Determinants of Motion Sickness in Tilting Trains: Coriolis/Cross-Coupling Stimuli and Tilt Delay
Faster trains require tilting of the cars to counterbalance the centrifugal forces during curves. Motion sensitive passengers, however, complain of discomfort and overt motion sickness. A recent study comparing different control systems in a tilting train, suggested that the delay of car tilts relat...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2017-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2017.00195/full |
| _version_ | 1811212540718350336 |
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| author | Giovanni Bertolini Meek Angela Durmaz Kim Ferrari Kim Ferrari Alexander Küffer Charlotte Lambert Dominik Straumann |
| author_facet | Giovanni Bertolini Meek Angela Durmaz Kim Ferrari Kim Ferrari Alexander Küffer Charlotte Lambert Dominik Straumann |
| author_sort | Giovanni Bertolini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Faster trains require tilting of the cars to counterbalance the centrifugal forces during curves. Motion sensitive passengers, however, complain of discomfort and overt motion sickness. A recent study comparing different control systems in a tilting train, suggested that the delay of car tilts relative to the curve of the track contributes to motion sickness. Other aspects of the motion stimuli, like the lateral accelerations and the car jitters, differed between the tested conditions and prevented a final conclusion on the role of tilt delay. Nineteen subjects were tested on a motorized 3D turntable that simulated the roll tilts during yaw rotations experienced on a tilting train, isolating them from other motion components. Each session was composed of two consecutive series of 12 ideal curves that were defined on the bases of recordings during an actual train ride. The simulated car tilts started either at the beginning of the curve acceleration phase (no-delay condition) or with 3 s of delay (delay condition). Motion sickness was self-assessed by each subject at the end of each series using an analog motion sickness scale. All subjects were tested in both conditions. Significant increases of motion sickness occurred after the first sequence of 12 curves in the delay condition, but not in the no-delay condition. This increase correlated with the sensitivity of motion sickness, which was self-assessed by each subject before the experiment. The second sequence of curve did not lead to a significant further increase of motion sickness in any condition. Our results demonstrate that, even if the speed and amplitude are as low as those experienced on tilting trains, a series of roll tilts with a delay relative to the horizontal rotations, isolated from other motion stimuli occurring during a travel, generate Coriolis/cross-coupling stimulations sufficient to rapidly induce motion sickness in sensitive individuals. The strength and the rapid onset of the motion sickness reported confirm that, even if the angular velocity involved are low, the Coriolis/cross-coupling resulting from the delay is a major factor in causing sickness that can be resolved by improving the tilt timing relative to the horizontal rotation originating from the curve. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T05:30:42Z |
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| id | doaj.art-f1245a8f9f3a407db0141e7af6498b0b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-2295 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T05:30:42Z |
| publishDate | 2017-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neurology |
| spelling | doaj.art-f1245a8f9f3a407db0141e7af6498b0b2022-12-22T03:46:05ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952017-05-01810.3389/fneur.2017.00195243395Determinants of Motion Sickness in Tilting Trains: Coriolis/Cross-Coupling Stimuli and Tilt DelayGiovanni Bertolini0Meek Angela Durmaz1Kim Ferrari2Kim Ferrari3Alexander Küffer4Charlotte Lambert5Dominik Straumann6Department of Neurology, Zurich University Hospital, Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Neurology, Zurich University Hospital, Zurich, SwitzerlandInstitute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandNeuroscience Center, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Neurosurgery, Zurich University Hospital, Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Neurology, Zurich University Hospital, Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Neurology, Zurich University Hospital, Zurich, SwitzerlandFaster trains require tilting of the cars to counterbalance the centrifugal forces during curves. Motion sensitive passengers, however, complain of discomfort and overt motion sickness. A recent study comparing different control systems in a tilting train, suggested that the delay of car tilts relative to the curve of the track contributes to motion sickness. Other aspects of the motion stimuli, like the lateral accelerations and the car jitters, differed between the tested conditions and prevented a final conclusion on the role of tilt delay. Nineteen subjects were tested on a motorized 3D turntable that simulated the roll tilts during yaw rotations experienced on a tilting train, isolating them from other motion components. Each session was composed of two consecutive series of 12 ideal curves that were defined on the bases of recordings during an actual train ride. The simulated car tilts started either at the beginning of the curve acceleration phase (no-delay condition) or with 3 s of delay (delay condition). Motion sickness was self-assessed by each subject at the end of each series using an analog motion sickness scale. All subjects were tested in both conditions. Significant increases of motion sickness occurred after the first sequence of 12 curves in the delay condition, but not in the no-delay condition. This increase correlated with the sensitivity of motion sickness, which was self-assessed by each subject before the experiment. The second sequence of curve did not lead to a significant further increase of motion sickness in any condition. Our results demonstrate that, even if the speed and amplitude are as low as those experienced on tilting trains, a series of roll tilts with a delay relative to the horizontal rotations, isolated from other motion stimuli occurring during a travel, generate Coriolis/cross-coupling stimulations sufficient to rapidly induce motion sickness in sensitive individuals. The strength and the rapid onset of the motion sickness reported confirm that, even if the angular velocity involved are low, the Coriolis/cross-coupling resulting from the delay is a major factor in causing sickness that can be resolved by improving the tilt timing relative to the horizontal rotation originating from the curve.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2017.00195/fullmotion sicknesstilting trainscross-couplingotolithsemicircular canalself-motion perception |
| spellingShingle | Giovanni Bertolini Meek Angela Durmaz Kim Ferrari Kim Ferrari Alexander Küffer Charlotte Lambert Dominik Straumann Determinants of Motion Sickness in Tilting Trains: Coriolis/Cross-Coupling Stimuli and Tilt Delay Frontiers in Neurology motion sickness tilting trains cross-coupling otolith semicircular canal self-motion perception |
| title | Determinants of Motion Sickness in Tilting Trains: Coriolis/Cross-Coupling Stimuli and Tilt Delay |
| title_full | Determinants of Motion Sickness in Tilting Trains: Coriolis/Cross-Coupling Stimuli and Tilt Delay |
| title_fullStr | Determinants of Motion Sickness in Tilting Trains: Coriolis/Cross-Coupling Stimuli and Tilt Delay |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determinants of Motion Sickness in Tilting Trains: Coriolis/Cross-Coupling Stimuli and Tilt Delay |
| title_short | Determinants of Motion Sickness in Tilting Trains: Coriolis/Cross-Coupling Stimuli and Tilt Delay |
| title_sort | determinants of motion sickness in tilting trains coriolis cross coupling stimuli and tilt delay |
| topic | motion sickness tilting trains cross-coupling otolith semicircular canal self-motion perception |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2017.00195/full |
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