Exploring Visual and Haptic Feedback Systems on User Performance with a Hand-Held Robot

Abstract

While robotic systems allow users to maintain accuracy in high-precision environments, achieving intuitive control is challenging without real-time feedback. Haptic feedback, which communicates otherwise unfelt sensations through vibrations, is widely used in consumer technologies such as video games and smartphones. However, in contexts where knowing the precise force applied by the robot is critical—such as medical procedures or hazardous environments—haptic cues alone may provide insufficient resolution, increasing user workload. Visual feedback, by contrast, is more commonly used and offers greater versatility and precision. This study compared the impact of visual feedback (a color-changing LED light strip) and haptic feedback (vibrations in a controller) on user performance in a “fragile object” manipulation task. Nine participants completed the task under four feedback conditions: no feedback, visual feedback, haptic feedback, and combined visual-haptic feedback. Subjective ratings showed that most participants preferred modalities that included visual cues, citing lower perceived workload and clearer force awareness. However, despite some participants reporting minimal benefit from haptics, performance metrics revealed that for others, haptic feedback meaningfully supported task success. These findings suggest that while simple visual indicators, such as green-yellow-orange-red light strips, provide accessible and interpretable force feedback, the integration of haptic cues can enhance performance by offering complementary real-time force information. Future designs may benefit from refining both modalities to balance intuitiveness, resolution, and user comfort, especially in applications requiring precise force modulation.