Detects EEG Signatures of Sensory Conflict and Applies Brief, Intermittent Visual Perturbations To Reduce Cybersickness
This brain-informed VR display control system uses high-density electroencephalography (EEG) to detect and mitigate cybersickness during immersive experiences. Immersive virtual reality (VR) systems deliver three-dimensional, motion-tracked experiences that can enhance education, occupational training, entertainment, medicine, and elder care. However, VR can trigger symptoms due to visual–vestibular discrepancies, leading to nausea, eyestrain, fatigue, and reduced attention, which limit its adoption across education, training, entertainment, and healthcare. Existing countermeasures (for example, drugs, noninvasive brain stimulation, harnesses, and field of view or image manipulations) have mixed results and can compromise immersion. For its widespread adoption of immersive virtual reality technology, it is necessary to identify how to reduce the impact of cybersickness on users.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a mobile brain imaging and display control solution that detects EEG signatures of sensory conflict and applies brief, intermittent visual perturbations to improve visuo-vestibular synchronization and reduce cybersickness. Using electroencephalography (EEG), the platform uses altered neural synchronization patterns during immersive virtual reality, particularly in brain regions involved in error monitoring and multisensory integration, to improve synchronization between visual and vestibular brain areas to reduce cybersickness symptoms.
Application
Integrates with VR headsets to monitor neural activity and dynamically apply short, intermittent display perturbations that help reduce cybersickness during immersive use in training, education, entertainment, and clinical VR environments
Advantages
- Tracks brain activity during immersive virtual reality use, enabling the development of cybersickness mitigation strategies
- Applies brief, intermittent visual perturbations, mitigating the severity of cybersickness without prolonged display changes
- Improves synchronization between visual and vestibular brain areas, reducing the onset and severity of cybersickness
- Adjustable timing and magnitude enable user-specific tuning based on physiological signals
Technology
The brain imaging platform provides a system for tracking brain activity and mitigating cybersickness during immersive virtual reality experiences. This technology provides an integrated system linking a VR device with an EEG based mobile brain imaging and motion sensing module. The analysis apparatus detects neural patterns associated with visual–vestibular conflict and generates a cybersickness “insight” that drives the headset to apply short, intermittent perturbations to the display. Perturbations can include transient rotation of the visual scene, changes in light intensity or color scheme, brief occlusion of vision, application of infrared light, or related display modifications. Parameters such as timing and magnitude are adjustable per user to promote neural synchronization, reduce visual overweighting, and mitigate cybersickness while preserving immersion.
Brochure
