve the ELSI requirements, the MEESTAR approach is combined with the specific legal issues for occupational systems and requirements of the target users.