Högskolan i Skövde

Indroduction: As the manufacturing assembly industry advances, increased customizations and product variety results in operators’ executing more cognitively complex tasks. To bridge these cognitive challenges, the assessment of operators’ health and performance in relation to their tasks has become an increasingly important topic in the field of cognitive ergonomics.

Methods: This paper examines operators’ mental workload through an integrated approach by implementing measures covering different mental workload signals: physiological, performance-based, and subjective, while assembling a 3D-printed drone. In this study, four validated mental workload instruments were used and their correlation levels were evaluated: error rate, completion time, the Rating Scale Mental Effort (RSME), and Heart Rate Variability (HRV).

Results: The results indicate that three out of four mental workload measures significantly correlate and can effectively be used to support the assessment of mental workload. More specifically, error rate, completion time, and RSME.

Discussion: Since current literature has stressed the importance of developing a multidimensional mental workload assessment framework, this paper contributes with new findings applicable to the manufacturing assembly industry.

Collaborative robotics is a very promising technology for many industrial processes, including e.g., manufacturing, logistics, or construction. This new technology are also changing the environment for workers in industry. Research on human-robot interaction (HRI) will be crucial for enhancing the operator’s work conditions and wellbeing, as well as production performance. In that regard, human factors, with a special emphasis on cognitive ergonomics are fundamental to implementing safe, fluent, and efficient collaborative applications.

This Research Topic gathers a range of contributions on the study of Human Factors and Cognitive ergonomics in user-centered and collaborative applications in industrial settings. Here, we summarize these studies from the perspective of three pivotal areas impacted by collaborative robotics: workers’ safety, performance, and wellbeing.

Kognitiv arbetsmiljö avser den del av arbetsmiljön som tar människans kognitiva resurser i anspråk vid genomförandet av arbetsrelaterade uppgifter. Den utgör ramen för samspelet mellan människans tankemässiga förmågor och de krav, förutsättningar och resurser som ges av arbetsuppgiftens utformning, den fysiska miljön och den organisatoriska kontexten. I takt med att arbetslivet präglas av ökade informationsflöden, komplexa beslut och digitala system har intresset för att skapa kognitivt hållbara arbetsmiljöer vuxit. Begrepp som ”hjärnvänlig arbetsmiljö” har fått ökad uppmärksamhet i svenskt arbetsliv. Mot den bakgrunden har Myndigheten för arbetsmiljökunskap identifierat ett behov av att fördjupa förståelsen och sammanställa befintlig kunskap om vilka faktorer som påverkar den kognitiva arbetsmiljön och vilka arbetsinterventioner som har använts för att förbättra den. Den här kunskapssammanställningen ger en överblick över forskningsläget och lyfter fram insikter som kan användas i arbetsmiljöarbete och framtida forskning på området.

Syfte och frågeställningar

Det övergripande syftet med kunskapssammanställningen är att sammanfattabefintlig forskning om kognitiv arbetsmiljö i olika arbetskontexter. I sammanställningen ligger fokus på både främjande och hindrandeförutsättningar för en god kognitiv arbetsmiljö. Kunskapssammanställningen kan fungera som underlag för riktade arbetsplatsinsatser, aktiviteter och åtgärdermed fokus på kognitiv arbetsmiljö. Dessutom kan den bidra till framtida forskning genom att identifiera kunskapsluckor och områden där ytterligare studier behövs. De frågeställningar som styrt arbetet är: 1. Vilka faktorer har studerats i olika arbetskontexter i förhållande till kognitiv arbetsmiljö? 2. Vilka typer av arbetsplatsinterventioner har testats med avseende på att främja en god kognitiv arbetsmiljö, och vilka utfall hade interventionerna?

Metod

En systematisknarrativ hybridöversikt har genomförts. Det betyder att litteratursökning och gallring präglas av en tydlig systematik, vilket följs aven mer kvalitativ bedömning i valet av vad som särskilt lyfts fram i resultaten och hur resultaten presenteras. Från databaserna Pubmed, Scopus och Web of Science togs 7875 artiklar fram och bedömdes på abstractnivå med avseende på relevans. Efter fulltextgranskning och kvalitetsbedömning av de ingående7studierna bestod underlaget av 278 artiklar för frågeställning 1 och 158 artiklar för frågeställning 2.

