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A Questionable Experiment in Motion Sickness

Tom Scott | January 13, 2026



Go see William Osman’s video about building the car! – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZK_fnS62Lk and thanks to Michael Reeves for being a guinea pig: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHaxi4GTYDpJgMSGy7AeSw/

We built a car that you drive with real-life video game lag, and used it for an ill-advised, mostly-unscientific experiment about motion sickness.

In case it wasn’t obvious: we did this in a private area away from public roads and other traffic, and I insisted on more safety checks than William and Michael would normally have. Don’t try this unless you’re doing the same!

Edited by Elliot Gough
Audio mix by Graham Haerther

REFERENCES:

Treisman, M. (1977). Motion sickness: an evolutionary hypothesis. Science, 197(4302), 493-495. doi: 10.1126/science.301659

Spinks, R. (2018). We still don’t understand motion sickness, but it’s likely to get worse in the digital age. Retrieved from https://qz.com/quartzy/1379653/we-still-dont-understand-motion-sickness-but-its-likely-to-get-worse-in-the-digital-age/

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Written by Tom Scott

Comments

This post currently has 23 comments.

  1. @TomScottGo

    January 13, 2026 at 11:23 am

    In case it wasn't obvious: we did this in a private area away from public roads and other traffic, and I insisted on more safety checks than William and Michael would normally have. Don't try this unless you're doing the same!

  2. @tawney1023

    January 13, 2026 at 11:23 am

    I know this is six years old, but having watched yours and Williams videos, I really wanted a point where we saw the feed from the top of the car, and the delayed dashcams on screen at once. Just to get a real feel.for that delay amount. Fingers crossed for an archives video one day

  3. @scrawnytony3174

    January 13, 2026 at 11:23 am

    I think the funniest part is, in his comment on Will’s video, Tom describes this as an “idea that came to us over lunch”, implying that before this video they were already tight enough to have casual lunches together.

  4. @alexcrazy1492

    January 13, 2026 at 11:23 am

    I thought I would never see the day where William husband, Tom Scott and Michael Reeves make a terrible creation and then suffer the consequences of it to test it. I have been proven wrong. I am very glad about that.

  5. @ferretyluv

    January 13, 2026 at 11:23 am

    Didn’t Tom actually talk to a research team at Brandeis or something where they were researching nausea and the vestibular system?
    Also, the brain thinking it’s been poisoned is perfectly testable. It’s what happens when you drink alcohol. That’s why people can’t stand up straight when they’re drunk.

  6. @topilinkala1594

    January 13, 2026 at 11:23 am

    One thing I missed or it was not said: Were they trying to drive straight or slalom the cones? I assume slalom but like I said I think Tom never told us. I was baffled how they could not keep the car straight, but if you slalom then that answers the question.

Comments are closed.




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