IAC Aims to Sniff Out Motion Sickness

International Automotive Components Group is working to develop scents to help prevent motion sickness in self-driving vehicles.

The company notes that flexible interior seating configurations—with occupants facing sideways or backwards—likely will increase the risk of motion sickness. Aromas could be embedded in various interior components to counteract this, Rose Ryntz, vice president of engineering, advanced development and material engineering, tells Automotive News.

IAC is testing fragrances such as ginseng, lavenders and herbal oils. But Ryntz says the technology isn’t likely to be commercialized for at least another 10 years. One big reason: The cause and degree of motion sickness can differ dramatically from person to person.

Ryntz notes that the science involved is inexact. She says the challenge will be to make the smells long-lasting, easy to implement, functional a variety of operating conditions and effective for the majority of occupants without causing side effects in others.