Identification of the degree of load on the farm tractor operator in the spatial structure of the treated field

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to spatially identify the degree of mental fatigue of a farm tractor operator within the experimental field during grain sowing. In addition, to determine possible relationships between field space conditions and operator mental workload. The study was conducted on a John Deere 6210R tractor aggregated with a Horsch Pronto 4D seeder. The operator operated the tractor's on-board computer, the seeder's control computer, and a Trimble CFX-750 satellite navigation system. The mental workload of the tractor operator was monitored using a Muse 2 headband. The headband allows monitoring of brainwave activity, position and acceleration of the operator's head movements, and heart rate. It was found that the average value of attention was as high as 58% and was characteristic for seeding in the central part of the field (yellow) and in the north-western part of the field. The areas that required a much higher level of operator concentration (about 80%) were located in the southeastern part of the field and in the western part of the field. The applied research methodology allowed to generate spatial maps of the operator's level of mental engagement and thus to locate the value of mental engagement in a specific area of the field. On the basis of maps of spatial variation of the level of attention engagement by the operator, it is possible to generate information on which parts of the field on the farm will require special attention.