Title: Mental workload assessments in the assembly industry and the way forward: a literature review

Authors: Emmie Fogelberg; Peter Thorvald; Ari Kolbeinsson

Addresses: School of Engineering Science, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden ' School of Engineering Science, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden ' School of Engineering Science, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden

Abstract: The rapid progress of automation within the assembly industry have improved efficiency and productivity but introduced new challenges. Operators' physical tasks have been replaced by more cognitively demanding tasks. With increased global distribution, it is almost standard to offer an increased product variety and customisations require more cognitively complex work. Assessment of operators' mental workload has gained interest since it can be used to optimise work performance, diminish errors and poor decision-making, reduce risk of employee absenteeism, and monitor operators' health. Assessments today focus on either, subjective, physiological, or performance-based parameters to examine mental workload. The rapid literature review aims to map the domain of mental workload assessments, explicitly in the assembling industry, by targeting its history, preferences, and future trends. It investigates which assessments that have been employed historically. Secondly, examines the body of literature and potential instrument preferences. At last, explores future trends of mental workload assessments.

Keywords: mental workload assessment; literature review; assembly; NASA-TLX; Industry 4.0.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHFE.2024.144213

International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics, 2024 Vol.11 No.4, pp.412 - 438

Received: 05 Apr 2024
Accepted: 25 Oct 2024
Published online: 31 Jan 2025 *

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