Motion sickness in passenger vehicles during test track operations.

ABSTRACT

As automation transforms drivers into passengers, the deployment of automated vehicles (AVs) has the potential to greatly increase the incidence of motion sickness. A study was conducted to quantify motion sickness response of front-seat passengers performing ecologically relevant passenger activities during conditions consistent with driving on public roadways. Fifty-two adults with a large range of self-reported levels of motion sickness susceptibility and age participated in data collection on a closed test track in a passenger sedan. Motion sickness ratings increased with task vs. no-task and moderate vs. low acceleration test conditions. Increased motion sickness susceptibility was associated with higher motion sickness ratings. In comparison to older participants (age > 60), younger participants (age < 60) experienced increased motion sickness. This is the first in-vehicle study that systematically compared normative passenger activities and acceleration magnitudes typical of normative driving conditions on motion sickness response for a large, diverse sample of passengers, enabling the exploration of the effects of covariates. Practitioner summary: The data demonstrate that a relatively large range of motion sickness response can be expected to result from passengers performing visual tasks in passenger vehicles. Measurement and modelling efforts should seek to elucidate relationships among the factors contributing to motion sickness for the purpose of informing and prioritising future countermeasures for automated vehicles (AVs). Abbreviations AV(S) automated vehicles; BMI body mass index; BVP blood volume pulse; EDA electrodermal activity; FMS fast motion sickness scale; GPS global positioning system; IMU inertial measurement unit; ISO International Organization for Standardization; MISC misery scale; MSDV motion sickness dose value; NDS naturalistic driving study; SAE Society of Automotive Engineers International; UMTRI The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute Key Aspect of Research Motion sickness may be an important barrier to widespread adoption of automated vehicles @UMTRI.