Trust calibration is critical for productive human-AI collaboration in production management, yet the impact of brief explanations on trust and reliance for black-box schedulers remains unclear. We conducted a between-subjects online experiment in flexible job shop scheduling (FJSS; N = 253 professionals and graduate engineers), comparing a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) scheduler augmented with natural-language rationales to a transparent first-in-first-out (FIFO) heuristic while holding recommendations identical to isolate explanation effects. In a five-step, path-dependent scheduling task, participants relied more on DRL with rationales, but attitudinal trust did not differ. Instead, trust increased through mediation of perceived ability. This indirect trust effect was smaller on harder tasks and larger among domain experts, whereas reliance was not moderated. Practically, short rationales function primarily as ability cues that raise adoption without necessarily deepening understanding. To maintain calibrated trust, these cues should be complemented with audience- and task-specific guidance on uncertainty and limitations.

Multitasking and interruptions in control rooms of complex systems such as nuclear power plants (NPPs) are often identified as contributing to human errors. This paper aims to provide a nuanced understanding of how and why multitasking/interruptions occur in such environments and how NPP operators respond to them. Through a mixed-method approach combining field observation, simulator observation, and in-depth interviews, we found that the average frequency of multitasking/interruption was 3.19 times/h and 17.5 times/h in routine and emergent scenarios. Sixteen reasons for engaging in multitasking/interruptions were identified and classified according to whether they are internally-driven or externally-driven, and whether they occur purposefully in service of specific system goals or not. To handle them, NPP operators developed a range of organisational, procedural, training, and technological measures that operate across different stages of multitasking/interruptions. These findings suggest that multitasking/interruptions in complex systems should be systemically managed rather than simply eliminated.

Vibration magnitudes and backrest inclination affect apparent masses of the seated human body, yet their interaction remains unexplored. In this study, the in-line fore-aft, lateral, and vertical apparent masses were studied experimentally with a series of vibration magnitudes (0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 ms−2 r.m.s. in three translational directions, respectively) and backrest inclination angles (0°, 10°, and 20°). The peak modulus of the fore-aft apparent mass at the seat pan first decreased from 0° to 10° and then rose from 10° to 20°. Significant interaction between the two factors was found for fore-aft resonance parameters, which may be attributed to pelvic motion modulated by muscle activities. In contrast, lateral and vertical resonance parameters varied monotonically with backrest inclination and no significant interaction was detected. These findings reveal that the interaction between vibration magnitude and backrest inclination should be considered for accurate fore-aft ride comfort assessment.

Limited research exists on full-shift and multi-day progression of fatigue during overhead work. This study investigates these patterns with workers across five construction trades. Thirty-five participants were assessed during their full working shifts. A test battery measuring shoulder maximal voluntary force (MVF), electromyography (EMG) during a 15% MVF test contraction, and rates of perceived exertion (RPE) of the neck, shoulders, back and arms were collected at the beginning, middle and end of the work shift. We evaluated fatigue effects using generalised linear mixed-effects models. Significant shift effects were observed for RPE, EMG amplitude and power frequencies (EMG_PF) and day effects for EMG_PF. We observed progressive onset of shoulder fatigue over a work shift and two consecutive working days. Although a test battery of EMG and MVF revealed both within- and between-shift fatigue effects, future research will investigate dose-response relationships between overhead exposures and shoulder fatigue.

In complex driving scenarios with multi-source risks, effective attentional guidance is essential for drivers to regain situational awareness. This study investigates how attentional cueing strategies embedded in takeover requests (TORs), and varying environmental visibility levels influence driver decision-making during automation-to-human transitions. Forty-eight participants drove in a simulator under three visibility conditions (clear, light fog, dense fog) and received either action-oriented or hazard-oriented cues, plus a no-cue baseline. Dependent measures included takeover time, maximum deceleration, standard deviation of lateral offset, time to collision, eye movement metrics, and subjective assessments. Overall, the threat-cued strategy supports autonomous decision-making by enhancing situational awareness, whereas the action-cued strategy improves takeover quality by providing intention-aligned guidance under limited visibility, though it may entail a potential risk of automation complacency.