Resultat

Resultaten visar att kognitiv arbetsmiljö i stor utsträckning har studerats med en kvantitativ ansats (nästan 80 procent i underlaget), även om många av studierna baseras på subjektiva skattningar av mental arbetsbelastning. Fokus ligger ofta på momentan kognitiv belastning och trötthetstillstånd, särskilt i sammanhang där felbeslut eller ouppmärksamhet kan få allvarliga konsekvenser, exempelvis inom sjukvård, industri samt transport och flygsektorn.

Studerade faktorer

Analysen genomfördes genom att ingående studier kategoriserades med avseende på dels vilka faktorer som studerats, dels vilka arbetskontexter som studerats. Flest studier identifierades inom vård, kontor och industri. Inom vård handlar studierna främst om skiftarbete, larmhantering och teknikanvändning. Kognitiv belastning studeras i stor utsträckning med fokus på vaksamhet och trötthet i samband med skiftarbete och störningar i arbetsflödet samt vid patientövervakning. Ett återkommande tema är att ny teknik behöver testas noggrant – det räcker inte att anta att själva införandet kommer ledatill förbättringar. Studier på kontor fokuserar betydligt mer på fysikaliska omgivningsfaktorer, men även distraktioner och individens möjlighet att påverka sin miljö. Inom industri ligger fokus ofta på införandet av ny teknik, som robotik och extended reality (XR). Flera studier från olika arbetskontexter handlar om hur man hanterar avbrott och återgång till arbetsuppgifter. Här skiljs mellan avbrott – där arbetet tillfälligt avbryts helt – och distraktioner, som påverkar uppmärksamheten men inte nödvändigtvis stoppar arbetsflödet. Flertalet studier visar att detta är särskilt intressant inom vården (ofta med fokus på sjuksköterskor), men även i industriella miljöer. I kontorsmiljöer där konsekvenserna av fel ofta är mindre allvarliga, ligger fokus främst på produktivitet och subjektiva upplevelser av störningar. Kognition studeras här ofta genom experiment med uppmärksamhet och minne, där en direkt koppling till den konkreta arbetsvardagen och arbetsuppgifterna saknas. Studierna lyfter också den fysiska arbetsmiljöns påverkan på kognition, särskilt ljud, ljus och kontorsutformning. Ett viktigt budskap är att möjligheten till egenkontroll över miljön, som att kunna dra sig undan vid behov förkoncentration. Andra återkommande ”hygienfaktorer” är dagsljus, god ventilation, bra belysning, lagom temperatur samt möjlighet och utrymme föråterhämtning, gärna genom rörelse utomhus. Genomgående betonas betydelsenav att tekniska, fysikaliska och organisatoriska anpassningar behövs för att minska kognitiv belastning och främja prestation och hälsa.

