Understanding and Modeling Perceived Cognitive and Physical Strain Dynamics for Planning-Oriented Human-Robot Collaboration in Prefabricated Construction

Human-robot collaboration (HRC) in prefabricated construction requires planning approaches that consider not only productivity but also time-dependent worker states during repeated work and rest. Existing planning models often rely on simplified assumptions about fatigue, workload, or recovery, with limited domain-specific empirical evidence on how perceived strain evolves. This study develops an empirically grounded, planning-oriented approach to characterize perceived strain accumulation and recovery in prefabricated construction HRC. A controlled repeated work-rest experiment assessed perceived cognitive and physical strain using the Rating Scale for Mental Effort and Borg's Rating of Perceived Exertion. Linear and exponential functional forms were evaluated, followed by mixed-effects modeling to examine collaborative conditions, session effects, and inter-individual variability. Results indicate that cognitive strain accumulation is best represented by a linear mixed-effects model, whereas rest-phase recovery follows nonlinear decay. The resulting planning-oriented models may inform future human-state-aware task allocation and scheduling research.