Detecting and predicting visually induced motion sickness with physiological measures in combination with machine learning techniques

Abstract

Visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) is a common sensation when using visual displays such as smartphones or Virtual Reality. In the present study, we investigated whether Machine Learning (ML) techniques in combination with physiological measures (ECG, EDA, EGG, respiration, body and skin temperature, and body movements) could be used to detect and predict the severity of VIMS in real-time, minute-by-minute. A total of 43 healthy younger adults (25 female) were exposed to a 15-minute VIMS-inducing video. VIMS severity was subjectively measured during the video using the Fast Motion Sickness Scale (FMS) as well as before and after the video using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ). Thirty-one participants (72%) experienced VIMS in the present study. Results showed that changes in facial skin temperature and body movement had the strongest relationship with VIMS. On a minute-by-minute basis, ML models revealed a medium correlation between the physiological measures and the FMS scores. An acceptable classification score distinguishing between sick and non-sick participants was found. Our findings suggest that physiological measures may be useful for measuring VIMS, but they are not a reliable standalone method to detect or predict VIMS severity in real-time.

Keywords: ECG; Posture; Psychophysiology; Random Forest; Simulator sickness; Temperature.