Evacuating in Virtual Reality: Advancing Insights into Individual Behavior at Crowded Events

Abstract

Knowledge of human behavior is essential to ensure evacuation efficiency at large-scale events. However, gaining necessary understanding of individual behavior in security-related events is challenging due to ethical and logistical constraints in real-life studies. Although virtual reality (VR) simulations are used as a flexible alternative, more research on the applicability of immersive virtual environments for evacuation studies is necessary. This work-in-progress paper presents preliminary results from a project featuring (1) the development of a highly immersive, adaptable VR-based simulation to study behavior and perceptions during evacuations of an open-air event and (2) initial findings on how a virtual crowd influence evacuation route choices and perceptions focusing on herding behavior. The current state suggests strong potential of the environment for evacuation research. Future comparisons of behavior and perceptions in less complex environments will provide further insights into the transferability of results to real-life behavior.