This study compared eight upper-extremity risk assessment tools applied to five different manual tasks. The aim is to provide users with insight into how the tools compare and to contribute to the ongoing revision of the ISO 11228-3 Standard. Eight upper limbs risk assessment tools were compared (ACGIH® HA, DUET, EAWS4, HARM, OCRA index, OCRA checklist, RSI, and RULA). The predictive or concurrent validity of each tool was described and considered. Tool merits and limitations, such as underestimating high action frequencies, static postures, or upper limb areas to study, were described. The ability of the tools to distinguish risk levels was examined. All tools differentiated the risk level of the five tasks, except HARM and RULA, which showed similar risk levels for all tasks. Suggestions are provided to prospective users for choosing tools appropriate to their application, with an emphasis on predictive validity to ensure more reliable risk assessment results.

Progress in road vehicle automation is tainted by an increased occurrence of passenger motion sickness. Yet, these advances drive the design of car cockpits towards user-centric approaches, such as monitoring passenger well-being. In this framework, the present study aimed to identify robust predictors of motion sickness severity based on data from two experimental studies reproducing a stop-and-go passenger ride. The data from 54 participants tested in a total of 106 identical sessions involving gaze restriction to a visuomotor activity were analysed. Individual characteristics, contextual, behavioural, and physiological parameters were investigated in relation to motion sickness severity. Individual susceptibility had the strongest influence. Pulse rate and the amplitude range of pitch movements of the head additionally exhibited a significant relationship with the progression of symptoms. Such findings open new perspectives for the development of passenger-centric methods to screen early stages of motion sickness and prevent its escalation.

Mind perception theory explains how people attribute human-like qualities to technology. Drawing on this theory, this study introduces perceived competence and warmth as key dimensions of human-likeness in automated driving systems (ADS). We propose a post-usage model for Level-3 ADS trust and adoption. It extends TAM by incorporating the two human-likeness dimensions, trust, and automated social presence (ASP; feeling of being socially accompanied by automation). We conducted a driving-simulator experiment to manipulate users’ perceptions of competence and warmth. The proposed model was then validated using multilevel structural equation modelling with 280 experimental samples. Results show competence and warmth jointly enhance perceived ease of use, usefulness, and ASP, thereby promoting trust and continued usage. Notably, warmth receives greater user attention than competence. Moreover, post-usage trust exerts a stronger impact on continuance intention than original TAM pathways. Our findings inform the design of ADS that foster trust and continued adoption.

This study investigated the reliability of a novel casualty emergency evacuation (CEE) test and its associations with physical performance variables. Forty-eight male reservists performed the CEE test, along with physical performance and body composition assessments. The reliability of the CEE was evaluated across two sessions, using analyses of typical error, intraclass correlation (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV). Pearson’s correlation and multiple linear regression (MLR) were applied to identify variables associated with the CEE. The ICC (0.84) and CV (6.77%) indicated that the CEE test demonstrated good reliability. The strongest correlations were observed between the CEE and standing long jump (r = −0.67, p < 0.001), 30 m sprint (r = 0.59, p < 0.001) and countermovement jump (r = −0.55, p < 0.001). In the multiple regression analysis, body height, 60 s push-ups, standing long jump, and 30 s jumps collectively explained 67% of the variance in CEE time.

This study investigated how a repeated submaximal hand tracking task affects fine motor performance and short-term recovery. Nineteen males traced a 2:3 Lissajous curve using a haptic wrist robot both pre- and post-fatigue. The fatigue protocol was the same task with resistance applied to the handle of the robot at 40% maximal voluntary isometric wrist force. Performance was measured at baseline and at seven intervals during recovery (0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 minutes). The fatigue protocol led to a 12% decrease in grip force and remained below baseline at 10 minutes. Movement quality, quantified by tracking error, figural error, and jerk ratio, increased by 23%, 19%, and 27%, immediately following fatigue but normalised by 4 minutes. This work highlights how submaximal forearm muscle fatigue can temporarily compromise hand tracking ability but suggests that movement accuracy and smoothness recover rapidly with rest.