Effects of Dynamic Visual Stimuli on the Development of Carsickness in Real Driving

Abstract

Whereas autonomous vehicles are expected to provide several advantages, the current scenarios envisioned for self-driving vehicles are expected to increase the incidence of motion sickness. This study investigates the effects of dynamic visual stimuli on the development of carsickness under two different view conditions. A prototypical light-emitting diode (LED) feedback system visualizing longitudinal driving dynamics in the passenger’s peripheral visual field was installed in the rear of a modified serial vehicle. A real driving experiment was conducted on the test track of a major car manufacturer. Subjective motion sickness ratings were recorded. It was hypothesized that carsickness can be mitigated with the information from the visual feedback system. Subjective motion sickness scores tended to be lower with the LED feedback system while there was no substantial interaction effect with the view condition. Although the results indicate potential benefits of the LED feedback system for the mitigation of motion sickness, further development of the system and its functionalities and the inclusion of psychophysiological measures to objectively quantify motion sickness is necessary to confirm these findings.