Introducing Haptic Force Guidance: Evaluation of its effect on the Motor Learning of a Precision Force Task

Abstract

Post-stroke patients often experience somatosensory impairments that lead to difficulties in force control, making everyday tasks more challenging, particularly those involving object manipulation. Robotic rehabilitation has shown promise in restoring motor function and is capable of providing somatosensory training, but its application in force control rehabilitation remains limited. In this study, we introduce haptic force guidance, a novel technique that uses haptic feedback to guide users toward applying a target force. Specifically, we implemented haptic force guidance by modifying the stiffness of a spring. We conducted a motor learning experiment to evaluate its effectiveness in both providing guidance and enhancing force learning. Our results indicate that while haptic force guidance is capable of guiding users toward a target force, it does not lead to better force learning of this target force compared to training without guidance. However, due to the limitations of this study, further research is needed to fully explore the potential of haptic force guidance in force control rehabilitation.