Even though both arms are just being moved by the robot, people feel like they’re working harder mentally when both arms are moving together than when only one arm is moving.

Scientific Claim

In healthy adults, bilateral passive training with visual feedback is associated with higher mental workload (MBI: 5.6 ± 1.2) than unilateral passive training (MBI: 4.3 ± 1.1), indicating that coordinating two limbs passively may increase cognitive demand despite identical physical effort.

Original Statement

“The MBI score (4.3 ± 1.1) on UPT-visual was significantly lower than that (5.6 ± 1.2) of BPT-visual (p < 0.05).”

From study:Effective unilateral/bilateral robot-assisted training for upper limb motor function rehabilitation: a cross-sectional study

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

overstated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

The authors imply this finding informs clinical protocol design without acknowledging the healthy subject limitation. The verb should reflect association, not clinical implication.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (0)

No supporting evidence found

Contradicting (1)

Effective unilateral/bilateral robot-assisted training for upper limb motor function rehabilitation: a cross-sectional study

Cross-Sectional Study

Human

2025

The study looked at how much muscles work during training, not how hard the brain is working — so it can't tell us if using both arms at once makes your brain more tired.

Source Study

Effective unilateral/bilateral robot-assisted training for upper limb motor function rehabilitation: a cross-sectional study

Score: 33

DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1571624

Similar Assertions

When people’s arms are moved by a robot without seeing where they’re supposed to go, their muscles don’t work as hard as when they can see the target path—even if they’re not moving on their own.

79%

When both arms are moved together by a robot while watching a screen, healthy people’s muscles work harder than when only one arm is moved, even if they’re not trying to move it themselves.

76%

When people get both a visual target and a gentle push from the robot at the same time, they hit the target more accurately and with less muscle strain than when they get only one kind of cue.

74%

When healthy people move their arm with a robot using just one kind of feedback (like seeing a target or feeling resistance), they make more mistakes and use more muscle effort than when they get both kinds of feedback at once.

73%