Capturing Human-Centric Adaptation in Human-Robot Collaboration for Prefabricated Construction: Empirical Modeling of Mental and Physical Effort Dynamics

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

1-1-2026

Abstract

Human-robot collaboration (HRC) is increasingly adopted in prefabricated construction to improve productivity while maintaining flexibility. However, most existing HRC planning approaches remain efficiency-oriented or rely on simplified fatigue assumptions that lack strong empirical grounding in prefabrication work, which is characterized by frequent switching between physical execution and cognitive monitoring. This study empirically models time-varying mental and physical effort dynamics through a controlled wooden wall panel manufacturing experiment. Eight participants completed a 60-min working phase followed by a 30-min seated rest phase, during which subjective measures of mental and physical effort were repeatedly collected. Phase-specific exponential functions were fitted to individual effort trajectories to characterize effort accumulation during work and recovery during rest. Results indicate smoother, near-monotonic accumulation of physical effort, whereas mental effort exhibits greater early-stage variability, suggesting transient cognitive adjustment. During rest, both effort measures demonstrate more stable and faster recovery dynamics. Parameter identifiability issues were observed for low-variance physical effort trajectories, highlighting the importance of curve-based group aggregation. Overall, the proposed framework provides interpretable empirical representations of effort dynamics that support human-centric HRC design and scheduling in prefabricated construction.

Publication Title

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction

ISBN

[9780645832235]

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