Arbetsplatsinterventioner och interventionsnära studier

Interventioner med fokus på ljudmiljö visar att tillgång till tysta ytor, ljudabsorberande material och möjlighet till självvald avskildhet minskarkognitiv stress, särskilt i flex och cellkontor. Ljussättning med höga andelar blått ljus kan påverka vakenhetsgraden och dygnsrytmen, men för kontorsarbete är tillgången till naturligt dagsljus viktigare. Andra ”punktinsatser” som syftar tillåterhämtning, som mindfulness, biofilisk design och fysisk aktivitet, har visat positiva effekter på stress och ibland även på kognitiv funktion. Naturmiljöer och växtlighet verkar underlätta återhämtning under arbetsdagen. Fysiskaktivitet försämrar inte kognitiva förmågor och kan i vissa fall förbättra dem, beroende på intensitet och typ av aktivitet. Effekten är dock ofta begränsad. Studier som inte fokuserar på den fysiska miljön undersöker ofta den kognitiva, eller den ”informationsmiljö”, som medarbetare verkar i. Här framkommer att informationsöverbelastning (information overload) påverkar både prestation och välmående negativt. Interventioner som strukturerade arbetsmetoder, schemalagd eposthantering, minskade notifikationer och användning av AIsystem kan minska den kognitiva belastningen och förbättra samarbete. Införandet av förstärkt verklighet (AR) och virtuella verktyg i industrin kan förbättra arbetsutförandet, men bara i rätt sammanhang – i enklare uppgifter kan de i stället öka belastningen. System och gränssnittsdesign som anpassas till användarens behov har visat goda effekter på både prestation och användarupplevelse. Arbetsinstruktioner, som ofta är centrala inom industriellt arbete, förekommer i förhållandevis få studier i det här urvalet (endast fyra artiklar), men resultaten visar tydligt att instruktionernas utformning påverkar både kognitiv belastning och arbetsresultat.

Diskussion

Ett genomgående mönster i forskningen är betydelsen av anpassade lösningar, både för tekniska system och fysisk arbetsmiljö. Tekniken har en dubbel roll som både stöd och potentiell belastning i arbetet. Detta framträder tydligt i exempel som vårdens journalsystem eller industrins ARlösningar, där tekniken kan effektivisera arbetet men också riskerar att introducera nya kognitiva krav om den inte implementeras med omsorg och förståelse för arbetets natur. Ändringar och interventioner behöver anpassas specifikt till den verksamhet och de kognitiva utmaningar som finns där. I kontorsmiljöer handlar effektiva lösningar främst om att hantera informationsmiljön och säkerställa möjlighetertill koncentration, medan interventioner i vården och industrin ofta fokuserar på att integrera teknik och rutiner på ett sätt som minskar risken för fel och kognitiv överbelastning. Resultaten visar också att det organisatoriska sammanhanget är avgörande för hur väl ett system eller en intervention fungerar – samma typ av åtgärd kan få olika effekter beroende på samspelet med befintliga arbetssätt. För praktiker innebär detta att evidensbaseradebeslut bör kompletteras med systematiska utvärderingar av åtgärder i den egna9verksamhetens specifika sammanhang. En anpassningsbar arbetsmiljö, medtillräcklig autonomi att använda möjligheterna, visar sig också vara positivt, tillexempel att kunna stänga en dörr om sig. Betydelsen av att integrera återhämtning i arbetsmiljön belyses också genom allt från biofilisk design, rasternas förläggning och vad man gör på dessa, tillmöjligheten att välja tysta arbetszoner.

Kunskapsluckor

Flera studier undersöker kognition och välmående var för sig, men det saknas i princip forskning som systematiskt kopplar samman dessa områden. Det är en tydlig kunskapslucka. Ingen av de inkluderade artiklarna följer helakedjan från arbetsmiljöintervention, via kognitiv belastning, till långsiktiga effekter som stress eller utbrändhet. I stället fokuserar studierna ofta antingen på hur en åtgärd påverkar kognitiv belastning, eller på vilka konsekvenser belastningen får. Det behövs studier som integrerar dessa perspektiv för att bättre förstå sambanden och förebygga negativa hälsoutfall. En annan tydligbrist i litteraturen är avsaknaden av ett jämställdhetsperspektiv. Få studier analyserar könsskillnader i hur kognitiv belastning upplevs eller påverkas av arbetsmiljöfaktorer och interventioner. Det är oklart om olika grupper av anställda har olika behov eller sårbarheter, vilket gör det svårt att bedöma hur jämlika eller effektiva olika insatser faktiskt är. Dessutom är det anmärkningsvärt att så få studier finns som behandlarorganisatoriska förändringar som möjliga interventioner för att förbättra den kognitiva arbetsmiljön. Åtgärder som bemanningsförstärkning, strukturerad introduktion, minskad administrativ börda, förbättrad mötesstruktur eller möjliggörande av ostörd fokustid nämns knappt, trots deras potentiella betydelse. Här finns en betydande outnyttjad potential både för forskning och praktiskt arbetsmiljöarbete.

