Dear Colleagues,

The study of human factors (HFs) in working environments, including the physical, psychological, and physiological characteristics of workers, is a hot topic in manufacturing, and it is strictly connected to the quality of work. In fact, the goal of human factors engineering (HFE) is the definition of proper design methods and techniques to enhance human wellbeing and the overall system performance at the same time, according to the International Ergonomics Association.

Despite this, HFs are still rarely considered in engineering and manufacturing, mostly due to production costs and the narrow time to market, and in general, limited attention is paid to the correct integration of humans in the factory. Although various works in the literature demonstrate a direct correlation between worker wellbeing and system performance, companies are sceptic about the benefits human factors can have on production; thus, HFs are rarely considered during the design process of complex systems and machines.

In this context, the concept of User eXperience (UX) acquires a greater importance, which is defined by ISO standard 9241-11:2018 as the user’s perceptions and responses that result from the use and/or anticipated use of a system, product or service. Users’ perceptions and responses include users’ emotions, beliefs, preferences, perceptions, comfort and behaviors that occur before, during and after use. Considering these aspects is essential in order to design machines and complex systems that fit user and operator needs, paving the way for a new way of design characterized by a strong human-centered vision. The use of digital technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, digital human simulations, human monitoring and motion capture systems could bridge the gap between industrial requirements and operators’ needs, providing reliable tools for HFI in industry.

This Special Issue will be devoted to state-of-the-art research on the integration of human factors in industry and applications of digital technologies, such as virtual prototyping, virtual and augmented reality, digital twins, digital human simulations, human monitoring and motion capture systems. We seek submissions with an original perspective and advanced thinking on the theme addressed. Research on theories, simulations, experiments, and engineering applications is welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Fabio Grandi
Dr. Margherita Peruzzini
Dr. Agnese Brunzini
Guest Editors

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• human factors and ergonomics
• user-centered design
• human–machine interfaces
• user experience
• Operator 4.0
• adaptive interfaces
• human tracking and monitoring
• digital twin
• virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality
• digital human modeling and simulation