Simulation-Based Ergonomic Assessment of Human-Robot Collaboration: an Industry 5.0 Perspective

Abstract

Industry 5.0 has emerged as a new industrial paradigm emphasizing human centrality, sustainability, and resilience, contrasting with the technology-driven focus of Industry 4.0. This paper presents a simulation-based ergonomic assessment of Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) applied to a real industrial assembly workstation. The study is conducted using digital manufacturing tools in Siemens Process Simulate to compare two scenarios: an AS-IS manual assembly configuration and a TO-BE collaborative configuration supported by a collaborative robot (cobot). Ergonomic performance is evaluated using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method. The results show that the collaborative scenario reduces the maximum RULA score from 7 to 4, lowers the overall ergonomic risk levels, and leads to a more homogeneous ergonomic exposure throughout the task cycle. In addition, the collaborative configuration reduces anthropometric sensitivity, providing more consistent ergonomic outcomes across different operator profiles.These findings indicate that cobot integration can enhance not only productivity but also worker safety and inclusiveness, supporting humancentered workstation design. The study highlights the relevance of combining digital manufacturing and ergonomic analysis as an enabling approach for Industry 5.0-oriented industrial systems.