Cinerama sickness and postural instability

Abstract

Motion sickness symptoms and increased postural instability induced by motion pictures have been reported in a laboratory, but not in a real cinema. We, therefore, carried out an observational study recording sickness severity and postural instability in 19 subjects before, immediately and 45 min after watching a 1 h 3D aviation documentary in a cinema. Sickness was significantly larger right after the movie than before, and in a lesser extent still so after 45 min. The average standard deviation of the lateral centre of pressure excursions was significantly larger only right afterwards. When low-pass filtered at 0.1 Hz, lateral and for-aft excursions were both significantly larger right after the movie, while for-aft excursions then remained larger even after 45 min. Speculating on previous findings, we predict more sickness and postural instability in 3D than in 2D movies, also suggesting a possible, but yet unknown risk for work-related activities and vehicle operation.

Practitioner Summary: Watching motion pictures may be sickening and posturally destabilising, but effects in a cinema are unknown. We, therefore, carried out an observational study showing that sickness then is mainly an issue during the exposure while postural instability is an issue afterwards.

Keywords:

• visually induced motion sickness
• cybersickness
• cinerama sickness
• postural instability
• balance

Acknowledgements

This work was facilitated by the Dutch Ministry of Defence within the framework of the project V937 Improved Performance at Motion, by VARA's consumer TV programme Kassa!, and by CineMec Ede, Netherlands. None of these organisations had any involvement in the study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, in the writing of the manuscript and in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Lidwi van Geest is acknowledged for her help in performing the experiments.

Notes

1. [email protected]

2. [email protected]

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Additional information

Notes on contributors

Wietse D. Ledegang

1

Astrid J.A. Lubeck

2

John F. Stins

3