Enhancing Indoor Emergency Navigation with MR Glass-es

Short description: The objective of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of MR glasses with and without mini-maps in enhancing user performance for indoor emergency navigation.

Keywords:  Mixed Reality (MR), indoor navigation, emergency response, mini-maps

Topic at: TU Munich

Staff involved: Nianhua Liu (nianhua.liu@tum.de)  

Description:

In emergency situations, quick and accurate navigation is crucial, particularly in unfamiliar indoor en-vironments where users may not be aware of escape routes or important objects like AEDs. Traditional mobile maps are often ineffective in these scenarios due to their limitations in indoor spaces. This study will explore the potential of MR glasses to provide real-time, interactive guidance for indoor emergency navigation, focusing on enhancing spatial awareness and decision-making.

Participants will be individuals unfamiliar with a particular indoor environment, ensuring they have no pre-existing knowledge of the space. The study will compare the performance of users navigating with MR glasses that include mini-maps to those using MR glasses without them. Participants will complete benchmark tasks, such as finding objects (e.g., an AED) and planning evacuation routes during simulat-ed emergencies. Their spatial perception, memory, and efficiency in navigating these critical tasks will be evaluated.

Additionally, the study will explore various interactive techniques within the MR interface, including zoom-in and zoom-out gestures, as well as methods for switching between different routes. By analyz-ing user performance across these different interaction modes, the research aims to identify which features of MR glasses most effectively support emergency navigation, with broader implications for the design of future MR-based indoor navigation tools in disaster scenarios.

Figure below: Example of HMD MR, Microsoft HoloLens 2 (Liu et al., 2022)

Literature/references:

  1. Liu, B., Ding, L., Wang, S., & Meng, L. (2022). Designing Mixed Reality-Based Indoor Navigation for User Studies. KN - Journal of Cartography and Geographic Information, 72(2), 129–138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42489-022-00108-4