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Effect of roll oscillation frequency on motion sickness.
Henrietta V C Howarth1, Michael J Griffin
1Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, Southampton, England.
Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine
|April 12, 2003
Summary
The frequency of roll motion does not significantly impact motion sickness. This study found that roll oscillation sickness was generally less severe than sickness from translational or combined motion.
Area of Science:
- Human physiology
- Vestibular system research
- Motion sickness etiology
Background:
- Motion sickness is often linked to low-frequency multi-axis motion, including roll.
- Roll motion's specific impact on sickness, independent of other axes, lacks systematic study.
- Previous assumptions suggest roll motion is a significant factor in motion sickness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that motion sickness induced by roll oscillation is frequency-dependent.
- To systematically examine the effects of varying roll frequencies on sickness levels.
Main Methods:
- 100 male subjects (18-26 years) participated in a controlled laboratory experiment.
- Subjects were exposed to 30 minutes of sinusoidal roll motion at five frequencies (0.025, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.40 Hz) with +/-8 degree amplitude.
- Motion sickness ratings were collected at 1-minute intervals, alongside a pre-study motion sickness history questionnaire.
Main Results:
- Subjective illness ratings showed a positive correlation with prior motion sickness history.
- Despite variations in frequency, the overall sickness ratings across the five tested frequencies were not significantly different.
- The amount of sickness reported at each frequency was generally low.
Conclusions:
- The frequency dependence of motion sickness from pure roll oscillation differs from that of vertical or horizontal oscillations.
- Pure roll oscillation typically induces less severe motion sickness compared to pure translational oscillation or combined translation and rotation.
- Findings suggest that roll motion's contribution to sickness may be less pronounced than previously assumed, especially when isolated.