Cybersickness Abatement From Repeated Exposure to VR With Reduced Discomfort

Area of Science:

• Virtual Reality
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Cybersickness negatively impacts virtual reality (VR) adoption.
• Cybersickness Abatement from Repeated Exposure (CARE) is a method to reduce VR sickness.
• Field of view (FOV) restriction can decrease cybersickness but affects user experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if CARE with FOV restriction generalizes to a full FOV experience.
• To determine if reduced sickness during FOV-restricted VR exposure leads to better adaptation.
• To assess if initial sickness levels impact the effectiveness of CARE.

Main Methods:

• Participants engaged in a VR game for up to 20 minutes.
• The Repeated Exposure Condition involved playing the VR game over four days.
• FOV restriction was applied during the first three days, with no restriction on the fourth day.

Main Results:

• Significant cybersickness abatement was observed with FOV restriction across Days 1-3.
• Day 4 cybersickness, without FOV restriction, was significantly lower than in a single exposure group.
• Effective CARE was achieved with minimal cybersickness experienced during exposure.

Conclusions:

• CARE with FOV restriction can generalize to full FOV VR experiences.
• This approach offers a viable method to reduce VR sickness without compromising the immersive experience.
• Findings support theories of sensory rearrangement, adaptation, and habituation in cybersickness reduction.