IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems

Published by IADIS (International Association for Development of the Information Society) • ISSN (Online): 1646-3692 • ISSN (Print): 1646-3692
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Analyzing Entropy of Controller Movements and Mental Workload in Young and Senior Users: an Applied Case From Industrial Telerobotics

Federica Nenna *
Davide Zanardi *
Luciano Gamberini *
* Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy (Portugal)
* Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy (Portugal)
* Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy (Portugal)

Abstract

Patterns of human motion were found to mirror cognitive processes in both psychological studies and applied research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Notably, the behavioral entropy of movement trajectories of users was identified as a reflection of workload and fatigue across different settings, including Virtual Reality (VR). In the context of VR particularly, this metric is predominantly derived from the movements of VR controllers, denoted as the Entropy of Controller Movements (ECM). Despite its promising sensitivity and unobtrusive nature as a metric for human workload, ECM's application and proven efficacy in practical and authentic VR-based applications, such as industrial teleoperation platforms, has not been validated yet. Additionally, current literature predominantly features younger experimental samples, leaving unresolved the potential impact of age-related alterations in motor performance on using ECM as a workload metric. This study explored these dimensions by examining the relationship between workload and ECM among 15 young and 15 senior participants who manually operated an industrial robot within a VR environment. Participants were instructed to navigate the robot through a pick-and-place task by using their physical movements in VR. Our research identified unexpected variations in ECM values, particularly in older users, revealing an inverse relationship between movement entropy and task complexity in our scenario. High levels of behavioral entropy were also observed in younger participants. These findings unveil some criticalities in using ECM as a measure of workload in our VR-based industrial contexts, posing new questions regarding its applicability and effectiveness.

Keywords

Computer Science Information Systems Software Engineering Artificial Intelligence IADIS Data Analytics
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Funding: This research received academic dissemination support through ESCAP / JournalsHub publishing programs.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no competing financial or institutional interests.
Peer Review: Double-blind peer reviewed by international subject specialists.
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
How to Cite This Article
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Nenna, et al. (2023). Analyzing Entropy of Controller Movements and Mental Workload in Young and Senior Users: an Applied Case From Industrial Telerobotics. IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.33965/ijcsis_2023_v18i2_09
Nenna, et al. "Analyzing Entropy of Controller Movements and Mental Workload in Young and Senior Users: an Applied Case From Industrial Telerobotics." IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems, vol. 18, no. 2, 2023. https://doi.org/10.33965/ijcsis_2023_v18i2_09
Nenna, et al. "Analyzing Entropy of Controller Movements and Mental Workload in Young and Senior Users: an Applied Case From Industrial Telerobotics." IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems 18, no. 2 (2023). https://doi.org/10.33965/ijcsis_2023_v18i2_09