Cybersickness: Perception of Self-Motion in Virtual Environments

1992/01/01 by Michael E. McCauley, Thomas J. Sharkey · 7 citations
Computer Science · Psychology · #Human-Automation Interaction and Safety #Safety Warnings and Signage #Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts

paper · doi:10.1162/pres.1992.1.3.311

openalex publication_date 1992/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

Human perceptual systems have evolved to provide accurate information about orientation and movement through the environment. However, these systems have been challenged in the past century by modern transportation devices and will be further challenged by virtual environments (VEs) and teleoperator systems. Illusory self-motion within a VE (“cyberspace”) will be entertaining and instructive, but for many users it will result in motion sickness (“cybersickness”). Sensory conflict theory and the poison hypothesis provide an unproven theoretical foundation for understanding the phenomenon. Although no single engineering solution is likely, the problem can be contained by a combination of engineering design, equipment calibration, and exposure management.

Cited by

• Duration and Exposure to Virtual Environments: Sickness Curves During and Across Sessions
• Human Factors Issues in Virtual Environments: A Review of the Literature
• Preregistered test of whether a virtual nose reduces cybersickness
• Experiential learning through virtual reality by-proxy
• Consumption of a diet high in fat and sugar is associated with worse spatial navigation ability in a virtual environment
• Virtual Reality Sickness: A Review of Causes and Measurements
• Effect of Virtual Intervention Technology in Virtual Vocational Training for People with Intellectual Disabilities: Connecting Instructor in the Real World and Trainee in the Virtual World

Related

• Reducing cybersickness in 360-degree virtual reality
• Effects of cybersickness mitigation methods on behavior: a comparative study based on the skill–rule–knowledge model
• Beyond Subjectivity: Continuous Cybersickness Detection Using EEG-based Multitaper Spectrum Estimation
• Vestibulomotor Coupling and Gain Associated with Cybersickness in Virtual Reality
• A guideline proposal for minimizing cybersickness in VR-based serious games and applications