Hitachi: AI Technology for Quantifying Physical Load and Providing Effective Feedbacks Using Sensor Suit Devices
Improving efficiency, ensuring safety, and managing workers' health through standardization of work skills in production/maintenance sites
TOKYO, Mar 22, 2019 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501) and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence GmbH (DFKI) jointly developed an AI based technology for quantifying physical load on a worker wearing a sensor suit(1) and for providing effective feedbacks on the movement of each body part. This AI technology performs real-time recognition and quantification of physical load exerted on a worker's body during work by using the motion data of each body part obtained through sensors in wearable devices. This technology makes it possible to provide effective feedback to workers on their differences from the model worker in the movement of each body part. DFKI and Hitachi will use this newly developed AI technology to assist operations and prevent dangerous actions, thereby contributing to ensuring safety, managing health, and improving efficiency on the front line of manufacturing.
| Overview of physical load recognition with AI |
| Test screen showing real-time measurement and comparison/assessment of differences with the model worker
Changes in physical load evaluation with time (upper left) Video of an improper movement (upper right)
Changes in the status of body parts with time (lower left) Evaluation of each body part (lower right) |
In a society in which skilled labor is in shortage and recruiting new workers is becoming increasingly difficult, maintaining the skill level of workers is becoming difficult in manufacturing industry (e.g. car factories) and in maintenance or carrier businesses. As conscious of ensuring the safety and health of workers in production sites has been increasing, assisting workers in preventing danger and maintaining health is considered very important. To keep workers safe and healthy, it is necessary to know the level of physical load during work. In conventional approaches, fixed cameras are used to recognize workers' activities. However, since cameras are limited in the range they can measure, it has been difficult to quantitatively and stably assess physical load in complex production sites or outside places where it is hard to eliminate blind spots.
In order to address this problem, DFKI and Hitachi developed new AI based technology that uses the motion data of a worker, measured directly with wearable devices, to recognize and evaluate physical load on the worker's body. This AI based technology was advanced from the AI based technology developed in 2017(2), which recognizes worker's activities (e.g. tightening a screw) using quantitative data collected through arm-band sensors and eye tracking glasses in order to prevent human errors. Combination of Hitachi's human activity recognition technology for industry and DFKI's Deep Learning technology enabled the development of this AI technology. Features of the new AI driven technology are as follows:
1. Technology to directly measure body movements in various human actions and quantify physical load
Sensors in wearable devices directly measure the movements of over 30 body parts necessary to recognize basic human actions. The collected data is analyzed by AI driven models which learned how to estimate the position of each body part in advance. AI powered technology recognizes the data of certain action from the combination of each body part's position, which allows the quantification of physical load from the action using time-series data processing technology based on Deep Learning.
2. Technology to estimate physical load in real time and present differences from proper working posture to workers
By automatically comparing the motion data of the model worker measured in advance and that of a worker for each body part, AI driven model identifies specific movements and body parts that account for significant differences between them. As a result, it indicates to the worker its assessment of body parts that are causing higher physical load in an easy manner.
As an experiment, this AI based technology was applied to action to pick up heavy object. The results of the experiment confirmed that it can perform real-time estimation of quantitative values for the physical load of the action. In addition, for actions which contain bad movement, it was confirmed feedback on each body part could be provided, like movements of waist and knees are different from the model worker. Hitachi and DFKI plan to examine the effectiveness of giving instruction for safer operations in production sites with this technology.
Hitachi and DFKI will utilize the newly developed AI driven technology for operation assistance and prevention of dangerous actions in order to contribute to ensuring workers' safety, managing workers' health, and improving worker education in various production sites. Also, even though this AI technology was originally developed for workers in manufacturing industry and in maintenance or carrier businesses as a technology to measure and evaluate the movement of a human body, it is also expected to be applied in other industries such as sports or entertainment in the future. Moreover, drawing on previously developed human activity recognition AI, Hitachi and DFKI will aim to realize more efficient and safer working environment by contributing to the improvement of productivity.
Hitachi has been operating a transfer lab at DFKI in Kaiserslautern since April 2016 with the aim of jointly developing a cutting-edge AI technology of human-activity-recognition for industry.
Hitachi and DFKI will exhibit part of this technology at Hannover Messe 2019, hall 2, booth C59, to be held from 1-5 April 2019 in Hannover, Germany.
