Dr. Vipul Garg is implementing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in a new research project that aims to use brain data to improve worker safety and retention rates.
Through a grant from the University’s Office of Research and Health Sciences, Garg has purchased electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets from a company called Emotiv that uses AI-enabled software to measure and analyze brain activity.
Working with logistics and shipping company DHL, Garg plans to outfit forklift operators in South San Antonio with the headsets. This will enable him to examine the “cognitive load” of the forklift operators—the mental effort required to process information—as they perform labor-intensive tasks in a high-stakes, quota-driven environment.
“That can create a lot of havoc inside the driver's mind,” said Garg, an assistant professor of supply chain management. “I’m looking at how we can use the data to help decrease stress, prevent injuries and improve the retention rate of employees within warehouse settings. The technology can be applied to many different industries, including the trucking industry and drone operators. There are endless possibilities.”
Garg said the headsets can record seven parameters, including excitement, anxiety and other emotions, which help calculate cognitive load. This information is then correlated with personal surveys.
“You're essentially doing a triangulation of data using different sources, which gives you a good idea of what’s happening in the work environment,” he said. “Once you get all the data points, you can essentially create a predictive model. Managers can use this information to help keep workers safe and better retain the workforce.”
Prior to starting at A&M-San Antonio last year, Garg was a research assistant and teaching fellow at the University of North Texas, where much of his work focused on drone technology. He was part of a NASA-funded project that looked at how drones can be integrated into new delivery systems and how these advancements can support and enhance manufacturing capabilities in the U.S.
In March, he co-authored a paper for Supply Chain Management Review titled "Applying lessons learned from healthcare drone logistics to other supply chains.”
Written with executives from a drone startup in India, the paper explores the operational, technological, and regulatory lessons learned from deploying drones in healthcare supply chains in underserved regions with challenging terrains.
The paper also details how healthcare supply chains can face unique challenges in getting supplies to remote and hard-to-reach areas where traditional transportation methods are unreliable.
Drones address these challenges by providing faster and more reliable deliveries, significantly reducing response times, and ensuring a continuous supply of essential medicines and vaccines.
“My contributions were around policies regarding drone deliveries in the United States,” Garg said, “and how we can design policies to help companies overcome challenges and improve their service.”