Physical Effects of Motion Sickness for Comfortable VR Viewing

Abstract

In accordance with developments in the image technology over recent years, it has become easier to watch 3D video clips. As the viewing of 3D video has become more commonplace, symptoms such as visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) and eye fatigue have been reported. Although various theories regarding the underlying causes of the VIMS have been proposed, these causes have yet to be fully investigated. In a previous study, the background of an image was shown to influence the equilibrium function of a subject viewing a 3D video clip. In this study, the authors investigated the influence of image elements such as the size of the visual field especially in the backgrounds of the projected image and velocity of the visual target speed on the body of a subject viewing a 3D video clips by measuring their body sway, the electrocardiogram signals, and the cerebral blood flow using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Our results has indicated that the value of the total locus length is significantly higher while viewing a video clip whose visual fields of backgrounds is not narrowed than that with narrower backgrounds. This suggests that stability in the system to control their posture can be enhanced by reducing the amount of visual information.