VR sickness analysis of long-term exposure to immersive Virtual Reality environments
Resumo
Virtual Reality (VR) has advanced significantly in recent years, enabling highly immersive experiences across many domains. However, prolonged exposure to immersive VR environments can lead to VR sickness, which remains a barrier to widespread adoption. This exploratory study investigates how VR sickness symptoms evolve during long-duration immersive sessions using two different measures: the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) and the Fast Motion Sickness Scale (FMS). Seven participants were exposed to VR for up to three hours while their symptoms were periodically assessed. Visual patterns suggest three participant profiles (relentless, resilient, and withdrawers), while a Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) clustering reveals two distinct symptom progression patterns (susceptible and resistant). Furthermore, strong correlations were found between FMS and SSQ scores, and the SSQ disorientation subscale is a reasonable estimate of overall sickness for long-term sessions. These findings contribute to understanding the variability in VR sickness, highlighting the potential use of shorter assessment tools and clustering techniques to support research and design of immersive VR systems.
Palavras-chave:
VR sickness, symptoms, long-term use, prolonged exposure, SSQ, FMS
Referências
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K. Tcha-Tokey, E. Loup-Escande, O. Christmann, G. Canac, F. Farin, and S. Richir, “Towards a user experience model in immersive virtual environments,” Advances in Human-Computer Interaction, vol. 2018, pp. 1–10, 2018.
L. Marques, M. P. Barcellos, B. Gadelha, and T. Conte, “Characterizing ux assessment in the context of immersive experiences: A systematic mapping study,” International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, vol. 0, no. 0, pp. 1–17, 2024.
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S. Davis, K. Nesbitt, and E. Nalivaiko, “A systematic review of cybersickness,” in Proceedings of the Conference on Interactive Entertainment. Association for Computing Machinery, 2014, pp. 1–9.
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F. Steinicke and G. Bruder, “A self-experimentation report about long-term use of fully-immersive technology,” in Proceedings of the 2nd ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction, ACM, 2014, p. 66–69.
X. Li, D.-B. Luh, R.-H. Xu, and Y. An, “Considering the consequences of cybersickness in immersive virtual reality rehabilitation: A systematic review and meta-analysis,” Applied Sciences, vol. 13, no. 8, p. 5159, 2023.
S. Palmisano and R. Constable, “Reductions in sickness with repeated exposure to HMD-based virtual reality appear to be game-specific,” Virtual Reality, vol. 26, pp. 1373–1389, 2022.
C. C. Prodanov and E. C. de Freitas, Metodologia do Trabalho Cientifico: Metodos e Tecnicas da Pesquisa e do Trabalho Academico - 2a Edicao. Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil: Editora Feevale, 2013.
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P. J. Rousseeuw, “Silhouettes: A graphical aid to the interpretation and validation of cluster analysis,” Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, vol. 20, pp. 53–65, 1987.
C. R. Reynolds, R. A. Altmann, and D. N. Allen, Mastering Modern Psychological Testing: theory and methods, 2nd ed. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2021.
H. K. Kim, J. Park, Y. Choi, and M. Choe, “Virtual reality sickness questionnaire (VRSQ): Motion sickness measurement index in a virtual reality environment,” Applied Ergonomics, vol. 69, pp. 66–73, 2018.
Y. M. Kim, I. Rhiu, and M. H. Yun, “A systematic review of a virtual reality system from the perspective of user experience,” International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, vol. 36, no. 10, pp. 893–910, 2020.
ISO, “9241-210:2019 - ergonomics of human-system interaction - part 210: Human-centred design for interactive systems,” ISO, Geneva, Switzerland, Standard, 2019.
C. Wienrich, N. Dollinger, S. Kock, K. Schindler, and O. Traupe, “Assessing user experience in virtual reality – a comparison of different measurements,” in Design, User Experience, and Usability: Theory and Practice. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018, pp. 573–589.
K. Tcha-Tokey, E. Loup-Escande, O. Christmann, G. Canac, F. Farin, and S. Richir, “Towards a user experience model in immersive virtual environments,” Advances in Human-Computer Interaction, vol. 2018, pp. 1–10, 2018.
L. Marques, M. P. Barcellos, B. Gadelha, and T. Conte, “Characterizing ux assessment in the context of immersive experiences: A systematic mapping study,” International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, vol. 0, no. 0, pp. 1–17, 2024.
J. F. P. Cheiran, D. R. Bandeira, and M. S. Pimenta, “Measuring the key components of the user experience in immersive virtual reality environments,” Frontiers in Virtual Reality, vol. 6, 2025.
S. Davis, K. Nesbitt, and E. Nalivaiko, “A systematic review of cybersickness,” in Proceedings of the Conference on Interactive Entertainment. Association for Computing Machinery, 2014, pp. 1–9.
M. Gallagher and E. R. Ferre, “Cybersickness: a multisensory integration perspective,” Multisensory Research, vol. 37, pp. 645–674, 2018.
