Rethinking Human-Machine Learning in Industry 4.0: How Does the Paradigm Shift Treat the Role of Human Learning?

The paradigm shift in production system known as Industry 4.0 imposes changes on work division between human and machine. A human labor on the one side is assisted by smart devices and machines (human-machine cooperation) and on the other should interact and exchange information with intelligent machines (human-machine collaboration). This paper addresses the challenges of mutual human-machine learning in factories of the future. The ultimate goal is to identify new learning patterns in highly digitalized industrial work scenarios. To this end, we give a definition of mutual human-machine learning in digitalized work scenarios; provide exemplary scenarios in the TU Wien Pilot Factory Industry 4.0, and finally identify future research potentials