Browsing by Author "Jamshid Nezhad Zahabi, Saman"

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  • Cognitive Workload of Novice Forklift Truck Drivers in VR-based Training
    Jamshid Nezhad Zahabi, Saman; Shafiqul Islam, Md; Kim, Sunwook; Lau, Nathan; Nussbaum, Maury A.; Lim, Sol (SAGE, 2023-10-19)
    There is increasing use of Virtual Reality (VR) to train forklift truck operators but a lack of sufficient understanding of how cognitive workload changes with respect to different task demands in VR-based training. In this study, 19 novice participants completed three forklift driving lessons with varying difficulty levels (low, medium, and high) using a VR simulator. To examine the effect of repeated training on cognitive workload, two sessions were repeated by participants using the same procedures. Cognitive workload was assessed with objective (electroencephalogram [EEG] activity) and subjective (NASA-TLX) measurements. EEG theta power and NASA-TLX (mental workload) scores were significantly higher for high than low difficulty levels. However, both EEG and NASA-TLX responses were reduced with repeated training in the second session. These findings highlight the effectiveness of EEG in continuous monitoring of workload variation caused by task difficulty and implementing training programs to moderate cognitive workload for forklift operators.
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    Forklift Driving Performance of Novices with Repeated VR-based Training
    Islam, Md Shafiqul; Jamshid Nezhad Zahabi, Saman; Kim, Sunwook; Lau, Nathan; Nussbaum, Maury A.; Lim, Sol (SAGE, 2023-10-19)
    Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool for training novice forklift drivers, but temporal patterns of such improvements are largely unknown. We trained 19 novice participants using an order-picker VR simulator on a selected driving lesson. In two sessions, participant driving performance was assessed using task completion time and kinematics of the head, shoulder, and lumbar spine via inertial measurement units (IMUs). Completion time and head flexion/movement decreased significantly (up to 22.4% and 31.5%, respectively). The observed changes in head motion (flexion/extension) indicate an initial adjustment period to prepare a mental model of the driving task and the control panel, which was also adapted over repeated trials. One implication of our results is that reduced head flexion/extension could be used as an indication of a novice driver’s improved skill during the early stages of training, in terms of familiarizing themselves with vehicle control and the vehicle control panel.