Motion sickness in self-driving cars

Motion sickness in self-driving cars

Is there an increase in the occurrence and severity of motion sickness in self-driving cars? And what can be done to better model passenger comfort when automated cars become a reality?

 

Master student Adarsh Pattanayak (Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering) researches how motion sickness affects one’s cognitive performance when ‘driving’ an automated car. Even though these vehicles aren’t a widespread reality yet, Adarsh believes that research in this field would serve as a stepping stone towards achieving maximum passenger comfort. “Once automated cars become a reality, a majority of people would prefer to read books, respond to emails and what not. Research on motion sickness has been minimal even though it is a commonly experienced phenomenon, so this study would really help with better acceptance of the technology with via better design choices.”

Currently, Adarsh is entering the experiment phase of his thesis and is looking for participants who are available for four sessions of one hour each. Participants will have to perform a reading comprehension task, twice in a stationary surface and twice in a moving car simulator. (MvdV)

For more information on this study, or to sign up as a participant, contact Pattanayak by e-mail or telephone (+31617447298)