Experimental Analysis of Cognitive Load Risks in Employing Active Back-Support Exoskeleton in Construction

9 pages•Published: May 26, 2024

Akinwale Okunola, Abiola Akanmu and Houtan Jebelli

Abstract

There is a growing interest in utilizing active back-support exoskeletons to address work-related musculoskeletal disorders in various industries, including construction. However, the unique characteristics of construction sites may impede the biomechanical advantages of active back- support exoskeletons by increasing users' cognitive load. This research focuses on assessing the impact of active back-support exoskeletons on cognitive load during a construction framing task. An experimental study, involving sixteen participants performing a simulated carpentry framing task with and without active back-support exoskeletons across six subtasks, was conducted. Participants’ brain activities were captured using Electroencephalography for the two experimental conditions. The differences between the conditions were analyzed using paired t-tests. The findings indicate that the use of active back-support exoskeletons significantly heightens cognitive load during measuring, assembly, nailing, and installing subtasks. These results emphasize the importance of developing adaptive active back-support exoskeletons tailored to the construction industry's specific needs, considering the distinct challenges of construction environments. Additionally, this study contributes to construction stakeholders' understanding of the psychological risks associated with active back-support exoskeletons use on construction sites.

Keyphrases: active back support exoskeletons, cognitive load, construction framing task, electroencephalography, power spectrum density

In: Tom Leathem, Wes Collins and Anthony Perrenoud (editors). Proceedings of 60th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference, vol 5, pages 894-902.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/CrWk
	https://doi.org/10.29007/zcsx

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{ASC2024:Experimental_Analysis_Cognitive_Load,
  author    = {Akinwale Okunola and Abiola Akanmu and Houtan Jebelli},
  title     = {Experimental Analysis of Cognitive Load Risks in Employing Active Back-Support Exoskeleton in Construction},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of 60th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference},
  editor    = {Tom Leathem and Wes Collins and Anthony Perrenoud},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Built Environment},
  volume    = {5},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2632-881X},
  url       = {/publications/paper/CrWk},
  doi       = {10.29007/zcsx},
  pages     = {894-902},
  year      = {2024}}

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