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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/M69333/01
Title: THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN AUDITORY NAVIGATION BEACON FOR BUILDING EMERGENCY EGRESS
Principal Investigator: Fernando, Professor T
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Sound Alert Ltd
Department: Informatics Research Institute
Organisation: University of Salford
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 October 1999 Ends: 30 September 2002 Value (£): 61,296
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Building Ops & Management
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Construction Healthcare
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
The overall aim of this research is to design, develop and assess the impact of which an audition based navigation beacon would have in enabling fast, efficient emergency evacuation for all possible users of a building. The sounding of these beacons will guide users to the nearest and safest emergency exit. The proposed system addresses an imbalance in visually oriented escape means in current building practice which, under emergency situations can be ineffective in pointing a clear escape path. Additionally, such visual means are useless to many users, such as those with visual impairments. The proposed system therefore addresses the needs of the end user, helping them to feel more confident and safe in the built environment when an emergency situation arises. The approach taken involves the use of predictive virtual acoustic techniques in order to design and evaluate the effectiveness of these beacons. Pre and post video assessments of subject's behaviour, questionaire surveys and in-depth interviews will be taken, with criteria such as efficiency of use, perception and confidence evaluated in order to assess the effectiveness of the system. The RNIB will provide important input into the project.
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Organisation Website: http://www.salford.ac.uk