Skill-informed Data-driven Haptic Nudges for High-dimensional Human Motor Learning

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Kamboj, Ankur, Ranganathan, Rajiv, Tan, Xiaobo, Srivastava, Vaibhav
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Kamboj, Ankur
Ranganathan, Rajiv
Tan, Xiaobo
Srivastava, Vaibhav
author_facet Kamboj, Ankur
Ranganathan, Rajiv
Tan, Xiaobo
Srivastava, Vaibhav
contents In this work, we propose a data-driven framework to design optimal haptic nudge feedback leveraging the learner's estimated skill to address the challenge of learning a novel motor task in a high-dimensional, redundant motor space. A nudge is a series of vibrotactile feedback delivered to the learner to encourage motor movements that aid in task completion. We first model the stochastic dynamics of human motor learning under haptic nudges using an Input-Output Hidden Markov Model (IOHMM), which explicitly decouples latent skill evolution from observable performance measures. Leveraging this predictive model, we formulate the haptic nudge feedback design problem as a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP). This allows us to derive an optimal nudging policy that minimizes long-term performance cost and implicitly guides the learner toward superior skill states. We validate our approach through a human participant study (N=30) involving a high-dimensional motor task rendered through a hand exoskeleton. Results demonstrate that participants trained with the POMDP-derived policy exhibit significantly accelerated movement efficiency and endpoint accuracy compared to groups receiving heuristic-based feedback or no feedback. Furthermore, synergy analysis reveals that the POMDP group discovers efficient low-dimensional motor representations more rapidly.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_12583
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Skill-informed Data-driven Haptic Nudges for High-dimensional Human Motor Learning
Kamboj, Ankur
Ranganathan, Rajiv
Tan, Xiaobo
Srivastava, Vaibhav
Robotics
Human-Computer Interaction
Systems and Control
Optimization and Control
In this work, we propose a data-driven framework to design optimal haptic nudge feedback leveraging the learner's estimated skill to address the challenge of learning a novel motor task in a high-dimensional, redundant motor space. A nudge is a series of vibrotactile feedback delivered to the learner to encourage motor movements that aid in task completion. We first model the stochastic dynamics of human motor learning under haptic nudges using an Input-Output Hidden Markov Model (IOHMM), which explicitly decouples latent skill evolution from observable performance measures. Leveraging this predictive model, we formulate the haptic nudge feedback design problem as a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP). This allows us to derive an optimal nudging policy that minimizes long-term performance cost and implicitly guides the learner toward superior skill states. We validate our approach through a human participant study (N=30) involving a high-dimensional motor task rendered through a hand exoskeleton. Results demonstrate that participants trained with the POMDP-derived policy exhibit significantly accelerated movement efficiency and endpoint accuracy compared to groups receiving heuristic-based feedback or no feedback. Furthermore, synergy analysis reveals that the POMDP group discovers efficient low-dimensional motor representations more rapidly.
title Skill-informed Data-driven Haptic Nudges for High-dimensional Human Motor Learning
topic Robotics
Human-Computer Interaction
Systems and Control
Optimization and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.12583