As applications and devices enabling more realistic virtual and augmented reality come to market — with 2023 widely forecast to be the year Apple releases its reportedly game-changing goggles — there’s an elephant in the room that could hamper the segment’s growth.
Cybersickness.
Between 38% and 66% of virtual and augmented reality users will experience dizziness, nausea and headache while plugged into their devices. It’s particularly pronounced during games but could also crop up in the midst of a video chat. Stress, online bullying, FOMO and isolation also can contribute to the phenomenon.
Cybersickness is similar to seasickness in that your eyes, ears and other senses are not synchronized. On a boat, for example, your eyes see movement, but the ears don’t get the message. The same queasiness can arise in goggle-enabled “extended reality” – especially when the visual images are out of sync with the audio, or when there’s colorful fast-moving video.
Keep reading at israel21c.org.
Eye-Minders CEO Daphna Palti-Wasserman is a Technion alumna.
