Demonstrating the potential for dynamic auditory stimulation to contribute to motion sickness

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Factors Engineering
• Auditory Perception

Background:

• Auditory cues can induce the illusion of self-motion (vection) without visual or physical input.
• The potential for auditory stimuli to cause motion sickness is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if auditory cues alone can elicit motion sickness.
• To determine how auditory cues influence motion sickness when combined with visual motion stimuli.

Main Methods:

• Twenty participants experienced rotating virtual scenes with visual-only, auditory-only, or combined stimuli.
• Pseudo-Coriolis effects were induced via head tilts to maximize motion sickness.
• Measurements included motion sickness, vection, and postural steadiness.

Main Results:

• Auditory cues enhanced vection (reduced onset, increased strength) when paired with visual stimuli.
• Pure auditory stimulation induced motion sickness in 6 out of 20 participants, with 2 stopping the test.
• Adding auditory cues did not significantly alter average motion sickness or postural steadiness.

Conclusions:

• This study demonstrates auditorily induced motion sickness is possible.
• Auditory stimuli can augment visual motion illusions without necessarily increasing sickness.
• Findings highlight the complex interplay between auditory and visual systems in motion perception and sickness.