Best Paper Award at the 6th International Conference on Quality Engineering and Management

The paper "Enhancing manufacturing quality through gamification: an exploratory study in collaborative assembly process (8.55 MB)" written by PhD candidate Matteo Capponi along with researchers Angelo Culotta and Riccardo Gervasi and professors Luca Mastrogiacomo and Fiorenzo Franceschini from the Department of Management and Production Engineering (DIGEP), won the Best Paper Award at the sixth edition of the International Conference on Quality Engineering and Management (ICQEM), held in Girona, Spain, on June 13-14.

The paper presented by PhD candidate Capponi explores the use of gamification to increase engagement, quality, and productivity in manufacturing contexts. It also presented a small case study on assembly processes conducted by humans supported by collaborative robots, aiming to evaluate the quality of these processes when gamification is applied. Through simulated laboratory experiences, participants performed both "traditional" and "gamified" assembly processes. During this test, biosensors were placed on the subjects to detect stress and fatigue. Preliminary results showed the potential of gamification in reducing stress and improving performance.

Gamification means introducing game design elements into non-game contexts, such as learning, social groups, and work. If the etymology of the word "work" derives from the Latin labor, meaning "suffering" and "toil," perhaps by importing the rules and principles of games through gamification, the work paradigm will change.

Now in its sixth edition, the International Conference on Quality Engineering and Management brings together professionals, academics, and researchers from around the world to share knowledge, experiences, and advancements in the fields of Quality Management, Quality Engineering, and Organizational Excellence. It serves as a platform where the many facets of Management Engineering intersect, from Quality 4.0 to risk control, and topics such as lean manufacturing—a management philosophy aimed at generating maximum customer value with minimal waste—or the more recent human-centric manufacturing and Industry 5.0.