Abstract
A new simulator for human evacuation behavior using virtual reality (VR) is developed and applied to study evacuation from a maze. Comparing the results of experiments using the real and VR mazes of same structure, applicability and potential of VR for evacuation behavior are examined. It is found that evacuation behavior can be simulated by the VR system, and the training using VR helps smooth evacuation from the maze. Considering the issues related to disaster drill, such as its mannerism, decrease of participants and their low volition, and safety of the drill, this VR simulator has high potential and can be a useful tool for disaster mitigation. The simulator can also be applied to study the safety of the structures in the planning and design stages as well as existing ones from the view point of human evacuation.
