Exploring the Dynamics between Cobot’s Production Rhythm, Locus of Control and Emotional State in a Collaborative Assembly Scenario

In industrial scenarios, there is widespread use of collaborative robots (cobots), and growing interest is directed at evaluating and measuring the impact of some characteristics of the cobot on the human factor. In the present pilot study, the effect that the production rhythm (C1 - Slow, C2 - Fast, C3 - Adapted to the participant’s pace) of a cobot has on the Experiential Locus of Control (ELoC) and the emotional state of 31 participants has been examined. The operators’ performance, the degree of basic internal Locus of Control, and the attitude towards the robots were also considered. No difference was found regarding the emotional state and the ELoC in the three conditions, but considering the other psychological variables, a more complex situation emerges. Overall, results seem to indicate a need to consider the person’s psychological characteristics to offer a differentiated and optimal interaction experience.