This project by Plegma Labs and Helios Bakery tackles one of the main challenges in the production machines/tools sector, and specifically in the food industry, is to improve working conditions in terms of human safety, stress, and well-being since workers are responsible for controlling machines and tools to process raw materials in order to produce food products. Human supervisors play a vital role in this sector since they monitor multiple parameters in a food production facility. However, they cannot continuously be present near every single worker in order to make sure that all the safety and well-being precautions are taken and all the procedures are optimized.

The HANDFUL project utilizes AI techniques, such as computer vision, to detect if the facility workers wear the required equipment, e.g. protective gloves, glasses, helmets, etc., while it also monitors parameters related to the stress levels and well-being of workers, such as indoor climate conditions, worker movement, and machinery energy consumption. Specifically, the HANDFUL system will use “BB23: Manual Task Recognition” with support for CEA to address Challenge 6 “Collaboration between AI and Human supervisors to solve complex problems” to detect worker hand placement as well as proprietary AI models to automate human supervision regarding machinery in food processing and production facilities. Specifically, the offered services will be integrated in a holistic AI-enabled DSS for food production facilities, with an easy-to-use dashboard interface being offered to supervisors. The envisioned AI models will help to solve the complex problem of combining computer vision data with machinery energy consumption data and indoor climate condition data in order to improve worker safety and well-being. The solution will be demonstrated in a food manufacturing industrial pilot site in Greece, which will also provide business intelligence to the DSS regarding its specific needs and process flows, towards process optimization and environmental waste reduction through the HANDFUL services.