Mitigating Simulator Adaptation Syndrome by means of tactile stimulation

Some drivers experience Simulator Adaptation Syndrome (SAS), a condition in which nausea, disorientation, dizziness, headache, and difficulty focusing, are exhibited when driving in a simulator. To reduce this syndrome, we investigated the efficacy of tactile stimulation (TS) on mitigating Simulator Adaptation Syndrome (SAS) in a driving simulation. Fifteen drivers (eight women; mean age = 24.07 years) participated in this experiment. We compared the total scores of the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) across two stimulation conditions (TS condition and no stimulation condition as a baseline measure). The experimental outcomes revealed that TS seemed to decrease SAS due to attentional distraction from the symptoms and not because of an improvement in balance ability.