Mood and simulator sickness after truck simulator exposure

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Occupational Health
• Psychophysiology

Background:

• Simulator use is increasingly prevalent in research and operator training.
• Understanding the impact of simulator conditions on user well-being is crucial.
• Simulator sickness and mood alterations are potential concerns affecting performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate how different simulator test conditions affect mood and simulator sickness severity.
• To investigate the association between mood changes and the severity of simulator sickness symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Twelve male participants completed two 30-minute driving simulator tasks (fixed-base and mobile platform).
• Mood was assessed using the UMACL questionnaire, and simulator sickness severity with the SSQ questionnaire.
• Measurements were taken pre-test, 2 minutes post-test, and 0.5 hours post-test.

Main Results:

• Nausea and disorientation symptoms occurred on both simulators.
• The mobile platform exacerbated oculomotor disturbances, persisting for at least 0.5 hours post-test.
• Simulator sickness severity explained 35-65% of mood variance, with oculomotor issues strongly linked to decreased energetic arousal.

Conclusions:

• Simulator sickness poses a significant challenge in simulator research and training.
• Mobile platform simulators led to increased simulator sickness severity and reduced energetic arousal.
• Task design and simulator type should be considered to mitigate negative effects on mood and performance.