Real-Time Sensory Synchronization in VR Flight Simulators to Mitigate Simulator sickness

As virtual reality technology advances, understanding its effects on simulator sickness is crucial. This research investigates effects of sensory conflicts on simulator sickness in simulated flight. A custom motion platform was used to create different proportions of visual and vestibular stimuli, and five participants experienced two separate simulated mission environments. The impact of simulator sickness was assessed using the simulator sickness questionnaire, which measured the severity of symptoms such nausea, confusion, and eye strain. The results show that aligned visual-vestibular stimuli reduce cybersickness severity, with disorientation being the primary contributor to the sequence of symptoms was simulator sickness, eye discomfort, and nausea. This research has implications for improving pilot and unmanned aerial vehicle operator training through virtual reality-based flight simulation.