See-Level Harnesses the Power of VR for the Seasick

Christchurch-based start-up See-Level may have found a seasickness cure using virtual reality to provide relief for sufferers. Yachting World’s Will Bruton reports on the innovation.

See-Level founder Dudley Jackson, originally from the Isle of Wight, started the business after being forced to call off his own circumnavigation plans. “I’d bought the boat, got ready over a number of years and was excited to cross oceans,” Jackson explains. But overcome by seasickness as soon as he was offshore, he returned to New Zealand disappointed, turning to his background in IT to find a solution.

Jackson was introduced to VR gaming by his son. “I was shocked at how quickly I got motion sickness,” he recalls. But it raised the question: “If virtual reality can make me sick, could it remove seasickness just as quickly? And the answer is: yes.”

A virtual reality headset provides 360° immersion in a virtual environment, which, combined with sound, effectively seals out the real world.

Original article by Will Bruton, Yachting World, June 17, 2021.