So long to sea, car and flying sickness, scientists have found that motion sickness could be cured by an electric shock to the brain. A smartphone app could cure travel sickness, according to a team of researchers.
A recent study showed that the symptoms of motion sickness, whether if they occur when travelling by car, boat or plane, could be relieved by sending a mild electric shock to that part of the brain where motion sensors can be found.
In five to ten years, the team of scientists said that an alternative to travel sickness drugs will be available through an app that could cure motion sickness by delivering small electric currents to the left side of our brain. It would have the same effect as the one induced by the motion sickness tablets, but without the dizziness. The only difference is that you might feel a little tingle when pressing the button.
Motion sickness is believed to establish when the ears and eyes receive mixed messages, leaving the brain puzzled and causing dizziness and nausea. In the US, around one third of the population suffer from motion sickness, especially at young ages. The most popular type of motion sickness is sea sickness, which is also the most severe form, although car and plane sickness can be just as troubling for some.
Researchers at the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London said they are confident that soon people will be able to buy anti-motion sickness devices from about anywhere, that if they don’t find a way of equipping smartphones with such a feature. How would they do that? it’s quite simple, they would modify the headphone jacks so they could deliver the required amount of electricity to your brain. For that, you would need to temporarily attach a couple of electrodes to your head before embarking on your journey.
This isn’t the first study that provides evidence for the electroshock treatment of motion sickness, but the idea of implementing the discovery in mobile devices sure is something to be excited for.
Photo credits: flickr
