Virtual reality (VR) can be a useful tool for conducting consumer behavior experiments. The aim of this research was to examine whether people standing in front of a supermarket shelf make similar decisions and process similar information as those in front of a shelf in a VR shop. In Study 1, participants were asked to select a cereal from among 33 commercially available types of cereals placed on a shelf. One group performed the task in front of a real shelf, while the other performed it in VR. Eye-tracking data were collected for both groups. No statistically significant differences were observed in the selection of the cereals by the two groups in the two conditions. Eye-tracking data only revealed few differences in the information-seeking behavior. In Study 2, results observed using real products were replicated in VR. Participants were asked to walk through a virtual supermarket and select either a healthy cereal (healthy condition) or a tasty cereal (hedonic condition). Results showed that participants in the healthy condition paid more attention to the nutrition information than those in the hedonic condition. The results of these two experiments suggest that a VR condition wherein participants can walk around and behave as in the real world is a useful tool for conducting experiments related to food decisions.

There is a worldwide interest in implementing collaborative robots (Cobots) to reduce work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD) risk. While prior work in this field has recognized the importance of considering Ergonomics & Human Factors (E&HF) in the design phase, most works tend to highlight workstations’ improvements due to Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC). Based on a literature review, the current study summarises studies where E&HF was considered a requirement rather than an output. In this article, the authors are interested in understanding the existing studies focused on Cobots’ implementation with ergonomic requirements, and the methods applied to design safer collaborative workstations. This review was performed in four prominent publications databases: Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, and Google Scholar, searching for the keywords ‘Collaborative robots’ or ‘Cobots’ or ‘HRC’ and ‘Ergonomics’ or ‘Human factors’. Based on the inclusion criterion, 20 articles were reviewed, and the main conclusions of each are provided. Additionally, the focus was given to the segmentation between studies considering E&HF during the design phase of HRC systems and studies applying E&HF in real-time on HRC systems. The results demonstrate the novelty of this topic, especially of the real-time applications of ergonomics as a requirement. Globally, the results of the reviewed studies showed the potential of E&HF requirements integrated into HRC systems as a relevant input for reducing WMSD risk.