Seasickness Alleviation based on a Mindfulness Brain-Computer Interface

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Seasickness significantly impacts passenger experience and maritime operational performance.
• Existing attention-redirection techniques for motion sickness lack rigorous verification in challenging maritime settings.
• There is a need for effective, non-pharmacological interventions for seasickness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel mindfulness brain-computer interface (BCI) for alleviating seasickness.
• To assess the effectiveness of a BCI system in redirecting attention and reducing seasickness symptoms in a maritime environment.

Main Methods:

• Development of a single-channel EEG headband to record prefrontal signals for real-time mindfulness assessment.
• Real-time feedback delivery via mindfulness scores and audiovisual cues to redirect participant attention.
• Maritime experiments involving 43 participants across three sessions to evaluate the BCI system.

Main Results:

• 81.39% of participants reported the BCI system as effective in alleviating seasickness.
• A significant reduction in seasickness severity was measured using the Misery Scale (MISC).
• The system demonstrated feasibility as a wearable, non-pharmacological seasickness intervention.

Conclusions:

• The developed mindfulness BCI is the first wearable, non-pharmacological solution for seasickness.
• This technology opens new applications for brain-computer interfaces in managing motion sickness.
• The BCI system shows promise for improving well-being and performance in maritime settings.