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The aim of the present work was to investigate the current state of the art concerning factors affecting physical and mental health and well- being of workers using collaborative robots (cobots) in manufacturing industries. A scoping review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines to identify studies aimed at investigating potential factors affecting workers’ physical and mental health and well-being during human-robot collaboration. Each identified factor was classified using the SHELLO (Software-Hardware- Environment-Liveware-Liveware-Organization) conceptual model. Strengths and limitations of such an approach were outlined. A total of 53 papers were included in the scoping review. In 35 papers at least one risk factor referred to the SHELLO Liveware-Hardware interaction, followed by factors concerning Liveware-Software (16 papers), Liveware-Liveware (11 papers), the Liveware intrinsic factor (10 papers), Liveware- Organization (8 papers), and Liveware-Environment (8 papers). Most of the factors classified within the L-H interaction related with physical well- being, while factors classified in the remaining SHELLO interactions were mainly associated with mental and psychological well-being. The scoping review provided a structured overview of factors affecting physical and mental health and well- being of cobot workers. The SHELLO model proved to effectively highlight human factors relevant for the design of future generations of cobots and can be used to provide a systemic approach to investigate human factors in other complex sociotechnical systems. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the model is applied in the field of human-cobot interaction.

Although the occurrence of concomitant positive BOLD responses (PBRs) and negative BOLD responses (NBRs) to visual stimuli is increasingly investigated in neuroscience, it still lacks a definite explanation. Multimodal imaging represents a powerful tool to study the determinants of negative BOLD responses: the integration of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings is especially useful, since it can give information on the neurovascular coupling underlying this complex phenomenon. In the present study, the brain response to intermittent photic stimulation (IPS) was investigated in a group of healthy subjects using simultaneous EEG-fMRI, with the main objective to study the electrophysiological mechanisms associated with the intense NBRs elicited by IPS in extra-striate visual cortex. The EEG analysis showed that IPS induced a desynchronization of the basal rhythm, followed by the instauration of a novel rhythm driven by the visual stimulation. The most interesting results emerged from the EEG-informed fMRI analysis, which suggested a relationship between the neuronal rhythms at 10 and 12 Hz and the BOLD dynamics in extra-striate visual cortex. These findings support the hypothesis that NBRs to visual stimuli may be neuronal in origin rather than reflecting pure vascular phenomena. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2247-2262, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This study investigates infants' memory for social stress after a 15-day retention interval using behavior and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Experimental group infants were exposed to face-to-face still-face paradigm (FFSF) two times; the first time at 4 months and after a 2-week interval. Control group infants were exposed to FFSF only once at 4 months plus 2 weeks. Infants were categorized as suppressors or non-suppressors based on the direction of RSA change at first FFSF exposure. No behavioral differences were found among groups and exposure conditions. In the experimental group suppressors changed and showed no suppression when re-exposed 2 weeks later to FFSF. Non-suppressors showed no change in RSA from the first to the second exposure to FFSF. Control infants showed similar RSA changes to experimental infants at their first exposure. Findings indicate that 4-month-old infants have memory for social stress related to individual differences in autonomic reactivity.