Effects of pace on productivity and physical and mental workloads in a human–cobot collaboration.

<italic>Objectives</italic>. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) represent a prevalent global occupational health concern, primarily associated with high biomechanical solicitations, mental workload and work pace. Although cobots have shown promise in reducing risks of MSDs, a question of interest still persists as to how the pace in hybrid human–machine collaboration will affect the operator, in terms of both physical and cognitive health and the production.<italic>Methods</italic>. This study aimed to analyse the impact of pace on productivity, operators’ posture and mental workload in a human–cobot collaboration. The study, involving 20 participants engaged in a collaborative task with a cobot under three cobot-led paces, assessed productivity rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) scores (posture), dual task performance (cognitive resources) and NASA task load index (NASA-TLX) scores (workload).<italic>Results</italic>. The findings revealed that an excessively high pace had counterproductive effects, leading to reduced efficiency and increased susceptibility to MSDs, both in terms of physical and mental workloads.<italic>Conclusion</italic>. In the context of a human–cobot collaboration, it is imperative to adapt the pace to operators’ abilities in order to ensure optimal productivity while preserving their health, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach to pace management in such collaborative work scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]