Managing human factors: About the impact of sensory modalities on cognitive and physical load and human performance in occupational settings

This study examines interaction modalities' impact on workload in human-robot collaboration within Industry 5.0. Using a framework inspired by Wickens' Multiple Resource Theory, it highlights the negative impact of linguistic tasks and the positive effects of tactile feedback on workload. Input-assist interactions, particularly in visual-spatial contexts, show potential for optimization, while autonomy and environmental factors like robot size and speed further influence workload. The findings suggest practical strategies for enhancing collaboration and call for exploring underutilized modalities and complementary metrics to improve workload assessments in future research.