A Somatic Approach to Combating Cybersickness Utilising Airflow Feedback

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents a novel somatosensory approach towards reducing the risk of cybersickness during virtual reality locomotion in a 3D environment. We start by presenting theories regarding the cause of cybersickness which led to the proposal and construction of a prototype airflow-based feedback system. The solution proposed by this paper builds on the concept of sensory misalignment, where the body struggles understand its state due to conflicting sensory feedback and consequently generates negative health symptoms and discomfort. To evaluate the work an experiment was carried out where 40 participants drive a simulated car around a virtual environment. In one condition the participants had additional somatosensory feedback regarding their motion, provided by a fan synchronised to their speed in the virtual world. In the second condition there was no additional feedback. We evaluated both conditions for cybersickness and presence, and showed a statistically significant improvement for both in the condition using airflow feedback. We conclude with a discussion of the results, and present a direction for possible future research.