Occurrence of Simulator Sickness in Spatial Sound Spaces and 3D Auditory Displays

This paper describes an investigation into the effect of movement patterns in a spatial sound space on the perceived amount of simulator sickness, the pleasantness of the experience, and the perceived workload. Our user study indicates that predictable left to right movements lead to a perceived unpleasantness that is significantly higher than the unpleasantness experienced for unpredictable or no movements at all. Approx. 48 percent of all participants showed mild to moderate symptoms of simulator sickness, with a trend towards stronger symptoms for the left to right movements. Our data suggest that neither of the movement patterns has an effect on the perceived cognitive load for simple tasks.