The SEISMEC shift at the two-year mark: empowering the future of work
Reaching the two-year mark, SEISMEC stands as proof of the power of human-centric innovation, driving the transition toward Industry 5.0 across Europe. The CAPS framework now guides seventeen pilots across diverse industrial ecosystems, each showing how AI-based applications can strengthen both workforce empowerment and industrial competitiveness.
Concrete advances illustrate this commitment. VR-based safety training systems are supporting welders and technicians, explainable AI scheduling tools are helping protect staff well-being, and mobile applications are enabling runway inspectors at Zagreb Airport to refine their ability to detect foreign objects. Alongside these developments, SEISMEC has produced eight open-access scientific articles, practical design guidelines and a guidebook for worker participation. Coupled with involvement in more than sixty events and close cooperation with initiatives such as BRIDGES 5.0 and PROSPECTS 5.0, these achievements are shaping a skilled, value-driven and creative European workforce.
Progress also highlights that Industry 5.0 requires persistence. Socio-technical, financial, regulatory and ethical tensions remain central to technology deployment, reinforcing the importance of embedding privacy, participation and broader human interests into design from the outset. The next phase will focus on deepening cross-pilot learning and translating findings into evidence-based recommendations, ensuring that the practices demonstrated within SEISMEC inform future regulation and industrial strategy.
Building the foundations for human-centric workplaces
Much of the early work has centred on creating the conceptual tools needed to bring human-centrism into real workplaces. Benchmarking efforts across Europe informed the CAPS framework, now used as a self-assessment tool to diagnose human-centric challenges and define directions for improvement. Building on this, partners continue to develop the SEISMEC framework, which integrates empowerment factors, structural dimensions and practical solution directions.
This groundwork has required ongoing communication to ensure that each stage adds clear value and avoids duplication. General assemblies and collaborative exchanges have played a vital role in maintaining shared understanding and building a common culture.
Turning human-centric principles into tools that companies can use
Translating theory into practice has been a defining element of the project. The consortium has developed guidance for human-centric system design, evaluation frameworks for pilot activities and an AGILE-based approach that ensures workers are involved in the development and application of technologies. Work has also progressed on explainability tools, privacy-preserving feedback mechanisms and human-centred interface design.
The diversity of pilots brought its own challenges, from limited AI maturity in some environments to concerns about monitoring and the need to align theory with workplace realities. These were addressed by keeping the design guidelines modular, deploying explainable AI where conditions allowed and embedding privacy-by-design across all sensing approaches. The AGILE-based participation method ensured that technology development remained ethical, inclusive and grounded in daily practice.
What it takes to implement 17 human-centric pilots
Pilot coordination demanded careful organisation to maintain alignment across technical and social science teams. A shared management structure, dedicated pilot coordinators, a pilot log and a risk register helped maintain clarity. Timing was often a challenge, as early-stage technologies needed to be evaluated while still evolving, and some pilots experienced pressure due to multiple requests from developers and researchers.
Despite these complexities, this work has produced valuable insights into how AI and ubiquitous computing can support workers. Collaborative workshops, such as the cross-pilot analysis session in Thessaloniki, brought an energetic exchange of ideas and improved understanding of shared patterns across different industrial contexts.
Understanding how technology affects workers
Research on transversal themes including privacy, trust, inclusion and skills development has advanced significantly. Partners have developed protocols and instruments that allow consistent analysis of how human-centric technologies influence workers’ experiences, job satisfaction and productivity across different environments.
This work continues to grow through close collaboration within the consortium, supported by in-person meetings that help refine methods and strengthen relationships.
Connecting company practice with policy thinking
Another stream of work has focused on human-centric investment intentions. Interviews with pilot organisations and stakeholder workshops have generated material that informs both company practices and policymaking. As with many research activities, scheduling interviews and securing stakeholder participation required persistence, yet the resulting insights have strong relevance.
Bringing Industry 5.0 to a wider audience
The communication and dissemination activities have played an essential role in making SEISMEC accessible to a broader audience. During the first two years, the project’s visual identity, website and social media channels were established and used to share regular updates, campaigns, newsletters and videos. Engagement expanded through workshops, roadshows and participation in external events, while an initial exploitation plan laid the foundations for future uptake of SEISMEC results. Through this work, SEISMEC’s human-centric approach has become easier to understand for industry, policymakers and the wider public.
Looking ahead
After two years, SEISMEC offers a substantial body of insights, methods and tools that show how human-centric innovation can be embedded in industrial environments. The progress made across the consortium demonstrates that Industry 5.0 is not an abstract ambition but a practical direction that can be implemented through thoughtful design, structured participation and careful evaluation.
As SEISMEC enters its next year, efforts will focus on consolidating lessons from the pilots and transforming these into recommendations for organisations, policymakers and social partners. Continued collaboration among developers, researchers, workers and stakeholders will be essential. With a growing evidence base, tested tools and a committed community, SEISMEC is well positioned to contribute to a future European industry that is more skilled, more inclusive and firmly centred on human value.