Walking Research Articles

Heading estimation algorithm for pedestrian navigation using a dual-foot-mounted IMU with a millimetre wave radar

Heading estimation is crucial in pedestrian navigation systems based on IMUs, but accuracy often suffers degradation due to error accumulation. This study introduces a novel heading estimation algorithm using dual-foot-mounted IMUs with a millimeter-wave radar to enhance accuracy. The algorithm includes a Single-foot Multiconditional Constraint Algorithm (SMC-A), adaptive step length constraint, and bipedal maximum heading difference constraint. Firstly, the SMC-A utilizes zero speed correction, zero angular rate updates, and self-observing heading error corrections through extended Kalman filtering. Then, the adaptive step length constraint limits pedestrian motion, and the bipedal constraint corrects heading errors. Finally, the Bipedal Multiconditional Constraint Algorithm (BMC-A) incorporates millimeter-wave radar measurements of foot distance. Experiments show heading deviations of 3.74° and 4.03° are obtained for the left and right feet over a 30-minute, 1.45 km trial. The new algorithm improves heading accuracy by 68.19 % and 70.67 % for the left and right feet, respectively, compared to traditional SMC-A.

Cellular automaton simulations of hybrid pedestrian movement in two-route situation

In this paper, we simulate the hybrid pedestrian movement considering both operational and tactical levels. The video data of our pedestrian route choice experiments are used for validations. Based on the CA model proposed by Nowak and Schadschneider, we build a new modeling framework and introduce six new parameters. Their values are determined by sensitivity analysis. To consider the influence of five statistical results in the simulations, including the velocities and densities of two routes, and the proportion of choosing the longer route, we propose a new metric named OPE (Overall Percentage Error). In order to reduce OPE, four models with different configurations are discussed and compared. We find that the use of shorter time step, modified SFF and the two-stage decision can help to improve the model performance. The simulation results in some other experimental run also shows the validity and universality of the model. In addition, we also compare the outputs of some typical pedestrian simulation software (e.g., AnyLogic), and we find our model has better results.

Socio-Spatial Analysis of Indigenous Cultural Tourism Sites: A Comparative Study of Kampoeng Wisata Cinangneng, Bogor, Indonesia and Tam-Awan Village, Baguio City, Philippines

Abstract The diversified image and expanded settings of tourism in cultural landscapes pose an interesting challenge in preserving their tangible and intangible aspects and strengthening their relationships and representations. The study focuses on the comparative socio-spatial analysis of two mountainous cultural tourism sites — Kampoeng Wisata Cinangneng in Bogor Regency, West Java, Indonesia, and Tam-Awan Village in Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines — with the local cultures of Sundanese and Ifugao, respectively. The study aims to understand the local cultures of Sundanese and Ifugao through their cultural activities present, to identify the natural and human-made landscape assets and their organization that reflect their cultures, and to study how these landscape assets are used by tourists. The research utilizes a descriptive qualitative approach and a comparative case study research design model through participatory observation, digital mapping, and thematic analysis. Data are translated on how each culture’s social structures are represented through the physical elements and how users act on it as representations of the culture, in return. Data shows differences in the sites’ socio-spatiality and representations. Cinangneng provides first-hand teaching and demonstration in the guided and controlled tours, while Tam-Awan offers a more flexible and self-directed learning through visual aids. The major physical difference of the sites are the topography and slopes, affecting the location of the built up structures and the pedestrian movement around them, creating Cinangneng’s passive and controlled experience and Tam-Awan’s active user experience. Understanding the socio-spatial relationships of these sites can help tourism policymakers, planners, managers, and other related stakeholders in recognizing cultural landscapes, their elements and spatial organization, and their representations in the evolving values of different cultures, especially in the Southeast Asian region.

Visual inertial localization method assisted by pedestrian motion features

Visual-inertial SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) is a reliable and effective positioning method in indoor and outdoor environments. However, low-cost sensors and extreme environments (such as low light and weak textures) severely impact the nonlinear optimization within the sliding window, loop closure detection, and graph optimization. To address this, the Pedestrian Dead Reckoning (PDR) algorithm, capable of providing robust pose estimation over a certain time period, is introduced as an auxiliary to enhance overall performance. However, its heading is susceptible to inaccurate readings due to variations in magnetic field anomalies.The paper proposes integrating the velocity, attitude, and stride information provided by PDR into the visual-inertial SLAM optimization, which can improve the localization accuracy by 60%. In extreme scenarios, incorporating the PDR pose information into loop closure detection and graph optimization can improve the localization accuracy by over 30%. Furthermore, utilizing the heading information from visual-inertial SLAM to correct the PDR heading offset caused by magnetic anomalies can improve the localization accuracy by over 20%.

