Principle of Least Psychomotor Action: Modelling Situated Entropy in Optimization of Psychomotor Work Involving Human, Cyborg and Robot Workers

Abstract

Entropy in workplaces is situated amidst workers and their work. In this paper, findings are reported from a study encompassing psychomotor work by three types of workers: human, cyborg and robot; together with three aspects of psychomotor work: setting, composition and uncertainty. The Principle of Least Psychomotor Action (PLPA) is introduced and modelled in terms of situated entropy. PLPA is founded upon the Principle of Least Action. Situated entropy modelling of PLPA is informed by theoretical studies concerned with connections between information theory and thermodynamics. Four contributions are provided in this paper. First, the situated entropy of PLPA is modelled in terms of positioning, performing and perfecting psychomotor skills. Second, with regard to workers, PLPA is related to the state-of-the-art in human, cyborg and robot psychomotor skills. Third, with regard to work, situated entropy is related to engineering of work settings, work composition and work uncertainty. Fourth, PLPA and modelling situated entropy are related to debate about the future of work. Overall, modelling situated entropy is introduced as a means of objectively modelling relative potential of humans, cyborgs, and robots to carry out work with least action. This can introduce greater objectivity into debates about the future of work.

Variational Principle of Least Psychomotor Action: Modelling Effects on Action from Disturbances in Psychomotor Work Involving Human, Cyborg, and Robot Workers

“…Building upon previous studies [ 5 , 6 ], this paper provides five further contributions to changing the perspective and increasing the objectivity through which potential investments in improving psychomotor work can be analyzed. First, a framework for heuristic modelling of disturbances and their effects is provided.…”

“…Flow involves carrying out many external actions ( S e ) with little, or no, internal action ( S int ) [ 6 , 44 ]. In psychomotor production work, trial-and-error actions can involve initial S i about what to do followed by much S e , which due to automaticity, is driven by little internal action until what is being trialed is produced sufficiently to be judged for its fitness for purpose.…”

“…Psychomotor work involves positioning, performing, and perfecting actions [ 6 ]. Let us denote positioning actions by X , performing actions by Y , and perfecting actions by Z .…”

“…Rather than disturbances in production that involves interactions between different types of work and different types of workers. Our own previous work has encompassed different types of work and different types of workers, but not disturbances in production [ 5 , 6 ]. In this paper, five contributions are made to address this shortcoming in the previous work.…”

“…The first paper [ 5 ] provided an explanation of how resources for physical production work, such as work instructions, product components, and workstations, can be carriers of situated information, and also carriers of various types of situated entropy. The second paper [ 6 ] expanded upon this [ 5 ] by generalizing from examples to the three categories of work setting, work composition, and work uncertainty, and to three aspects of worker action: positioning, performing, and perfecting. In addition, details were provided about the state-of-the-art for psychomotor capabilities of human, cyborgs, and robot workers.…”