A Survey on Simulation Sickness in Driving Applications with Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays

Abstract This article discusses factors related to simulation sickness in virtual reality driving simulations with head-mounted displays. Simulation sickness is a well-known phenomenon that has physiological effects on users, such as disorientation, headache, and nausea. There are three major theories why simulation sickness arises. Previous research on this phenomenon has mostly concentrated on driving or flying simulators with standard computer displays. It is, therefore, possible to conclude that any simulated environment could have such an effect, and virtual reality should not be considered an exception to such problems. While virtual reality has had and will continue to have a positive impact on the development and testing of new automotive interior concepts, simulation sickness is a significant drawback. Despite the advances in technology, discomfort from using head-mounted displays has yet to be resolved. A review of these displays in the context of virtual reality driving applications over the recent years will be presented. Moreover, characterization and comparison of approaches to mitigate simulation sickness will be given in the text. Concluding suggestions for future work on the correlation between simulation sickness and a virtual driving environment will be provided.