Evaluation of mental workload in haptic-enabled virtual assembly training operations

The use of virtual reality (VR) technologies in the industry has considerably increased in the last years aiming to digitalize, simulate, and optimize processes. However, although the industrial integration of VR has several technical benefits, it may deviate from real-world demands, potentially outperforming human capabilities. In industrial VR research, there is still a lack of awareness of human aspects, and technical aspects are prioritized over user needs. Consequently, large research gaps about the effect of VR systems on the human factor need to be filled in order to know and enhance the user's well-being and experience. Hence, this research aims to investigate the effect of operating a haptic-enabled VR system for industrial assembly training on the mental workload experienced by new users. A random sample of ninety participants was selected to carry out virtual assembly training. Three sets of training durations were selected and evaluated separately: 1, 2, and 3 h. The mental workload was assessed in each of these training durations. The results have demonstrated that the training duration has a small effect on the workload experienced by new users during their first virtual assembly training. In addition, although the workload levels are not very high, females and males experience different workload levels. The research findings fill some of the existing research gaps and can be useful in promoting the long-term mental well-being of workers when implementing VR technologies in the industry.