Augmented reality to guide pedestrian evacuation in earthquake events

Abstract

Augmented Reality is a promising technology to support safe pedestrian evacuation from buildings during earthquakes. The widespread availability of phone cameras makes this idea feasible. QR codes, for instance, can place virtual three-dimensional objects to guide people along a prescribed route. In this work, a prototypical system based on this premise was created in response to the 2020 sudden surge in seismic activity in Puerto Rico. The results point towards feasibility as well as to a series of areas that require improvement for a real-life implementation.