Uber is working on a system against motion sickness among passengers in self-driving cars

Taxi service Uber is working on a system to prevent motion sickness among passengers in an autonomously driving car. The company has applied for a patent on a system that uses moving chairs, among other things.

The system would use moving seats, which respond to cornering, reports The Guardian. The seats can also vibrate when the self-driving car brakes. Furthermore, use can be made of a varying airflow directed, for example, at a passenger’s face; this passive stimulation should divert attention from driving the car.

In addition, Uber speaks in the patent application about a system that is used in the car, which makes it clear to occupants at an early stage what the car is going to do. For example, lamps or monitors could be placed in the ceiling or in the doors to indicate to passengers when the car is braking, accelerating or cornering.

Motion sickness, or the specific form of motion sickness, can occur more quickly in self-driving cars, because occupants may be engaged in activities other than driving. The car can perform maneuvers and actions that the occupant does not expect, so that a feeling of nausea can arise relatively more quickly, for example. That could be a barrier to widespread adoption and adoption of self-driving cars.