Auditory guidance in a smoke-filled tunnel
article
As a test on auditory guidance, participants tried to .nd refuge and safety in a
road tunnel in dense smoke with sound beacons over the escape exits. The
beacons emitted a 'shhussing' noise with a 5-Hz pulse frequency. Three groups
participated, 32 or 33 participants per group, the first with minimal instruction
(sound not mentioned), the second with beacons instruction sound beacons help
you to orient', and the third with full instruction sound beacons over the escape
exits'. The percentage of participants .nding an escape exit was 16, 21, and 70%,
respectively. While the potential of auditory guidance is amply demonstrated,
there is the possibility that improvement in the recognition of the sound could
improve escape exit usage further. It is recommended to include in the sound of
the beacon the speech fragment 'exit here'. This will probably eliminate the need
for instruction. If, in the future, the beacons are used broadly (in buildings, on ships and planes), the recognition issue should diminish.
road tunnel in dense smoke with sound beacons over the escape exits. The
beacons emitted a 'shhussing' noise with a 5-Hz pulse frequency. Three groups
participated, 32 or 33 participants per group, the first with minimal instruction
(sound not mentioned), the second with beacons instruction sound beacons help
you to orient', and the third with full instruction sound beacons over the escape
exits'. The percentage of participants .nding an escape exit was 16, 21, and 70%,
respectively. While the potential of auditory guidance is amply demonstrated,
there is the possibility that improvement in the recognition of the sound could
improve escape exit usage further. It is recommended to include in the sound of
the beacon the speech fragment 'exit here'. This will probably eliminate the need
for instruction. If, in the future, the beacons are used broadly (in buildings, on ships and planes), the recognition issue should diminish.
TNO Identifier
11691
Source
Ergonomics, 47(10), pp. 1131 - 1140.
Pages
1131 - 1140
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