Peter Thorvald
School of Engineering Science
How will tomorrow’s industries blend human ingenuity with intelligent technologies? Welcome to a moderated dialogue with professor David Romero (Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico) is one of the world’s foremost voices in human-centric smart manufacturing.
As automation, AI, and immersive digital tools transform work, the defining question is not whether humans will remain essential – but how we elevate their role.
About the moderated dialogue
In this moderated dialogue, we explore the concept of Operator X, a forward-looking vision that goes beyond current Operator 4.0/5.0 models to examine the augmented workforce in all its dimensions: cognitive, digital, organisational, and ethical.
Professor David Romero (Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico) is one of the world’s foremost voices in human-centric smart manufacturing, and a pioneer in the development of the Operator 4.0 typology, Industry 5.0 strategies, and cyber-physical production systems. His work bridges visionary futures with actionable industrial transformation.
Professor Peter Thorvald (University of Skövde, Sweden) specialises in cognitive ergonomics, human–technology interaction, and the design of effective digital work instructions and decision-support systems in complex industrial environments. His research focuses on ensuring that advanced technologies remain usable, meaningful, and aligned with human capabilities.
The challenged of the augmented operator
Together, we will examine the opportunities and challenges of the augmented operator:
- What new forms of human–AI collaboration will shape the factory floor?
- How do organisations build trust, competence, and safe cognitive load in hybrid work systems?
- Which skills and design principles enable meaningful human roles in highly automated environments?
- Where are the ethical and organisational boundaries in augmenting human performance?
Join us to explore a future in which technology does not replace the human contribution but enhances it – creating smarter systems, more resilient operations, and more empowered workforces.
This is an activity for small and medium-sized enterprises carried out within the framework of the ShiftLabs project.