E. Chang, H. T. Kim, and B. Yoo, “Virtual reality sickness: A review of causes and measurements,” International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, vol. 36, pp. 1658–1682, 2020.
K. M. Stanney, C. Fidopiastis, and L. Foster, “Identifying causes of and solutions for cybersickness in immersive technology: Reformulation of a research and development agenda,” International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, vol. 36, no. 19, pp. 1783–1803, 2020.
T. Porcino, D. Trevisan, and E. Clua, “A cybersickness review: causes, strategies, and classification,” Journal on Interactive Systems, vol. 12, pp. 269–282, 2021.
N. Biswas, A. Mukherjee, and S. Bhattacharya, “Are you feeling sick? – a systematic literature review of cybersickness in virtual reality,” ACM Computing Surveys, vol. 56, no. 11, 2024.
A. Somrak, M. Pogacnik, and J. Guna, “Suitability and comparison of questionnaires assessing virtual reality-induced symptoms and effects and user experience in virtual environments,” Sensors (Switzerland), vol. 21, pp. 1–24, 2021.
A. D. Souchet, D. Lourdeaux, A. Pagani, and L. Rebenitsch, “A narrative review of immersive virtual reality’s ergonomics and risks at the workplace: cybersickness, visual fatigue, muscular fatigue, acute stress, and mental overload,” Virtual Reality, vol. 27, no. 1, p. 19–50, 2022.
M. Melo, J. Vasconcelos-Raposo, and M. Bessa, “Presence and cybersickness in immersive content: Effects of content type, exposure time and gender,” Computers & Graphics, vol. 71, pp. 159–165, 2018.
N. Duzmanska, P. Strojny, and A. Strojny, “Can simulator sickness be avoided? a review on temporal aspects of simulator sickness,” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 9, 2018.
W. R. G. McGhee, C. J. Doherty, L. Graham-Wisener, R. Fallis, C. Stone, A. Axiaq, and M. Dempster, “Immersive virtual reality and psychological well-being in adult chronic physical illness: systematic review,” BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 14–24, 2024.
AERA, APA, and NCME, Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Washington, DC, USA: American Educational Research Association, 2014.
R. S. Kennedy, N. E. Lane, K. S. Berbaum, and M. G. Lilienthal, “Simulator sickness questionnaire: An enhanced method for quantifying simulator sickness,” The International Journal of Aviation Psychology, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 203–220, 1993.
B. Keshavarz and H. Hecht, “Validating an efficient method to quantify motion sickness,” Human Factors, vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 415–426, 2011.
T. A. Doty, J. W. Kelly, S. B. Gilbert, and M. C. Dorneich, “Cybersickness abatement from repeated exposure to VR with reduced discomfort,” IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, pp. 1–12, 2024.
M. R. de Carvalho, R. T. da Costa, and A. E. Nardi, “Simulator Sickness Questionnaire: traducao e adaptacao transcultural,” Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria, vol. 60, no. 4, pp. 0–5, 2011.
F. Steinicke and G. Bruder, “A self-experimentation report about long-term use of fully-immersive technology,” in Proceedings of the 2nd ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction, ACM, 2014, p. 66–69.
X. Li, D.-B. Luh, R.-H. Xu, and Y. An, “Considering the consequences of cybersickness in immersive virtual reality rehabilitation: A systematic review and meta-analysis,” Applied Sciences, vol. 13, no. 8, p. 5159, 2023.
S. Palmisano and R. Constable, “Reductions in sickness with repeated exposure to HMD-based virtual reality appear to be game-specific,” Virtual Reality, vol. 26, pp. 1373–1389, 2022.
C. C. Prodanov and E. C. de Freitas, Metodologia do Trabalho Cientifico: Metodos e Tecnicas da Pesquisa e do Trabalho Academico - 2a Edicao. Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil: Editora Feevale, 2013.
A. Sarda-Espinosa, “Time-series clustering in R using the dtwclust package,” The R Journal, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 22–43, 2019.
P. J. Rousseeuw, “Silhouettes: A graphical aid to the interpretation and validation of cluster analysis,” Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, vol. 20, pp. 53–65, 1987.
C. R. Reynolds, R. A. Altmann, and D. N. Allen, Mastering Modern Psychological Testing: theory and methods, 2nd ed. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2021.
H. K. Kim, J. Park, Y. Choi, and M. Choe, “Virtual reality sickness questionnaire (VRSQ): Motion sickness measurement index in a virtual reality environment,” Applied Ergonomics, vol. 69, pp. 66–73, 2018.
Publicado
30/09/2025
Como Citar
PAULON, Matheus Montanha; CHEIRAN, Jean Felipe Patikowski; ARAÚJO, Pedro Guilherme Da Silva; AMORIM, Gabriel Souza Rodrigues De.
VR sickness analysis of long-term exposure to immersive Virtual Reality environments. In: SIMPÓSIO DE REALIDADE VIRTUAL E AUMENTADA (SVR), 27. , 2025, Salvador/BA.
Anais [...].
Porto Alegre: Sociedade Brasileira de Computação,
2025
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p. 617-626.
