HACKER Q&A
📣 kite_and_code

How to travel by train without vibrations / getting shaken up


When traveling home for Christmas, I was thinking that traveling by train is a great means of “autonomous travel” (in fact there is an advertising by the German railway company that describes the outcomes of autonomous cars and then the punchline points towards trains). However, I get some nausea from the constant vibrations/getting shaken up (how would a native English speaker express this?) and I am wondering how to minimize that disturbance? (Noise is no Problem any more with noise canceling headphones and, optional, music)

For the first version I am not primarily interested in re-engineering the whole train wagon because I don’t have the budget for that xP

However, I am wondering if there is a way for a clever “child seat-like” thing that buffers the movements before they reach my body? (Maybe similar to the floating backpack?)

I would be grateful for any pointers or contacts to mechanical(?) engineers that know how to approach that.

In case someone wants to build it: my personal willingness to pay is (currently) somewhere between 100-500$ if it is somehow portable like a backpack.


  👤 MrGuts Accepted Answer ✓
Motion sickness isn't caused by the shaking and vibration, at least not directly. The problem arises because your inner ear and eyeballs are sending contradictory signals to your brain.

The solution: sit near a window where you have an outside steady visual reference to the shaking. I got very carsick once while reading a book in the back seat. I was advised to put the book down and look outside, and the problem subsided.

Try it, you may find it helpful. Have a great vacation!


👤 ArtWomb
Vibrations from wind are causing "extreme nausea" in skyscrapers on Billionaire's Row

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docInde...

Vibrations also are a huge challenge for micro gravity experiments on ISS, where every source of noise down to a cosmic ray has to be accounted for. NASA invented a compact dampener, essentially linear springs in tensile harmony.

Best of Luck!

https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/LAR-TOPS-189


👤 themodelplumber
I can't speak to the engineering side but I will share my general travel-sickness tips:

First, there are quite a few different types of motion sickness foods and supplements. I get good results from ginger, like ginger snaps or this candy called gin-gins. I also tried a raspberry-flavored motion sickness aid and it worked great. Your local medical professionals or specifically audiologists or ENTs may be able to suggest some other good ideas here.

Second, activities and locations within the vehicle seem to make a huge difference. I would try: Not looking down at anything if possible. It helps me to look generally toward the horizon, out a window. I would also divide my time between walking and sitting, and change facing directions frequently, paying attention to what's working and what's not.

Third, I would take full advantage of debarking at all stops and even schedule a layover or two if possible.

Fourth, sleep seems to help some people skip over the worst of the event. I would personally try a sleep supplement like melatonin.

Finally, please do check with train travel professionals. Good luck and happy holidays, I hope it can be tolerable or even enjoyable for you.


👤 ardourdev
Sit as close to the middle of the carriage as possible, since the carriage rotates about the centre and this results in more movement at the ends.

👤 throwaway984393
A memory foam or Purple mattress/pillow might help, they isolate movements when you lay on them. You might experiment with making a sort of 'child seat' made of the foam, which you might be able to get from a used mattress? You can also buy memory foam toppers which are somewhat cheaper than a full mattress.

However, one part of me thinks that if you ever rode on an Amtrak train, you'd never complain about movement on European railways again =]


👤 zalo
Since the train only shakes side to side (and not up-down or forwards-backwards), you only really need spring dampening along one axis.

While you could set up a linear rail with some pretensioned bungie cables (similar to how the Hover Glide backpacks work), I’d recommend using parallel leaf springs as they’re lightweight, low-form factor, mechanically simple, and low stiffness.

Here are some links to 3D printed inspiration: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2574629 https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4738960 https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4411343

The key to supporting human weight is to replace the thin plastic leaf springs with sheet metal. You can also add more springs in parallel (increasing the weight it can support, but reducing the travel).

And some of my gifs of them in motion: https://imgur.com/a/YH4HQpo


👤 QuelqueChose
Have you seen the engineered "glasses" [1] designed to help combat motion sickness during long trips by car, boat, or train? The idea is that there are liquids injected into the "frame" which help create an artificial horizon of sorts, which is designed to trick your brain into smoothing out the mixed messages your movement sensors otherwise get from vibrations and motions.

Of course, they do look a little silly and they don't directly help with the "shaken up" feeling you're trying to avoid, but it would be an interesting test to go against what the article claims is a 95% effectiveness against motion sickness.

[1] https://www.healthline.com/health/glasses-for-motion-sicknes...


👤 pcowans
Try to sit in the middle of the carriage. I don't get motion sickness on trains, but I find doing that makes a meaningful difference to how comfortable it is to type on a laptop on a commuter train.

👤 open-source-ux
I don't have an answer to your question I'm afraid, but I have the opposite experience to you. I find the steady, rhymic sway of the train carriage quite pleasant and is likely to make me nod off.

It's not just me, other passengers can often be seen dozing. Even a jolt or bump in the journey doesn't appear to disturb some passengers while dozing.

Someone unknown once likened the steady sway of the train to like rocking a cot from one side to another. Could that be why it makes some passengers sleepy? (I have no idea!)


👤 sokoloff
A friend had serious motion sickness issues when traveling by small plane. We tried ginger (worked a little), looking outside (worked a lot, but got boring), the wrist pressure bracelets (didn’t help much), and the electronic shock bracelets for motion sickness (worked great).

Might try those before going for a cumbersome device that likely won’t work better. The electronic bracelet seemed like a gimmick, but it really worked for her.


👤 sloaken
I agree with MrGuts. Travel during daytime and look out the window. I get nausea on a train if I am backwards. I tried sitting backwards recently to see if I have grown out of it ... nope.

Like MrGuts if I read, and the path is not smooth, I get sick.

Airplanes do not have this effect on me.

On boats, the typical cure is to go look outside at the horizon.

Other cure, close your eyes.


👤 Aaargh20318
> In case someone wants to build it: my personal willingness to pay is (currently) somewhere between 100-500$ if it is somehow portable like a backpack.

A box of anti motion-sickness medication costs about €3 for 20 pills and is significantly smaller than a backpack.


👤 goerz
One thing I find helps with the vibrations (up to a point) is to keep my laptop on my lap, as opposed to on the foldup table

👤 thmorriss
I think a native English speaker would describe it exactly as you did.