Vibration Feedback

The use of controlled vibration patterns — varying in duration, interval, intensity, and spatial location — to convey information to a user through the sense of touch. In assistive technology for blind people, vibration feedback has two advantages over audio feedback: it does not mask the ambient sounds that blind travellers rely on for spatial awareness, and it remains perceptible in noisy environments such as shopping malls, transit hubs, and crowded public spaces. Smartphones, smartwatches, canes, and robot handles have all been used as vibration delivery channels, often combined with audio for dual-encoded instructions.