Jaguar Land Rover has announced that its future vehicles will be fitted with technology that will attempt to reduce the effects of motion sickness.
Its vehicles will be able to detect if occupants are feeling unwell and adjust the settings accordingly.
With wellness technology researcher Spencer Salter at the helm of this project, JLR is leading the way in motion sickness research by creating an algorithm that generates a ‘wellness score’ for each passenger so that the cabin settings – such as the temperature, seat position and infotainment – can be adjusted.
Research so far has found that this can reduce motion sickness symptoms by 60 per cent – with JLR having already collected 15,000 miles-worth of data.
These findings will apparently help JLR in the future with making a baseline driving style for autonomous vehicles so they don’t make as many steering corrections and let occupants relax.
Spencer Salter said: “As we move towards an autonomous future where occupants will have more time to either work, read or relax on longer journeys, it's important we develop vehicles that can adapt to reduce the effects of motion sickness in a way that's tailored to each passenger.”
Motion sickness usually occurs when ‘the eyes observe information that is different from what is sensed by the inner ear, skin or body forces – commonly when reading’.
JLR’s chief medical officer, Dr Steve Iley, said: “This cutting-edge research has created a solution that, with its solid scientific foundation, can make travelling enjoyable, regardless of your susceptibility to motion sickness.
“As a parent of young children, who are most susceptible to car sickness, I am particularly excited by the benefits this research can have in making long journeys comfortable and stress-free for families.”
