Summary

This volume contains a selection of 89 of the 122 papers presented at the first international conference on Ergonomics of Advanced Manufacturing and Hybrid Automated Systems. The number and quality of proposals submitted for technical presentations testify to the importance of human aspects in implementing and managing advanced manufacturing technology and other computer-based automated systems. It also justifies the need for an international forum to discuss new ideas and exchange observations regarding the impact of technological progress on societies around the world. Hybrid automated systems, which combine human and machine intelligence, create progressively more and more challenges for workers, management, consumers and government. Recent developments in advanced manufacturing technology which include computer-integrated manufacturing, computer-aided design and engineering, computer-aided process planning and manufacturing resource planning, pose significant questions with respect to human involvement in hybrid automated systems.