Bárány chair

The Bárány chair, named for the Austrian physiologist Robert Bárány, is a device used for aerospace physiology training, particularly for student pilots. The subject is placed in the chair, blindfolded, then spun rapidly about the vertical axis while keeping his head upright or tilted forward or to the side. The subject is then asked to perform tasks such as determine his direction of rotation while blindfolded, or rapidly change the orientation of his head, or attempt to point at a stationary object without blindfold after the chair is stopped. The chair is used to demonstrate spatial disorientation effects, proving that the vestibular system is not to be trusted in flight. Pilots are taught that they should instead rely on their flight instruments.

The device is also used in motion sickness therapy, which generally has a high success rate.

Bárány used this device in his ground-breaking research into the role of the inner ear in our sense of balance, which won him the 1914 Nobel prize.

Also see

 * Spatial disorientation
 * Air India Flight 855
 * John F. Kennedy, Jr.