The role of human factors/ergonomics in the design and management of manufacturing human robot collaborative workstations adopting the industry 5.0 approach

Córdova-Aguirre L.J. · Sustainable Social Development (2026) · DOI: 10.23812/ssd8391

Resumen

As industries move towards greater integration of advanced robotics, the focus on human-centric approach promoted by Industry 5.0 becomes essential. One of the enabling technologies of Industry 5.0 is collaborative robotics. Nevertheless, the literature indicates that the aspect of the application of Human Factors/Ergonomics (HFE), in industrial collaborative robotics is an emerging and not yet consolidated research topic. For this reason, the aim of this research is to explore the current state of the art regarding the application of Human Factors/Ergonomics (HFE) in the design and management of human-robot collaborative (HRC) workstations in the manufacturing industry adopting the Industry 5.0 approach. A systematic literature review was conducted identifying a total of forty scientific journal articles that met the established inclusion criteria. It was found that the main research topics addressed by the reviewed literature are: Factors influencing the acceptance of cobots by human coworkers and managers, Methodologies and tools used for ergonomics assessment in HRC systems, Task allocation strategies, Technical and ethical guidelines for the design of HRC workstations, and Sustainability assessment in HRC configurations. All the findings of this study have been meticulously presented and discussed, and it is expected that they can guide academics and practitioners in designing and managing HRC workstations to make them more human-centered, sustainable, resilient, and efficient. The value of this article lies in the fact that the results have been analyzed from an industrial engineering perspective and can serve as a complement to studies on the subject carried out by robotics specialists.

Instituciones: Universidad de Lima