A Comparative Study of Body Composition and Aerobic Capacity between Water and Land Exercise Walking in Male College Students with Mild Obesity

This study explores the impact of water and land fitness walking on the body composition and aerobic capacity of mildly obese male college students. Employing a randomized controlled trial, 36 mildly obese male college students were divided into a water group, a land group, and a non-intervention control group. Following a 4-week exercise intervention, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and power bicycle tests assessed body composition and aerobic capacity. The results revealed that both the water and land groups significantly enhanced relative maximum oxygen uptake and lactate threshold, with the water group showing greater improvement. Additionally, water fitness walking significantly reduced body composition indicators including body weight, BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and thigh circumference. However, there were no significant changes in height, chest circumference, muscle mass, and bone density. The research indicates that water fitness walking uniquely enhances aerobic exercise capacity and body composition, offering a scientific foundation for college students to select effective weight loss exercise methods.

Development of a framework for assessing train passengers' post‐boarding behaviours based on their perceptions

AbstractWhile existing literature has focused on modelling pedestrian movement on platforms, there is a lack of understanding of passengers' perceptions, motivations, and influential factors that shape their on‐board behaviours and choices. This study developed a conceptual framework to assess passengers' post‐boarding behaviours and perceptions, specifically focusing on their actions and choices inside the train carriages. The conceptual framework was tested through survey data of 429 passengers in Melbourne, Australia. The result shows that door access is the most influential factor when passengers choose where to stand or sit on board, followed by comfort, safety, privacy, and random factors. Furthermore, the study explores the relationship between the post‐boarding behaviour variables and travellers’ personal and trip characteristic variables. The analysis shows that carrying large items has a more significant effect on many post‐boarding behaviour variables. Gender, age group, travel frequency, waiting time, and carrying small items also play significant roles. However, variables such as travel time and frequency of group travel have lesser effects. These novel findings offer valuable insights, laying the groundwork for future modelling activities. Moreover, the understanding derived from passenger perceptions can guide transport agencies and operators in shaping strategies to improve onboard services.

An experimental study on the impact of motivation and gender on pedestrian movement characteristics in a bottleneck flow

The influence of different motivations on pedestrian evacuation efficiency, like whether incentivizing faster moving or encouraging polite behaviors is beneficial to evacuation, and the potential existence of gender-based differences, still lacks clear answers. This study aims to narrow this gap by conducting a laboratory bottleneck evacuation experiment to investigate the influence of movement motivation and gender of pedestrians on evacuation efficiency. Our findings reveal that both bottleneck width and pedestrian motivation significantly impact the flow. For men, when the bottleneck width surpasses a threshold, high motivation increases the flow; below this threshold, it reduces the flow. For women, high motivation consistently leads to higher evacuation efficiency than normal motivation regardless of the bottleneck width. The time interval is significantly influenced by the bottleneck width, pedestrians’ gender and their interaction term. Increasing bottleneck width does not always lead to a decrease in density when men are highly motivated; while for women, wider bottlenecks alleviate congestion around the exit.

Piezo sensor-based operational strain modal analysis of structures: Transition from lab to field application

This study evaluates piezo sensors for modal identification of a scaled-down prototype of a pedestrian foot-over bridge under pedestrian motions and further extends the application in real-life structures. The piezo sensors-based results are compared with the accelerometers-based displacement modal parameters. Pedestrian motions are adopted to simulate the operational conditions of a pedestrian footover bridge with different patterns of pedestrian motions. Piezo sensors are found to effectively capture the low amplitude dynamic strain response under pedestrian motions. Strain modal testing captures the modal parameters positively correlated with conventional acceleration modal testing. Staggered pedestrian motions are best suited for actuating the structure uniformly at all instrumented nodes. Piezo sensor-based modal testing is extended to modal testing of real-life footover bridges under low amplitude ambient pedestrian traffic. Piezo sensors successfully capture the bending and torsion modes with good correlation with accelerometers-based modes. The strain-based modal parameters are obtained with excellent repeatability and negligible deviation.

