Characteristic analysis of elderly workers in human-centric production systems using real observations and simulated constraints

Abstract

Owing to the growing number of elderly workers in developed countries, the age-friendly design of production systems is crucial for the success of human-centric manufacturing. To obtain knowledge for designing age-friendly production systems, this study conducted the first characteristic analysis of elderly workers, focusing on the set parts supply process. By combining motion analysis with the subjective mental workload survey, this study clarified the differences in how tasks are performed by elderly and young workers and how such differences affect the mental workload of elderly workers. The findings enable evidence-based design and implementation of age-friendly production systems.