Alleviating Seasickness through Brain-Computer Interface-based Attention Shift

TL;DR

This study develops a brain-computer interface that uses attention shift techniques to effectively reduce seasickness symptoms in maritime environments, validated through real-world experiments with positive participant feedback.

Contribution

It introduces a novel BCI-based method incorporating attention shift tasks like breath counting to alleviate seasickness, validated in real-world maritime settings.

Findings

81.39% participants found BCI intervention effective

EEG signatures of motion sickness were effectively regulated

Theta/beta ratio decreased during attention shift tasks

Abstract

Seasickness poses a widespread problem that adversely impacts both passenger comfort and the operational efficiency of maritime crews. Although attention shift has been proposed as a potential method to alleviate symptoms of motion sickness, its efficacy remains to be rigorously validated, especially in maritime environments. In this study, we develop an AI-driven brain-computer interface (BCI) to realize sustained and practical attention shift by incorporating tasks such as breath counting. Forty-three participants completed a real-world nautical experiment consisting of a real-feedback session, a resting session, and a pseudo-feedback session. Notably, 81.39\% of the participants reported that the BCI intervention was effective. EEG analysis revealed that the proposed system can effectively regulate motion sickness EEG signatures, such as an decrease in total band power, along with an increase in theta relative power and a decrease in beta relative power. Furthermore, an indicator of attentional focus, the theta/beta ratio, exhibited a significant reduction during the real-feedback session, providing further evidence to support the effectiveness of the BCI in shifting attention. Collectively, this study presents a novel nonpharmacological, portable, and effective approach for seasickness intervention, which has the potential to open up a brand-new application domain for BCIs.