Prediction and quantification of individual differences in susceptibility to simulator sickness in fixed-base simulators

Simulator sickness in a fixed-base simulator is a form of visually-induced motion sickness. Visual-vestibular interaction on spatial orientation and postural control predicts that vection information in the visual stimuli triggers compensatory head sways to stabilize body orientation to perceived visual motion. Simulator sickness might result from perceptual conflicts caused by the visual-vestibular interaction in unusual environments (i.e., fixed-base simulators). Relationship between simulator sickness, vection, and compensatory head sways to perceived vection might help to quantify and predict presence and magnitude of simulator sickness in simulated environments. It was hypothesized that there was significant and positive relationship between sickness, vection, and compensatory head sways. Existence of individual differences was also possible, depending on individual sensitivity to vection. It was also hypothesized that females would experience more intense vection than males because females have wider periphery and shorter vection latencies.; Correlations and the multiple linear regression analyses were performed to test the linear relationship between simulator sickness, vection, head sway, gender, and age. There was significant linear relationship between variables. It was concluded that vection and Y-velocity are significant predictors by itself and in interaction forms. Interaction between gender and vection, Y-velocity, and age in the regression function implied that gender difference is significant and gender is also a significant predictor of simulator sickness. Therefore, it was also concluded that there was significant gender difference in susceptibility to simulator sickness between males and females. General linear model also indicates that mean difference in magnitudes of vection, and Y-velocity and difference in gender and age have effects on the magnitude of simulator sickness.; Time-course of vection implies that magnitude of vection increases as exposure duration increases. It seemed that females had stronger vection than did males in the beginning, which may imply females might have had shorter vection latencies. But no significant difference of vection intensity between males and females was found throughout. Recommendations were made for future research to study other physical factors that could contribute to individual differences in susceptibility to vection and simulator sickness.