Human–Co-Bot Interaction and Neuroergonomics: Co-Botic vs. Robotic Systems

The fourth industrial revolution comprehends smart manufacturing, where sensors, computing platform, and data modeling are employed (Kusiak, 2018). Di Nardo et al. (2020), in the frame of Industry 4.0, developed a model where the role of management is key in this new highly networked environment. It is suggested that cyber-physical systems, along with massive data acquisition and mining, might support the decision making and planning execution phases. In this framework, technological advancements are a necessary, but not sufficient condition. In fact, a functional and targeted human–machine interaction, defined as a communication/interaction between the human user and machines via different interface in a dynamic context, is also essential. Management has to oversee the rising demand for tech-innovation, which is essential because of the renewed complexity, the stricter time-to-market process, and a higher competition generated by globalization (De Carolis et al., 2016), and to ensure that innovation fits well within the work environment. In this sense, the automation of part of the process adds value only if substantial changes are implemented among all the organization, which happens when the efficiency of the machine is strengthened by human cognitive skills and adequate flexibility. Under this light, neuromanagement, a new branch of management, was recently developed, where decision-making processes (Balconi and Fronda, 2019, 2020a) and social behavior and interaction (Balconi and Vanutelli, 2017; Venturella et al., 2017; Balconi and Fronda, 2020b) are studied in real-world situations by using a neuroscientific approach. The conjunction and the outcome of this multidisciplinary approach might boost smart manufacturing, in particular for co-bot technology, where operational fluency between agents has a significant weight for safety and productivity reasons. In this work, with the term “co-bot,” we intend to underline its collaborative dimension, being it the main feature that differentiates from other technological systems (Ajoudani et al., 2018).