Tracking Stress and Workload in the Maritime/Tugboat World

The Dutch research institute MARIN, the Technical University of Berlin, Philips and k+s projects would like to present the findings of a pilot study into stress/workload measurements during training in a shiphandling simulator. Working on a tug has unique demands, made more challenging by fatigue and a high workload, and influenced by special demands such as noise, the intense mixture of private and worklife and what often prove to be extreme environmental challenges. The objective of this pilot study is to determine the most suitable tool to determine the workload a person experiences when executing complex tug manoeuvres. Scenarios are selected strictly according to real life on the bridge, focussing on tugboat reality. Measurements include heartbeat rate and skin conductivity, plus an EEG, but also include simulator signals. The human body is a very sophisticated control circuit, and to choose different ways of looking at the way a human expresses himself is like joining puzzle elements to a complete picture. Together they pinpoint what is most challenging for the test person. The findings will be evaluated to assess which signals are most suitable to obtain a reliable workload indicator. This tool can be used to study the impact of job procedures, modern bridge design and time/work shift systems, but also to measure the effectiveness of training programs. The pilot study is the follow up of the demonstration of "Training meets Science“ during the maritime conference and exhibition ITS 2014 in Hamburg, initiated and organized by k+s projects, University of Applied Sciences Bremen and University of Technology Berlin.