used to alert the rider that the software has overridden user input
I think this is the whole point. Riders were asking more of the boards than the boards could do, and when the board was unable to comply the rider would lose their balance. Haptic feedback tells the rider “nah, not doing that” so they’re aware the board isn’t going to do the thing and can adjust their balance accordingly.
Ukraine is attacking military targets. That’s the big difference here.