The role that psychologists play in the design and development of robots is increasingly relevant, as they ensure that the innovations led by computer scientists and engineers are genuinely intuitive. In other words, as paradoxical as it may sound, they ensure that the fifth industrial revolution is as natural as possible, as indicated by Professor Johannes Kraus, from the J. Gutenberg University of Mainz, in Germany.
In his opinion, the approach of these systems must be “human-centered.” Not in vain, for theorists and also for professionals in the sector, this extreme would have to clearly differentiate the current technological stage from the past Industry 4.0. Experts like him insist that the progress of companies, from multinationals to startups, be carried out according to the “needs” and “expectations” of the public.
The effervescence in this business is such that academics have defined a specific field of knowledge, that is, “engineering psychology” or “human factors engineering.” The key concept in this field is the interaction between human beings and machines. The idea is not new, but, today, its scope exceeds the most audacious forecasts that were formulated in the past.
From another German university, specifically Mainz, researcher Marlene Wessels, who recently received a doctorate in this discipline, adds “virtual reality” to this complex equation, in which people and artificial intelligence systems already intervened. and robotics. In this way, consumer responses can be analyzed “in real or synthetic environments.”
The German Federal Ministry of Education finances all these experiments, which have the collaboration of the Institute of Digital Ethics of the Stuttgart Media University, since, as the participants in the initiative emphasize, this dimension is as relevant as any other. In fact, in recent months, no project of this type has allowed itself the luxury of dispensing with this aspect of principles and values.
German scientists, like many of their colleagues based in the rest of the world, are concerned about the present and future “coexistence” of people with devices, gadgets, hardware and software, and emphasize the urgency of working towards “the inclusion” in a context that, in his opinion, promotes precisely the opposite. Therefore, they remember that citizens should receive much more information in this regard.
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