Study finds AI can predict cybersickness in VR users.

According to a new study with Charles Darwin University (CDU), artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to help combat nausea, headaches, and dizziness among virtual reality (VR) users and make the technology more approachable.

Researchers at CDU and Torrens University investigated the use of AI methods and machine learning algorithms to forecast cybersickness for potential VR headset users. Fawad Zaidi, Emeritus Professor Justin Beilby, and Associate Professor Niusha Shafiabady conducted the research.

The questionnaire results were divided into two groups: those who would experience symptoms of cybersickness shortly after using VR equipment and those who wouldn't.

The study's co-author and associate professor of science and technology at CDU, Niusha Shafiabady, processed the data using Ai-Labz. According to the findings, AI could predict user discomfort in VR with 93% accuracy.

With the increasing use and demand for VR technology, Associate Professor Shafiabady argued that it was essential to accurately predict and prevent cybersickness.

"Most people experience discomfort following a VR experience, and being able to anticipate a particular user's occurrence of cybersickness enables VR manufacturers and developers to develop solutions and take preventative measures to improve the VR user experience and address the issues causing it," she said.

The demand for remote access and virtual education has increased significantly in the modern era of technology, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the extreme discomfort of the VR experience, one factor that prevents users from using VR devices is cybersickness.

According to Associate Professor Shafiabady, the next step could be to use eXplainable AI algorithms to investigate why the AI algorithms made their predictions, giving creators and manufacturers a justification for why users will feel uncomfortable.

As she put it, "We are moving towards a time when we use VR devices for essential activities like remotely servicing manufacturers and teaching, as well as less essential but more enjoyable activities like looking at space through a VR lens."

"In this technological age, VR users should be able to enjoy its advantages without suffering,"

The research was published in the journal Virtual Reality under the title "Identifying presence of cybersickness symptoms using AI-based predictive learning algorithms."

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