VRVis uses Virtual Reality technology to demonstrate the need to catch up in the marking and lighting of escape routes.
In a press release on June 14, 2018, VRVis draws attention to the need to catch up in the marking and lighting of escape routes. The signage and lighting of escape routes in public facilities and workplaces is laid down in official norms and standards. Some are binding, some only informal. However, current research results based on Virtual Reality technology show that these regulations take too little account of visual impairments.
VRVis has developed a tool that simulates visual impairment in Virtual Reality. The visual impairments are graphically simulated so that the user has only limited or poor visibility when looking through the VR glasses. This allows to test how distances, font sizes and lighting intensity are perceived in the case of classic visual ailments or cataracts.
Project Manager DI Katharina Krösl explains: "With VR technology we can very easily simulate all possible visual impairments and thus test whether today's standards for distances and placement of escape route signs, for example in old people's homes, are sufficient". For this application in particular, a separate wheelchair simulation was programmed so that not only the visual impairment could be simulated, but also the limited mobility. It turns out that there is some catching up to do here. "Initial results indicate that some regulations and recommendations in the field of lighting and signage are too conservative and would not be sufficient for people with impaired vision," notes Krösl. The Virtual Reality tool is an interesting tool for lighting planners and architects and can help in designing facilities and escape routes which are inclusive for all visual impairments. Research will subsequently be expanded by intelligent lighting systems that react differently to different needs ("smart lighting").