The Industry 5.0 paradigm emphasizes the importance of the operator’s well-being by seeing human-centricity as one of its cardinal principles. This enables a twofold benefit, improving the sustainability of the production process and enhancing performance. Improving performance and increasing operators’ safety is often related to cognitive load optimization. Confined spaces are working environments where elements of distraction, such as noise, can cause accidents with major, even fatal, consequences. Studies on the effects of noise on cognitive abilities present mixed results, and those concerning confined spaces are limited as they require an expensive experimental setup replicating the working scenario. Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) technology enables overcoming this gap by replicating the experimental conditions in a synthetic environment. We exploited IVR to study noise’s impact on cognitive performance in confined spaces. We compared the impact of a stationary continuous noise source with an intermittent non-periodic one by administering the Stroop Color and Word Test. We also assessed the perceived cognitive effort by administering the modified noise-induced task load index questionnaire. We also compared the effects on the operator’s physiological activity through Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis. Results show that by keeping the equivalent noise level lower than 85 dB, noise has no statistically significant effects on cognitive performance and Heart Rate.
Exploiting Immersive Virtual Reality for Investigating the Effects of Industrial Noise on Cognitive Performance and Perceived Workload / Evangelista, A.; Manghisi, V. M.; De Giglio, V.; Martellotta, F.; Giliberti, C.; Mariconte, R.; Uva, A. E.. - (2024), pp. 311-318. (Intervento presentato al convegno 3rd International Conference on Design Tools and Methods in Industrial Engineering, ADM 2023 tenutosi a ita nel 2023) [10.1007/978-3-031-52075-4_35].
Exploiting Immersive Virtual Reality for Investigating the Effects of Industrial Noise on Cognitive Performance and Perceived Workload
Evangelista A.;Manghisi V. M.
;De Giglio V.;Martellotta F.;Uva A. E.
2024-01-01
Abstract
The Industry 5.0 paradigm emphasizes the importance of the operator’s well-being by seeing human-centricity as one of its cardinal principles. This enables a twofold benefit, improving the sustainability of the production process and enhancing performance. Improving performance and increasing operators’ safety is often related to cognitive load optimization. Confined spaces are working environments where elements of distraction, such as noise, can cause accidents with major, even fatal, consequences. Studies on the effects of noise on cognitive abilities present mixed results, and those concerning confined spaces are limited as they require an expensive experimental setup replicating the working scenario. Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) technology enables overcoming this gap by replicating the experimental conditions in a synthetic environment. We exploited IVR to study noise’s impact on cognitive performance in confined spaces. We compared the impact of a stationary continuous noise source with an intermittent non-periodic one by administering the Stroop Color and Word Test. We also assessed the perceived cognitive effort by administering the modified noise-induced task load index questionnaire. We also compared the effects on the operator’s physiological activity through Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis. Results show that by keeping the equivalent noise level lower than 85 dB, noise has no statistically significant effects on cognitive performance and Heart Rate.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
