How haptic feedback enables human group synchronization

Abstract

Synchronization often emerges spontaneously among interacting people, yielding practical benefits for tasks such as sports, physical rehabilitation, and collaborative manufacturing, and fostering a sense of unity and trust. Although visual interaction is typically considered the primary channel for achieving synchronization, it is constrained by sensorimotor delays, occlusions, and limited attentional resources. Here, we tested whether haptic communication can induce or enhance synchronization in a group motor task. Six quartets performed oscillatory wrist flexion/extension while being connected via virtual elastic bands; we compared haptic only, visual only, combined haptic\&visual, and no feedback conditions. Even weak haptic coupling induced group synchronization, and combining haptic with visual feedback yielded higher and more stable synchronization than either modality alone. Haptic feedback also increased the frequency at which groups coordinated, and movement smoothness rose with frequency. These findings lay the groundwork for designing haptic interaction protocols for collaborative group environments.