Navy pilots rely heavily on simulator technologies to train and develop critical skills. It is important to evaluate the impact of new training technologies as they emerge. While virtual reality (VR) is a promising tool for immersive training, VR sickness is common, leading to a range of disorientation, oculomotor, and nausea symptoms (Kennedy et al., 1993). The goal of this paper is to assess the feasibility of deriving physiological signatures of VR sickness. Identification of physiological signatures specific to VR exposure provides the foundation for both future predictive models of VR sickness and potential augmentation strategies to prevent or ameliorate the symptoms of VR sickness, increasing the utility of VR as an immersive training tool. While prior research has demonstrated physiological changes during VR exposure (Martin et al., 2020), we will also consider the impacts of workload variations and individual differences. To do so, a study is underway using a setup modeled after the U.S. Navy's VR flight training environment in which participants perform various flight maneuvers that may induce VR sickness (e.g., barrel rolls and 180° turns). This study investigates whether VR training induces detectable changes in human physiology, and if so, what relationships exist between physiological measures and the previously validated Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire (VRSQ). Further, the Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire (MSSQ) is employed to assess individual differences in susceptibility as a potential moderator of VR sickness and the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) is administered to control for any changes in workload across trials that may also induce physiological changes. This methodology allows us to better understand what degree of physiological change is unique to VR sickness. We hypothesize that heart rate, respiration, and blink rate will show strong associations with VR sickness. Data collection efforts are ongoing but will conclude prior to paper submission.
Keywords
AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY (AR/VR),FLIGHT TRAINING,PHYSIOLOGICAL
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