Good Vibrations:Hacking Motion

Sickness on the Cheap

I think I took a CPR class once

A pill is *not* a good enough fix

Symptoms

• Nausea• Vertigo• Fatigue• Pale, clammy skin• Increased salivation • Hyperventilation

History

• First happened when man tried to improve natural mobility

• First recorded account came from Ancient Greece– Happened on the water– Coined the term nausea

Statistics!

• 90% of the world’s population suffer from motion sickness at least once

• 300 million of the U.S. experience it– 9 to 75 million have a debilitating response– 2 million have to visit the doctor

Who is at Risk

• Some feel the effects worse than others• Predisposition to motion sickness can be

inherited• Some races feel it worse than others• Others with increased susceptibility to it:– Pregnant women– Frequent migraine sufferers– People with anxiety disorders

• In an automobile, or– Train– Bus

• On a plane• While playing video

games• On a boat

Motion sickness can occur…

Yeah, but they don’t

Theories of Causation

Disproven Theories

Disproven Theories

• “Blood and Guts”• Respiratory Issues• Reaction to shock to CNS and/or ANS• Infection• Overstimulation

Theories of Causation

Foveal slip

Foveal Slip

• Fixation disparity leads to lack of visual acuity

• Occurs when there is a misalignment of the eye

• Can be horizontal and/or vertical• Results in over- or under-convergence of

eyes at a fixation point

Foveal Slip

• Misalignment of the fovea is only a few arcminutes– One-sixtieth (1/60) of a degree

• Foveal slip eventually leads to depth perception problems

Foveal Slip

• Foveal slip leaves one unable to accurately track motion with their eyes

• Definite correlation between foveal slip and motion sickness– Occurs during opti-kinetic stimulation– Increased fixation disparity leads to

increased foveal slip, which leads to worse manifestations of motion sickness

Theories of Causation

Motor-Sensory Conflict Theory

Motor-Sensory Conflict Theory

• Defense mechanism to protect against neurotoxins

• Signals sent to brain from the eyes and vestibular system contradict each other

• Body can not sustain homeostasis

Current Prevention Techniques and

“Treatment”

Prevention Methods

• Sit where motion is felt the least• Don’t read• Keep head and body still• Face forward in a reclining position• Keep eyes on the horizon• Keep window open• Don’t drink or smoke• Eat small, low-fat, bland, and starchy foods

Natural Remedies

• Powder or liquid ginger• Use acupuncture, acupressure, or mild

electrical pulse at:– Neiguian or Pericardium

(3 finger widths above the wrist)– Small intestine 17

(just below the earlobes, in the indentations behind the jawbone)

Drugs!

• Diphenhydramine– Active ingredient in sleep aids– Cannot be used with infants– Not good for elderly, pregnant, or breast-

feeders– Not good for people with glaucoma, heart

disease, constipation, or enlarged prostate

Moar Drugs!

• Antihistamines– Most effective 30-60 minutes before a trip– Side effect: drowsiness and less alert– Shouldn’t be used by people with

emphysema or bronchitis

Das Goods

Das Goods

• Uses Pure Data to produce a signal in the .01-10 kHz range

• Chosen because that’s the range for typical head movements

• Works using the motor-sensory theory as a basis

http://www.tottenkoph.com/strobe.txt

Stroboscopic glasses

• Mounted just outside the wearer’s peripheral vision

• Lights flash at 20 Hz with 8 ms dwell time• Prevents your eyes from going into a

foveal slip• Shouldn’t cause epileptic seizures

Seizure Warning

Material List

• Sunglasses (Dollar Store)- $1• LilyPad Arduino 168 Main Board

(SparkFun)- $20.95• LilyPad E-Sewing Kit (SparkFun)- $49.35• Baseball cap (closet)- Free

EOF

http://www.tottenkoph.com

@@Tottenkoph