The future of industrial collaboration
The transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 marks a significant shift in industrial collaboration. While physical automation was previously the main focus, the emphasis is now on optimized cooperation between humans and machines. The central element of this new era is the smart, personalized provision of knowledge directly at the workplace, tailored to individual tasks.
Digital worker assistance systems play a crucial role in this. They combine traditional process support with artificial intelligence, intuitive operation, and bidirectional communication. “This makes knowledge and information the central factor,” emphasizes Friedrich Steininger, Managing Director of DE software & control GmbH, which specializes in innovative solutions to improve human-machine collaboration at the industrial shop floor level.
An intelligent worker assistance system like workstAItion 5.0 not only archives knowledge but actively provides it exactly when needed. The system recognizes the employee, retrieves relevant work instructions, and presents them as step-by-step guides in text, image, and video. Voice modules and AI-supported chat functions enable inquiries to be answered directly at the workplace, complementing or even replacing traditional training formats.
“Especially with varying products and complex processes, the dependence on experienced colleagues is particularly high,” says Andreas Tobisch, COO of DE software & control. “An intelligent assistance system helps to secure this knowledge while making it understandable, up-to-date, and immediately usable.”
Industry 5.0 puts humans back at the center of production—not as a counterpoint to machines but as partners in a digitally supported work environment. Intelligent assistance systems like workstAItion 5.0 make knowledge accessible, facilitate training and onboarding, ensure quality, and increase efficiency. They create a new standard of collaboration: understandable, flexible, and sustainable.
The consistent integration of humans, machines, and information enables companies to act not only more efficiently but also more resiliently—thus laying the foundation for future-proof industrial production.
You can read the article here (German): atp – Optimierung der industriellen Zusammenarbeit