Cognitive work environment refers to the aspects of the work environment that engage human cognitive resources in the performance of work-related tasks. It provides the framework for interaction between human cognitive abilities and the demands, conditions, and resources shaped by the task design, physical environment, and organizational context. As working life increasingly involves greater information flows, complex decision-making, and digital systems, interest in creating cognitively sustainable work environments has grown. Concepts such as ”brain-friendly work environment” have gained increased attention. Against this background, the Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise has identified a need to deepen understanding and compile existing knowledge about factors that influence the cognitive work environment, as well as what workplace interventions have been used to improve it. This literature review aims to provide an overview of the research landscape and highlight insights that can guide workplace environment initiatives and future research in the field.

Purpose and Questions

The overall purpose of this literature review is to summarize existing research on the cognitive work environment across various work contexts. The compilation addresses both the promoting and hindering conditions for a good cognitive work environment. The literature review can serve as a foundation for targeted workplace initiatives, activities, and measures aimed at improving the cognitive work environment. Additionally, it can contribute to future research by identifying knowledge gaps and areas where further studies are needed. The questions that guided this work are: 1. What factors have been studied in different work contexts in relation to cognitive work environment? 2. What types of workplace interventions have been tested to promote a good cognitive work environment, and what outcomes did the interventions yield?

Method

A systematic-narrative hybrid approach was used for this report. This means that the literature search and screening were conducted with clear systematic procedures, followed by a more qualitative assessment in selecting which findings to emphasize and how to present the results. Using the databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, 7,875 articles were identified and assessed at the abstract level for relevance. Following full-text review and quality assessment of 11 the included studies, the final selection consisted of 278 articles for Question 1 and 158 for Question 2.

Results

The results show that cognitive work environment has largely been studied using a quantitative approach – nearly 80% of the reviewed studies – although many rely on subjective assessments of mental workload. The research frequently focuses on momentary cognitive load and fatigue states, especially in contexts where erroneous decisions or inattention can have serious consequences, such as in healthcare, industry, and the transport and aviation sectors.

Studied Factors

The analysis was conducted by categorizing the studied factors based on work context and their type of impact on the cognitive work environment. The highest number of studies were found in healthcare, office and in industry. In healthcare-related contexts, studies primarily concern shift work, alarm management, and technology use. Studies of cognitive load largely concern vigilance, fatigue associated with shift work, disruptions in workflow, and patient monitoring. A recurring theme is the need for thorough testing of new technologies – implementation alone does not guarantee improvement. In office contexts, research is more centered on physical environmental factors, distractions and the individual’s ability to influence their environment. In industry, the focus is often on the introduction of new technology, such as robotics and extended reality (XR). Across different work contexts, several studies examine how interruptions are managed and how workers return to their tasks. A distinction is made between interruptions – where work is temporarily completely interrupted – and distractions, which affect attention without necessarily stopping workflow. The number of studies on this topic indicates a strong interest, especially in healthcare (often focusing on nurses), and also in industrial environments. In office settings, where the consequences of errors are typically less severe, studies tend to focus on productivity and subjective experiences of disturbances. Cognition is often studied in experiments involving attention and memory, where the connection to actual work environment and tasks may be missing. The studies also highlight the impact of the physical work environment on cognition – especially in relation to sound, light, and office design. A key takeaway is that having the ability to control the environment, such as being able to withdraw to a quiet space for concentration, is essential. Other recurring ”hygiene factors” are daylight, good ventilation, good lighting, appropriate temperature, and opportunity and space for recovery, preferably through outdoor movement. Throughout the literature, there is a consistent emphasis on the importance of technical, physical environmental and organizational adaptations to reduce cognitive load and promote performance and health.

