Motion sickness in road vehicles may become an increasingly important problem as automation transforms drivers into passengers. The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute has developed a vehicle-based platform to study motion sickness in passenger vehicles. A test-track study was conducted with 52 participants who reported susceptibility to motion sickness. The participants completed in-vehicle testing on a 20-minute scripted, continuous drive that consisted of a series of frequent 90-degree turns, braking, and lane changes at the U-M Mcity facility. In addition to quantifying their level of motion sickness on a numerical scale, participants were asked to describe in words any motion-sickness-related sensations they experienced. Prior to in-vehicle testing, participants were shown a list of sensations that are commonly experienced during motion sickness: head sensations, body temperature change, drowsiness, dizziness, mouth sensations, nausea, or other sensations, which refer to difficulty focusing, irritability, eyestrain, or difficulty concentrating. Participants were instructed not to limit themselves to the list, but rather to report in their own words how they felt throughout the drive. For each sensation, they were also asked to describe the level of the sensation they experienced as mild, moderate, or severe. Chi-square analysis demonstrated that the sensations experienced were associated with in-vehicle test conditions and participant’s motion sickness susceptibility.
This study is the first to continuously quantify the type, incidence, intensity, and timeline progression of self-reported sensations associated with motion sickness response during passenger vehicle operations on a test track. Sensations were multidimensional and highly variable across individuals indicating that motion sickness is a multi-faceted response that extends beyond nausea.
