Uber hopes to soon end one of the biggest problems facing drivers today: motion sickness.
The company filed a new patent earlier this year that introduces the “Sensory Stimulation System,” which effectively synergizes what you see and feel in a car.
“With the advent of autonomous vehicle technology, rider attention may be focused on alternative activities, such as work, socializing, reading, writing, task-based activities and the like,” Uber said in the patent. “As the autonomous vehicle travels along an inputted route, kinetosis (motion sickness) can result from the perception of motion by a rider not corresponding to the rider’s vestibular (balance and spatial orientation) senses.”
According to Mashable, the system is “something we could see implemented in autonomous vehicles in the future.”
The system would trick your body into thinking the movement of your body is the same as what you see with your eyes.
The patent also includes calls for moveable seats, as well as an airflow system that will “target specific parts of the rider’s body,” according to Mashable.
There’s also a call for a light bar, which will also help mimic a direction change.
As The Guardian reported, the seats inside the car could even vibrate, or motors can control how the car moves during sharp turns, which can all affect how someone feels during the ride.
“There's no telling whether these patents will actually be commercialized and put into action — most are unlikely to ever see the light of day. But what it does show is that Uber's really trying to perfect the driverless experience,” according to Mashable.
It’s been a busy week for Uber. The company recently bought 24,000 autonomous cars for a driverless fleet, according to TechCrunch.
Uber specifically purchased the XC90 SUV model.
The new agreement between Volvo and Uber is worth about $1.4 billion, since the XC90 car costs $46,900. Uber has tested the self-driving car in Arizona, San Francisco and Pittsburgh already.
“Uber’s new fleet of XC90s will go further than the existing test vehicles, in that they will incorporate redundant systems for braking and steering that will allow them to operate without a human safety driver on board,” according to TechCrunch.
