Considerations of Interior Design in Fully Automated Vehicles: Influence of Front Window Scenery on Ride Comfort and Motion Sickness

Abstract

This study aims to derive findings applicable to the interior design of fully automated vehicles, focusing on the impact of external scenery information on ride comfort and motion sickness. Experiments were conducted using a driving simulator with three monitors, simulating automatic driving scenarios in two different environments: a suburban road with no buildings (Experiment 1) and an urban setting with buildings along the road (Experiment 2). Participants experienced 60 minutes of travel with moderate whole-body vibration exposure, and reported their perceived discomfort and motion sickness. Two foreground scenery conditions were tested: a three-display condition with all displays turned on, and a two-display condition where participants could not receive visual front window scenery from the center display, which was turned off. The results showed that motion sickness was more induced in the two-display condition in an urban environment. Discomfort results between both conditions were contradictory. Blocking visual scenery from front window during traveling in suburban areas may enhance ride comfort. Meanwhile, in an urban environment surrounded by structures, blocking the visual front window scenery may not only induce motion sickness but also decrease ride comfort.

Keywords: Driving Simulator, Multi-modal Vibration, Ride comfort, Motion Sickness, ISO 2631-1

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1005213