Galvanic vestibular stimulation system and method of use for simulation, directional cueing, and alleviating motion-related sickness

1. A system for motion simulation or treating motion sickness, the system comprising:

a controller configured to determine an indication of sensed motion experienced by a human subject and configured to determine an activation pattern of stimulation signals of differing values applied to different locations of the human subject needed for non-visual motion perceived by the human subject to match the sensed motion;

a stimulation module connected to the controller configured to generate the activation pattern of stimulation signals of differing values applied to different locations of the human subject determined by the controller; and

at least three distinct sets of electrodes responsive to said activation pattern of stimulation signals of differing values applied to different locations of the human subject configured to provide the human subject with a non-visual perception of motion in at least three separate directions that are coordinated with the sensed motion.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one electrode is placed on a forehead of the human subject.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein at least one electrode is placed on a mastoid of the human subject.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein at least one electrode is placed on an alternate mastoid of the human subject.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein at least one electrode along the sagittal plane is placed on the back of the neck of the human subject.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the sets of electrodes includes a first electrode and a second electrode and one of the first and second electrodes is an active electrode and another of the first and second electrodes is a neutral electrode.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein a first set of electrodes includes the first electrode on the forehead of the human subject and the second electrode on the mastoid of the human subject, a second set of electrodes includes the first electrode and the second electrode on the alternative mastoid of the human subject, and a third set of electrodes includes the first electrode and the second electrode on the back of the neck of the human subject.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensed motion further comprises an orientation measurement of the head of the human subject.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to generate information for creating a video display showing the sensed motion experienced by the human subject.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising one or more video display devices to display the sensed motion to the human subject.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising a movable object for enclosing the human subject or for the human subject to sit on or stand on wherein the movable object is controlled by the controller and adapted to produce actual movement of the human subject correlated to the sensed motion.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising an electronic input device to be operated by the human subject such that manipulation thereof results in the sensed motion.

13. The system of claim 1 in which the stimulator module includes a current generator configured to generate the activation pattern of stimulation signals.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the current generator is configured to controllably supply voltage to the first electrode in an amount different from voltage cycled to the second electrode in order to generate the activation pattern of stimulation signals of differing values applied to different locations of the human subject.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least three separate directions include one or more of: roll, pitch, yaw, up/down, right/left, and forward/backward.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the controller is further configured to identify a level of non-visual motion to match the display corresponding to the sensed motion on the one or more video display devices and determine the activation pattern of stimulation signals of differing values applied to different locations of the human subject.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to identify a level of non-visual motion to counteract motion sickness created by the sensed motion and determine the activation pattern of stimulation signals of differing values applied to different locations of the human subject needed to counteract the motion sickness.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the activation pattern of stimulation signals of differing values applied to different locations of the human subject includes DC signals of differing values applied to different locations on the human subject.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the DC signals of differing values include repeated periodic DC stimulations.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the activation pattern of stimulation signals includes current values selected in the range of about 1 mA to about 2.5 mA.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein the activation pattern of stimulation signals of differing values applied to different locations of the human subject are ramped over a period of about 0 msec to about 600 msec.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the activation pattern of stimulation signals of differing values applied to different locations of the human subject includes a train of pulses.

23. The system of claim 17 wherein the motion sickness is a motion-related sickness including one or more of: drowsiness, pallor, vomiting, dizziness, sweat, nausea, headache, warmth, and salivation.

24. The system of claim 18 in which the controller include a computer.