Cognitive Load Assessment of Shoulder Support Exoskeleton Users in Overhead Construction Painting Tasks

Adedeji Afolabi¹, Abiola Akanmu¹, Anthony Yusuf¹

1. Myers-Lawson School of Construction, Virginia Tech

Published in Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SASBE 2024), edited by Ali GhaffarianHoseini, Amirhosein GhaffarianHoseini, Farzad Rahimian and Mahesh Babu Purushothaman. Springer Nature, Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, volume 591, 2025, pages 506 to 515. DOI 10.1007/978-981-96-4051-5_49.

Abstract

Shoulder support exoskeletons have shown ergonomic potential in alleviating fatigue and injury risk during overhead tasks in the manufacturing sector. However, there are limited studies on adapting the device for overhead construction tasks. The use of a shoulder support exoskeleton for overhead construction tasks could trigger unintended consequences such as increased cognitive workload. This study assessed the cognitive load associated with using shoulder support exoskeleton for overhead construction tasks. Participants were engaged in a bending subtask and simulated overhead painting tasks involving upper-level and ceiling-level painting with and without an exoskeleton. The participants’ brain activity was captured using Electroencephalogram wearable sensors. Statistical tools of mean score, t-test, and analysis of variance test were used to analyze the alpha band of the Electroencephalogram signals for the subtasks in the two experimental conditions. The study revealed lower power spectral density during the exoskeleton conditions during the bending and upper-level painting subtasks depicting high cognitive demand. The high cognitive load was most noticeable in the frontal lobe’s F3, FP2, FC6, and F8 channels and the temporal lobe’s T7 and T8 channels across these two subtasks. The frontal lobe’s F3, FP2, FP1, and F8 channels exhibited the highest sensitivity in cognitive load assessment of the shoulder support exoskeleton. These findings provide insights into the cognitive demand associated with shoulder support exoskeleton usage in overhead construction tasks. This motivates investigations into strategies for minimizing cognitive load while reducing shoulder injuries.

Keywords

Session

Presented in Track A, Friday 8 November 2024, 11:00 to 13:00, room WA 224 A, Auckland University of Technology. Session chair Dr Ali Rashidi.

How to Cite

Afolabi, A., Akanmu, A., & Yusuf, A. (2025). Cognitive Load Assessment of Shoulder Support Exoskeleton Users in Overhead Construction Painting Tasks. In A. GhaffarianHoseini, A. GhaffarianHoseini, F. Rahimian, & M. B. Purushothaman (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SASBE 2024) (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, Vol. 591, pp. 506–515). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-4051-5_49

About the Conference

Presented at SASBE 2024, the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, held in Auckland from 7 to 9 November 2024 and chaired by Professors Ali and Amirhosein GhaffarianHoseini, founders of GDI Academy. The version of record is published by Springer Nature; this page is the conference archive record kept by GDI Academy.