SplitBody: Reducing Mental Workload while Multitasking via Muscle Stimulation
Video figure for "SplitBody: Reducing Mental Workload while Multitasking via
Muscle Stimulation." This work was presented at the ACM CHI 2024 conference in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi by Romain Nith, Yun Ho and Pedro Lopes at the University of Chicago's Human Computer Integration Lab.
Abstract: Techniques like electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) offer promise
in assisting physical tasks by automating movements, e.g., shaking
a spray-can or tapping a button. However, existing actuation
systems improve the performance of a task that users are already
focusing on (e.g., users are already focused on using the spraycan).
Instead, we investigate whether these interactive-actuation
systems (e.g., EMS) offer any benefits if they automate a task that
happens in the background of the user’s focus. Thus, we explored
whether automating a repetitive movement via EMS would reduce
mental workload while users perform parallel tasks (e.g., focusing
on writing an essay while EMS stirs a pot of soup). In our study,
participants performed a cognitively-demanding multitask aided
by EMS (SplitBody condition) or performed by themselves (baseline).
We found that with SplitBody performance increased (35% on
both tasks, 18% on the non-EMS-automated task), physical-demand
decreased (31%), and mental-workload decreased (26%).
Find out more about SplitBody: https://lab.plopes.org/#SplitBody