Operator as a Service: A New Concept for Remote Supervision of Automated Manufacturing Lines
This paper introduces the Operator as a Service (OaaS) concept, a novel paradigm for human labour in the era of Industry 4.0. OaaS empowers skilled operators to remotely oversee and control multiple flexible smart manufacturing lines through advanced technologies such as digital twins and remote col...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IEEE
2025-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Access |
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| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11016741/ |
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| _version_ | 1849697002870276096 |
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| author | Marco Ojer Sergio Valdes Ander Garcia Xabier Oregui Iker Gastesi Xiao Lin Inigo Mendizabal-Arrieta Jairo R. Sanchez Elena Lazkano |
| author_facet | Marco Ojer Sergio Valdes Ander Garcia Xabier Oregui Iker Gastesi Xiao Lin Inigo Mendizabal-Arrieta Jairo R. Sanchez Elena Lazkano |
| author_sort | Marco Ojer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper introduces the Operator as a Service (OaaS) concept, a novel paradigm for human labour in the era of Industry 4.0. OaaS empowers skilled operators to remotely oversee and control multiple flexible smart manufacturing lines through advanced technologies such as digital twins and remote collaboration. By transitioning from on-site, full-time operators to specialized remote operators available on demand, OaaS optimizes human resource utilization and facilitates the transition towards more flexible and responsive manufacturing systems. This paper presents the OaaS architecture, discusses its potential benefits for enhancing operational efficiency and adaptability in semi-controlled manufacturing environments, and validates its feasibility through a real-world testbed involving a fully automated assembly line. The results demonstrate the potential of OaaS to address the challenges of maintaining human oversight and ensuring operational flexibility in increasingly complex and interconnected manufacturing systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a7077c2c39bf47cf82177fb271d2b4c7 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2169-3536 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Access |
| spelling | doaj-art-a7077c2c39bf47cf82177fb271d2b4c72025-08-20T03:19:17ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-0113936619367110.1109/ACCESS.2025.357441511016741Operator as a Service: A New Concept for Remote Supervision of Automated Manufacturing LinesMarco Ojer0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4494-6688Sergio Valdes1https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1961-1490Ander Garcia2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5596-2838Xabier Oregui3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2443-3367Iker Gastesi4Xiao Lin5Inigo Mendizabal-Arrieta6Jairo R. Sanchez7https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9680-4676Elena Lazkano8Vicomtech Foundation, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastian, SpainVicomtech Foundation, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastian, SpainVicomtech Foundation, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastian, SpainVicomtech Foundation, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastian, SpainVicomtech Foundation, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastian, SpainVicomtech Foundation, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastian, SpainVicomtech Foundation, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastian, SpainVicomtech Foundation, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastian, SpainComputer Science and Artificial Intelligence Department, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Donostia-San Sebastian, SpainThis paper introduces the Operator as a Service (OaaS) concept, a novel paradigm for human labour in the era of Industry 4.0. OaaS empowers skilled operators to remotely oversee and control multiple flexible smart manufacturing lines through advanced technologies such as digital twins and remote collaboration. By transitioning from on-site, full-time operators to specialized remote operators available on demand, OaaS optimizes human resource utilization and facilitates the transition towards more flexible and responsive manufacturing systems. This paper presents the OaaS architecture, discusses its potential benefits for enhancing operational efficiency and adaptability in semi-controlled manufacturing environments, and validates its feasibility through a real-world testbed involving a fully automated assembly line. The results demonstrate the potential of OaaS to address the challenges of maintaining human oversight and ensuring operational flexibility in increasingly complex and interconnected manufacturing systems.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11016741/Industry 4.0operator 4.0human-robot interactionteleoperationdigital-twin |
| spellingShingle | Marco Ojer Sergio Valdes Ander Garcia Xabier Oregui Iker Gastesi Xiao Lin Inigo Mendizabal-Arrieta Jairo R. Sanchez Elena Lazkano Operator as a Service: A New Concept for Remote Supervision of Automated Manufacturing Lines IEEE Access Industry 4.0 operator 4.0 human-robot interaction teleoperation digital-twin |
| title | Operator as a Service: A New Concept for Remote Supervision of Automated Manufacturing Lines |
| title_full | Operator as a Service: A New Concept for Remote Supervision of Automated Manufacturing Lines |
| title_fullStr | Operator as a Service: A New Concept for Remote Supervision of Automated Manufacturing Lines |
| title_full_unstemmed | Operator as a Service: A New Concept for Remote Supervision of Automated Manufacturing Lines |
| title_short | Operator as a Service: A New Concept for Remote Supervision of Automated Manufacturing Lines |
| title_sort | operator as a service a new concept for remote supervision of automated manufacturing lines |
| topic | Industry 4.0 operator 4.0 human-robot interaction teleoperation digital-twin |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11016741/ |
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