Momentum - October 2019 - 19

TODAY'S
ENGINEERING

MOTION SICKNESS MEETS
AUTONOMOUS ADAPTABLE
DYNAMICS
AMID THE PLETHORA of challenges
that face the acceptance of the coming
world of autonomous vehicles (AVs),
one is distinctly human: motion sickness.
The realization that this physiological
"weakness" could represent a very
significant hurdle to overcome at
the higher SAE Levels of autonomy
is now concentrating the minds of
neurotechnologists around the world.
At ZF in Germany, research resources
are being collated to find a solution
to a problem that could arise from AV
cabins having seat layouts that face
multiple directions, such as in the concept
Panasonic AV cabin. Such layouts will
permit enjoying meals, reading books,
watching a film, or creating face-to-face
mobile conference rooms. One of ZF's
main research targets is to develop an
automatic system that spots motion
sickness symptoms and delivers a
preventive driving style via a store of
sensor supplied information.
"We are facing a huge issue regarding
motion sickness in the mobility sector,"
said Florian Dauth, a senior member
of ZF's Advanced Engineering Human
Centered Vehicle team. Figures for regular
vehicle occupants suffering motion
sickness can be as high as 30% (mostly
passengers); but Dauth stated that with
higher-level AVs, 90% of occupants could
be at risk of motion sickness symptoms
if no solutions are found. Current ZF AV
studies have shown that about 60% of
participants experience "at least early
symptoms of motion sickness."
To avoid this, ZF embraces neurotechnology (the interface of neuroscience
and engineering), psychophysiology,
artificial intelligence, and driving
dynamics; no mean task for Dauth and
his colleagues: "Our goal is to identify
individual instances of motion sickness
and to devise measures that relate to the
prevailing condition of the passenger."

MOMENTUM

Image credit: Panasonic

At ZF in Germany, research resources are being collated to find a solution to a problem that could arise from
AV cabins having seat layouts that face multiple directions, such as in the concept Panasonic AV cabin.
To do so, they are working with Saarland
University's Systems Neuroscience &
Neurotechnology Unit (SNNU), and
the University of Applied Sciences
Saarbrücken (htw saar), Germany. SNNU's
Director, Prof. Dr. Daniel J. Strauss, said:
"The respective skill sets of the partners
complement one another perfectly."
This type of collaboration underlines
the wide span of knowledge that AV
research is calling upon as it pushes the
boundaries of the traditional automotive
industry-dynamics meets medicine.
Symptoms range from a slight sense of
unease to acute motion sickness, the
human body responding with a reaction
that is in many ways similar to the
response to poisoning, according to the
collaborative teams.
ZF has a dedicated motion sickness
research vehicle fitted with sensors
linked to systems that include cablebased measurement methods to capture
high-quality data. Technology is being
developed to replace cables with "a
contact-free camera method." The vehicle
has covered 10,000 km, accruing more
than 50,000 gigabytes of physiological
markers applying thermographic, imagery,

Photo credit: ZF

Testing being conducted in ZF's dedicated motion
sickness research vehicle.
and driving data that together form a
basis for depicting AI-based algorithms
as part of gaining an understanding of the
motion sickness phenomenon.
The research partners' aim is to develop
an automotive-compatible system
that would enable the onset of motion
sickness to be detected without making
physical contact with a vehicle occupant,
explained Dauth.

By Stuart Birch, freelance contributor

October 2019 19
Momentum - October 2019

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