Automated Transcription of MTM Motions in a Virtual Environment

Although many work processes in industrial production are automated, human work continues to hold a significant role and substantially impacts overall production costs. To assess the efficiency of manual workflows, the widely adopted “Methods-Time Measurement” (MTM) analyses are employed. These analyses could also be performed using Virtual Reality (VR) to visualize and interact with a digital workplace. Currently, the assessment of the manual work processes in industry is carried out from experts thorough a manual transcription, which is error-prone and time-consuming. We introduce an algorithm for an automated transcription of manual work into a sequence of fundamental MTM motions. Utilizing data from user-attached trackers, the algorithm analyzes a worker’s motion, segments it into basic motions, and calculates the corresponding “Time Measurement Units” (TMUs). In a user study with 30 participants, we tested our approach, and assessed it based on its consistency with MTM-codes manually transcribed by an expert. This automated evaluation of a workplace within a Virtual Environment reduces time and cost required for an MTM assessment.