A virtual reality system for simulating social distancing in public places

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This project will create a virtual reality tool for investigating how to minimise the spread of Covid19 and other diseases in public places. We will develop a virtual reality system that tracks the spread of the virus as an infected user moves through a particular environment. The system will enable the layout of the environment to be altered and rules for customer behaviour to be set.We will focus on the specific activity of supermarket shopping, but the software will be designed so that it can be adapted to other relevant situations such as public transport, hospital settings and care homes.Previous studies have attempted to model how a virus spreads; for example, a team at Aalto University modelled how aerosol particles can spread and dilute when an infected person coughs. Our approach will complement such studies by providing a practical tool to explore the effect of modifications to environmental layout and customer behaviour on transmission of the virus.The system will allow customisation of store layout such as aisle spacing, and customer behaviour such as social distancing guidance.Virtual Reality enables us to transport a user, in this case a shopper, into a particular environment in a way that is safe, controllable and more convenient than conducting actual research in store. We will invite supermarket representatives and public health experts to be involved defining user requirements at the start of the project. A user group will be recruited to assist with testing.Each user will be given a shopping list and will simulate the shopping experience in several different store layouts using a first-person perspective. The store will be populated with other (biometrically accurate) avatars with pre-programmed paths around the store. Each shopping experience will be replayed in a 3rd person perspective with 'collisions' highlighted where people break the social distancing rule.The Covid19 pandemic has increased pressure on supermarkets to acknowledge their responsibility to society. Whereas normally store layouts are designed to maximise profit, usually by making a customer's route as circuitous as possible, this technology will enable the effect on disease spread to be assessed.Beyond this project, the system will be adapted for other retail stores, and other public environments, such as public transport. Ultimately it will enable Public Health England to assess, and communicate visually, the impacts of social distancing in public places which will improve public awareness and inform national guidelines.An extension is requested for the purpose of additional testing and analysis, and for new user research with sector participants. The new supermarket simulation tool will be used to: examine shopping habits at the supermarket and how these have been affected by COVID-19 and related restrictions; examine the effectiveness of some of the current changes supermarkets have made to ensure the safety of shoppers; to explore the use of alternative supermarket layouts and customer guidance which may improve the overall safety of customers and enhance the customer experience.