Motion sickness variants

It is helpful to know terms that are closely related to VR sickness because they are associated with similar activities, sets of symptoms, and potential causes. This helps in searching for related research. The broadest area of relevance is motion sickness, with refers to symptoms that are associated with exposure to real and/or apparent motion. It generally involves the vestibular organs (Section 8.2), which implies that they involve sensory input or conflict regarding accelerations; in fact, people without functioning vestibular organs do not experience motion sickness [147]. Motion sickness due to real motion occurs because of unusual forces that are experienced. This could happen from spinning oneself around in circles, resulting in dizziness and nausea. Similarly, the symptoms occur from being transported by a vehicle that can produce forces that are extreme or uncommon. The self-spinning episode could be replaced by a hand-powered merry-go-round. More extreme experiences and side effects can be generated by a variety of motorized amusement park rides.

Unfortunately, motion sickness extends well beyond entertainment, as many people suffer from motion sickness while riding in vehicles designed for transportation. People experience car sickness, sea sickness, and air sickness, from cars, boats, and airplanes, respectively. It is estimated that only about 10% of people have never experienced significant nausea during transportation [173]. Militaries have performed the largest motion sickness studies because of soldiers spending long tours of duty on sea vessels and flying high-speed combat aircraft. About 70% of naval personnel experience seasickness, and about 80% of those have decreased work efficiency or motivation [253]. Finally, another example of unusual forces is space travel, in which astronauts who experience microgravity complain of nausea and other symptoms; this is called space sickness.