Intelligent control of an assembly station by integration of a digital twin for employees into the decentralized control system

Actual self-controlling production systems need to consider humans as system elements and integrate them according to availability and skills. The role of employees should not be limited to a “resource” but should be extended by taking into account, for example, personal preferences. To achieve this objective, a digital twin for employees has been developed. This paper presents the conceptual approach and its application to an industrially relevant case. The digital twin is implemented for tasks at an assembly station, demonstrating impacts with regard to integration of humans in production systems and production control systems in general.