The Relationship of Task Difficulty and Multitasking on Performance in Robot Arm Control

Abstract

This research aims to study the relationship between task difficulty and multitasking on performance to control the robot arm. The experimental population was obtained randomly without probabilities, based on the study of specific groups. It was testing in the ABB Robot Studio simulation program with mathematical test questions. The Task’s difficulty is divided into simple and complex manipulation of the robotic arm. Multitasking is a level 1 and level 3 math test. Performance is error percentage, reaction time, and workload or mental workload with the NASA TASK LOAD INDEX (NASA-TLX). The research results were analyzed using Paired sample t-test statistical methods using the Minitab18 program. The results showed that the NASA-TLX workload assessment scores and the mean reaction time of the easy and challenging robotic arms combined with level 1 and level 3 were significantly different at 0.05. The mean reaction time of the robotic arm alone was less than the mean reaction time of the robotic arm with both levels of mathematics tests. In conclusion, task difficulty and multitasking were positively correlated with the mean reaction time applied to the robotic arm. The error percentage of using the robot arm only was less than using the robot arm together with the mathematics test at both levels, with statistical significance at the 0.05 level. It was concluded that task difficulty and multitasking were positively correlated with error percentage. The difficulty of the task and multitasking affected the efficiency of the robotic arm.