Psychophysiological impacts of working with powered exoskeletons on construction sites

Powered exoskeletons are aimed at enhancing user strength and minimizing physical strain to prevent work-related musculoskeletal injuries. However, their widespread adoption within the construction sector remains limited, primarily due to uncertainties about their psychophysiological impacts, such as potential cognitive overload, trust issues, and changes in attention levels. To tackle these concerns, this paper sets out to empirically assess the psychophysiological risks associated with using powered exoskeletons during construction tasks. An immersive virtual reality environment was created to simulate typical construction activities, aiming to gather large amounts of high-quality physiological data. Subsequently, psychological sensing frameworks were developed to quantify workers' cognitive load, trust, and vigilance. The findings indicated that powered exoskeletons induced cognitive burden, fostering distrust among the workers without affecting vigilance levels. These findings offer a robust empirical basis for the broader implementation of powered exoskeletons in construction settings. • A framework to assess psychophysiological risks of powered exoskeleton is proposed. • Psychological sensing is applied for cognitive load, trust, and vigilance assessment. • Powered exoskeleton increased cognitive load by 39 % and reduced trust by 35 %. • Vigilance level remained stable during powered exoskeleton use. • Insights could guide broader implementation of powered exoskeleton in construction.