Neurocognitive assessment under various human-robot teaming environments

Human-robot teaming has become increasingly important with the advent of intelligent machines. Prior efforts suggest that performance, mental workload, and trust are critical elements of human-robot dynamics that can be altered by the robot's behavior. Most prior human-robot teaming studies used behavioral analyses, but a limited number used neural markers, without the use of physical robots and complex tasks. Here we combine behavioral and EEG cortical dynamics to examine cognitive-motor processes when individuals complete a complex task under various team environments with a robot. The results revealed that altering the robot quality affected both behavioral and EEG dynamics. Task completion with an experienced robot led to greater team performance and human trust along with lower mental workload compared to an inexperienced teammate or when individuals performed alone. EEG changes suggest that different attentional processes were engaged when humans worked with the robot and performed alone, and that visual processing was more prominent when teaming with an inexperienced teammate. This work can inform human cognitive-motor processes and the design of robotic controllers in human-robot teams.