Gender Differences in Simulator Sickness in Fixed- versus Rotating-Base Driving Simulator

Abstract

This experiment compared simulator sickness between males and females as a function of fixed-base versus rotating base platforms. Eight males and eight females drove through two routes in a driving simulator. One route was presented in fixed-base mode and another was presented in motion-base with a .5 to 1 ratio of motion (physical world to virtual world). Routes and fixed versus motion mode were presented in counter- balanced order. Measures of simulator sickness on the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (Kennedy et al., 1993) were obtained after each route. As predicted, males reported lower levels of simulator sickness than females. A nonsignificant trend for this gender effect to be diminished in the rotating versus stationary condition was observed. Results warrant additional investigation into the potential for motion-based platforms to reduce the incidence and severity of simulator sickness in populations at greater risk of experiencing these negative consequences (i.e., females and older adults).