TU/e develops devices to limit motion sickness in self-driving cars

Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology are developing various devices to limit motion sickness among the occupants of an autonomously driving car. According to the researchers, two devices manage to actually reduce motion sickness.

According to TU/e, two Malaysian researchers, who will defend their dissertations on this subject in the coming days, have developed two devices that reduce the motion sickness of passengers: PVFS and VDAM. The first system is aimed at passengers watching a movie and the other system is intended for participants reading a book in the car.

The PVFS consists of two rows of 32 LED lamps mounted on the side of the screen with the film. These lights inform the passenger with light signals of the car’s intention to change direction. The VDAM system communicates this information to the passenger through vibrations in the forearm and two moving plates in the seat.

These two devices and the others are intended to increase the so-called situational awareness of occupants. The devices were tested in a special car that simulates a self-driving car. Both researchers hope that their work contributes to the subject of better interfaces in new autonomous driving cars.