%0 Journal Article
%T Control of a virtual ambulation influences body movement and motion sickness
%A Chen Yi-Chou
%A Dong Xiao
%A Hagstrom Jens
%A Stoffregen Thomas A.
%J BIO Web of Conferences
%D 2011
%I 
%R 10.1051/bioconf/20110100016
%X Drivers typically are less susceptible to motion sickness than passengers. The influence of vehicle control has theoretical implications for the etiology of motion sickness, and has practical implications for the design of virtual environments. In the present study, participants either controlled or did not control a nonvehicular virtual avatar (i.e., an ambulatory character in a console video game). We examined the incidence of motion sickness and patterns of movement of the head and torso as participants either played or watched the game. Motion sickness incidence was lower when controlling the virutal avatar than when watching an avatar that was controlled by someone else. Patterns of head and torso movement differed between particpants who did and did not control the avatar. Indepenently, patterns of movement differed between participants who reported motion sickness and those who did not. The results suggest that motion sickness is influenced by control of stimulus motion, whether that motion arises from a vehicle or from any other source. We consider implications for the design of humancomputer interfaces.
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/20110100016