Abstract
Driving simulator usage is often accompanied by motion sickness, and techniques for its prevention are not yet established. To reduce visually induced motion sickness (VIMS), we investigated the effects of synchronised presentation of engine sounds and motorcycle vibration on VIMS. A total of 80 participants experienced a driving scene with a head-mounted display for 5 minutes with or without synchronised presentation of engine sound and vibration. The results showed that VIMS scores, as measured by the Fast Motion Sickness scale, were significantly lower in participants who experienced the driving scene with sounds and vibration than in those who experienced the scene with sounds only, vibration only, or neither. Multiple regression analyses revealed that susceptibility to VIMS consistently explained the severity of VIMS to some extent but not with perceived realism of the virtual reality (VR) scene, sex, and experiences about VR devices and vehicles. This study demonstrated that simultaneous presentation of engine sounds and vibration, which were synchronous to each other and tightly coupled with the visual flow speed, effectively reduces VIMS while experiencing motorcycling simulators. The findings not only improve practical knowledge for reducing VIMS in driving simulators but also provide evidence for understanding the mechanisms of VIMS.
Highlights
Driving simulator usage is often accompanied by motion sickness, and techniques for its prevention are not yet established
The present study investigated whether synchronised presentation of engine sound and vibration decreases visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) while viewing a simulated motorcycle ride in a virtual environment
In contrast to previous studies that investigated simple effects of sound or vibration, which did not reduce VIMS 20,31,32, this study demonstrated that simultaneous presentation of sound and vibration, where both were modulated by driving speed, can substantially reduce VIMS
Summary
Driving simulator usage is often accompanied by motion sickness, and techniques for its prevention are not yet established. To reduce visually induced motion sickness (VIMS), we investigated the effects of synchronised presentation of engine sounds and motorcycle vibration on VIMS. D’Amour, et al. investigated the effects of vibration and airflow on VIMS In their experiment, participants watched a visual scene from a first-person view that one is driving a bicycle in a town. Keshavarz and Hecht did not found significant reduction effects either of background sounds during a bicycle ride, nor of environmental noises, footsteps or the character’s breathing during a video game from the first-person perspective32 These findings suggest that airflow, but not a simple presentation of sounds and vibration, is effective in reducing VIMS at least in experiencing a VR scene of a bicycle ride, which usually runs against the wind. A recent study of Keshavarz, et al. reported that presenting engine sounds, motion cues and their combination did not reduce VIMS in a car driving simulator
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