Abstract
Cyber Sickness (CS) is considered a major challenge in the use of virtual reality (VR). This impacts the planned implementation of VR in the training of operational forces. The present work aimed to investigate the prevalence and onset of CS during virtually supported military training using head-mounted displays (HMDs) and explored related predictor variables. For his purpose, a quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in which German soldiers (N = 100) were exposed to an immersive fifteen-minute VR scenario. We measured CS severity, age, heart rate (HR), and skin conductance (SC). Using newly developed categories to classify CS severity, the results showed a small prevalence (4%) of CS in the studied sample. Susceptibility to CS was the only predictor of the occurrence of CS symptoms. Accordingly, the present work provides evidence that CS may play a minor role in affecting virtually supported operational training. At the same time, the easily detectable susceptibility to CS promises rapid detection of vulnerable users. Implications and further research are discussed to detect, control, and mitigate CS.
