The focus of the following article is on the use of new robotic systems in the manufacturing industry with respect to the social dimension. Since “intuitive” human–machine interaction (HMI) in robotic systems becomes a significant objective of technical progress, new models of work organization are needed. This hypothesis will be investigated through the following two aims: The first aim is to identify relevant research questions related to the potential use of robotic systems in different systems of work organization at the manufacturing shop-floor level. The second aim is to discuss the conceptualization of (old) organizational problems of human–robot interaction (HRI). In this context, the article reflects on the limits of cognitive and perceptual workload for robot operators in complex working systems. This will be particularly relevant whenever more robots with different “roles” are to be increasingly used in the manufacturing industry. The integration of such complex socio-technical systems needs further empirical and conceptual research with regard to “social” aspects of the technical dimension. Future research should, therefore, also integrate economic and societal issues to understand the full dimensions of new human–robot interaction in industry today.

Originally, the Technology Assessment (TA) concept was aimed at developing a scientifically based and research-oriented consultancy, analysing current and potential societal impacts of technological innovations. In the opinion of the authors, this basic concept, based on the principles of research, assessment and advice, has still not become outdated. However, the further differentiation of scientific and technological 'progress' results in problems that change the relation of the intended goals of technology and the unintended consequences. This change cannot only be assessed as cognitive phenomenon but increasingly manifests itself as a societal problem. In this paper, the authors will show how selected TA concepts concentrate on individual aspects such as potential of technology for innovation, design of technological processes or an explicit assessment of technology development. However, they support a TA concept with a stronger focus on (re)considering and reflecting on the unintended side effects from a factual, social and temporal point of view.

Anticipation of the future use of innovative technologies and of their respective societal impact is at the core of technology assessment and responsible research and innovation. Stakeholder and user involvement is often thought to be important for broadening the design and specification of technology before its use; meanwhile, demand analysis is typically used to determine which type of already developed technology is best suited to adequately meet a particular societal demand. Thus, we ask whether the process of demand analysis can be used to enable stakeholders and users to envision and assess future technologies. This question will be answered regarding assistive technologies for people with dementia by focusing on the respective care-giving arrangement, an area where up to now no or only low-level technologies have been in use. The demands of these people for support are typically expressed in nontechnical terms. We find that the involvement of technology developers helped these participants to begin imagining more specific potential technical solutions and to assess them with respect to their future desirability.

Reflexionen zum Technikeinsatz in Kontexten der Pflegearbeit in einer Gesellschaft des langen Lebens lassen sich nicht auf pragmatische Aspekte der Technikentwicklung, -nutzung und -bewertung begrenzen. Sie fordern vielmehr konstitutiv zu einer Auseinandersetzung mit grundlegenden Fragen der gesellschaftlichen Entwicklung auf und provozieren Debatten um den gesellschaftlichen Umgang mit Alter und Vulnerabilität oder um das Verhältnis von Effektivität und Effizienz der Fürsorge in einer modernen Gesellschaft. Wie durch ein Brennglas bündeln sich Fragen nach den kulturellen Vorstellungen des Alterns sowie der gesellschaftlichen Entwicklung insgesamt in der Auseinandersetzung um Pflege und Technik in einer Gesellschaft des langen Lebens. Das vorliegende Schwerpunktheft sucht Anregungen zu diesen Fragen aus Perspektive der Gerontologie, der Pflegewissenschaft sowie der Technikfolgenabschätzung zu erhalten. Reflections on the use of technologies in the context of care in a society of longer living cannot be limited to pragmatic aspects of technology development, use or assessment. Instead these issues demand a constitutive discussion over the basic questions of society’s development and provoke debates on the societal way of dealing with age and vulnerability as well as the relationship between effectively and efficiency and care in a modern society. Like under a magnifying glass, questions of the cultural notions of age or societal development as a whole arise through the discourses surrounding care and technology in a society of longer living. The following thematic focus searches for approaches to these questions from perspectives of gerontology, nursing sciences as well as technology assessment.

Since the 1970s, the application of microprocessor in industrial machinery and the development of computer systems have transformed the manufacturing landscape. The rapid integration and automation of production systems have outpaced the development of suitable human design criteria, creating a deepening gap between humans and systems in which human was seen as an important source of errors and disruptions. Today, the situation seems different: the scientific and public debate about the concept of Industry 4.0 has raised awareness about the central role humans have to play in manufacturing systems, the design of which must be considered from the very beginning. The future of industrial systems, as represented by Industry 4.0, will rely on the convergence of several research fields such as Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS), Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), Internet of Things (IoT), but also socio-technical fields such as social approaches within technical systems. This article deals with different human social dimensions associated with CPS and IoT and focuses on their conceptual evolution regarding automated production systems’ sociability, notably by bringing humans back in the loop. Hereby, this paper aims to take stock of current research trends to show the importance of integrating human operators as a part of a socio-technical system based autonomous and intelligent products or resources. Consequently, different models of sociability as a way to integrate humans in the broad sense and/or the develop future automated production systems have been identified from the literature and analysed.

The subject of “technical assistants” in inpatient care is currently being widely discussed in scientific and public circles. In many cases, though, it has become apparent that the umbrella term “assistive technologies”, also in the context of robotics, is very contrived. Against this background, the authors of this article reflect on the meaning of “assistance” in socio-technical systems, and critically review its relevance. To understand and demonstrate “assistive” functions, it is essential to establish a frame of reference. The re-evaluation of an empirical study of people with dementia in inpatient care has revealed the functional character of technical assistance systems. The results, however, show that the theoretical debate on the social and organisational function of “assistance” in these technical fields is still lacking. Therefore, the reflections in this paper may also provide some starting points for this debate.