EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON CAUSES OF LOST CHILDREN ON THE BEACH USING VR

Abstract

 Total of 8.3 to 16 million people visit approximately 200 major beaches annually in Japan, 700 to 1,400 lost children have been reported recently. It is quite possible that children who are separated from their parents become involved in drowning accidents at beaches, and appropriate countermeasures are required. Although there have been some previous studies on the use of landmarks to guide paths for lost children, there have been no studies that consider the height of children's eye level on beaches where there are few landmarks. In this study, as fundamental research for studying measures against lost children at beaches, we investigated the characteristics of objects that are conspicuous and memorable by children at their eye level through virtual reality (VR) experiments. As a result, differences in the number and duration of fixation were observed between children and adults depending on the difference in their eye level. Subjects of children's eye level paid more attention to objects that were closer or lower, while subjects of adults' eye level gazed at objects that were farther away.