A Semiautomatic Navigation Interface to Reduce Visually Induced Motion Sickness in Virtual Reality

Abstract

Navigation in a real environment is a common task that human beings conduct easily and subconsciously. However transposing this task in virtual environments (VEs) remains challenging due to input devices and techniques which may induce cybersickness and frustration among users. Considering the well-described sensory conflict theory, we present a semiautomatic navigation method based on path planning algorithms, aiming at reducing the generation of conflicted signals that may confuse the central nervous system (CNS). We carried out experiments where participants were asked to navigate in a VE equipped with an HTC Vive headset. Compared to joystick-based navigation which induces unsmoother and jerkier movements in VEs, objective and subjective evaluations indicated that semiautomatic navigation was more effective and accurate and enabled more concentration and immersion, leading to a significant reduction of visually-induced cybersickness.