Simulator-induced sickness is a serious problem that can afflict the users of vehicular simulators including aircraft and driving devices. Operators and passengers in training and research simulators have experienced symptoms akin to those of motion sickness both during and following a simulator experience. In some cases, even several hours postexposure, aftereffects or flashbacks to the simulation environment may surface creating sudden disorientation in the individual. The simulator-sickness syndrome appears to be severe and frequent enough that it affects the utility of simulation and may create safety hazards for users. It has, therefore, recently received considerable attention by the human engineering community. This paper provides background information on the sickness problem; its theoretical underpinnings; and a brief, tabularized literature review specific to simulator sickness. All available articles, reports, technical memoranda, and papers directly dealing with the problem of operator discomfort in vehicular simulators were obtained and selectively reviewed.

In the past two decades there has been considerable effort aimed at the improvement of the technology of vehicular simulators used for training and research. However, the utilization of a number of aircraft and driving simulators has been hindered by a recurring syndrome usually termed" simulator sickness." Simulator sickness may be manifested as acute symptomatology during the simulator experience, including such problems as disorientation, dizziness, headache, pallor, burping, nausea, emesis, and degraded vehicular control and task performance, or as residual effects including prolonged nausea, fatigue, motor dyskinesia, visual dysfunctioning, and ataxia lasting for up to several hours after exposure (.!,±_). Furthermore, delayed flight-simulator aftereffects and flashbacks to simulated flight situations have been experienced by aircrews as long as 10 hr after simulated flight (3).