Affiliations: [a] Aix Marseille University, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288, Marseille, France | [b] PSA Peugeot-Citroën, Vélizy-Villacoublay, France
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Florian Savona, Aix Marseille University, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288, Marseille, France, 163, avenue de Luminy - CP 910, 13288 Marseille Cedex 9, France. Tel.: +33 678 05 56 43; Fax: +33 491 17 22 04; E-mail:savonaflorian@gmail.com
Abstract: Self-motion perception, which partly determines the realism of dynamic
driving simulators, is based on multisensory integration. However, it
remains unclear how the brain integrates these cues to create adequate
motion perception, especially for curvilinear displacements. In the present
study, the effect of visual, inertial and visuo-inertial cues (concordant or
discordant bimodal cues) on self-motion perception was analyzed. Subjects
were asked to evaluate (externally produced) or produce (self-controlled)
curvilinear displacements as accurately as possible. The results show
systematic overestimation of displacement, with better performance for
active subjects than for passive ones. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that
participants used unimodal or bimodal cues differently in performing their
activity. When passive, subjects systematically integrated visual and
inertial cues even when discordant, but with weightings that depended on the
dynamics. On the contrary, active subjects were able to reject the inertial
cue when the discordance became too high, producing self-motion perception
on the basis of more reliable information. Thereby, multisensory integration
seems to follow a non-linear integration model of, i.e., the cues' weight
changes with the cue reliability and/or the intensity of the stimuli, as
reported by previous studies. These results represent a basis for the
adaptation of motion cueing algorithms are developed for dynamic driving
simulators, by taking into account the dynamics of simulated motion in line
with the status of the participants (driver or passenger).
Keywords: Perception of curvilinear trajectories, visuo-inertial stimulation, cue concordance, passive and active subjects, multisensory integration
