// ROBOTICS AND SMART FACTORIES TERM
Muri
Muri refers to overburden or unreasonableness in work, equipment, or people, often caused by poor design or planning. It's one of the three types of waste (along with Muda and Mura) identified in the Toyota Production System.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Muri, a Japanese term meaning 'overburden' or 'unreasonableness', denotes excessive strain on resources (workers, machines, processes) leading to stress, breakdowns, and quality issues, a key target for elimination in Lean manufacturing and Industry 5.0 for sustainable operations.
BACKGROUND
The Toyota Production System (TPS) is an integrated socio-technical system, developed by Toyota, that comprises its management philosophy and practices. The TPS is a management system that organizes manufacturing and logistics for the automobile manufacturer, including interaction with suppliers and customers. The system is a major precursor of the more generic "lean manufacturing". Taiichi Ohno and Eiji Toyoda, Japanese industrial engineers, developed the system between 1948 and 1975.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Overburden
- Unreasonableness
- Excessive strain
- Stress
- Overload
USAGE NOTE
Identifying and eliminating Muri is crucial for creating a stable and sustainable production environment.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Muri.
Develops the Tecnomatix portfolio, a digital manufacturing solution that includes plant simulation and human-centric design tools. These allow manufacturers to simulate and validate worker ergonomics and workflows, identifying and eliminating physical and cognitive overburden (Muri) before production begins.
A leading manufacturer of collaborative robots (cobots). Their robots are designed to work alongside human employees to automate repetitive, strenuous, or non-ergonomic tasks, directly reducing the physical overburden (Muri) placed on the workforce.
Creates powered, full-body industrial exoskeletons, such as the Guardian XO. This technology augments human strength and endurance, allowing workers to lift and manipulate heavy objects with minimal strain, directly combating the physical Muri associated with heavy manual labor.
Developer of the Vuforia Augmented Reality (AR) platform. Vuforia is used to create AR-guided work instructions that are overlaid onto the physical workspace, reducing the cognitive load (Muri) on technicians by simplifying complex assembly and maintenance tasks.
Provides the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which includes DELMIA applications for virtual factory simulation. It enables companies to model and optimize human-machine interactions and production flows, balancing workloads to prevent overburden (Muri) on both equipment and personnel.
Designs and manufactures industrial exoskeletons like the EksoEVO that enhance human capabilities. The vest-like device provides lift assistance for the arms during overhead work, reducing fatigue and strain-related injuries, which are a direct result of Muri.
Develops augmented reality technology that projects visual work instructions and guidance directly onto a workspace. This reduces cognitive Muri by eliminating the need to consult paper manuals or complex diagrams, thus decreasing errors and mental strain for operators.