How can advanced digital technologies make manufacturing not only smarter, but also safer, more inclusive and better for the people who work within it?
This question lies at the heart of EMPOWR – Empowering Advanced Manufacturing Workers through Human-Centric Augmentation, a new Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action that has officially begun its journey towards a more human-centric future for European manufacturing.
Over the next 36 months, EMPOWR will bring together expertise from across Europe to explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), Digital Twins and advanced sensing technologies can better support manufacturing workers and strengthen the transition towards Industry 5.0.
A human-centric vision for the future of manufacturing
Digital transformation continues to reshape industrial environments, bringing new possibilities for automation, connectivity and intelligent decision-making. EMPOWR approaches this transformation from a clear starting point: technology should support workers and adapt to their needs.
The project aims to develop a cognitive ecosystem of human-centric augmentation technologies designed to improve worker safety, inclusivity, productivity and well-being in advanced manufacturing environments. Rather than focusing solely on increasing automation, EMPOWR places workers at the centre of the interaction between people, machines and intelligent systems.
This approach reflects the wider vision of Industry 5.0, where technological progress goes hand in hand with human well-being, resilience and sustainable industrial development.
Building technology around workers
At the heart of the EMPOWR ecosystem is ALMA – the Adaptive Learning Manufacturing Assistant, a multimodal AI assistant designed to provide manufacturing workers with real-time, personalised support through natural interaction.
ALMA will be complemented by an adaptive Augmented Reality workbench, real-time defect detection, worker intention prediction and strain monitoring systems. These technologies will be brought together through a standardised Digital Twin framework, enabling stronger interaction between workers, machines, sensors and management systems.
The overall aim is to create industrial environments capable of offering workers the right information and support at the right moment, while also addressing ergonomics, cognitive load, safety and individual needs.
What does EMPOWR aim to achieve?
EMPOWR combines technological development with a clear worker-centred mission. During the project, the consortium will focus on several interconnected objectives:
- Understanding workers’ roles, skills, needs, expectations and ergonomic challenges in advanced manufacturing.
- Developing ALMA to provide context-aware, multimodal and personalised guidance.
- Creating adaptive AR interfaces that deliver relevant information while considering usability, safety and cognitive load.
- Developing worker intention prediction and strain monitoring systems to support early risk prevention and safer human-machine interaction.
- Building and validating a Digital Twin framework that connects workers, machines and management systems.
- Testing the complete EMPOWR ecosystem in two real industrial environments.
- Engaging workers, managers and stakeholders through Living Labs and participatory co-design.
- Supporting wider adoption through training, exploitation, standardisation and policy activities.
Together, these objectives are intended to ensure that advanced manufacturing technologies strengthen human capabilities instead of simply adding new layers of complexity to workers’ everyday tasks.
Testing EMPOWR in real industrial environments
An important part of the project will be moving beyond technological development and validating the EMPOWR ecosystem in two distinct industrial pilot environments.
The first pilot focuses on thermoplastic composite layup using Automated Fiber Placement in aerospace manufacturing. This environment combines high technical complexity and demanding quality requirements with tasks in which operators may need to identify and respond to defects under challenging conditions.
The second pilot focuses on smart automated PET preform production, representing a high-throughput manufacturing environment where continuous monitoring, reliability, rapid intervention and effective human-machine collaboration are essential.
Testing EMPOWR in these contrasting contexts will provide valuable evidence on how human-centric augmentation technologies can adapt to different production processes, worker profiles and operational requirements.
Co-designing Industry 5.0 with workers
Human-centricity within EMPOWR extends beyond the technology itself.
Through a Living Labs methodology, workers, managers and other stakeholders will actively participate in co-design, scenario building, feedback and iterative validation. This approach will help the consortium understand what workers actually need from new technologies and how these systems can be introduced in ways that are useful, trusted and inclusive.
EMPOWR will also examine the ethical, psychological, organisational and regulatory dimensions of human-AI collaboration. Particular attention will be given to issues such as trust, fairness, human oversight, worker acceptance and occupational health and safety.
In this way, workers are not simply expected to adapt to new technologies. Their experiences and feedback will actively help shape how those technologies are designed and implemented.
The EMPOWR journey begins in Thessaloniki
On 25–26 June 2026, the EMPOWR consortium gathered in Thessaloniki, Greece, for the project’s Kick-off Meeting, hosted by the Project Coordinator, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas (CERTH).
The two-day meeting brought the consortium together to align on EMPOWR’s vision, objectives and implementation roadmap, while establishing the foundation for the collaborative work ahead.
Partners discussed the project’s technical development, worker-centred approach, industrial pilots, Living Labs and the activities that will support the communication, exploitation and wider uptake of EMPOWR results.
With the project now underway, the consortium moves forward with a shared ambition: to demonstrate how advanced technologies can become practical tools for supporting people in the manufacturing workplace.
Towards safer, more inclusive and resilient manufacturing
EMPOWR’s ambition goes beyond the development of individual technologies.
The project aims to generate practical evidence on how digital tools can help improve both manufacturing performance and the everyday experience of industrial workers. Expected outcomes include reduced defect rates and downtime, improved ergonomics and worker well-being, faster upskilling through adaptive training and new insights to support European Industry 5.0 policies.
By bringing together AI, AR, Digital Twins, sensing technologies, human factors and participatory design, EMPOWR will contribute to manufacturing environments that are safer, more resilient, more inclusive and more attractive to current and future generations of workers.
It will also support Europe’s wider green and digital transitions, demonstrating how technological innovation can reinforce competitiveness while maintaining people at the centre of industrial transformation.
Follow the EMPOWR journey
The launch of EMPOWR marks the beginning of a three-year journey of research, development, co-creation and real-world validation.
Over the coming months, the EMPOWR website will share project news, pilot developments, Living Lab activities, technical insights, events, publications and results as the consortium works towards a more human-centric model for advanced manufacturing. The project’s News & Blog section is specifically designed to bring these developments and complex Industry 5.0 topics closer to both expert and non-expert audiences.
Stay connected with EMPOWR and follow the journey towards a future where people and technology work together to shape Industry 5.0.