A simulation sickness study on a driving simulator equipped with a vibration platform

Abstract

Simulator sickness is a well-known side effect of driving simulation which may reduce the passenger well-being and performance due to its various symptoms, from pallor to vomiting. Numerous reducing countermeasures have been previously tested; however, they often have undesirable side effects. The present study investigated the possible effect of seat vibrations on simulator sickness. Three configurations were tested: no vibrations, realistic ones and some that might affect the proprioception. Twenty-nine participants were exposed to the three configurations on a four-minute long automated driving in a simulator equipped with a vibration platform. Simulator sickness was estimated thanks to the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) and to a postural instability measure. Results showed that vibrations help to reduce the sickness. Our findings demonstrate that some specific vibration configurations may have a positive impact on the sickness, thus confirming the usefulness of devices reproducing the road vibrations in addition to creating more immersion for the driver.

Evaluating the effect of multi-sensory stimulations on simulator sickness and sense of presence during HMD-mediated VR experience

“…In their experiment (simulated bicycle ride), the addition of vibration to the seat did not reduce the symptoms of SS. However, their results were challenged by recent published studies (Lucas et al 2020;Sawada et al 2020), which found instead that adding vibration to a driving simulator can reduce the level of SS in the users. The methods used by Sawada et al (2020) andD'amour et al (2019) for delivering the vibration were similar to the one used in our study (vibration device under the chair), while Lucas et al (2020) used a vibrating platform.…”

“…The type of vibratory stimulation used in Weech et al (2018) might represent a more intense type of stimulation and have a greater effect than using a vibration chair. On the other hand, both the recent studies of Sawada et al (2020) and Lucas et al (2020) found that vibration reduced SS when a vibration chair or platform was used.…”

Car drivers coping with hazardous events in real versus simulated situations: Declarative, behavioral and physiological data used to assess drivers’ feeling of presence

“…Although previous authors have reported that simulator sickness has deleterious effects on drivers’ performances [ 44 ], this was not the case in the present study. This may have been due to the presence of factors minimizing simulator sickness, such as a full car cabin and the motion of the car [ 27 , 28 ].…”

“…On the one hand, simulator sickness is another aspect which has been widely studied in the field of virtual reality. Although this problem can be minimized by adapting factors such as the type of cabin [ 27 ] or the dynamics of the simulations [ 28 ], it is still an almost ubiquitous problem in the field of simulation, which can be increased by the occurrence of stress [ 29 ] or a strong feeling of presence [ 30 ]. The possibility of measuring this process should help to understand its influence and its interactions with all the parameters of interest, since it can influence drivers’ performances [ 31 ] and their physiological state in terms of parameters such as the heart rate [ 32 ].…”

Driving Simulation & Virtual Reality: Introduction to the Special issue of TRF

“…Despite more than 40 years of research, it remains a core research topic. Lucas et al compared three vibration patterns (no vibration, realistic vibrations and vibrations affecting proprioception (between 60 Hz and 100 Hz)) and studied their influence on the level of simulator sickness (Lucas, Colombet, Paillot, & Kemeny, 2019). Results showed that realistic road vibrations lowered sickness levels compared to no vibration and vibrations affecting proprioception.…”