Human interaction with virtual reality: investigating pre-evacuation efficiency in building emergency

Abstract

The current manuscript verifies the use of virtual reality (VR)-based methodology as a helpful way to study human behavior during the pre-evacuation period, considering the influence of pre-emergency activity (competitive tasks). Two conditions with different engagement levels (i.e., low and high) were set up, and sixty company workers were distributed across conditions randomly. Five types of evacuation behaviors were defined, and compliance behavior results showed most participants (66.7%) evacuated with the ISO-type evacuation alarm in low engagement condition, whereas only 20% of participants evacuated in high engagement situation. Statistical results confirmed the influence of pre-emergency activity on evacuation efficiency. Open-ended questions summarized three levels of knowledge background that justified the reasons/motivations behind pre-evacuation behaviors. simulator sickness, presence, and usability questionnaires confirmed the variable control between conditions. In summary, the VR-based methodology successfully reproduced evacuation behaviors similar to real situations, with the influence of pre-emergency activity. This study added a step to the efficacy of using VR as a tool to study human behavior during the pre-evacuation period and pointed out the need for the next generation of alarms, which will improve human safety in building emergencies.