Beyond the Eye: Multisensory Contributions to the Sensation of Illusory Self-Motion (Vection)

What is it about?

"Vection" is the feeling of moving when you're actually still. It's like when you're on a train and mistakenly think it's moving when it's the neighboring train. Most research on vection has focused on how our eyes trick us into feeling self-motion. However, we now know that other senses, like hearing, touch, and balance, also play a role in creating this illusion. We review the current scientific literature on how different senses contribute to vection. We explore how combining visual cues with non-visual cues, such as sounds, touch, and balance information, affects the strength and occurrence of vection. We also discuss situations where non-visual cues alone can make us feel like we’re moving, even without any visual input at all. Better understanding the role of multiple senses in vection is crucial, especially with the rise of virtual reality, tele-presence, and other simulation technologies. These technologies aim to make us feel fully immersed in virtual (or remote) environments, including the sensation of moving through space. By studying how different senses contribute to vection, we can enhance the realism and effectiveness of these technologies for various applications, such as gaming, entertainment, healthcare, education, training, and telepresence.

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