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Description
Spatial disorientation (SD) is a perceptual phenomenon particularly affecting pilots, contributing to approximately one-third of all aviation mishaps. While the vestibular, visual, and auditory systems collectively maintain spatial orientation, the potential of spatially controlled auditory stimuli as SD countermeasures remains under-explored. This paper presents the design, protocol, and preliminary observations of an ongoing experiment investigating which spatial audio configuration and stimulus type most effectively mitigate SD induced by the somatogyral illusion. Participants undergo 1-minute yaw rotations in a Bárány chair at 40°/s, while exposed to three stimulus types — pseudo-speech, low-frequency slow bursts, and windowed white noise pulses — delivered through an 8-loudspeaker horizontal ring controlled via Vector Base Amplitude Panning (VBAP). Two spatial conditions are examined: a static 0° frontal azimuth point source and a chair-synchronized continuously panned condition with congruent and incongruent rotation directions. Multimodal physiological data including EEG, EOG, ECG, fNIRS, and eye-tracking are recorded. Behavioral data includes joystick measurements which reflect the subjective experience of SD. Outcome measures include vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain, alpha and theta band EEG activity, temporoparietal junction activation via fNIRS, nystagmus, SD duration and subjective severity, and perceived rotation direction. Preliminary data suggest stimulus-dependent differences in SD duration.