Study of exit choice behaviour in metro station using partial immersive virtual reality

Abstract

Exit choice in emergency evacuation is of utmost importance. In a multi-exit scenario, the choice of emergency exit leads to a safer destination. Evacuees can choose other exits also. Understanding the factors affecting the exit choice is important. In this study, an exit choice experiment is conducted to understand the factors affecting the exit choice. Partial immersive virtual reality is used to record the choices of individuals in twelve different scenarios. An efficient choice design is made for the scenario creation. Unreal engine, a game engine with better graphics, particle system, and blueprints is used to give participants a virtual experience of the fire emergency in a metro station. Participants are partially immersed in a wide computer screen for this experiment. The recorded exit choice information is used to calibrate different multinomial logit models. The results indicate that the choice of emergency exit in different scenarios is not same for all participants. The factors such as distance, queue time, fire and smoke negatively impact the exit choices.