Are you looking forward to your car driving you around the city? You may be in more than you bargained for if you aren't the one in the driver's seat. In a recent study spanning six countries, researchers found that autonomous cars are likely to cause motion sickness in passengers due to the lack of control they will have over their vehicles.
So why would we get car sick? According to researchers, it is most likely because we will probably increase activities that already make us ill while in a moving car. Many companies are currently working on driverless cars. Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, believes that one day human drivers will actually be outlawed due to the dangers.
One of the research authors, Michael Sivak said " the three main factors contributing to motion sickness [are]-conflict between vestibular (balance) and visual inputs, inability to anticipate the direction of motion and lack of control over the direction of motion-are elevated in self-driving vehicles."
The report is based on a survey of 3,255 adults in six countries. The survey found that 6% to 10% of Americans experience motion sickness at some point. According to the study, 6% to 12% of those riding in vehicles completely controlled by software/OS/machine will "be expected to experience moderate or severe motion sickness at some time."
Researchers calculated the percentage of adults who are likely to engage in motion sickenss activity as being 53% of Indians, followed by 40% of Chinese, 37% of US citizens, 30% of Australians, 28% of UK citizens, and just 26% of Japanese adults.
According to the report authors, Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle, riding in a car driven by a machine or a computer can cause nausea, mainly because it can be difficult to interpret the direction of motion when you are in chairs that can swivel in all directions.
"By switching from driver to passenger, by definition, one gives up control over the direction of motion, and there are no remedies for this," they wrote. The lack of control over which way the car moves, and the lack of warning before the car, for example, makes a sharp turn, is likely to set the mind on edge. The researchers claim this, along with the disconnect between the inner-ear balance and visual inputs, will cause considerable motion sickness. "These two factors are influenced by the extent of the visual field, the direction of gaze and posture," the research said.
The study's authors say automakers can reduce the chances of passengers experiencing motion sickness simply by minimizing the element of surprise. One solution recommends passengers to lie on their backs while others aim and giving riders the ability to see outside and see where they are going. Swivel types of seats, such as those found in the Mercedes autonomous car, should be avoided.
