Horizon Europe investment in human-centered AI for manufacturing
Uppsala University is participating through the Division of Industrial Engineering and Management in the new Horizon Europe project MANUFACTOR. The project aims to develop and test advanced technologies that support people in future manufacturing systems. The total budget is close to EUR 6 million, of which EUR 663,000 is allocated to Uppsala University.
MANUFACTOR focuses on what is known as human augmentation. This term refers to the use of digital technologies to support and complement human physical and cognitive capabilities at work, rather than replacing them. The project combines artificial intelligence, extended reality (XR) and sensor technologies to create safer, more sustainable, and more human-centered production environments, in line with the EU’s Industry 5.0 strategy.
At the core of the project is an intelligent multi-agent system that collects and analyses data from wearable sensors, vision systems, and XR interfaces. The data is used to assess workload, ergonomics, stress levels, and task progression in real time. Based on these analyses, the system can provide adaptive guidance, ergonomic support, and explainable decision support for both operators and managers.
- With MANUFACTOR, we aim to combine extended reality and artificial intelligence to empower people in manufacturing and contribute to safer, more sustainable, and human-centered systems, says Kaveh Amouzgar, Assistant Professor at the Division of Industrial Engineering and Management at the Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Uppsala University.
The project is coordinated from the University of Skövde and is carried out in collaboration with 14 academic and industrial partners across Europe. The solutions will be tested and validated in industrial pilot environments and learning factories in several countries.
Uppsala University plays a central role in the project and is responsible for developing methods and indicators that measure human-centered values such as ergonomics, cognitive load, safety, and working conditions. The researchers are also developing AI-based analytics to process sensor data in real time, with a strong focus on transparency, trustworthiness, and compliance with EU regulations such as the GDPR and the EU AI Act.
MANUFACTOR runs from fall 2026 to fall 2029.
Kaveh Amouzgar, Assistant Professor