Vibration feedback reduces perceived difficulty of virtualized fine motor task

Virtual Reality (VR) has been increasingly used in the development or rehabilitation of sensorimotor skills as it provides a safe, personalized, repeatable, realistic, and interactive environment. However, the use of VR technology to simulate fine motor interactions is still rather limited. This study evaluated the performance and user experience of a virtualized fine motor task and the potential impact of vibration feedback to complement the VR simulation. The Nine Hole Peg test (NHPT), which is widely used in health care to assess hand motor functions, was considered. 100 healthy subjects were recruited to compare the performance of the conventional, VR-based, and VR-based with vibration feedback (VR+vibration) implementation of the NHPT. Results demonstrated a significant increase in the task execution time (about 50% increase) in VR-based and VR+vibration conditions as compared to the conventional condition (Kruskal Wallis test, Bonferroni correction, p < 0.0001). Participants reported a significant decrease in perceived difficulty of the VR+vibration condition as compared to the VR-based condition (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, p < 0.05). Another interesting finding was the gender effect - female participants spent significantly more time completing the task in VR as compared to their male counterparts. These results indicate that vibration feedback enhances the usability of virtualized fine motor tasks.