Goggles which trick and eye and brain claim to solve travel sickness

A new invention could end one of the great bugbears of flying – travel sickness. It comes at a price – £300 – but the goggles can help a passenger feel a sense of balance, even on a moving aircraft.

Inflight magazine Image by JO NAYLOR / CC BY 2.0

Sky News reports that the new appliance are due to be shown at a technology convention in the US, adding that the intention is that one day the goggles could be an integral part of every seat on an airplane.

The company which has manufactured them says that the virtual horizon in the goggles helps to trick the eye and the brain. This means that what the body feels when actually flying and what the eye tells the brain become the same.

The product development manager for the company Flow IFE, Leon Codrington, said sickness during travel occurs when there is a difference between those two components.

The simple technique has aroused the interest of a number of airlines and the goggles can also be used for passengers to see footage of their destination to help them prepare for their time there.

British Airways doctor Mark Popplestone said that while very few people suffered from air sickness, it could be a very unpleasant experience with the chances being that it if you suffer from the malaise, it will continue to be a problem when you fly.