Bassi Giulia, Orso Valeria, Salcuni Silvia, Gamberini Luciano
Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Padova, Italy.
Human-Inspired Technology Research Center, University of Padua, Padova, Italy.
J Med Internet Res. 2025 Aug 27;27:e75658. doi: 10.2196/75658.
Industry 5.0 emphasizes human centricity by prioritizing human well-being alongside technological advancements. Collaborative robots (cobots) in industrial settings represent one such advancement, and their integration, particularly in manufacturing, is reshaping production processes. Although previous studies have addressed these issues, no systematic review has yet synthesized findings on how cobots impact operators' affective well-being and cognitive workload.
This study focused on psychological dimensions, which are often overlooked, particularly affective states, addressing a gap in the existing literature that has mainly emphasized the impact of cobots on the physical and cognitive workload. Specifically, we aimed to systematically review empirical studies investigating affective well-being (ie, anxiety, stress, and depression symptoms) and cognitive workload in human-cobot collaboration (HCC) within industrial settings.
We conducted a comprehensive systematic search of the literature using several databases (Web of Science, Scopus, ACM Digital Library, and IEEE Xplore). Eligibility criteria included peer-reviewed empirical studies reporting quantitative or qualitative data on cognitive workload or affective well-being in HCC. Two reviewers independently conducted study selection and data extraction.
This review included a total of 46 studies. Findings indicated a significant increase in publications from 2020 onward, reflecting the growing interest in HCC. Most studies (28/46, 61%) were conducted in controlled laboratory settings with university students or researchers, highlighting a gap in real-world industrial research. Results indicated that, while cobots have been shown to alleviate physical fatigue and enhance job satisfaction, they also introduce new psychological challenges, including stress and anxiety symptoms due to concerns about job security and the pressures of high-paced operations. The speed at which cobots operate represents a factor affecting operators' affective well-being and cognitive workload alongside the proximity of cobots, the system usability, and the complexity of the tasks assigned. With regard to cognitive workload, studies using physiological and self-report measures (38/46, 83%) consistently found that higher task complexity significantly raised both cognitive workload and stress levels.
This review identified key factors that influence operators' affective well-being and cognitive workload when working with cobots. These insights can guide the development of longitudinal research and intervention strategies, ensuring that the integration of cobots supports both productivity and operators' well-being in manufacturing environments. To support effective implementation, future studies should be conducted in real-world settings using standardized assessment instruments, physiological measures, and qualitative interviews.
工业5.0强调以人为本，在技术进步的同时优先考虑人类福祉。工业环境中的协作机器人（cobots）就是这样一种进步，它们的集成，特别是在制造业中的集成，正在重塑生产流程。尽管先前的研究已经探讨了这些问题，但尚未有系统综述综合关于协作机器人如何影响操作员情感福祉和认知负荷的研究结果。
本研究聚焦于常常被忽视的心理维度，尤其是情感状态，填补现有文献中主要强调协作机器人对身体和认知负荷影响的空白。具体而言，我们旨在系统综述调查工业环境中人类与协作机器人协作（HCC）时情感福祉（即焦虑、压力和抑郁症状）和认知负荷的实证研究。
我们使用多个数据库（科学引文索引、Scopus、美国计算机协会数字图书馆和电气与电子工程师协会Xplore）对文献进行了全面的系统检索。纳入标准包括报告关于人类与协作机器人协作中认知负荷或情感福祉的定量或定性数据的同行评审实证研究。两名评审员独立进行研究筛选和数据提取。
本综述共纳入46项研究。研究结果表明，2020年以后的出版物数量显著增加，反映出对人类与协作机器人协作的兴趣日益浓厚。大多数研究（28/46，61%）是在有大学生或研究人员参与的受控实验室环境中进行的，凸显了实际工业研究中的空白。结果表明，虽然协作机器人已被证明可以减轻身体疲劳并提高工作满意度，但它们也带来了新的心理挑战，包括因担心工作安全和高节奏操作压力而产生的压力和焦虑症状。协作机器人的操作速度是影响操作员情感福祉和认知负荷的一个因素，此外还有协作机器人的接近程度、系统可用性以及所分配任务的复杂性。关于认知负荷，使用生理和自我报告测量方法的研究（38/46，83%）一致发现，更高的任务复杂性会显著提高认知负荷和压力水平。
本综述确定了在与协作机器人合作时影响操作员情感福祉和认知负荷的关键因素。这些见解可为纵向研究和干预策略的制定提供指导，确保协作机器人的集成在制造环境中既支持生产力又保障操作员的福祉。为支持有效实施，未来研究应在实际环境中使用标准化评估工具、生理测量方法和定性访谈进行。
