Real-Time Support During a Logistic Process Using Smart Gloves

Abstract:
Optimizing logistic processes and digitizing them is one of the goals of Industry 4.0. Many of the existing processes are paper-based and cannot be completely automated. From our industrial partners we know that the presence of humans is still required in processes where flexibility and adaptability is necessary. Technologies such as smart textiles in combination with wearables can support and digitize such semi-automated processes. We have investigated the use of smart gloves to reengineer an existing commissioning process that currently uses a handheld scanner. This paper describes two prototypes to explore different textile designs in combination with wearables. We conducted a user study with 27 participants to evaluate a commissioning process from a German truck manufacturer. 59 % of the participants preferred the Two Gloves design and 41 % the One Glove design over the current process based on the handheld scanner.