Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Are You Sitting Comfortably? How Current Self-driving Car Concepts Overlook Motion Sickness, and the Impact It Has on Comfort and Productivity

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Advances in Human Factors of Transportation (AHFE 2019)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 964))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

A proposed benefit of self-driving cars is that of increased comfort and productivity of the occupants. Self-driving vehicle concepts and published research show the desire for engagement in non-driving related tasks while traveling in such vehicles. Based on survey results and financial productivity estimations, it is likely that completing work activities within such vehicles will be desirable, even expected. These predictions, along with current concepts for self-driving vehicles, fail to consider motion sickness. This paper explores why motion sickness is likely to be a factor in these vehicles, and explicit implications with a range of in-car non-driving related activities is discussed. Through a critique of current concepts, a contrast between that which is advertised, and what may be possible is highlighted and discussed. The importance for inclusivity in future self-driving vehicles considering demographic differences in motion sickness susceptibility is highlighted, and design recommendations for future self-driving vehicles are made.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. SAE International: Surface Vehicle Recommended Practice, September 2016

    Google Scholar 

  2. KPMG: Connected and Autonomous Vehicles - the UK Economic Opportunity. KPMG (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Morgan Stanley: Autonomous Cars Self-Driving the New Auto Industry Paradigm. Morgan Stanley Research (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Jain, J., Clayton, B., Bartle, C.: Connected by rail: a study of internet use on the train. Center for Transport and Society, Bristol, UK (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Montgomery, D.W.: Public and Private Benefits of Autonomous Vehicles. Securing America’s Future Energy (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Reason, J.T., Brand, J.J.: Motion Sickness. Academic Press, New York (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Treisman, M.: Motion sickness: an evolutionary hypothesis. Science 197(4302), 493–495 (1977)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Warwick-Evans, L., Symons, N., Fitch, T., Burrows, L.: Evaluating sensory conflict and postural instability. Theories of motion sickness. Brain Res. Bull. 47(5), 465–469 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Stoffregen, T.A., Hettinger, L.J., Hass, M.W., Roe, M.M., Smart, L.J.: Postural instability and motion sickness in a fixed base flight simulator. Hum. Factors J. Hum. Factors Ergon. Soc. 42(3), 458–469 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Stoffergen, T.A., Smart Jr., L.J.: Postural instability precedes motion sickness. Brain Res. Bull. 47(5), 437–448 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Graybiel, A., Wood, C.D., Miller, E.F., Cramer, D.B.: Diagnostic criteria for grading the severity for acute motion sickness. Aerosp. Med. 39, 453–455 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Smyth, J., Birrell, S., Mouzakitis, A., Jennings, P.: Motion sickness and human performance – exploring the impact of driving simulator user trials. In: 9th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics, Orlando Florida, USA (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Bos, J.E.: How motions make people sick such that they perform less: a model based approach. In: Symposium on Habitability of Compact and Transport Vehicles: Noise Vibration and Motion, Prague, Czech Republic (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Bos, J.E., Valk, P.L., Hogervorst, M.A., Munnoch, K., Perrault, D., Colwell, J.L.: TNO contribution to the Quest 303 trial - Human performance assessed by a Vigilance and Tracking Test, a Multi-Attribute Task, and by Dynamic Visual Acuity. TNO Defence, Security and Safety, Soesterberg The Netherlands (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Klosterhalfen, S., Kellermann, S., Pan, F., Stockhorst, U., Hall, G., Enck, P.: Effects of ethnicity and gender on motion sickness susceptibility. Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 76(11), 1051–1057 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Golding, J.F.: Motion sickness susceptibility. Auton. Neurosci. 129(1–2), 67–76 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Jokerst, M.D., Gatto, M., Fazio, R., Gianaros, P.J., Stern, R.M., Koch, K.L.: Effects of gender of subjects and experimenter on susceptibility to motion sickness. Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 70(10), 962–965 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Smyth, J., Jennigs, P., Mouzakitis, A., Birrell, S.: Too sick to drive: how motion sickness severity impacts human performance. In: 21st International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC), Maui, Hawaii (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Flanagan, M.B., May, J.G., Dobie, T.G.: Sex differences in tolerance to visually-induced motion sickness. Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 76, 642–646 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Griffin, M.J.: Handbook of Human Vibration. London Academic Press, London (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Diels, C.: Will autonomous vehicles make us sick? In: Contemporary Ergonomics and Human Factors, Boca Raton, Florida, USA, pp. 301–307. CRC Press (2014)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  22. Lublow, R., Rolnick, A.: Why is the driver rarely motion sick—the role of controllability in motion sickness. Ergonomics 34(7), 867–879 (1991)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. State Farm: Self-driving cars: what to do with all that spare time? 06 June 2016. https://newsroom.statefarm.com/state-farm-releases-autonomous-vehicles-survey-results#aU4uPTOE0WJzqDWr.97. Accessed 10 Apr 2017

  24. Khastigir, S., Birrell, S., Dhadyalla, G., Jennings, P.: Calibrating trust through knowledge: introducing the concept of informed safety for automation in vehicles. Transp. Res. Part C Emerg. Technol. 96, 290–303 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Diels, C., Bos, J.E.: Design guidelines to minimise self-driving carsickness. In: 7th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications, Nottingham, UK (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Slivak, M., Schoettle, B.: Motion sickness in self-driving vehicles. The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Mercedes-Benz: Mercedes-Benz Innovation: Autonomous Driving (2019). https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/mercedes-benz/next/automation/. Accessed 30 Jan 2019

  28. Rinspeed: 2014 | RINSPEED XCHANGE. Rinspeed (2014) https://www.rinspeed.eu/en/XchangE_24_concept-car.html. Accessed 30 Jan 2019

  29. Volvo: Concepts - 360C (2019). https://www.volvocars.com/intl/cars/concepts/360c. Accessed 30 Jan 2019

  30. Wood, C.D., Stewart, J.J., Wood, M.J., Struve, F.A., Straumanis, J.J., Mims, M.E., Partrick, G.Y.: Habituation and motion sickness. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 34(6), 628–634 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Wood, C.D., Stewart, J.J., Wood, M.J., Struve, F.A., Straumanis, J.J., Mims, M.E., Patrick, G.Y.: Habituation and Motion Sickness. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 34, 628–634 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Nalivaiko, E., Rudd, J.A., So, R.H.: Motion sickness, nausea and thermoregulation: the “toxic” hypothesis. Temperature 1(3), 164–171 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Nobel, G., Tribukait, A., Mekjavic, I., Eiken, O.: Effects of motion sickness on thermoregulatory responses in a thermoneutral air environment. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 112(5), 1717–1723 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. WMG at the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

    Joseph Smyth, Paul Jennings & Stewart Birrell

Authors
  1. Joseph Smyth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paul Jennings
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Stewart Birrell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stewart Birrell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Boldrewood Innovation Campus, University of Southampton, TRG, Southampton, UK

    Neville Stanton

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Smyth, J., Jennings, P., Birrell, S. (2020). Are You Sitting Comfortably? How Current Self-driving Car Concepts Overlook Motion Sickness, and the Impact It Has on Comfort and Productivity. In: Stanton, N. (eds) Advances in Human Factors of Transportation. AHFE 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 964. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20503-4_36

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20503-4_36

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-20502-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-20503-4

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation