Proof of Concept - Multi-Floor Indoor Flow
Experimental Aim
To determine if the McMatcher could detect pre-defined pedestrian movement through a multi-level building.
Method
A multi-level building with stairs and a lift/elevator was equipped with 4 x McMatcher devices in the locations shown in the schematic below.
A schematic of the multi-level test building showing locations of the 4 x McMatcher devices, the lift/elevator, and the route the pedestrians took through the building.
Two of our research team (carrying smart phones) walked through the building following the route shown by the green line in the diagram above and in the schematic below. The first person walked 5 x path 1 followed by 5 x path 2. The second person walked 5 x path 2 followed by 5 x path 1.
The two pathways the researchers walked through the building. Path 1 uses the stairs to go up to level 1 and then useds the lift/elevator to return to the ground. The second pathway goes to the first floor using the lift/elevator and returns to the ground floor using the stairs.
Results
The McMatcher devices successfully detected Bluetooth signals from the smart phones carried by the research team. The video of the building layout shows the McMatcher devices picking up the signals during a typical experimental run.
The following video shows how the McMatchers successfully determined the route of the researcher through the building.
Finally, as the Bluetooth signals of other cuilding occupants could be detected whilst this experiment was being undertaken, we were able to construct flow choice and path choice probability diagrams. These indicate that pedestrians prefer to use the lift/elevator to go upstairs.
A flow choice and path choice probability diagram which shows that there is a preference for using the lift/elevator to go upstairs.
Conclusion
The McMatcher has demostrated it can determine the probability that different routes are utilised by individuals to navigate through multi-level buildings.