Uminari Anti-Motion Sickness Eyewear

Student Team: Queasy Does It 

Alex Chapman (LinkedIn), Suraj Greenlund, Brandon Levy (LinkedIn), Lee Nguyen (LinkedIN), Qing Zou

 

 

 

Project Description: 

Motion Sickness is one of the most unique form of pathological conditions due to its capability to affect all individuals of any background. Nearly 1/3 of the entire world’s population is considered highly susceptible to motion sickness. It is caused by a mismatch between the visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems of the brain while in a moving vehicle. Susceptibility to motion sickness increases as an individual’s becomes subjected to more intense erratic motion over prolonged periods of time. Effects of motion sickness are stronger in younger populations from around roughly 2 years of age to 12 years. Common drug solutions such as Dramamine patches are cheap, but cost accumulates over repetitive use and while they do relieve symptoms of motion sickness, users have been known to develop dependencies on the drugs and can exhibit side effects including dizziness and drowsiness. Ophthalmic devices currently on the market try making an artificial horizon to trick the brain’s visual system into matching the motion it sees with the motion the vestibular system feels, but they are often uncomfortable and inconsistent. Team Queasy Does It introduces Uminari Eyewear, an ophthalmic device that aims to alleviate motion sickness by using fluid-filled disks in its lenses to stimulate the visual system akin to motion that acts on a passenger’s body in a car. Meanwhile, the motor feature of the device stimulates the vestibular system to increase visual perception of motion by reducing input from the vestibular system. Uminari Eyewear also includes movable features such as bendable ear rests to better fit a variety of users. These features in tandem all help acclimate the passenger’s brain to different environments to alleviate motion sickness symptoms and make traveling more comfortable for those prone to motion sickness.

 

 

 

 

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