Locus of user-initiated control in virtual environments: Influences on cybersickness

    Authors

    K. M. Stanney;P. Hash

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Presence-Teleoper. Virtual Env.

    Keywords

    SIMULATOR SICKNESS; Computer Science, Cybernetics; Computer Science, Software Engineering

    Abstract

    Cybersickness is a pervasive and deleterious effect of human-virtual environment interaction. This paper applies motion-sickness adaptation theory to cybersickness in virtual environments to determine if the degree of user-initiated control can suppress sickness. It is suggested that if users are allowed some level of control over their movement within a virtual environment, cybersickness will not be as severe as that resulting from an environment in which users must follow a predetermined (i. e., scripted) path of movement. While past motion-sickness studies have examined control versus no control, the present study focuses on modifying the level of user-initiated control such that it matches the needs of the task characteristics while minimizing sickness. The degree of user sickness was tested under passive, active, and active-passive control scenarios. As measured by the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire, the active (i. e., complete control) condition reduced the severity of the symptoms experienced as compared to the passive (i. e., no control) condition, but did not do so as completely as the active-passive (i. e., coupled control) condition. The implication is that the level of user-initiated control can be manipulated to modify the deleterious effects of human-virtual environment interaction.

    Journal Title

    Presence-Teleoperators and Virtual Environments

    Volume

    7

    Issue/Number

    5

    Publication Date

    1-1-1998

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    447

    Last Page

    459

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000076779000002

    ISSN

    1054-7460

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