Analysis on Mitigation of Visually Induced Motion Sickness by Applying Dynamical Blurring on a User's Retina

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality Technology
• Neuroscience of Perception

Background:

• Visually induced motion sickness (MS) is a significant barrier to widespread virtual reality (VR) adoption.
• Current VR experiences can trigger discomfort and symptoms like nausea due to visual stimuli.
• Developing effective countermeasures for MS is crucial for enhancing user experience and immersion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of a saliency detection-based dynamic blurring approach in mitigating MS within immersive virtual environments (VEs).
• To assess the impact of this technique on user-reported symptom severity and duration of VR use.
• To provide a potential solution for reducing VR-induced motion sickness.

Main Methods:

• A controlled experiment involving 40 participants exposed to a VR experience.
• Comparison between a control condition (no dynamic blurring) and an experimental condition (with saliency detection-based dynamic blurring).
• Quantitative and qualitative assessment of MS symptoms reported by participants.

Main Results:

• Participants in the experimental condition reported a statistically significant reduction in the average severity of MS symptoms.
• The dynamic blurring approach demonstrated a positive effect on alleviating VR-induced motion sickness.
• No significant adverse effects were reported, indicating the safety of the method.

Conclusions:

• The proposed saliency detection-based dynamic blurring effectively reduces visually induced motion sickness in VR.
• This method has the potential to significantly improve user comfort and extend the duration of VR experiences.
• Further research can explore adaptive blurring strategies for personalized MS reduction.