Within the framework of the Cybermans European project, an intelligent work assistant device (IWAD) for welding has been developed that provides the worker with physical and cognitive support. The welding gun, sustained by a servo-assisted robot arm controlled by the movement of the operator, has been equipped with haptic systems (such as variable stiffness joints, vibrating handles and displays with aeronautical type pointing techniques) in order to indicate the optimal direction of approach to the weld spot. The operator is free to move the tool but when this deviates from the ideal approach path, haptic feedback is provided, consisting in vibration of the handles of the gun and stiffening of the joints, which guides the operator to the optimal path to reach the correct weld point. The particular features of the system pave the way to other potential applications of IWAD such as the assembly of large-size objects. Current activities are directed towards developing and adopting feedback techniques optimised for different operating conditions.