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Motion sickness symptoms, although temporary, can be extremely unpleasant. Millions of travelers are affected by motion
sickness each year. Although the constellation of symptoms varies, they can include dizziness, headache, bodily warmth, increased
salivation, stomach awareness, diarrhea, dry mouth, pallor, nausea, retching and vomiting. Safety is a concern because symptoms
can adversely affect human performance in addition to comfort. Even though motion sickness has affected humans for over 25
centuries, no cure exists. Common remedies include drugs that can sometimes cause side effects such as drowsiness, and questionable
devices that may only provide relief by producing a placebo effect. Motion sickness is unique among sicknesses. It is not
caused by factors that are typically associated with other illnesses (e.g., bacteria, viruses, parasites, poisons, etc). Instead,
motion sickness seems to be result simply when a person (or animal) experiences self-motion either in a vehicle, such as an
automobile or boat, or in an environment that causes the perception of self-motion (simulator or virtual environment).
Motion sickness has several variants. Typical forms of motion sickness include airsickness,
seasickness, and carsickness, and their names are self-explanatory. Other less common variants are nonetheless disruptive
in their respective environments. Space sickness, a form of motion sickness that occurs in zero gravity environments, can
(and often does) affect the comfort and effectiveness of astronauts living and working in space. Simulator sickness, or cybersickness,
affects civilians and military personnel who use vehicle simulators or virtual reality environments as part of their training
regime. Those who play video games can even experience these forms of motion sickness. The games however usually include a
first person perspective. Follow the links below to learn more about specific experiments/projects.
Chromatic Drum
Pattern Complexity Effects on Motion Sickness
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