Human–robot collaboration (HRC) is increasingly prevalent across various industries, promising to boost productivity, efficiency, and safety. As robotics technology advances and takes on more complex tasks traditionally performed by humans, the nature of work and the demands on workers are evolving. This shift emphasizes the need to critically integrate human factors into these interactions, as the effectiveness and safety of these systems are highly dependent on how workers cooperate with and understand robots. A significant challenge in this domain is the lack of a consensus on the most efficient way to operationalize and assess mental workload, which is crucial for optimizing HRC. In this systematic literature review, we analyze the different psychophysiological measures that can reliably capture and differentiate varying degrees of mental workload in different HRC settings. The findings highlight the crucial need for standardized methodologies in workload assessment to enhance HRC models. Ultimately, this work aims to guide both theorists and practitioners in creating more sophisticated, safe, and efficient HRC frameworks by providing a comprehensive overview of the existing literature and pointing out areas for further study.

When crossing a road, pedestrians must detect traffic, combine data coming from different perceptual modalities, evaluate the time envelope for safely cross the street, and monitor the position of oncoming vehicles to perform corrective actions if needed. This study analyzed the influence of noise emitted by vehicles, or its absence, on pedestrians’ crossing decision-making. Experiments were performed in a virtual environment using two road scenarios. Participants were presented with stimuli of approaching vehicles that varied regarding speed, movement patterns, and auditory condition: one concerning the approaching of an electric vehicle, another regarding the approaching of a gasoline combustion vehicle, and, finally, a condition regarding the absence of auditory cues. Participants were tasked with indicating the moment when they decided to cross the street. The results show that, despite the noise variations caused by the type of vehicle and its speed pattern, the participants’ decision to cross was mostly based on vehicle distance. When a vehicle approaches the crosswalk from a short distance and with no occlusion to the pedestrian’s visibility, the sound does not seem to influence the pedestrians’ crossing decision-making.

The vibration perception threshold (VPT) is the minimum amplitude required for conscious vibration perception. VPT assessments are essential in medical diagnostics, safety, and human–machine interaction technologies. However, factors like age, health conditions, and external variables affect VPTs. Various methodologies and distinct procedures have been used to access VPTs, leading to challenges in establishing standardized protocols. Following the PRISMA methodology, this systematic review was conducted to answer the research question: “How are vibration perception thresholds assessed on the glabrous skin of the hands and fingers of healthy humans?” Searches were conducted across five databases to locate recent studies reporting data from VPT assessments, published in English, between 2012 and 2023. Thirty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Data on study goals and various methodological aspects was categorized and analyzed. Information gaps were identified, and this review offers recommendations for future studies to enhance standardization and facilitate data comparison. This review also suggests directions for future research, aiming to improve our understanding of how humans perceive haptic information.