Symptoms of motion sickness will increase with the evolution of the automobile
Did you know that 60 to 70% of travelers have experienced at least once in their life the travel sickness? People who are familiar with the phenomenon may have signs resembling discomfort. With symptoms such as nausea, headaches and dizziness, motion sickness is linked to the balance functions of the human body, according to William Edmond, who is working on a doctorate on reducing motion sickness in cars at the Belfort-Montbéliard University of Technology, France.
Published in the media The Conversation, Mr. Edmond explored the issue of motion sickness in today’s vehicles; in fact, it is in cars that humans most often experience symptoms. His conclusion is as follows: electrification, the increase in technology and autonomous driving systems are all factors that aggravate the phenomenon.
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Electric vehicles
The doctoral student specifies that passengers are the most likely to experience a situation of discomfort. The lack of anticipation of the trajectories and the conflicts between the information provided to the brain and what actually happens during the movement create a disturbance of balance. The occupants therefore experience discomfort more frequently than the driver.
With the increase in the number of electric vehicles on the market, the specialist believes that a greater number of imbalances will occur. The electric motor, being much quieter than a combustion engine, can create a lack of guidance for vehicle occupants.
This lack of landmarks naturally generates symptoms of motion sickness. In addition, electric vehicles, by their linear nature, are reputed to release much less vibration in the passenger compartment. By also adding the sometimes intense regenerative braking and the sudden accelerations of these vehicles, the doctoral student affirms that they are an excellent means of generating discomfort during travel.
The screens
Technological advances on board vehicles have been expanding for several years. After Mercedes-Benz announced and integrated ChatGPT in its vehicles, it is easy to confirm that the technology will take more and more place in the next vehicles on the market.
According to William Edmond, this will produce even more disruption for the occupants. Indeed, the increasing presence of screens in the passenger compartment creates an increase in cases of motion sickness. Screens, providing continuous data, generate an overload of visual information.
This overload automatically triggers a distraction, and the passenger can thus experience a conflict between the information perceived by the eyes and the movement of the body. This situation therefore generates symptoms of nausea, headaches or a feeling of sudden fatigue. It is for this reason that it is not recommended to read a book or use a screen while traveling.
Autonomous driving systems
One of the main sources of the future increase in the phenomenon of motion sickness is the development of autonomous driving systems, according to the doctoral student. This specifies that, this time, it is the drivers who will suffer more symptoms.
As autonomous driving systems develop rapidly, it is not impossible to believe that, in the next few years, some vehicles will be able to drive themselves. Moreover, GM’s Super Cruise system is a concrete example of the evolution of technology in the market.
Still according to the expert, autonomous driving will increase the dissonance between movement and anticipation of the trajectory. This therefore means that a motorist accustomed to being behind the wheel will experience a greater contradiction between natural (human) and artificial (autonomous) gestures. Increased stress and lack of confidence in technology are also aggravating factors. Analyzing everything, autonomous driving is bound to create an imbalance that could then increase the risk of symptoms related to motion sickness.
A solution?
For the moment, there is no miracle solution between technological change and the challenges related to the phenomenon. In addition, William Edmond adds that, if no measure is really applied, an evolution of cases of motion sickness in vehicles is to be expected.
The good news? For several years now, car manufacturers have developed a growing interest in this problem. They want to better understand the phenomenon in order to then be able to reduce it effectively. Visual, audible and tactile signals are also in the test phase to try to help users of tomorrow’s vehicles to better anticipate and understand vehicle movements.
The automobile market has been experiencing a dazzling evolution over the past few years. Despite a good dose of technological advances, some primary issues will remain to be corrected to allow a smooth energy transition, a transition in full ascent.
