Human-Machine-Interaction in Innovative Work Environment 4.0 – A Human-Centered Approach

The working environment is constantly changing and companies face the challenge of adapting to new and constantly changing customer requirements. Employees are faced with the challenge of identifying and learning new, helpful technologies and using them in order to achieve efficiency gains and increase productivity. This article addresses the three technologies Artificial Intelligence, Robotic Process Automation and Virtual Reality, which will play an important role in the future of work and will influence the Work Environment 4.0. Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Process Automation relieve employees of repetitive and manual tasks which thus accelerate and simplify business processes. Virtual Reality offers employees new opportunities to collaborate in virtual environments. Instead of performing routine tasks, employees will increasingly promote the use of such technologies in future and orchestrate their application. In addition, it is important for employees to continuously look for new use cases within their own organization and to collaborate with external partners. The article aims to describe the opportunities that arise from the application of the technologies and to explain their effects on the Work Environment 4.0 and the employee.