Complexity based investigation in collaborative assembly scenarios via non intrusive techniques

Human and robot collaboration in assembly tasks is an integral part in modern manufactories. Robots provide advantages in both process and productivity with their repeatability and usability in different tasks, while human operators provide flexibility and can act as safeguards. However, process complexity increases which can lower the overall quality. Increased complexity can negatively influence decision making due to cognitive load on human operators, which can lead to lower quality, be it product, process or human work. Moreover, it can lead to safety risks, human-system error and accidents. In this work, we present the preliminary results on an experiment performed with student-participants, based on an assembly task. The experiment was set up to emulate an industrial assembly, and data collection was performed through qualitative and non-intrusive quantitative methods. Questionnaires were used to assess perceptual task complexity and cognitive load, while a stereo camera provided recordings for after-task analysis on process errors and human work quality based on a 3D skeleton-based human pose estimation and tracking method. The aim of the study is to investigate causes of errors and implications on quality. Future direction of the work is discussed.