Search Results (129)

This paper presents a method to design a static output feedback active suspension controller with a quarter-car model for motion sickness mitigation. To mitigate motion sickness in a vehicle, it has been known that the vertical acceleration and pitch rate of a sprung mass should be reduced over the frequency range from 0.8 to 8 Hz. For this purpose, a half-car model has been used with linear quadratic optimal control for controller design because it can describe the pitch motion of a sprung mass. However, a controller design procedure with the half-car model is relatively more complex than the quarter-car one. To cope with this problem, a quarter-car model is used for controller design in this paper. The half-car model consists of two quarter-car models. Based on this fact, a controller designed with a quarter-car model can be applied to the front and rear suspensions in the half-car one. To avoid the full-state feedback in a real vehicle, a static output feedback structure is selected. To find the gains of the controllers for the quarter-car models in the front and rear suspensions, linear quadratic optimal control and a simulation-based optimization method are applied. To validate the proposed method, the controllers designed with the quarter-car and half-car models are simulated on a vehicle simulation package. From the simulation results, it is shown that the static output feedback active suspension controller designed with the quarter-car model is quite effective for motion sickness mitigation. Full article

This study numerically investigates the effect of hydrofoil installation on the motion responses and ride comfort of a 20 m monohull vessel operating at 10 knots in regular waves. Linear seakeeping analysis (Maxsurf Motions) and nonlinear computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations (STAR-CCM+) are performed to compute response-amplitude operators (RAOs); for the bare hull, the two methods agree within 5%, confirming methodological reliability. The CFD results show that hydrofoils reduce heave and pitch amplitudes by approximately 16% on average. Motion Sickness Incidence (MSI) analysis indicates negligible seasickness under Gentle Breeze conditions, even during prolonged exposure; under Moderate conditions, no seasickness is predicted within 30 min across all encounter frequencies. Although linear analysis cannot directly estimate MSI for hydrofoil-fitted cases, the observed reductions in RAOs imply improved ride comfort. Overall, these findings demonstrate that hydrofoils can enhance motion stability and passenger comfort in small, low-speed vessels, providing quantitative evidence to support design applications. Full article

Extended Reality (XR) technologies—including Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality—are increasingly applied in the food industry to simulate sensory environments, support education, and influence consumer behavior, while robotics addresses labor shortages, hygiene, and efficiency in production. This review uniquely synthesizes their convergence through digital twin frameworks, combining XR’s immersive simulations with robotics’ precision and scalability. A systematic literature review and keyword co-occurrence analysis of over 800 titles revealed research clusters around consumer behavior, nutrition education, sensory experience, and system design. In parallel, robotics has expanded beyond traditional pick-and-place tasks into areas such as precision cleaning, chaotic mixing, and digital gastronomy. The integration of XR and robotics offers synergies including risk-free training, predictive task validation, and enhanced human–robot interaction but faces hurdles such as high hardware costs, motion sickness, and usability constraints. Future research should prioritize interoperability, ergonomic design, and cross-disciplinary collaboration to ensure that XR–robotics systems evolve not merely as tools, but as a paradigm shift in redefining the human–food–environment relationship. Full article

The present study explores the innovative application of virtual reality (VR) in conducting the Radial Arm Maze (RAM) task, a performance-based test traditionally utilized for assessing spatial memory. This study aimed to develop a gamified version of the RAM implemented in immersive VR and investigate the interaction between the sense of presence, movement features, and performance within the RAM. We developed software supporting a head-mounted display (HMD), addressing prior limitations in the scientific literature concerning user interaction, data collection accuracy, operational flexibility, and immersion level. This study involved a sample of healthy young adults who engaged with the immersive VR version of the RAM, examining the influence of VR experience variables (sense of presence, motion sickness, and usability) on RAM performance. Notably, it also introduced the collection and analysis of movement features within the VR environment to ascertain their impact on performance outcomes and their relationship with VR experience variables. The VR application developed is notable for its user-friendliness, adaptability, and integration capability with physiological monitoring devices, marking a significant advance in utilizing VR for cognitive assessments. Findings from our study underscore the importance of VR experience factors in RAM performance, highlighting how a heightened sense of presence can predict better performance, thereby emphasizing engagement and immersion as crucial for task success in VR settings. Additionally, this study revealed how movement parameters within the VR environment, specifically speed and directness, significantly influence RAM performance, offering new insights into optimizing VR experiences for enhanced task performance. Full article

