A Virtual Reality experiment on evacuation took place in the Fire Lab during the summer, in the context of a PhD thesis. Researchers at the Division of Fire Safety Engineering fitted a VR hotel room in a 4x4 m2 area in our lab, so the participants could see the VR room using a wireless head-mounted display, and walk freely in the clear space in the lab without hitting any obstacles. The experiment looked into evacuation from a hotel room, replicating some of the conditions of the MGM Grand fire in Las Vegas, 1980. The participants did not know they were in a fire lab, and a couple of them after the experiment said it was so realistic they could smell smoke!

See the VR-environment in a video