Blossoming at work thanks to ikigaï robotics?

What role can robotics play in employees' professional development, and what type of robotics should be considered? The gradual arrival of robots in the workplace is provoking reactions that are often extreme. Between sensitive questioning of the benefits and limits of automation and a quest for meaning in the workplace, new tools - robotic or otherwise - must necessarily be designed taking into account their appropriation by those who use them, and even their ability to improve their daily lives.

An issue that the SNCF has been interested in for several years. " In 2018, we launched work on robotics, during which it became essential to study the relationship between robots and human beings," relates Louis-Romain Joly, head of the company's "Robots & Humans" program. " And given the challenges we face, we wanted to go further than just getting our employees to accept the tools and the traditional change management approach. We wanted robots to drive not just industrial performance, but also well-being in the workplace. "

How can we design robotic tools to meet these needs? Louis-Romain Joly approached Ioana Ocnarescu, Director of Research at Strate École de Design, and Stéphanie Buisine, Director of Research at CESI, for a scientific methodology. " We then set up a CIFRE thesis based on multidisciplinary skills: human and social sciences, design, engineering, etc." says Ioana Ocnarescu. " This work is part of the research carried out at Robotics by Design Lab onsocial robotics and its benefits for users. The subject of the thesis, led by Mégane Sartore: ikigaï robotics.

What is ikigaï?

This term corresponds to a Japanese philosophy of life and is generally translated as "joie de vivre" or "raison d'être". But the concept goes deeper, and is often represented by a diagram of four overlapping circles: "what I love", "what I'm good at", "what I get paid for" and "what the world needs". The ikigai corresponds to the intersection of these four circles, translating, as it were, an individual's life mission. So ikigaï robotics aims to be part of this quest, bringing meaning to work and fostering employee commitment.

" Researchers have already attempted to model ikigai, but mainly in Japan and rarely in a professional context," points out Stéphanie Buisine. " We, in turn, took up the challenge, drawing on the scientific literature in psychology. Our aim was, on the one hand, to help establish a scientific basis for this concept and, on the other, to create a methodology that could be applied in an industrial environment, such as that of the SNCF. " The first aim of the thesis was therefore to answer the following questions: what are the components of ikigai? Can they be positively influenced by robots?

How to measure ikigaï?

The model developed by the researchers includes a set of characteristics that can be measured using a variety of methods. " We constructed a questionnaire based on scientifically validated psychometric scales," explains Mégane Sartore. " We then verified that these elements, taken together, shed light on a common phenomenon: ikigai. The questionnaire was tested on two populations: a sample of 321 people from the French working population, and some 50 railway maintenance operators. These two studies both validated the initial model and highlighted differences, depending on the population considered.

The research team has also experimented with other evaluation methods. For example, in interviews, by asking respondents directly - with the help of a brief definition of the term - whether they felt they had found their ikigai. Or by inviting participants to respond using the four-circle diagram, leaving them free to choose how to proceed (placing one or more crosses, coloring zones, etc.).

What are ikigaï's professional levers?

" It's important to remember, however, that measuring ikigai was not an end in itself," says Stéphanie Buisine. " The aim of the thesis was to develop tools to help employees achieve professional fulfillment. We therefore statistically established a predictive model, in order to identify key indicators that positively or negatively influence ikigaï. " And the results were sometimes surprising. " Among rail maintenance operators, the biggest predictor of ikigai was a sense of collective belonging," continues the CESI research director. " This means that, to contribute to the professional fulfillment of SNCF agents, robots must integrate functions that foster their users' sense of affiliation. " This information is far from intuitive, and needs to be taken into account right from the design stage.

However, the quest for ikigai obviously involves more than just one factor. " Mindfulness - that is, feeling anchored in the present moment - working with passion, a sense of autonomy or mastery of one's subject are among the important levers," cites Mégane Sartore. " But beware: these elements may vary according to the populations studied. The aim of the thesis was not to find a universal recipe for ikigai, but to design a methodology capable of identifying the determining factors in a given population.

ikigaï robotics applied to PICAUTO

The first concrete case in point was railway maintenance, and more specifically, the PICAUTO tool. " It ' s a piece of equipment used to monitor the roofs of trains, in particular locomotives used in rail freight," explains Louis-Romain Joly. " In fact, roofs comprise various components, including the pantograph, which wear out due to friction and electric current, and therefore need to be inspected regularly. " Until now, these inspections were carried out via gangways, next to which the locomotives had to be placed, necessitating long maneuvers. Power also had to be cut to ensure safety during the inspection. SNCF therefore wanted to provide its teams with a new, mobile and safe inspection tool from the ground, without having to cut power to the catenary.

A first prototype of PICAUTO was then developed. " At the time, we were only interested in the functional aspect of the tool," recalls Louis-Romain Joly. " In concrete terms, the equipment took the form of a material rolled up on itself, which could be unrolled manually to obtain a pole, at the end of which a camera was positioned. The unit could be attached to the side of the locomotive using suction cups, which limited its mobility. When we talked to the operators, we realized that they preferred a less compact solution, but one that was more mobile and more comfortable to use. The system was then redesigned accordingly, with the boom attached to a cart for ease of movement, and motorized for easy control of deployment.

This evolution has contributed to improving PICAUTO's user-friendliness. But what about the functions that promote the quest for ikigai? " We proposed various functionalities to maintenance operators, creating scenarios in which they played their own role," explains Mégane Sartore. " We imagined, for example, a pole capable of speaking and introducing itself, the addition of a mindfulness breathing exercise before use, or the possibility of exchanging messages between colleagues. " In all, thirteen functionalities were tested, and only one was not retained by SNCF agents: remote assistance, via the camera. In such a situation, the operators preferred to talk to their colleagues face-to-face, rather than via a screen.

These functionalities will soon be implemented within PICAUTO, in order to verify their benefits on employee motivational levers. This would be the first example of ikigai robotics within the SNCF, for railway maintenance operators, before considering the deployment, with other teams, of new tools contributing to the professional fulfillment of employees.