Workplace Interventions and Intervention-Related Studies

Interventions focusing on the sound environment show that access to quiet areas, the use of sound-absorbing materials, and the possibility of self-selected seclusion reduces cognitive stress – particularly in flex and cellular office environments. While lighting that contains a high proportion of blue light can affect alertness and circadian rhythm, access to natural daylight is more important for office work. Other ”targeted interventions” aimed at promoting recovery – such as mindfulness, biophilic design, and physical activity – have shown positive effects on stress, and in some cases, cognitive function. Natural environments and exposure to vegetation seem to facilitate recovery during the workday. Physical activity does not impair cognitive abilities and can, depending on the intensity and type of activity, sometimes enhance them. The effect, however, is often limited. Studies not focused on the physical environment often examine the cognitive or ”information environment” in which employees operate. These studies show that information overload negatively impacts both performance and wellbeing. Interventions such as structured working methods, scheduled email management, reduced notifications, and use of AI systems can reduce cognitive load and improve collaboration. The introduction of augmented reality (AR) and virtual tools in industry can improve work performance – but only in the right context. For simpler tasks, these tools can instead increase the load. System and interface designs that are tailored to user needs have shown positive effects on both performance and user experience. Work instructions, which are often central to industrial work, were addressed in only a few studies in this sample (only four articles). Nonetheless, the results clearly show that the design of these instructions has a significant impact on both cognitive load and work outcomes.

Discussion

A consistent pattern in the research is the importance of tailored solutions – both in terms of technical systems and the physical work environment. Technology plays a dual role as both support and potential burden at work. This is clearly evident in examples such as medical record systems in healthcare or augmented reality (AR) solutions in industry, where technology can streamline work but also risks introducing new cognitive demands if not implemented with care and understanding of the nature of the work. Changes and interventions need to be specifically adapted to the operation and the cognitive challenges inherent in the operation. In office environments, effective solutions primarily involve managing the information environment and ensuring opportunities for concentration. In contrast, interventions in healthcare and industrial settings often focus on integrating technology and routines in ways that reduce the risk of errors and cognitive overload. The results also show the importance of the organizational context in determining how well a system or intervention functions. The same measure can have 13 different effects depending on how it interacts with existing working methods. For practitioners, this means that evidence-based decisions should be complemented with systematic evaluation of measures within the specific context of their own operation. An adaptable work environment, that allows for sufficient autonomy to utilize opportunities, also proves to be positive. For example, being able to close a door for privacy or focus. The importance of integrating recovery into the work environment is also highlighted. This is reflected in various measures – from biophilic design, the scheduling of breaks and what is done during them, to the ability to choose quiet work zones.

Knowledge Gaps

Several studies examine cognition and well-being separately, but there is a notable lack of research that systematically connects these areas. This is a clear knowledge gap. None of the included articles follow the entire chain – from work environment intervention, via cognitive load, to long-term effects such as stress or burnout. Instead, studies often focus either on how a measure affects cognitive load, or on the consequences of cognitive load itself. Research that integrates these perspectives is needed to better understand the connections and to inform strategies that prevent negative health outcomes. Another clear deficiency in the literature is the absence of a gender equality perspective. Very few studies analyze gender differences in how cognitive load is experienced or affected by work environment factors and interventions. It remains unclear whether different groups of employees have varying needs or vulnerabilities. This limits the ability to assess the equity and effectiveness of different interventions. Furthermore, it is remarkable how few studies address organizational level changes as potential interventions for improving the cognitive work environment. Measures such as increasing staffing levels, providing structured onboarding processes, reducing administrative burdens, improving meeting practices, or enabling undisturbed focus time are hardly mentioned, despite their potential significance. Here, there is significant untapped potential for both future research and practical efforts aimed at enhancing the work environment management.

Collaborative robotics is a very promising technology for many industrial processes, including e.g., manufacturing, logistics, or construction. This new technology are also changing the environment for workers in industry. Research on human-robot interaction (HRI) will be crucial for enhancing the operator’s work conditions and wellbeing, as well as production performance. In that regard, human factors, with a special emphasis on cognitive ergonomics are fundamental to implementing safe, fluent, and efficient collaborative applications.

