noun-modifying (irregular)
semi-manual; partly manual
Technical term used in manufacturing and engineering contexts to describe processes that are partially automated and partially manual.
この工程は半人工で行われている。
This process is carried out semi-manually.
半人工の組み立てラインを導入した。
We introduced a semi-manual assembly line.
手動 means purely manual operation, while 半人工 suggests some automation is involved.
Compound of 半 (half) and 人工 (artificial, man-made, manual). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is used in modern technical contexts.