Profiling of cybersickness and balance disturbance induced by virtual ship motion immersion combined with galvanic vestibular stimulation

Abstract Profile of cybersickness and balance disturbance induced by virtual ship motion alone and in combination with galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) remained unclear. Subjects were exposed to a ship deck vision scene under simulated Degree 5 or 3 sea condition using a head-mounted virtual reality display with or without GVS. Virtual ship motion at Degree 5 induced significant cybersickness with symptom profile: nausea syndrome > central (headache and dizziness) > peripheral (cold sweating) > increased salivation. During a single session of virtual ship motion exposure, GVS aggravated balance disturbance but did not affect most cybersickness symptoms except cold sweating. Repeated exposure induced cybersickness habituation which was delayed by GVS, while the temporal change of balance disturbance was unaffected. These results suggested that vestibular inputs play different roles in cybersickness and balance disturbance during virtual reality exposure. GVS might not serve as a potential countermeasure against cybersickness induced by virtual ship motion.