These devices typically have been used to indicate whether or not the user is in contact with a virtual object. Other tactile feedback devices have been used to simulate the texture of a virtual object. This and other statements led researchers to develop haptic interfaces. By adding an independent input channel, the amount of information that is processed by the brain is increased. The increase in information reduces the error and time taken to complete a task.
Humans use their hands in exploring environments that have poor or no visibility.
For instance, divers in murky water use their haptic senses in substitution for their visual senses with little loss in performance. Although not as adept at searching across a two-dimensional space, humans have particular ways of exploring such spaces. Their research describes how humans gather information about a two-dimensional surface. They tested several sections of a physics class that were learning electrostatic fields. The experimental part of the class was allowed to use a force feedback device in a laboratory exercise, and the control group was not.