This Research Topic gathers a range of contributions on the study of Human Factors and Cognitive ergonomics in user-centered and collaborative applications in industrial settings. Here, we summarize these studies from the perspective of three pivotal areas impacted by collaborative robotics: workers’ safety, performance, and wellbeing.

The DIGA tool is a digital solution designed to enhance the creation and management of assembly instructions in industrial settings. DIGA aims to improve cognitive ergonomics and facilitate efficient work instruction design. The increasing complexity of industrial processes, particularly in high-variation production environments, necessitates innovative approaches to work instruction design that reduce cognitive load, improve accuracy, and optimize training effec- tiveness. This article presents the DIGA tool that aims to improve cognitive er- gonomics and facilitate efficient work instruction design in an industrial setting. The tool was tested together with industry and results indicate that the need and interest for DIGA is big in industry and that the tool is easy to use.

Emerging digital and smart technologies, including wearable and collaborative ones, related to the Industry 4.0 paradigm are playing an assisting, collaborative, and augmenting role for the Operator 4.0, and just as in previous industrial revolutions, the nature of work and the workplace for operators on the shop floor is changing. This literature review aims to look into the impact of digital and smart technologies adoption on the workers’ psychosocial stage under the light of the Operator 4.0 typology. Based on the review conducted, a theoretical framework for assessing the psychosocial impacts (risks) of Industry 4.0 technologies adoption in Operator 4.0 is proposed. The framework can be utilized by company managers, researchers, production engineers, and human resources personnel for carrying out a psychosocial risk assessment of Operator 4.0 in assembly, maintenance, and training operations as these operations get digitally transformed and smartified based on self-report questionnaires. Findings reveal that the nature of work, the social and organizational environment of work, and related individual factors are key categories that might affect the Operator 4.0 psychosocial stage on the shop floor.

Digitalization and automation in industry can have both positive and negative effects on social sustainability. On one hand it can be a basis for monotonous, uncreative, and even dangerous workplaces and in some cases might even result in people losing their work. On the other hand, it can be a base for ergonomically sound and inclusive work, engaging everyone in improvements. This project aims for moving the focus on positive effects for social sustainability while still staying cost efficient and effective in economic and ecologic sustainability for digitalization and automation of work instructions and training in manual operations like assembly, machine operation & setup, maintenance, and material handling. The Industry 4.0 paradigm offers radically increased opportunities for doing just that. For example, increased digitization can create efficiency improvements through shorter lead times and reduced disruptions to production. New generations of technology and software as well as information dissemination can be accelerated and the traceability of products and materials in the industrial systems can be greatly increased. Digitization also provides opportunities to increase industrial resilience to challenges coming from elsewhere, such as demographic change and climate threats. Advanced application of digitization is seen by industries and decision-makers as the most important enabler for achieving the strategic sustainability goals and Agenda2030. A crucial factor for competitiveness is the human contribution. Here too, digitalisation is radically changing the conditions. In the last 20 years, work instructions have been transformed from printed text on paper into an increasingly digital representation. As knowledge increases about how work instructions for the manufacturing industry should be designed, they are rarely designed according to user conditions. At best, this results in a missed opportunity for performance improvements and at worst, it could potentially result in quality deficiencies, efficiency deficiencies and a lower degree of inclusion of staff groups. Digitization and automation permeate both society and industry more and more and there are many different technologies on the market. These can contribute to both increased efficiency and flexibility for the industry. However, there are a lot of challenges to both implement, design, and use instructions. Studies conducted in industry 2014–2018 show that operators and assembly workers only use instructions in 20–25% of cases in the operational phase when they are perceived as inefficient (Fast-Berglund & Stahre, 2013; Mattsson et al., 2018). Of course, this also increases the risks of, for example, assembly errors by not using instructions to the extent that they should be used. The corporate culture and standards are also an important part of how instructions are created and used. Depending on the structure and condition of the company and the production unit, for example, an assembly instruction at one company may include information about the product, process, and work environment, while an assembly instruction at another company includes completely different or only parts of this information. Of course, this is a natural consequence of sometimes far-inherited corporate cultures and traditions, but experience has also shown that it is to a very large extent the nature of work that defines the type of support system needed. In line with increased automation and increasing product variation as a result of increased customisation, operators’ tasks will require more creative work than before where the aim is to enable and handle the results of individual workers' creative thoughts about improvements in their own work situation, increasing cognitive load (Taylor et al., 2020). The development of digitalisation has created new opportunities for improved communication among employees in the manufacturing industry (Oesterreich & Teuteberg, 2016). Therefore, this technological development can and should support operators cognitively (Kaasinen et al., 2020; Mattsson et al., 2016). Although many new digital technologies are being developed and are available (Romero et al., 2016), it is still difficult to implement these so that people's cognitive work is supported. This is often due to the fact that the implementation does not take place in a way that people are comfortable with (Parasuraman & Riley, 1997). In many cases, humans are expected to adapt to technology and not the other way around (Thorvald et al., 2021). To implement better support for their operators, companies should focus on identifying the information needs that exist (Haghi et al., 2018) and then visualize it in a way that is useful to operators. The central aim for the project is to demonstrate how knowledge and systematic development of cognitive support and information design can increase quality and flexibility in future production and how this can be considered in the implementation of digital work instructions. In the industrial case studies, current state-of-practice in information presentation will be investigated and analysed together with state-of-the art knowledge and technology to map successful efforts in industry, identify what it is that makes them successful, or how a particularly challenging situation can be further improved through our knowledge of cognitive work in production.

