Researchers at SINTEF have been testing a so-called auditory guidance system to support evacuations from smoke-filled tunnels following vehicle fires. The aim of the EvacSound project is to develop a universal and language-neutral system that can be used as a supplement to existing signage and lighting systems. The sounds came from loudspeakers located at 20-metre intervals along the entire length of the tunnel, and which were used to test two different auditory beacons. The researchers’ objective is to identify a sound that causes people intuitively to select it to guide them out of the tunnel, because the beacons are directional.

[Source: Sintef News. 11 June 2020]