Mathematical modeling of the movement of vehicles and pedestrians at unregulated intersections

Mathematical modeling of the movement of vehicles and pedestrians at unregulated intersections

Developing a Methodology to Assess Pedestrian Walkability in the City Markets Using Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Techniques

City markets are one of the busiest urban areas in India and experience heavy pedestrian footfall. This study uses multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) techniques to rank market roads based on the existing condition of pedestrian infrastructure. A set of seven key attributes was identified containing 28 sub-attributes influencing pedestrian walkability. Videography and photographic surveys were conducted at selected roads of Aminabad Market (AM) in Lucknow, and Silchar Market (SM) in Silchar. Attribute weights were calculated using the entropy weight method, and the roads were ranked using the analytical hierarchy process, the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution, and a novel walkability metric called the Market Walkability Index. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was found to be more than 0.9 among all three methods, indicating conformity in ranking. Internal or minor roads of both the market areas (AM and SM) were observed to be the most used roads of the market areas for pedestrian movement. Still, they were not safe and walkable for pedestrian movement, indicating that more emphasis is required on these roads to improve the overall quality of the pedestrian walking environment. Research findings are expected to be essential inputs for rational decision-making about pedestrian infrastructure improvement in developing countries, which could contribute to a safer and more efficient environment for pedestrian movement.

Single-file movement of pedestrians at different visibility levels

Previous studies indicate that the movement of pedestrians under poor visibility conditions is significantly different from that under good visibility conditions. To investigate the influence of visibility factor on the longitudinal movement of pedestrian, series of single-file experiments were performed under the quantitative control of visibility level. Based on the extracted trajectories, typical evacuation behavior and movement characteristics of pedestrians under different visibility conditions are explored. It is found that the lateral swing amplitude of pedestrians during movement is within 20 cm under low densities while it is close to 30 cm at high densities. The free velocity under the light transmission of 100 %, 2.2 %, 0.5 % and 0.1 % is 0.856 m/s, 0.823 m/s, 0.741 m/s and 0.712 m/s respectively. Individuals cannot accurately perceive the surrounding situations with the worsening of visual condition, therefore the movement speed decreases under the poor visibilities. Besides, two regimes including the constrained regime and free regime are identified in the headway-velocity relation at different visibility levels. The maximum specific flow under the light transmission of 100 %, 2.2 %, 0.5 % and 0.1 % is 0.70 s−1, 0.67 s−1, 0.62 s−1 and 0.55 s−1 respectively. The study is helpful to reveal the pedestrian dynamics of single-file movement under the limited visibility conditions.

Evacuation dynamics of pedestrians passing through a low-boundary exit in the context of sound signal

Previous studies indicate that congestion is more likely to occur in the exit restriction area. Besides the background music in public places may have a potential impact on pedestrian movement. However, the influence mechanisms of low-boundary exit and background music on pedestrian evacuation are still unclear. Therefore, in this paper, the evacuation characteristics of pedestrians at a low-boundary exit were investigated with a series of controlled experiments. Different commands (listening to music while walking and following the tempo of the music) and different types of music (music and metronome) were designed in the experiment to analyze the influence of sound signal on the evacuation process. The result indicates that a larger width of low-boundary exit leads to a shorter evacuation time. The flow of low-boundary exit is higher than that of high-boundary exit. In addition, it is found that sound signal has a negative effect on evacuation efficiency, and the influence level is varied with different commands and music types. Specifically, the flow of following the beat of music is lower than that of listening to music, while the flow of walking with the beat of metronome is higher than that of walking with the beat of music. This study can contribute to understanding the evacuation dynamics of pedestrians when passing through a low-boundary exit. Furthermore, the performance of sound signal can be useful to develop management strategies for pedestrians under the emergency evacuation.

Physics constrained pedestrian trajectory prediction with probability quantification

Accurately understanding and predicting the future trajectories of pedestrians around autonomous vehicles is a major challenge. Due to the uncertainty and diversity of pedestrian trajectories, current research focuses on the multimodality of trajectory prediction. Currently, multimodal pedestrian prediction methods mainly use deep generative networks to generate mutually independent trajectories through independent sampling strategy, thus focusing on modes with a large number of samples. Moreover, deep generative networks are black-box models that are entirely data-driven and cannot effectively explain trajectory generation. In addition, current research lacks an effective measure for each trajectory. Therefore, in our paper, we propose a physics constrained pedestrian trajectory prediction with probability quantification. We divide multimodal trajectory prediction into two phases: trajectory generation phase and trajectory selection phase. During the trajectory generation phase, rather than directly predicting trajectories, we incorporate a differential constraint module to ensure that the generated trajectories adhere to pedestrian motion laws. This approach enhances the interpretability of the model prediction process. Subsequently, we generate a set of candidate trajectory proposals with specific correlations through the correlated sampling module. During the trajectory selection phase, a probability selection module is proposed to establish explicit probability distributions for the candidate trajectory proposals and to select the proposal with the highest probability as the final output. Extensive experiments on a public real-world pedestrian trajectory dataset show that our proposed model exhibits significant advantages over existing models in multimodal trajectory prediction, which not only effectively reduces the error but also mitigates mode collapse. Moreover, we provide probabilities for each trajectory to better capture the model uncertainty and provide more comprehensive information for downstream decision-making systems.

