Effect of Physical Fatigue on Cognitive Ability of Workers in Furniture CNC Operation

Objective To explore the effect of handling fatigue on the cognitive abilities of workers in furniture CNC operation. Methods Thirteen male postgraduates would test cognitive abilities (digital 2-back task, picture 2-back task, and Stroop task) under two conditions, which were physical fatigue group and non-physical fatigue group. In the physical fatigue group, participants had to handle the panels until fatigue. Their subjective fatigue assessment and physiological data would also be recorded throughout the experiments. Results Compared to the non-physical fatigue group, the accuracy of digital 2-back and picture 2-back task increased in the physical fatigue group, and the reaction speed of picture N-back task and Stroop task increased. The subjective fatigue scale NASA-TLX showed that cognitive fatigue increased. Conclusions When the simulated panel handling was a short-term medium-intensity activity, it could improve the cognitive ability of the participants to a certain degree.