(1) Suit-type wearable devices equipped with sensors. (2) "DFKI and Hitachi jointly develop AI technology for human activity recognition of workers using wearable devices" (March 8th, 2017)
About DFKI
The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, with sites in Kaiserslautern, Saarbrucken, Bremen (with an associated branch in Osnabruck) and a project office in Berlin, is the leading German research institute in the field of innovative software technology. In the international scientific community, DFKI ranks among the most recognized "Centers of Excellence" and currently is the biggest research center worldwide in the area of Artificial Intelligence and its application in terms of number of employees and the volume of external funds. The financial budget in 2017 was 45,9 million Euro. DFKI projects cover the whole spectrum from application-oriented basic research to market- and client-oriented design of product functions. About 1000 employees from 60 countries are currently conducting research focusing on Smart Data & Knowledge Services, Cyber-Physical Systems, Multilingual Technologies, Plan-Based Robot Control, Educational Technology Lab, Interactive Textiles, Robotics, Innovative Retail, Information Systems, Embedded Intelligence, Smart Service Engineering, Intelligent Analytics for Massive Data, Intelligent Networks, Agents and Simulated Reality, Augmented Vision, Language Technology, Cognitive Assistants and Innovative Factory Systems. Impact: more than 130 professorships of former DFKI employees, and more than 90 spin-off companies with approximately 2,500 highly qualified jobs.
Contact:Hitachi Ltd
Corporate Communications
Tel: +81-3-3258-1111
Source: Hitachi, Ltd. Sectors: Electronics, Cloud & Enterprise
Copyright ©2024 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Japan Corporate News Network.
|
Latest Release
JCB enables JCB Contactless acceptance at Taichung MRT in Taiwan Apr 26, 2024 10:00 JST
| Mazda Production and Sales Results for March 2024 and for April 2023 through March 2024 Apr 25, 2024 18:21 JST
| MHI Begins Operation of SOEC Test Module the Next-Generation High-Efficiency Hydrogen Production Technology at Takasago Hydrogen Park Apr 25, 2024 17:45 JST
| GAC Honda to Begin Sales of All-new e:NP2, the Second Model of e:N Series Apr 25, 2024 16:50 JST
| Toyota Exhibiting at Beijing Motor Show 2024 Apr 25, 2024 16:25 JST
| Honda Reaches Basic Agreement with Asahi Kasei on Collaboration for Production of Battery Separators for Automotive Batteries in Canada Apr 25, 2024 11:10 JST
| UNIQLO Sponsors KAWS + Warhol Exhibition Tour, Starting in Pittsburgh Apr 25, 2024 09:00 JST
| Mitsubishi Power Begins Commercial Operation of Seventh M701JAC Gas Turbine in Thailand GTCC Project; Achieves 75,000 AOH To-Date Apr 24, 2024 17:19 JST
| MC and Denka Sign J/V Agreement in Fullerene Business Apr 24, 2024 17:02 JST
| Mitsubishi Motors Posts Record Sales in the Philippines in FY2023 Apr 24, 2024 13:56 JST
| NEC Develops High-speed Generative AI Large Language Models (LLM) with World-class Performance Apr 24, 2024 13:25 JST
| Fujitsu SX Survey reveals key success factors for sustainability Apr 23, 2024 10:25 JST
| Fujitsu and METRON collaborate to drive ESG success: slashing energy costs, boosting productivity with new manufacturing industry solutions Apr 22, 2024 16:09 JST
| NEC Strengthens Commitment to Space Industry with Investment in Seraphim Space Venture Fund II Apr 22, 2024 15:09 JST
| Soft Space Launches the First and Only JCB Payment Gateway in Malaysia Apr 22, 2024 15:00 JST
| TOYOTA GAZOO Racing takes a one-two in Croatian thriller Apr 22, 2024 10:47 JST
| First-ever Mazda CX-80 Crossover SUV Unveiled in Europe Apr 19, 2024 13:50 JST
| Fujitsu develops technology to convert corporate digital identity credentials, enabling participation of non-European companies in European data spaces Apr 19, 2024 10:17 JST
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and NGK to Jointly Develop Hydrogen Purification System from Ammonia Cracking Gas Apr 18, 2024 17:01 JST
| Toyota Launches All-New Land Cruiser "250" Series in Japan Apr 18, 2024 13:39 JST
|
More Latest Release >>
|