Understanding pedestrian movement using urban sensing technologies: the promise of audio-based sensors

While various sensors have been deployed to monitor vehicular flows, sensing pedestrian movement is still nascent. Yet walking is a significant mode of travel in many cities, especially those in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Understanding pedestrian volumes and flows is essential for designing safer and more attractive pedestrian infrastructure and for controlling periodic overcrowding. This study discusses a new approach to scale up urban sensing of people with the help of novel audio-based technology. It assesses the benefits and limitations of microphone-based sensors as compared to other forms of pedestrian sensing. A large-scale dataset called ASPED is presented, which includes high-quality audio recordings along with video recordings used for labeling the pedestrian count data. The baseline analyses highlight the promise of using audio sensors for pedestrian tracking, although algorithmic and technological improvements to make the sensors practically usable continue. This study also demonstrates how the data can be leveraged to predict pedestrian trajectories. Finally, it discusses the use cases and scenarios where audio-based pedestrian sensing can support better urban and transportation planning.

Penerapan Konsep Walkability Skala Manusia Berbasis Kegiatan Pelajar dalam Kawasan Pendidikan

Walkability is one part of realizing sustainable and livable city planning and design. The education area is one of the areas in urban areas that has a complex and dynamic level of problems. The attraction of the educational function in an area causes a high movement of people and goods so that in its development various commercial functions grow in it. The M.A Turungku road corridor is part of the education area in Buol City. In the corridor there are various educational functions starting from the elementary, secondary, to upper levels. The pull of the existence of the educational function in the M.A Turungku road corridor has resulted in the growth of commercial functions followed by its impact on the decline in environmental quality. The decline in the quality of the physical environment that occurs in the M.A Turungku road corridor has an impact on the comfort of walking activities, especially for students in the corridor. Therefore, in this study, the improvement of walkability in the M.A Turungku road corridor will be studied through a human-scale approach based on student activities. The research approach uses a rationalistic approach with data collection techniques through systematic observation. The results of this study show that the comfort level of human sensing when walking on the M.A Turungku road corridor gets an uncomfortable value. Meanwhile, in the results of the analysis of pedestrian movements and behavior, during the day in segment 2 of the M.A Turungku road corridor, outdoor activities occur very dynamically where main activities, additional activities, and follow-up activities of pedestrians are formed.

Robust pedestrian multi-object tracking in the intelligent bus environment

Abstract Pedestrian multi-object tracking algorithms aim to maintain identity information of pedestrians by comparing the similarity between trajectories and detections, predicting pedestrian motion trajectories. However, within the context of intelligent bus, challenges arise due to factors such as passenger growth and vehicle vibrations, rendering existing pedestrian multi-object tracking algorithms less accurate. Therefore, this paper proposes an intelligent bus terminal robust pedestrian multi-object tracking algorithm named pure motion (PM), which can consistently and stably track pedestrians. The proposed algorithm employs several key strategies. Firstly, it optimizes trajectory prediction by adapting the aspect ratio of the prediction box based on pedestrian movement, automatically adjusting its shape, and selecting velocity weight coefficients according to different tracking targets. Secondly, it decomposes the homography matrix to acquire motion components and correct predicted results under motion conditions. Subsequently, the algorithm leverages the similarity between detection results and trajectories to retain high-confidence detections, eliminating low-confidence ones associated with background, thereby reducing false negatives and enhancing trajectory coherence. Futhermore, the introduction of detection confidence into trajectory updates to enhances the precision of measurement noise. The proposed algorithm underwent testing in intelligent bus driving scenarios, including turns, waiting for traffic lights, emergency braking, and approaching bus stops. The tracking accuracy on the MOT17-13-val dataset reaches 81.8. The results demonstrate that PM significantly improves the robustness of pedestrian multi-object tracking algorithms in the environment of intelligent bus.

