The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Motion sickness caused by roll-compensated lateral acceleration: Effects of centre-of-rotation and subject demographics

Motion sickness caused by roll-compensated lateral acceleration: Effects of centre-of-rotation and subject demographics
Motion sickness caused by roll-compensated lateral acceleration: Effects of centre-of-rotation and subject demographics

The combination of low-frequency lateral and roll motions experienced in tilting trains can provoke motion sickness. The incidence of sickness depends on vehicle design and subject demographics. Vehicle design affects the location of the centre-of-roll, which influences passenger perception of motion. Age and gender have large influences on susceptibility to sickness, but little is known about the effects of ethnicity and body size. This study investigated the influence of both the vertical position of the centre-of-roll and subject characteristics (ethnicity, weight, stature and sickness susceptibility) on sickness caused by fully roll-compensated lateral oscillation. It was hypothesised that sickness would be greater when full compensation occurred at the head than when full compensation occurred at the seat. Sixty subjects experienced a 0.2-Hz lateral oscillation combined with ±7.3° of roll, so that the lateral acceleration was fully compensated at either the seat surface or 800 mm above the seat (i.e. average head height). Illness ratings and symptom scores were recorded every minute for 50 min (i.e. during a 5-min acclimatisation period, a 30-min exposure period and a 15-min recovery period). Although the mean illness ratings were greater when full compensation occurred at the head than at the seat, the difference was not statistically significant. Weight and stature were not associated with motion sickness, but illness ratings were much greater in Asian subjects than in European subjects. It is concluded that differences in susceptibility between Asians and Europeans have a greater effect on motion sickness than the height of the centre-of-rotation during roll-compensated lateral acceleration.

centre-of-rotation, ethnicity, low-frequency motion, Motion sickness, tilting trains
0954-4097
16-24
Beard, George F.
7319e731-3fa5-4172-bbed-335df92d7e87
Griffin, Michael J.
24112494-9774-40cb-91b7-5b4afe3c41b8
Beard, George F.
7319e731-3fa5-4172-bbed-335df92d7e87
Griffin, Michael J.
24112494-9774-40cb-91b7-5b4afe3c41b8

Beard, George F. and Griffin, Michael J. (2014) Motion sickness caused by roll-compensated lateral acceleration: Effects of centre-of-rotation and subject demographics. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, 228 (1), 16-24. (doi:10.1177/0954409712460981).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The combination of low-frequency lateral and roll motions experienced in tilting trains can provoke motion sickness. The incidence of sickness depends on vehicle design and subject demographics. Vehicle design affects the location of the centre-of-roll, which influences passenger perception of motion. Age and gender have large influences on susceptibility to sickness, but little is known about the effects of ethnicity and body size. This study investigated the influence of both the vertical position of the centre-of-roll and subject characteristics (ethnicity, weight, stature and sickness susceptibility) on sickness caused by fully roll-compensated lateral oscillation. It was hypothesised that sickness would be greater when full compensation occurred at the head than when full compensation occurred at the seat. Sixty subjects experienced a 0.2-Hz lateral oscillation combined with ±7.3° of roll, so that the lateral acceleration was fully compensated at either the seat surface or 800 mm above the seat (i.e. average head height). Illness ratings and symptom scores were recorded every minute for 50 min (i.e. during a 5-min acclimatisation period, a 30-min exposure period and a 15-min recovery period). Although the mean illness ratings were greater when full compensation occurred at the head than at the seat, the difference was not statistically significant. Weight and stature were not associated with motion sickness, but illness ratings were much greater in Asian subjects than in European subjects. It is concluded that differences in susceptibility between Asians and Europeans have a greater effect on motion sickness than the height of the centre-of-rotation during roll-compensated lateral acceleration.

Text
14720 GFB-MJG 2014 Ethnicity_and_Motion_Sickness - Accepted Manuscript
Download (10MB)

More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 21 September 2012
Published date: January 2014
Keywords: centre-of-rotation, ethnicity, low-frequency motion, Motion sickness, tilting trains
Organisations: Human Factors Research Unit, University of Southampton

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 406272
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/406272
ISSN: 0954-4097
PURE UUID: a9b65bba-7515-462a-a829-f6beb9148321
ORCID for Michael J. Griffin: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0743-9502

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 10 Mar 2017 10:43
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 12:22

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: George F. Beard
Author: Michael J. Griffin ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×