A Review of Motion Sickness with Special Reference to Simulator Sickness

Abstract

Simulator sickness has implications for training and safety because as many incidents of simulator sickness have been reported since 1980 as in all the previous time. The signs and symptoms, stimulus and response characteristics, anatomical structures, and susceptibility factors of simulator sickness are reviewed. The prevalent theories of the genesis of this malady are put forth and an integrating theory, which suggests that simulator sickness is a form of motion sickness and may be best understood as a special case of sensory conflict, is proposed. Sensory conflict is a useful principle in the study of simulator sickness because the malady is clearly polygenic and polysymptomatic. Therefore it may be argued that greater conflict leads to more severe and greater incidence of sickness. Evaluations that will lead to recommendations for preventing the problem, guidelines for predicting the outcome, and suggestions for future research may be planned.