With the development of electrification and intelligent technologies in vehicles, ride comfort issues represented by motion sickness have become a key constraint on the performance of autonomous driving. The occurrence of motion sickness is influenced by the comprehensive movement of the vehicle in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions, involving ACC, LKA, active suspension, etc. Existing motion sickness control method focuses on optimizing the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions separately, or coordinating the optimization control of the longitudinal and lateral directions, while there is relatively little research on the coupling effect and coupled optimization of the longitudinal and vertical directions. This study proposes a coupled framework of ACC and active suspension control system based on MPC. By adding pitch angle changes caused by longitudinal acceleration to the suspension model, a coupled state equation of half-car vertical dynamics and ACC longitudinal dynamics is constructed to achieve integrated optimization of ACC and suspension for motion suppression. The suspension active forces and vehicle acceleration are regulated coordinately to optimize vehicle vertical, longitudinal, and pitch dynamics simultaneously. Simulation experiments show that compared to decoupled control of ACC and suspension, the integrated control framework can be more effective. The research results confirm that the dynamic coordination between the suspension and ACC system can effectively suppress the motion sickness, providing a new idea for solving the comfort conflict in the human vehicle environment coupling system. Full article

This study proposes a novel control framework for semi-active seat suspensions, specifically targeting motion sickness mitigation through precision suppression of vertical vibrations within the 0.1–0.5 Hz frequency range. Firstly, a fractional-order band-stop filter in conjunction with a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) controller under frequency-domain sensitivity constraints (0.1–0.5 Hz) is proposed to achieve frequency-selective vibration attenuation. Secondly, the multi-objective butterfly optimization algorithm (MOBOA) is adopted to optimize the LQR controller’s weighting matrices (Q, R) by balancing conflicting requirements in terms of human body displacement limits, acceleration thresholds, and suspension travel. Finally, experimental validation under concrete pavement excitation and random road profiles demonstrates significant advantages over conventional LQR, i.e., a 41.04% reduction in vertical vibration amplitude and a 55.95% suppression of acceleration peaks within the target frequency band. The combined enhancements offer dual benefits of enhancing ride comfort and motion sickness mitigation in real-world driving scenarios. Full article

Path tracking is an essential task for autonomous driving (AD), for which controllers are designed to issue commands so that vehicles will follow the path of upper-level decision planning properly to ensure operational safety, comfort, and efficiency. Current path-tracking methods still face challenges in balancing tracking accuracy with computational overhead, and more critically, lack consideration for Motion Sickness (MS) mitigation. However, as AD applications divert occupants’ attention to non-driving activities at varying degrees, MS in self-driving vehicles has been significantly exacerbated. This study presents a novel framework, the Hybrid Supervised–Reinforcement Learning (HSRL), designed to reduce passenger discomfort while achieving high-precision tracking performance with computational efficiency. The proposed HSRL employs expert data-guided supervised learning to rapidly optimize the path-tracking model, effectively mitigating the sample efficiency bottleneck inherent in pure Reinforcement Learning (RL). Simultaneously, the RL architecture integrates a passenger MS mechanism into a multi-objective reward function. This design enhances model robustness and control performance, achieving both high-precision tracking and passenger comfort optimization. Simulation experiments demonstrate that the HSRL significantly outperforms Proportional–Integral–Derivative (PID) and Model Predictive Control (MPC), achieving improved tracking accuracy and significantly reducing passengers’ cumulative Motion Sickness Dose Value (MSDV) across several test scenarios. Full article

Immersive tools are being adopted as an alternative to traditional education methods, especially in engineering curricula, where it is common to integrate various disciplines such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of immersive tools and serious games in improving student engagement and knowledge retention in engineering education. This study follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, analyzing 31 articles published between 2020 and 2025 across four databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Dimensions, and ScienceDirect). Articles were included if they complied with the following inclusion criteria: using (any) immersive tools, carrying out evaluation methods, and participation of students in STEM-related engineering courses. The data extracted encompassed sample characteristics, game attributes, evaluation methods, and results. The findings suggest that immersive tools positively impact students’ engagement and motivation. However, challenges such as potential motion sickness, complexity of serious games (SGs), and high implementation costs exist. SG design must balance engagement, immersion and pedagogical effectiveness to ensure viability. Future research should assess long-term impacts and promote methodological consistency across studies, particularly in subject areas and sample demographics, while determining a way to reduce motion sickness and alleviating SG complexity and difficulty. Full article

