Thesis Work for Designing Multi-Agent Interaction for Coordinated Decision-making in Industrial Contexts

Placering
Västerås

Thesis Work for Designing Multi-Agent Interaction for Coordinated Decision-making in Industrial Contexts
At ABB, we are dedicated to addressing global challenges. Our core values: care, courage, curiosity, and collaboration - combined with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities - are key drivers in our aim to empower everyone to create sustainable solutions. That's our story. Make it your story.
This position reports to
R&D Team Lead

Your role and responsibilities
In industrial operations, different departments often work in a coordinated manner to maximize overall efficiency. In the steel manufacturing sector, various teams - such as production operators and maintenance engineers - are interdependent yet driven by different objectives with different priorities even though they share a common overarching goal. Coordinating decisions, such as identifying an appropriate maintenance window with minimal disruption to production, can be complex in real-world scenarios. However, the rise of generative AI introduces new possibilities for managing these challenges, by reshaping the way industrial teams collaborate and make decisions. This thesis project aims to explore the application of Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) in industrial settings, specifically focusing on optimizing decision-making and collaboration processes across diverse teams and workflows. By understanding the interactions between different teams, their individual, and collective needs, MAS offers an opportunity for facilitating coordinated decision-making and enhancing information accessibility. The design and implementation of such a system will be guided by the principles of user experience to make sure that the MAS effectively serves the unique needs of each user group, and requirements involved in the manufacturing process. We are a team of researchers at the ABB research center in Västerås who currently focus on how these challenges can be addressed from the user perspective. Collaborating with ABB provides access to extensive resources, expertise, and real-world data. We look forward to working closely with you during your thesis. Details: • Spring 2025, commonly between February - June • 30 ECTS/högskolepoäng(hp) • 1-2 students • In Västerås, Sweden but remote work is possible Your responsibilities: Various resources of data are readily available for this thesis work, such as previous field studies, interviews, and user insights. ABB also provides the opportunity for collecting complementary data in the project. Using these materials as a foundation, several areas of focus are expected in this thesis: • (a) Multi-agent Interaction: Research and envision the interaction flow between various user roles and agents. Analyze user needs, challenges, tasks to develop a novel interaction strategy and proof of concept that leverages MAS for improved coordinated decision-making. • (b) Design Considerations: Identify factors to consider when designing multi-agent systems aimed at coordinated decision-making in industrial contexts and create corresponding guidelines. For example, from a UX perspective, consider the importance of transparency in multi-agent interactions for user trust. • (c) Validation and Evaluation: Validate design concepts from an UX/Human Factors perspective. Expected Deliverables: A description of diverse users’ needs and requirements and a conceptual design of how users and systems can collaborate to arrive at coordinated decisions. This could be in the form of a UI prototype, VR/AR demos, or a video showcasing the concept. Design recommendations or guidelines that delineate the factors that should be considered when designing a MAS framework for coordinated decisions in the industrial contexts.

Qualifications for the role

• Human Factors
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Computer Science
• User Experience Design
• Interaction Design
• Cognitive Science
• Industrial Design

More about us
Recruiting Manager Dawid Ziobro, [email protected], and the supervisor Yemao Man, [email protected], will answer your questions. Please note that we can only accept applications submitted through our online career portal. Applications via e-mail will have to be deleted and not processed due to data privacy requirements. Positions are filled continuously. Apply with your CV, academic transcripts and a cover letter in English. Welcome to apply! We value people from different backgrounds. Could this be your story? Apply today or visit www.abb.com to read more about us and learn about the impact of our solutions across the globe. #MyABBStory

Locations
Västerås, Sweden