Announcements

CALL FOR REVIEWERS – ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ERGONOMICS.

The Italian Journal of Ergonomics invites researchers and professionals to apply as scientific reviewers.

The journal adopts a double-blind peer review process and publishes scientific and applied contributions across the various fields of ergonomics. Selected reviewers will be included in the official database and contacted based on their areas of expertise.

Mandatory requirement:

  • A PhD degree (or equivalent doctoral qualification)

If you are interested, please fill in the following form: https://forms.gle/meS3dWe1vCLoZV9D7

 

CALL FOR PAPERS – 2026 N.32 (8 APRIL – 18 MAY)

AI FOR THE FUTURE OF THE PLANET: ERGONOMICS, HUMAN FACTORS AND INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS

The contemporary technological landscape is characterised by a rate of transformation that has few precedents in the history of applied science. Artificial intelligence has transitioned from a speculative research agenda to a pervasive operational reality, now deeply embedded across the full spectrum of human activity: predictive algorithms are reshaping clinical decision-making; generative models are augmenting creative and analytical processes in design and research; autonomous systems are being integrated into manufacturing and logistics; AI-mediated platforms are altering the structures through which individuals communicate and participate in social and economic life. These developments signal not merely an incremental evolution of existing tools, but a structural reconfiguration of the sociotechnical systems within which human beings live, work and interact.

 

This transformation unfolds within a broader context defined by interconnected global challenges. Anthropogenic climate change is progressively altering the environmental and occupational conditions under which human activity takes place. Accelerating demographic ageing is redefining functional autonomy and workforce participation across the life course. Widening structural inequalities — socioeconomic, spatial and digital — are producing asymmetric distributions of both the benefits and the risks associated with technological advancement. In this context, the imperative to develop more sustainable, resilient and equitable approaches to the design of human-technology systems has acquired a degree of urgency that is difficult to overstate.

 

It is at this intersection — between the expanding capabilities of artificial intelligence and the pressing human and environmental imperatives of our time — that ergonomics and human factors research occupies a position of particular scientific relevance. As a discipline, ergonomics has historically been defined by its concern with the optimisation of the relationship between human beings and the systems they interact with, across physical, cognitive, organisational and environmental dimensions. As those systems become increasingly intelligent, adaptive and autonomous, the theoretical and methodological frameworks of ergonomic inquiry must be extended and, in some cases, fundamentally reconceptualised.

 

A further dimension of relevance concerns the progressive integration of AI-driven tools within design and research practice. Generative systems, intelligent prototyping environments and multimodal analytical platforms are increasingly embedded in the methodological workflows of designers and ergonomists, functioning as cognitive amplifiers that extend analytical and generative capacities, accelerate iterative evaluation cycles, and expand the investigable solution space. Empirical evidence suggests that this integration enhances rather than displaces human creativity, provided it is accompanied by critical awareness of the epistemic assumptions and potential biases inherent in automated systems. As AI augmentation becomes a defining feature of future professional practice, the discipline of ergonomics is called upon to investigate the human factors dimensions of this transition and to establish the conditions under which technological mediation strengthens, rather than erodes, human judgement, embodied expertise and ethical agency — dimensions of creative and professional practice that remain, at present, irreducible to computational modelling.

 

Issue 32 of the Rivista Italiana di Ergonomia [Italian Journal of Ergonomics] invites the international research community to contribute to this emerging conversation. We seek original, rigorous and forward-looking contributions that explore how AI can be harnessed — critically, ethically and creatively — to support human factors research and practice across a wide range of domains: from industrial ergonomics and occupational health, to the design of inclusive spaces and services, to healthcare systems to the governance of intelligent systems in contexts of high social and environmental responsibility. Contributions that bridge disciplinary boundaries, connect theoretical frameworks with empirical evidence, and open new methodological horizons are especially welcome.

We welcome original research articles, systematic reviews and case studies addressing — but not limited to — the following themes:

 

  • AI-driven musculoskeletal risk assessment and MSD prevention
  • Ergonomics 4.0 and Industry 5.0: human-robot collaboration and cobot systems
  • Human Factors and Healthcare AI
  • Human-centered AI: design principles and evaluation methods
  • Wearable sensors and intelligent monitoring in occupational contexts
  • Cognitive ergonomics in interaction with autonomous systems
  • AI for safety in high-criticality environments
  • Smart cities, future mobility and inclusive urban environments
  • Sustainable design and AI for environmental wellbeing
  • AI and human factors in healthcare and clinical settings
  • Ethics, trust and the human role in AI systems
  • New ways of inhabiting and sharing spaces with intelligent technologies
  • AI in academic research: expanding methods and prototyping strategies