Mitsubishi Electric’s newly developed KOTSUMON system uses its Maisart artificial-intelligence (AI) technologies to extract video data for the automatic identification and analysis of specific types of human motions, such as those of workers on production lines. The system simply requires a normal video to automatically measure work efficiency and detect omitted or mistaken motions, which manufacturers are expected to use to upgrade their line operations for improved productivity. Mitsubishi Electric’s new system, which is based on the principles of motion economy, can extract a worker’s motion data from a video to automatically detect incorrect movements.
The new system automatically identifies motions with 90 percent accuracy by using AI to learn a worker’s poses and motions. Since the analysis can be performed with normal videos, there is no need to attach sensors to the worker, etc. The analytical workload and time is just one-tenth that of visual observation performed manually by supervisors. Correcting a line worker’s motions is generally a three-step process: firstly, detect inappropriate or useless motions; secondly, determine needed corrections in physical processes and/or working environment; and thirdly, teach the worker more efficient motions. Mitsubishi Electric developed the technology in collaboration with Professor Aoki Yoshimitsu and Aoki Media Sensing Laboratory of Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University.
