Impacts of Non-Driving-Related Task Interface Design on Time Changes of Motion Sickness Severity and Task Performance During Fully Autonomous Driving

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) promise enhanced safety and mobility, allowing passengers to perform non-driving-related tasks (NDRTs). However, motion sickness (MS) poses a significant challenge to AV adoption. This study examined the impact of different NDRT interfaces (Visual vs. Auditory displays, Manual vs. Speech controls) on MS severity and NDRT performance. An experiment with 20 participants was conducted, where each participant completed simulated AV trials for each interface combination. Results showed that Visual displays with Manual control (VM) led to the fastest MS severity increase, while Auditory displays with Speech control (AS) were most effective in mitigating MS. Conversely, VM maintained NDRT performance better over time, while Auditory-Manual (AM) exhibited the steepest performance decline. The findings highlight the need for interface designs that balance MS mitigation and NDRT performance, suggesting further research into adaptive, context-aware AV interfaces to optimize user experience and safety.