Testing Cybersickness in Passive and Active VR Locomotion

This study examines the relationship between locomotion mode and cybersickness in virtual reality, comparing passive and active movement. It addresses discomfort associated with discrepancies between visual motion and bodily motion cues. I conducted the study using the open source VR sickness benchmark developed by the iSpace Research Lab at Simon Fraser University under the direction of Bernhard Riecke.

Methodology

The benchmark measures body sway before and after exposure, with participants' eyes open and closed, and records continuous discomfort ratings through a controller during the virtual experience. Available mitigation strategies include static and dynamic field of view reduction, dynamic blur, and a virtual nose. Movement stops automatically when discomfort exceeds a defined safety threshold. I used this framework to compare sickness responses across passive and active locomotion and examine the conditions under which mitigation strategies were helpful.

Project Outcomes

Conducted within the iSpace Lab's research program, my contribution comprised running the comparative study and documenting the data collection configuration. I maintain a GitHub fork of the benchmark to make the study setup available for inspection and reproduction.