SBIR-STTR Award

Reducing the Effect of Motion Sickness by Oculo-Vestibular Equilibration and Suppression (REMOVES)
Award last edited on: 2/4/2013

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
DOD : Army
Total Award Amount
$842,390
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
A10-126
Principal Investigator
Anna M Galea

Company Information

Infoscitex Corporation (AKA: IST)

303 Bear Hill Road Suite 200
Waltham, MA 02451
   (781) 373-1930
   bd@infoscitex.com
   www.infoscitex.com
Location: Multiple
Congr. District: 05
County: Middlesex

Phase I

Contract Number: ----------
Start Date: ----    Completed: ----
Phase I year
2011
Phase I Amount
$119,818
Motion sickness is of particular military importance in the transport of troops, be it by air, by land, or by sea. Motion sickness affects a person's ability to function at the peak of their performance, which is an important concern for troops being transported to the mission theater of operations. Despite the potential difficulties that can be incited by motion sickness, armed forces are frequently subjected to situations that can bring on motion sickness. Driving under indirect-vision driving (IVD) conditions is particularly disposed to result in motion sickness. Despite the importance of mitigating motion sickness, to date the only proven methods for reducing symptoms of motion sickness are pharmacological and thus, are of limited use to armed forces. Pharmaceuticals must be taken in advance of transport, a luxury of time our troops don’t always have. Moreover, they typically have associated cognitive effects which last long after transportation is completed. Our promising on-demand, non-pharmacological method of mitigating motion sickness, will be of considerable aid to our troops driving under IVD conditions, enabling them to reach destinations and complete missions without the adverse and prolonged effects of either motion sickness or traditional treatments.

Keywords:
Vestibular Suppression, Vestibular Stimulation, Motion Sickness, Oculo-Vestibular, Non-Pharmacological

Phase II

Contract Number: ----------
Start Date: ----    Completed: ----
Phase II year
2012
Phase II Amount
$722,572
Motion sickness is of concern in the transport of troops, be it by air, by land, or by sea. Motion sickness affects the ability to function at the peak of performance, which is particularly important for troops immersed in theatre. Despite the potential difficulties that can be incited by motion sickness, armed forces are frequently subjected to situations that can bring on motion sickness. Driving under indirect-vision driving (IVD) conditions is particularly disposed to result in motion sickness. To date the only proven methods for reducing symptoms of motion sickness are pharmacological and thus, are of limited use to armed forces. Pharmaceuticals must be taken in advance of transport, a luxury of time our troops don’t always have. Moreover, they typically have associated cognitive effects which last long after transportation is completed. Our promising on-demand, non-pharmacological method of mitigating motion sickness, will be of considerable aid to our troops driving under IVD conditions, enabling them to reach destinations and complete missions without the adverse and prolonged effects of either motion sickness or traditional treatments. We completed a fully functional prototype of the system during the Phase I effort and are poised to demonstrate its efficacy in laboratory and field tests.

Keywords:
Motion Sickness, Indirect-Vision Driving, Ivd, Vestibular Augmentation