A virtual reality system for simulating social distancing in public places

该项目将创建一个虚拟现实工具，用于研究如何最大限度地减少Covid 19和其他疾病在公共场所的传播。我们将开发一个虚拟现实系统，当受感染的用户在特定环境中移动时，该系统将跟踪病毒的传播。该系统将能够改变环境的布局，并为客户行为设置规则。我们将专注于超市购物的特定活动，但软件将被设计为可以适应其他相关情况，如公共交通，医院环境和护理院。例如，阿尔托大学的一个研究小组模拟了受感染者咳嗽时气溶胶颗粒如何扩散和稀释。我们的方法将通过提供一个实用的工具来探索改变环境布局和顾客行为对病毒传播的影响，从而补充这些研究。该系统将允许定制商店布局（如过道间距）和顾客行为（如社交距离指导）。虚拟现实使我们能够以安全的方式将用户（在这种情况下是购物者）运送到特定环境中，比在商店里进行实际研究更方便。我们将邀请超级市场代表和公共卫生专家在项目开始时参与确定用户要求。一个用户组将被招募来协助测试。每个用户将获得一个购物清单，并将使用第一人称视角在几个不同的商店布局中模拟购物体验。商店将填充有其他（生物统计学上准确的）化身，这些化身具有商店周围的预编程路径。每一次购物体验都将以第三人称视角回放，当人们打破社交距离规则时，“碰撞”会被突出显示。新冠肺炎疫情加大了超市承认其社会责任的压力。通常商店的布局是为了利润最大化而设计的，通常是通过使顾客的路线尽可能迂回，而这项技术将能够评估对疾病传播的影响。除了这个项目，该系统将适用于其他零售商店和其他公共环境，如公共交通。最终，它将使英国公共卫生部能够评估和直观地传达公共场所社交距离的影响，这将提高公众意识，并为国家指导方针提供信息。新的超市模拟工具将用于：检查超市的购物习惯以及这些习惯如何受到COVID-19和相关限制的影响;检查超市目前为确保购物者安全所做的一些改变的有效性;探索使用替代超市布局和客户指导，这可能会改善客户的整体安全并提升客户体验。

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.