Background: Platinum-based chemotherapy significantly increases the risk of nausea and vomiting, which can impair the treatment’s efficacy and the patient’s quality of life. This meta-analysis examines the incidence and risk factors of platinum-based chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (PINV) in patients treated with this chemotherapy. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. We conducted a literature search in the databases PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, WanFang, China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Chinese Medical Association Journal Database (CMAJD) through to 20 January 2025. Studies that reported the incidence and identified risk factors of nausea and vomiting specifically in patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy were included in the review. The data were extracted independently by two reviewers. The odds ratios (ORs) for each risk factor were calculated from the included studies. Sensitivity analyses and additional subgroup analyses were performed to ensure the robustness of our findings. Results: This meta-analysis included 32 studies involving 14,207 participants. Female sex (OR = 2.363, 95% CI = 1.363–4.096, p = 0.002), anxiety (OR = 1.689, 95% CI = 1.057–2.700, p = 0.028), fatigue (OR = 1.413, 95% CI = 1.145–1.744, p = 0.001), motion sickness (OR = 1.816, 95% CI = 1.266–2.605, p = 0.001), and a history of vomiting during chemotherapy (OR = 2.728, 95% CI = 1.468–5.069, p = 0.002) were significantly associated with an increased risk of PINV. Conclusion: Female sex, anxiety, fatigue, motion sickness, and a history of vomiting during chemotherapy increase the risk of PINV during platinum-based treatments. Full article

As in-vehicle display environments become increasingly common, addressing motion sickness has become essential due to the intensified visual and vestibular discrepancies introduced by media experiences within vehicles. Prior research highlights that minimizing the conflict between vestibular signals and visual motion perception is crucial for reducing motion sickness. This study aims to identify optimal viewing conditions and simulation settings for motion sickness reduction by experimentally adjusting field of view (FOV) and screen brightness. Specifically, the FOV is narrowed according to vehicle acceleration and angular speed, aligning with simulated vehicle motion through a motion simulator connected to a head-mounted display (HMD). The experimental results indicate that this approach can reduce motion sickness by up to 40%. Additionally, integrating the generated motion data with VR motion data enables a realistic simulation of in-vehicle conditions, suggesting that this method may enhance comfort in actual in-vehicle media environments. Full article

This paper presents a method to design a parameter adaptive suspension controller to boost ride comfort and to reduce motion sickness. According to recently published papers, combined motions of a sprung mass (SPMS) along heave and pitch directions tend to make motion sickness severe. To reduce motion sickness, it is necessary to design a controller which can reduce the heave and pitch vibrations of a SPMS. To avoid full-state feedback which is very difficult to implement in a real vehicle, a static output feedback (SOF) control is chosen as a feedback structure. With the SOF structure, linear quadratic SOF and parameter adaptive controllers are designed. When designing parameter adaptive controllers, an extended Kalman filter (EKF), equivalent to recursive least square (RLS), is selected for parameter adaptation. To verify performance of the controllers, simulation is performed on vehicle simulation tool. From simulation responses, it is checked whether the proposed parameter adaptive controllers are effective or not and which is the best controller, with respect to ride comfort and motion sickness. Full article

