Vestibular Response Tracker and Visual Compensator

Extended exposure to environments associated with motion sickness causes general lethargy and malaise, coupled with a decreased capacity for teamwork and resulting in the degradation of performance. In order to address the problem of motion sickness specifically associated with the use of Helmet Mounted Displays; (HMDs) Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop an Automatic Vestibular Compensator (AVC) device that can be installed in existing head mounted displays. POC proposes a system for eliminating the effects of motion sickness in users of HMDs. The AVC employs a cluster of microsensors capable of sensing acceleration and rotation, mounted onto an existing HMD as a synthetic vestibular system. The output of this system generates visual cues within the HMD display (such as artificial horizon). Unlike other designs, the proposed system conditions its acceleration and rotation to correspond to the response of the natural vestibular system. In Phase I, initial simulator testing of HMDs incorporating visual cues will be performed based on the programmed path of the simulator in conjunction with head tracking data. In these trials, various accelerometers and piezo-gyros will be mounted on the user's head and evaluated. The resulting information will guide the design of the Phase II system.