Interactive evacuation in intelligent buildings assisted by mixed reality

Abstract

Intelligent buildings offer a great opportunity to evacuate people more efficiently and safely by using dynamic evacuation guidance systems in comparison to static escape route signs. Static systems are unable to react to temporary events; their signs might guide the occupants directly to the hazard in the worst case. A dynamic system on the other hand determines the hazard position and calculates and displays an alternative escape route to avoiding the hazard position. In this work, we present a detailed study of current research approaches and introduce two algorithms developed for building evacuation. The first algorithm demonstrates the static evacuation and leads directly to the nearest exit. The second algorithm reacts dynamically to temporary events such as fire. A comparison of these algorithms shows that the dynamic system is more efficient. In order to test the dynamic approach in a real environment, a device to display the evacuation route is required. We propose a novel interactive evacuation approach using mixed reality glasses (HoloLens) for user guidance. A user study shows the advantages of the HoloLens and verifies our findings from the simulation in a real environment.