American research lab comes up with a possible solution for VR motion sickness

A research laboratory that is commissioned by the US defense, among others, may have found a solution for ‘VR motion sickness’. A device that is placed behind the user’s ear should use vibrations to prevent nausea from occurring.

The device, called the Ototech, transmits vibrations through the skull to the nearby auditory and balance nerve. The scientists’ theory is that these vibrations are interpreted by the brain as uninformative and therefore ignored, seemingly sidelining the entire vestibular system. “That’s also why you don’t always notice the shirt on your body,” inventor Samuel Owen told Defense One. There are currently no success rates; the device is still in the development phase.

The tests so far would show that the device works without side effects, such as poor balance, vision, or alertness. That would be the biggest advantage of the device; medicines that help against motion sickness are already there, but they have the disadvantage that they make the user drowsy. In the US defense this is again overcome with an amphetamine, but that substance also has side effects.

The shortcoming of vr is that the eyes perceive a certain movement of the body that does not correspond to what the vestibular system registers. The result is motion sickness, possibly with vomiting as a reflex. People can have the same problem in vehicles, especially if they can’t see what movements that vehicle is making.