University of Nevada, Reno Evaluation of Smart Underground
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University of Nevada, Reno Evaluation of Smart Underground Mine Evacuation Efficiency through Virtual Reality Simulations A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Mining Engineering by Simone J. Gaab Dr. Javad Sattarvand, Advisor December, 2019 © by Simone José Gaab All Rights Reserved THE GRADUATE SCHOOL We recommend that the thesis prepared under our supervision by Simone J. Gaab Entitled Evaluation of Smart Underground Mine Evacuation Efficiency through Virtual Reality Simulations be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Dr. Javad Sattarvand, Advisor Dr. Manoj K. Mohanty, Committee Member Dr. Frederick C. Harris, Jr., Graduate School Representative David W. Zeh, Ph.D., Dean, Graduate School December, 2019 i Abstract As mineral deposits gradually show lower grades and higher depths, the number of underground mining operations will have to grow in the future in order to sustain the populations thriving need for mineral resources. Underground mine operations are inherently dangerous. Hazards such as fires, explosions and caving of the rock are rare, but once they occur a speedy and safe egress of the mine workers is critical to their survival. Underground mine tunnel systems can extend to several hundred miles, with some employees working in the most remote developments. Static evacuation routes marked by exit signs or directional lines along the tunnel wall, can be obstructed by obstacles such as rockfall or made hardly noticeable in low-visibility conditions caused by smoke or dust. A vast amount of research has investigated and developed real-time evacuation guidance systems for occupational buildings. Those smart systems take changing environmental conditions into account and adjust the evacuation guidance systems to indicate the shortest path to the egress while avoiding danger zones. The goal of this study was to determine if such a smart evacuation guidance system is more efficient than conventional approaches that use exit signs and if this thesis proves true to further quantify the efficiency. The test environment of this study was chosen to be a Virtual Reality (VR) underground mine. Research suggests that VR simulations are a cost-efficient, resource- saving and safe alternative to real-life simulations while still providing valuable indications. In total thirteen (13) volunteers participated in the study. They were asked to evacuate the VR underground mine, two times using the conventional and two times being guided by the smart evacuation system. The statistical analysis of the total evacuation time proved that there was a significant difference between the efficiency of conventional and smart evacuation guidance systems. The highest achieved reduction in total evacuation time using the smart method amounted to nearly 40%. 83.33% of the participants preferred the smart evacuation guidance system over the conventional guidance system. Moreover, 100% agreed that smart evacuation could enhance mine safety. ii Acknowledgment First of all I want to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Javad Sattarvand, who has given me the great possibility to study at the University of Nevada, Reno and has therefore allowed me to live my own version of the American Dream that I had nurtured since my early childhood. Most importantly, though, his constant motivation and reassurance helped me overcome barriers that I had set myself. I cherish every word of wisdom that he has shared with me. Furthermore, I want to thank Frederick C. Harris Jr. for introducing me to the world of Virtual Reality in his experimental teaching style, which transformed frustrating programming sessions to enjoyable experiments. His small pieces of advice along the way always proofed to be very impactful. The weekly calls with Sebnem Duzgun from the Colorado School of Mines cannot be left unmentioned. With her background in Mining Engineering as well as Virtual Reality she provided me with some key information and insights that propelled my research and greatly facilitated me in piecing together the puzzle. I want to thank our Chair of the Department, Manoj Mohanty, who was always ready to sit down with me and lend a hand whenever I felt overwhelmed with the complex world of statistics. My family, my friends and my fiancé Christopher Liddle did not only patiently tolerate my mood-swings during these daring times, but reminded me that there is more that defines me than my academic degrees. This is a piece of advice I want to pass on to my fellow graduate students. I am incredibly grateful for the people that are accompanying me on life’s journey. This material is based in part upon work supported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety under the project number 75D30119C06044 with the title “Capacity Building in Artificially Intelligent Mining Systems (AIMS) for Safer and Healthier Automated Operations”. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety. iii Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................... i Acknowledgment ...................................................................................... ii List of Tables ........................................................................................... v List of Figures ........................................................................................ vi List of Abbreviations ............................................................................. viii 1. Introduction ....................................................................................... 1 1.1 Underground Mining ..................................................................... 1 1.2 Smart Evacuation .......................................................................... 1 1.3 Virtual Reality .............................................................................. 2 1.4 Purpose ........................................................................................ 2 1.5 Problem Statement ........................................................................ 2 1.6 Experiments ................................................................................. 3 1.7 Thesis Structure ............................................................................ 3 2. Legislation History and Current State ................................................... 4 2.1 Historic Drivers of Mine Evacuation Legislation ............................. 4 2.2 Legislation ................................................................................... 8 3. Means of Evacuation .......................................................................... 12 3.1 Conventional Evacuation Technologies .......................................... 12 3.2 State-of-the-Art ........................................................................... 18 4. Human Factor .................................................................................... 24 4.1 Cognitive Navigation ................................................................... 24 4.2 Behavioral Response to Emergency Evacuations ............................. 24 5. Virtual Reality as Training and Evaluation Tool ................................... 27 5.1 Introduction to Virtual Reality ...................................................... 27 5.2 Applications in Mining ................................................................. 27 5.3 Navigation in VR ......................................................................... 29 6. Experiment ........................................................................................ 31 6.1 Hypotheses .................................................................................. 31 6.2 Experimental Design .................................................................... 31 6.3 The Virtual Simulation Environment ............................................. 36 7. Results & Analysis ............................................................................ 41 7.1 Sample Description ...................................................................... 41 7.2 Quantitative Results ..................................................................... 41 7.3 Qualitative Results ....................................................................... 48 8. Conclusion and Future Research ......................................................... 53 8.1 Conclusion .................................................................................. 53 8.2 Future Research ........................................................................... 54 iv Bibliography ........................................................................................... 55 Appendices ............................................................................................. 65 Employees and Fatalities in Mining ...................................... 65 Fatalities per Accident Category .......................................... 66 US Mining Legislation ......................................................... 67 UNR IRB Approval ............................................................. 70 UNR IRB Advertisement Email ............................................ 71 UNR