Exploration of Physiological Signals Using Different Locomotion Techniques in a VR Adventure Game

摘要

In the past few years, Virtual reality gained popularity thanks to advancing technology. Although the consumer head-mounted displays provide affordable access to immersive virtual environments, one of the disadvantages is the induced discomfort during or after exposure, called simulation sickness. Simulation sickness is a condition of physiological discomfort felt during or after exposure to any virtual environment. One of the possible factors inducing simulation sickness could be locomotion, the travel of the user through the virtual space from one point to another. The study presented in this paper aims to expand the knowledge on how the human body responds to different locomotion techniques in a virtual reality environment. A within-subjects design (n = 9) was conducted to explore simulation sickness outbreak, sense of presence and physiological responses induced by free teleportation and indirect locomotion in a virtual reality adventure game. The results showed that participants experienced significantly less simulation sickness while using the free teleportation during the game when compared to indirect locomotion. These findings indicate that simulation sickness symptoms can be reduced using free teleportation in a virtual reality adventure game.