HOW CHANGES IN COGNITIVE AUTOMATION CAN AFFECT OPERATOR PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY

Paper in proceeding, 2014

To predict system performance, understanding what affects operator performance and productivity is important. This notion was tested in a LEGO experiment including 40 students. After introducing changes in assembly instructions and material façade operator performance and productivity was increased. The aggregated results gave an indication of how cognitive automation affects the operators’ initial assembly performance. Industrial studies are needed to ensure observed trends and to further study the impact of cognitive automation characteristics. The trends however point toward that cognitive support has an impact on the final assembly and it is therefore possible to achieve better operator performance if instructions and material façade are improved.