Human-Centric Assistive Technologies in Manual Picking and Assembly Tasks: A Literature Review

In the current industrial context, the human workforce still represents a key resource thanks to its cognitive and motor flexibility. The present work explores the role of Industry 4.0 assistive technologies in production and logistics systems from a human-centric perspective. These technologies aim to provide cognitive or physical support to operators executing manual tasks, rather than substituting them. Therefore, there is need for a comprehensive understanding of the impact of assistive technologies on the well-being and performance of operators from a human-centric perspective. In this paper, a literature review on available assistive technologies is provided. Technologies are classified based on the type of manual task (picking, assembly), type of support provided to the operator (cognitive, motor), and potential drawbacks. Outcomes emphasize the need of a thorough human-centric perspective in developing and deploying assistive technologies.