EEG Based Cognitive Workload Assessment for Maximum Efficiency

Modern work requires multitasking and the need for sustained vigilance, which result in workrelated stress and increase the possibility of human error. So methods for estimating cognitive overload and mental fatigue of the brain during work performance are needed. Cognitive load (CL) refers to the amount of mental demand imposed by a task on a person, and has been associated with the limited capacity of working memory. It is very important to maintain the optimal cognitive load so as to achieve the maximum efficiency and productivity. So real time non invasive measurement of cognitive load is very important. Physiological measures are good for continuous monitoring of workload levels. Five most important physiological areas to measure workload are: cardiac activity, respiratory activity, eye activity, speech measures, and brain activity. Tracking the level of performance in cognitive tasks may be useful in environments, such as aircraft, where the awareness of the pilots is critical for security. EEG has the potential to identify changes in cognitive load in tasks that require continuous and intensive allocation of attention. This paper describes the usefulness of EEG brain activity in the workload prediction. The important benefit of this method is that it can be used continuously without the interference of any task but the drawback is it requires a special instrument to capture process and interpret the signal.