Anticipatory vibrotactile cues mitigate motion sickness in car passengers: an implementation study on public roads

Previous research shows that vibrotactile displays can be used to communicate upcoming lateral and longitudinal vehicle accelerations without significantly distracting passengers from their non-driving-related tasks. This unobtrusive transmission of information, presumably, allows passengers to physically adjust their posture in anticipation of upcoming vehicle maneuvers, even when they are visually distracted. This is particularly important because car sickness—characterized by symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, and malaise—often occurs when passengers are unable to anticipate vehicle movements in time. Given these considerations, the present study aimed to evaluate a practical implementation of anticipatory vibrotactile cues for everyday use in real road traffic. Building on previous findings from lab and test track studies showing the effectiveness of anticipatory vibrotactile information in mitigating car sickness, we tested a modified car seat: It was designed as a peripheral vibrotactile display to deliver anticipatory signals in a way that is suitable for real-world driving conditions. In a counterbalanced within-participant design, 39 participants completed two 30-minute rides on public roads while watching a video and rating their current motion sickness level every minute, using the Fast Motion Sickness Scale. In the intervention condition, participants received anticipatory vibrotactile cues through actuators hidden in the seat approximately 0.7 s before changes in vehicle dynamics. In the control condition they did not receive any cues. The results not only confirm that anticipatory vibrotactile cues for upcoming right and left turns as well as acceleration and deceleration events significantly mitigate car sickness, but also demonstrate that vibrating actuators integrated into the car seat are well suited for transmitting such anticipatory cues.