Study of mental workload imposed by different tasks based on teleoperation

Abstract

To explore mental workload and methods for dynamically monitoring mental workload imposed by complex tasks, this study constructed a virtual operating environment according to three cognitive steps: perception, judgment-making and action execution. Dynamic characteristics of mental workload were then analyzed employing subjective questionnaires, performance data and electroencephalography (EEG) characteristics. The analysis of non-linear dynamic characteristics of EEG signals showed that the fractal box dimension features of EEG signals are quite sensitive to the level of mental workload, exercising a significant impact on the four brain areas. The sample entropy is also quite sensitive to the level of mental workload, exercising a significant impact on the frontal, central and occipital areas. Based on this study, operational tasks can be dynamically assigned according to the state of personnel load and the safety and efficiency of the operation of the human–machine system can be ensured.

Keywords:

• mental workload
• teleoperation
• electroencephalogram
• non-linear dynamics
• performance

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China [Grant Number 2016YFC0802807].