MENTAL WORKLOAD (MWL) MEASUREMENT OF OFFICERS IN SIMULATED SHIP NAVIGATION:DETERMINING THE REDLINES OF PERFORMANCE

Abstract

The main aim of this study is to measure the mental workload of the operators according to the increasing workload during simulated ship navigation and it is aimed to contribute to the clarification of upper redline of task demands. Eye responses and performance results of twelve participants were recorded during the measurements carried out in bridge simulator. In addition, a specific tool (NASA-TLX) was used to assess twelve participants at the end of each step of the scenarios. The results showed that mental workload of the participants increased as the task load increased and their performance decreased. It was observed that the developed Artificial Neural Network model can predict operator mental workload based on eye response indices (accuracy: 79.2%). This study is considered to contribute to the literature by defining an upper redline of task demands for an operator and monitoring near real-time mental workload indicators based on the physiological data of operators in the presence of autonomous ships and in navigational conditions where the automation level of ships gradually increases.