Background: As technology continues to shape society, younger generations are increasingly accustomed to its integration into daily life, making it mandatory for medical educators to adopt innovative tools like virtual reality (VR). This systematic review examines the efficacy of VR in obstetric training and patient care, focusing on its impact on educational engagement, procedural skill acquisition, and pain management in obstetric patients. Methods: A systematic review of the current literature was conducted using databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and Clinicaltrials.gov analyzing randomized controlled studies on VR’s use in obstetric training and patient care. Inclusion criteria focused on studies evaluating VR’s role in enhancing clinical skills, and pain and anxiety management during labor and procedures. Only randomized controlled trials published in English were considered. The risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2 for RCTs. Data extraction and quality appraisal were performed independently by two reviewers. Results: A total of 18 studies met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 13 studies focused on VR for pain relief and anxiety reduction, and 5 studies on medical training and skill acquisition. Most studies used immersive VR headsets, while some utilized interactive VR or serious gaming platforms. Adverse effects such as motion sickness and visual discomfort were reported in a few cases but did not significantly impact participant engagement. Conclusions: VR holds the potential to improve obstetric training and patient care by aligning with the learning preferences of younger generations and enhancing both educational and patient care experiences. However, heterogeneity in sample sizes, participants, and intervention types limits generalizability. Further large-scale, high-quality RCTs are needed to validate findings and standardize VR applications in obstetrics. This review was registered in PROSPERO (Registration ID: CRD42024619197). Full article

Background/Objectives: Informed consent is a crucial part of the clinical trial enrollment process in which patients are asked to understand and provide approval for medical interventions. Consent forms can be complex and hinder patient comprehension, highlighting the need for novel tools to improve the patient enrollment experience. This feasibility study aimed to develop an immersive technology to enroll human subjects in oncology clinical trials and provide 3D avatar-based informed consent in a virtual reality (VR) environment. Methods: Clinical feasibility and the effects of head-mounted VR devices on motion sickness and educational quality were evaluated in adult oncology patients enrolled in an intravenous (IV) port placement intervention study. Participants received before- and after-questionnaires to measure their understanding of the information received in VR. A follow-up questionnaire was given four weeks post-consent to measure knowledge retention. Results: Clinical staff reported that VR technology was manageable to use. Among 16 adult participants, all reported that VR was well tolerated with no motion sickness. The mean pre-intervention knowledge score was 64.6%, with an immediate post-intervention knowledge score of 97.9%. A mean knowledge score of 93.3% four-weeks post-consent was observed among 10/16 participants who completed a follow-up questionnaire. Conclusions: These findings support that VR is well tolerated and effective at delivering information during the informed consent process for oncology clinical trials. Key limitations include the small sample size and single clinical population. Further trials are warranted to compare efficacy over traditional consenting mechanisms and include more diverse clinical populations among a wider participant pool. Full article

As virtual reality (VR) becomes increasingly integrated into educational settings, understanding preservice teachers’ (PSTs) perceptions and training needs is crucial for effective classroom implementation. Although existing research emphasizes VR’s educational benefits, limited studies have explored how direct, hands-on VR experiences impact PSTs’ intentions to adopt this technology. This mixed-methods study addresses this gap by examining factors influencing PSTs’ willingness to adopt VR and identifying challenges hindering adoption following immersive VR activities using Oculus Quest. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis indicated that perceived usefulness and enjoyment directly influenced PSTs’ intentions to adopt VR, whereas self-efficacy indirectly influenced intentions through perceived usefulness. Qualitative findings revealed that PSTs’ initial reluctance to adopt VR, primarily due to low self-efficacy and limited VR knowledge, decreased after hands-on experiences, leading to increased willingness to integrate VR into their teaching practices. However, concerns regarding VR’s appropriateness for young learners, potential health risks such as motion sickness, and classroom management challenges persisted. These results underscore the need for targeted VR training in teacher education programs, focusing on enhancing PSTs’ perceived benefits, enjoyment, and self-efficacy while addressing pedagogical and health-related barriers. Full article

Over 400 articles on the pathophysiology of brain aging, neuroaging, and neurodegeneration were reviewed, with a focus on epigenetic mechanisms and numerous non-coding RNAs. In particular, this review the accent is on microRNAs, the discovery of whose pivotal role in gene regulation was recognized by the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Aging is not a gradual process that can be easily modeled and described. Instead, multiple temporal processes occur during aging, and they can lead to mosaic changes that are not uniform in pace. The rate of change depends on a combination of external and internal factors and can be boosted in accelerated aging. The rate can decrease in decelerated aging due to individual structural and functional reserves created by cognitive, physical training, or pharmacological interventions. Neuroaging can be caused by genetic changes, epigenetic modifications, oxidative stress, inflammation, lifestyle, and environmental factors, which are especially noticeable in space environments where adaptive changes can trigger aging-like processes. Numerous candidate molecular biomarkers specific to neuroaging need to be validated to develop diagnostics and countermeasures. Full article