It is very difficult to study group panic in an emergency. After a terrorist attack or natural disaster, the focus is on reducing the number of casualties and economic losses, rather than collecting data on group behavior. Reproducing these incidents in the laboratory can cause ethical controversy. How should investigators study the behavior of groups in emergencies? The Max Planck Institute for Human Development, the Swiss Disney Research Institute in Zurich, Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, and a team of scientists at Rutgers University in the United States created these emergencies in a virtual environment to study the real-world group panic. Messrs. researcher Mehdi Moussaïd said: “In the study of group behavior, emergency is the most difficult situation to understand because it is difficult to collect the required data. In the past, we had a few cameras on the site of the accident. The captured data is analyzed, but it is still difficult to assess." He continued: "Additionally, it is impossible to study such emergencies experimentally because it is immoral and it is dangerous for the experimental participants. It is essential to understand the group behavior in emergencies through real data. Unreasonably, at least the current method is impossible to achieve." So Moussaïd and his team created a virtual environment that used the door as an obstacle, flashing red light as a source of pressure, and a virtual flame that blocked a specific exit. They allowed 36 experimental participants to control their avatars and allow them to see the behavior of other avatars, but they were not allowed to communicate with each other. When the virtual flame rose, the researchers let experimental participants flee the building. Moussaïd said: "Everyone is flocking to the exit and creating a similar panic." Interestingly, the behavior of the characters in virtual reality has many similarities with the real world human behavior. Moussaïd pointed out: "We have not found a clear difference in the behavior of people in real and virtual situations." For example, most people in the virtual world will go right, just like humans in the real world. However, the avatar's movement speed is slower than that of real-world humans, perhaps because this is not a real danger, so the escape response is not strong enough. Moussaïd and his talks hope that the data collected will help other researchers better understand group behavior. He said: “We need to collect more data on people’s behaviour in different emergency situations. This will help us to better understand what is happening. This way we can develop more practical solutions to evacuate stressful escapes. Become more secure." The Urban Planning Institute can use this simulation to design a virtual environment and test its safety before construction begins. By simulating the layout of the building and analyzing the group reactions in an emergency, engineers can better design the house and make the building safer when the accident occurs. 3 Mm /8 Mm Nano Tip,Electronic Board Marker Pen,Touch Board Marker Pens,Infared Smart Board Marker Shenzhen Ruidian Technology CO., Ltd , https://www.wisonen.com
