![]() ![]() ![]() Few scientific publications exist on sopite syndrome. The term describes a condition of withdrawal with increasing apathy and lethargy ( e2), which the person affected may not even notice him- or herself. To ensure that such control tasks are carried out safely, critical issues are whether and when any relevant reductions in alertness and competence occur, and whether these are noticed at all before the symptoms of nausea obtrude.Įarly symptoms of incipient motion sickness with reduced alertness are also called “sopite syndrome” (from the Latin sopire, “to lull, to put to sleep”). Examples are the driver who has to intervene in a self-driving car, the drone pilot in a complex situation, or the operator of a virtual reality operation system. Whatever the scenario that leads to motion sickness, it is nevertheless often necessary for the person affected to carry out active control tasks in fast-moving scenarios and/or on screen. Young people, especially children between the ages of 6 and 12 years, and women are believed to be more susceptible to motion sickness ( 6– 9, e1), meaning that symptoms induced by computer simulations are particularly significant for this group. As early as 1994, in a study of 146 volunteers, 61% of probands developed symptoms of malaise during a 20-min VR immersion period ( 5). In regard to the risk of becoming seasick on board a ship, and as an aid for shipbuilding design to help mitigate it, an ISO standard (IDO 2631) has even been defined, together with principles for the calculation of “motion sickness incidence” (MSI) that make it easier to estimate the expected percentage of persons who will vomit within 2 hours in given sea conditions ( 4).Īnd then there is the new phenomenon of “simulator sickness,” where playing complex video games on large screens or using virtual reality (VR) headsets can lead to symptoms surprisingly similar to those of classic seasickness, even though the persons affected are not physically in motion. It would appear that about two thirds of travelers have experienced symptoms of motion sickness at least once in a car, especially when in the back seat half of them have even vomited, which among other things could have implications for the development of self-driving cars ( 3). Modern transportation is also producing an increasing number of other trigger situations that are becoming relevant, from motion sickness in the back seat of a car, in a tilting train or an aircraft, to the “space sickness” experienced by astronauts in conditions of weightlessness. Today, however, we see increasing numbers of temporary “seafarers,” not just on cruise ships, but also, for example, in the offshore wind industry, where it is necessary for “landlubber” engineers and technicians to be transported out to the wind parks in small boats. In days of old, those affected were mainly professional seafarers, a few of whom were unable to adapt adequately. Cold sweats, pallor, nausea, and vomiting are caused by a stress reaction to the motion. The term “motion sickness” describes a set of autonomic symptoms caused by incongruent sensory impressions under conditions of motion.
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