Interactive wayfinding systems in emergency and evacuation conditions: design of an integrated building component and CAVE-based assessment

Effective Emergency Wayfinding Signages (EWSs) play a critical role in ensuring safe and efficient evacuation during emergencies. This study presents the design and evaluation of an integrated, dynamic EWS within an Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) environment, leveraging a CAVE-based (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) experimental setup. The proposed EWS relies on real-time monitoring of environmental emergency conditions, including user behavior analysis, through a centralized data-driven approach. Dynamic signs then show alerts in the evacuation process and address the best evacuation path according to centralized routing algorithms. In particular, the impact of interactive wayfinding technologies on evacuation performance is compared to that of standard passive EWS, considering the effects on user path selection. Results highlight the advantages of dynamic EWS in improving directional guidance under adverse conditions, particularly in scenarios with low visibility due to smoke or power failure. Findings also suggest that IVRbased assessments can serve as a powerful tool for refining emergency signage strategies before real-world implementation, ultimately enhancing occupant safety and evacuation efficiency