The rapid progress of automation within the assembly industry have improved efficiency and productivity but introduced new challenges. Operators physical tasks have been replaced by more cognitively demanding tasks. With increased global distribution, it is almost standard to offer an increased product variety and customisations require more cognitively complex work. Assessment of operators mental workload has gained interest since it can be used to optimise work performance, diminish errors and poor decision-making, reduce risk of employee absenteeism, and monitor operators health. Assessments today focus on either, subjective, physiological, or performance-based parameters to examine mental workload. The rapid literature review aims to map the domain of mental workload assessments, explicitly in the assembling industry, by targeting its history, preferences, and future trends. It investigates which assessments that have been employed historically. Secondly, examines the body of literature and potential instrument preferences. At last, explores future trends of mental workload assessments.

As we find ourselves in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, the digital transformation of products, processes, and systems, along with their interconnectedness, is of utmost interest. To ensure future competitiveness in the manufacturing sector, the integration of advanced manufacturing technologies and advanced information technology is essential. Information technologies and knowledge are deeply intertwined with industrial equipment, processes, products, and systems, posing a challenge in transitioning today's manufacturing industry into the digital era. The manufacturing sector will require adequate methods, a conducive working environment, new tools, and lifelong training to support its employees.

This article describes a joint effort of five Swedish universities with the ambition to strengthen the competitiveness and innovativeness of the national manufacturing industry through highly competent researchers and future leaders. The collaboration is in the form of an industrial graduate school, combining the efforts of five universities, 16 graduate students, and 12 companies or organisations. This article will outline how the graduate school has been organized, the joint efforts that have been made to assure the development of all parties, organisations and individuals, and will also outline some of the key success factors that have been identified thus far in the project. 

Extended Reality (XR) is a powerful tool to create new and engaging learning environments. As the technology matures, it opens possibilities for professional training programs where information can be situated in the environment, giving detailed guidance to the user. While this detailed guidance has the potential to help users quickly complete complex tasks, recent research from cognitive psychology indicates that active memory retrieval, often referred to as the testing effect, plays a key role in learning. Specifically, increased support during learning is associated with reduced memory retrieval, with negative effects on long-term retention. While these findings are robust for tasks such as word-pair and image learning, less is known about the impact of the testing effect on motor-skill learning of the type often exercised in XR. In this paper, we present the results of a literature review looking at the state of research on the testing effect related to motor-skill learning and retention. While few articles present findings on the testing effect in motor learning, existing results indicate that the impact of the testing effect on motor learning is similar to non-motor learning; however, more research is necessary in order to draw any strong conclusions.