Using Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation to Null and Enhance Real-World Motion Perception

Directional galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) influences the vestibular neural firing rate to provide sensations of yaw, pitch, or roll in the absence of real motion. However, there is also great interest in using GVS to actively modulate motion perception during physical movement in dynamic, real-world contexts. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of GVS in either nulling or enhancing full-body yaw and pitch perceptions of a subject seated upright in a rotating chair.

Using a randomized, counter-balanced design, 20 subjects completed yaw-right and pitch-forward sessions in a motion-controlled chair on the same day. During each rotational chair session (yaw-right and pitch-forward), there were three GVS conditions tested: additive (GVS current sent in the same direction of rotation), nulling (GVS current sent in the opposite direction of rotation), and no GVS (control condition; no GVS during rotation).

After subjects reliably marked the speed of chair rotation at baseline, in the no GVS condition, there were statistically significant differences detected in the perceived self-motion shown through the joystick position in both the additive (+60%) and nulling (-100%) conditions during yaw-right chair rotation and in the additive (+67%) condition during pitch-forward.

This research establishes a foundation for applying GVS at higher stimulation levels in multiaxis motion scenarios to enhance and null self-motion perception in operational moving environments. These findings provide further evidence that vestibular signals can be artificially manipulated to influence perceptual outcomes, encouraging applications in motion simulation, balance training, and sensorimotor research. Pradhan GN, Galvan-Garza RC, Bogle JM, Perez AM, Kingsbury SE, Stepanek J, Cevette MJ. Using galvanic vestibular stimulation to null and enhance real-world motion perception. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2026; 97(5):344-353.