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A Networked Desktop Virtual Reality Setup for Decision Science and Navigation Experiments with Multiple Participants

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Way-finding during a fire emergency: an experimental study in a virtual environment.

Fanxing Meng¹, Wei Zhang

¹a Department of Industrial Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Automobile Safety and Energy , Tsinghua University , Beijing , China.

|April 5, 2014

Summary

Virtual environments (VE) with simulated fire increased stress and altered escape behavior. Fire evacuation systems and education must account for these psychological and physiological responses during emergencies.

Keywords:

emergency evacuation stress virtual environment way-finding

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Virtual Reality Experiments with Physiological Measures

Virtual Reality Experiments with Physiological Measures

Published on: August 29, 2018

Area of Science:

Human-Computer Interaction
Virtual Reality
Emergency Response

Background:

Investigating human behavior in emergencies is crucial for effective safety systems.
Virtual environments offer a controlled setting to study complex emergency responses.
Understanding way-finding behavior under stress informs safety protocol development.

Purpose of the Study:

To experimentally investigate way-finding behavior and response during a fire emergency in a virtual environment (VE).
To compare participant responses in a VE with and without a virtual fire simulation.
To assess the impact of simulated fire on physiological stress and evacuation efficiency.

Main Methods:

Forty participants were divided into two groups: a control group (VE without fire) and a treatment group (VE with virtual fire).
Participants were tasked with finding an emergency exit in a virtual hotel during a simulated fire escape demand.
Physiological measures (skin conductivity, heart rate) and behavioral data (time to notice signs, visual search, escape time) were recorded.

Main Results:

The virtual fire group exhibited significantly higher skin conductivity and heart rate, indicating increased physiological stress.
Participants in the virtual fire condition reported higher psychological stress.
The virtual fire group took longer to notice evacuation signs, had quicker visual search, and a longer overall escape time.

Conclusions:

The presence of virtual fire significantly increased physiological and psychological stress in participants.
Simulated fire conditions influenced way-finding behavior and escape efficiency compared to a non-fire scenario.
Findings suggest that fire evacuation education and system design should incorporate the observed stress responses and behavioral changes during emergencies.