Spatial matching of emergency shelters to the distribution of residents in the light of transport behaviours of evacuees during war: the case of Suwałki

The aim of the article was the assessment of the spatial matching of existing shelters (supply) to the distribution of residents in Suwałki (demand), considering their declared transport behaviours while evacuating during war. The analysis was conducted based on the locations of existing emergency shelters using data on population distribution (registration data with building accuracy). Spatial alignment was determined using the P-Median problem and E2SFCA. In terms of establishing vehicular or pedestrian travel time, the Manhattan metric based on the urban road network model was utilised. A model of vehicle movement speed was then constructed, while a constant speed was assumed for pedestrian movement. Additionally, survey data on the transport behaviour of inhabitants of Suwałki in the case of war were conducted in 2023. The study concluded that the population residing within the city limits should evacuate on foot, and that prior training on the evacuation process is especially necessary for those who reside in less populated areas of the city. The analyses also showed that existing emergency shelters are overly dispersed, making management difficult for emergency services. Since the current capacity of emergency shelters is not sufficient for the number and distribution of inhabitants of Suwałki, the most practical significance of this article in this respect is to indicate to the authorities the optimal number and location for emergency shelters (to improve the evacuation process).

Unveiling Urban Vulnerabilities: Analysis of Pedestrian Safety and Experience at 2 No Gate, A Major Arterial Road in Chittagong, Bangladesh

In developing countries such as Bangladesh, pedestrian safety is a pressing concern due to inadequate infrastructureand increased vehicular traffic resulting in frequent conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles in urban areas.Chittagong is the second-largest city in Bangladesh where, in addition to road accidents, pedestrians also encounterchallenges due to the prevalent issue of water clogging caused by the inadequate drainage system. The study aims toanalyze the experience and the multifaceted risks faced by pedestrians in Chittagong which include road safetyconcerns as well as the threats during monsoon seasons. The research gathers data leading to twofold investigationson 2-no. gate area, based on the physical infrastructure and the road users’ behavior using human perception analysis,an in-depth questionnaire survey, and examining the previously occurring accidents. Analyzing the data, the paper hasattempted to shed light on the major causes and factors of pedestrian accidents in the area and suggested appropriateguidelines to reduce accidents and enhance pedestrian movement facilities in similar scenarios.

Optimizing phased-evacuation strategy for high-rise buildings in fire

Evacuation in high-rise buildings is a critical safety issue due to multiple floors and high occupant density. Phased evacuation strategies can mitigate this challenge. This research focuses on developing optimal phased evacuation strategies to enhance occupant safety during high-rise building fires. The study demonstrates these strategies in a 25-story building, housing 2400 individuals, across various scenarios. To simulate fire and smoke development, a two-zone model is employed to analyze behavior within the building. Pedestrian evacuation scenarios are simulated using Pathfinder and a mathematical model, providing insights into individual movements and congestion during evacuation to analyze different phased evacuation strategies. Findings underscore the importance of smoke flow and pedestrian motion in optimizing phased evacuation strategies. The modeling results show that implementing the optimal strategy can lead to a 65 % reduction in staircase congestion time. This study provides a quantitative analysis of high-rise building fires, considering dynamic fire and evacuation evolution. It emphasizes the importance of phased evacuation strategies and advocates for their real-life application. This research enhances the understanding of high-rise building evacuations to improve safety measures and provides a robust framework for optimizing evacuation strategies by integrating fire modeling. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of phased evacuation and paves the way for future applications to ensure occupant safety in fire emergencies.

Automatic Zebra Crossing Using Raspberry PI

The Automatic Zebra Crossing project enhances pedestrian safety and convenience at zebra crossings using an Atmega8 microcontroller board, a time display, and Progisp software. The project features a pair of automatic gates positioned at both ends of the zebra crossing, closing whenever the traffic signal turns red to stop vehicles. This closure effectively restricts pedestrian movement beyond the zebra crossing area, ensuring enhanced safety. The system works like an automatic stairway, with the gates being opened or closed depending on the condition of the traffic signal. As the central control device, the Atmega8 microcontroller board processes inputs from the traffic signal and generates control signals to open and close the gates. The time display tells pedestrians how much time is left until they can cross in real time. The Atmega8 microcontroller is programmed using the Progisp software, allowing the construction of the control logic and synchronization with the traffic signal. The software enables the microcontroller to work seamlessly with the gate motors and the time display. The Automatic Zebra Crossing system dramatically improves pedestrian safety by keeping people inside the crossing area when the light is red. This system uses gates for straying, lowering accident rates, and optimizing traffic flow. The project documentation outlines the software implementation with Progisp and explains the hardware setup. This setup involves an Atmega8 microcontroller board, gate motors, and a time display. The code integrates a control logic for synchronization.Hardware Requirement:  Raspberry Pi- Pico  Mobile Wi-fi Module  Power Supply Unit  Motor Unit  Relay Unit  Software Requirement:  Python  PC  Web page