Factors affecting vection and motion sickness in a passive virtual reality driving simulation

Area of Science:

• Virtual Reality (VR)
• Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
• Perception Psychology

Background:

• Vection, visually-induced motion sickness, and presence are key factors in immersive virtual reality experiences.
• Understanding these factors is crucial for designing effective and comfortable VR simulations, particularly in driving scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how virtual driving speed, visual cue types, and participant posture influence vection, motion sickness, and presence.
• To analyze the relationship between head motion patterns and user experience metrics in VR driving.

Main Methods:

• Participants experienced 60-second virtual reality driving laps at different speeds (60 mph vs. 120 mph).
• Self-reported vection, motion sickness, and presence were recorded, alongside head motion patterns (yaw axis).
• Visual cues (expanding, contracting, translational) and participant posture (upright vs. reclined) were manipulated.

Main Results:

• Higher virtual driving speeds (120 mph) significantly increased vection and motion sickness.
• Expanding visual cues (forward motion) led to higher ratings of vection, motion sickness, and presence compared to other cue types.
• Conformity to median head motions correlated with higher vection, motion sickness, and presence, especially at slower speeds.

Conclusions:

• Virtual driving speed and visual cue expansion are significant determinants of vection, motion sickness, and presence.
• Head motion patterns serve as important behavioral metrics for assessing user experience in VR.
• Reclined posture did not significantly mitigate motion sickness in this VR driving simulation.