Spatial Orientation, Adaptation, and Motion Sickness in Real and Virtual Environments
forum Spotlight On: Simulator Sickness Spatial Orientation, Adaptation, and Motion Sickness in Real and Virtual Environments Reason and Brand (1975) traced the first written report diopulmonary function, phasic skin conductance, and of sea sickness to Hippocrates, 2400 years ago. They also peripheral blood flow) has proven helpful for under- noted that motion sickness occurs in many situations standing the physiology of motion sickness under labo- involving either passive body motion or active interac- ratory conditions but is insensitive, nonspecific, unreli- tion with the world via indirect sensorimotor interfaces able, and/or restrictive under operational conditions (e.g., prism spectacles). The best advice for avoiding (Cowings, Suter, Toscano, Kamiya, 8c Naifeh, 1986; motion sickness in such situations (without medication) Golding, 1992; Graybiel 8c Lackner, 1980; Lawson 8c is to refrain from moving your head, to keep your eyes Lackner, 1992; Stern, Koch, Leibowitz, Linblad, Shu- closed, and to move as economically as possible. This pert, 8c Stewart, 1985; Sunahara, Johnson, 8c Taylor, must sound hopelessly restrictive to anyone contemplat- 1964). In flight simulators (Kennedy, Lilienthal, Ber- ing virtual environment ( VE) systems in which users baum, Baltzley, 8c McCauley, 1989) and in our psycho- may play an active part, computers and specialized dis- physical experiments that involve real or apparent body plays are the user's interface to the world, and the experi- motion (e.g., Lackner 8c Texiera, 1977), it is uncom- enced world may purposely not correspond to the actual mon to observe severe symptoms—extreme nausea or world. As might be expected motion sickness is being vomiting, the skin appearing white as a sheet, and the reported in VEs that involve apparent self-motion clothes being soaked with perspiration.
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