Validation of a Moving Base Driving Simulator for Motion Sickness Research

Abstract

Higher levels of automation in driving may allow drivers to engage in other activities, but may also increase the likelihood of Motion Sickness (MS). The exact causes of MS are not well understood, and various susceptibility factors(e.g. age, gender, ethnicity) can cause large individual differences. To better understand and predict MS, it is ideally studied in a safe and controlled environment, such as a driving simulator. However, the validity of driving simulator studies on MS as a proxy for on-road studies with real vehicles has not been properly evaluated. We conducted an experiment where the temporal aspects and symptom profiles of MS in a real-road driving scenario are compared to Simulator Sickness (SS) in a reproduction of this scenario in a motion-base driving simulator. A cohort of 25 participants was exposed to both the car and the simulator conditions. The scenarios consisted of sections of provocative(slaloming, stop-and-go) and normal driving. Sickening stimuli of the simulator were similar to the car accelerations in design (r = 0.51) but different in outcome (r = 0.27) as a result of motion cueing. MIsery Scale (MISC) scores on a 30 s interval, post-experiment Motion Sickness Assessment Questionnaire (MSAQ) scores, Galvanic Skin Response(GSR) and Electrogastrography (EGG) data were collected. Results showed significant correlations between the car and simulator conditions for 3 out of 4 MSAQ symptom categories (0.48 < r < 0.73, p < 0.02) and a relation (r = 0.57,p = 0.004) for individual sensitivity to sickness. Sickness onset times did not differ between the car and the simulator[F(1,308) = 4.80, p = 0.029], after Bonferroni corrections had been applied. Both MS and SS increased and decreased as a result of the driving style, with the effect being larger in the car condition, than in the simulator (for MISC [F(1,248)= 19.15, p = 0.000] and for GSR [F(1,230) = 5.55, p = 0.019]). Results from all four measures indicate that the severity of sickness was higher in the car as compared to in the simulator. EEG responses did not fully show expected outcomes. However, the signal quality was limited and dedicated EGG equipment may yield different results. Because individual sensitivity and temporal aspects of SS and MS were similar between the car and simulator but different in magnitude, we conclude relative validity for the simulator. As the human vestibular system, a prominent contributor in causing sickness, is solely sensitive to accelerations, we attribute the difference in magnitude due to downscaling of the vehicle motion in the simulator. In order to obtain absolute validity, either extensive training or considerable technological advances may be necessary.