Motion sickness affects millions worldwide—and our dependence on digital devices and screens is creating an epidemic, according to Tom Stoffregen, School of Kinesiology researcher.

Stoffregen, director of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory, says his latest research indicates the root of motion sickness lies not in the inner ear, but in “postural instability” in situations where unusual motion challenges people’s control of their bodies.

In addition to studying why people develop motion sickness in the lab’s “moving room,” Stoffregen and his team of students are among the first in the world to study the effects of video game consoles, iPads, smartphones, and 3D environments on motion sickness. They also are exploring why women are twice as likely as men to experience motion sickness in a 3D environment like Oculus Rift.

Read more about this research on the college’s Vision 2020 blog and in Connect magazine.