JAGUAR LAND ROVER TEACHES DRIVERLESS CARS HOW TO REDUCE MOTION SICKNESS

6 August 2020

  • Pioneering research into autonomous vehicles is part of the journey of Jaguar Land Rover to zero accidents and zero congestion
  • Autonomous vehicles will be programmed to drive in a way that is designed to reduce the impact of motion sickness
  • Intelligent software adjusts acceleration, braking and lane positioning to help avoid inducing nausea
  • Motion sickness affects more than 70 percent of people (1) around the world

(Mahwah, N.J.) – August 5, 2020 – Jaguar Land Rover is pioneering software designed to reduce motion sickness by adapting the driving style of future autonomous vehicles.

During the first phase of the project, a personalized ‘wellness score’ was developed, which could reduce the impact of motion sickness by up to 60 percent. Experts at the Jaguar Land Rover specialist software engineering facility in Shannon have now implemented that score into self-driving software.

The intelligent software combines 20,000 real-world and virtually-simulated test miles to calculate a set of parameters for driving dynamics to be rated against. Advanced machine learning then ensures the car can optimize its driving style based on data gathered from every mile driven by the autonomous fleet.

This technology can then be used to teach each Jaguar and Land Rover vehicle how to drive autonomously, while maintaining the individual characteristics of each model, whether that’s the thoroughbred performance of a Jaguar or the legendary capability of a Land Rover. All helping the company’s continued development of the ultimate cabin experience in an autonomous, electric and connected future.

Motion sickness, which affects more than 70 percent of people1, is often caused when the eyes observe information different from that sensed by the inner ear, skin or body – commonly when reading on long journeys in a vehicle. Using the new system, acceleration, braking and lane positioning – all contributory factors to motion sickness – can be optimized to help avoid inducing nausea in passengers.

As a result of the project, engineers are now able to develop more refined advanced driver assistance features on future Jaguar and Land Rover models, such as adaptive cruise control and lane monitoring systems. The in-depth knowledge is helping Jaguar Land Rover design and manufacture capable and advanced vehicles, both now and in the future.

Mobility is rapidly changing, and we will need to harness the power of self-driving vehicles to achieve our goal of zero accidents and zero congestion. Solving the problem of motion sickness in driverless cars is the key to unlocking the huge potential of this technology for passengers, who will be able to use the travelling time for reading, working or relaxing

Dr Steve Iley
Jaguar Land Rover Chief Medical Officer

Film: Motion Sickness

This is another step for Jaguar Land Rover on its journey to Destination Zero: an ambition to make our societies safer and healthier and our environments cleaner through relentless innovation. With the mission of raising the quality of future urban living, Jaguar Land Rover has also revealed Project Vector, an advanced autonomy-ready concept for future mobility.

In the time of COVID-19, where a ‘new normal’ is emerging, customer expectations of private transport are changing, and the focus will be on safe, clean mobility where personal space and hygiene will carry a premium. New technologies and materials are being developed to meet these expectations at Jaguar Land Rover with today’s vehicles designed to help improve passenger wellbeing, including a Driver Condition Monitor2 and antimicrobial wireless device charging. In addition, features such as cooling seats, ambient lighting and multiple seat configurations are proven to help significantly reduce the likelihood of motion sickness.

Jaguar and Land Rover models offer available Adaptive Dynamics2 across its range of vehicles, which help to remove low frequency motion from the road that can lead to nausea. By altering the ride settings every 10 milliseconds, this helps ensure passengers experience high levels of comfort, while also maintaining the dynamic performance DNA of every Jaguar and Land Rover model.

 

1 Data sourced from Reason, J.T. and Brand, J.J. (1975) Motion Sickness. Oxford, England: Academic Press

2 These features are not a substitute for driving safely with due care and attention and will not function under all circumstances, speeds, weather and road conditions, etc. Driver should not assume that these features will correct errors of judgment in driving. Please consult the owner's manual or your local authorized Jaguar Retailer for more details.

 Motion Sickness
Motion Sickness
 JLR - Motion sickness
JLR - Motion sickness
 Motion sickness 2
Motion sickness 2

Further information

About Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s largest automotive manufacturer, built around two iconic British car brands: Land Rover, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium all-wheel-drive vehicles; and Jaguar, one of the world’s premier luxury sports sedan and sports car marques.

At Jaguar Land Rover, we are driven by a desire to deliver class-leading vehicles, which will provide experiences our customers will love, for life. Our products are in demand around the globe. In 2018 Jaguar Land Rover sold 592,708 vehicles in 128 countries.

We support around 260,000 people through our retailer network, suppliers and local businesses. At heart we are a British company, with two major design and engineering sites, three vehicle manufacturing facilities and an engine manufacturing center in the UK. We also have plants in China, Brazil, India, Austria and Slovakia. 

From 2020 all new Jaguar Land Rover vehicles will offer the option of electrification, giving our customers even more choice. We will introduce a portfolio of electrified products across our model range, embracing fully electric, plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid vehicles as well as continuing to offer the latest diesel and gasoline engines