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Future Airline Safety Instructions Will Be Given By Game Apps
vrml (3027321) writes "They revealed the existence of their project only to aviation safety specialists at the recent FAA Conference on Cabin Safety in Philadelphia (PDF). Now a team of Italian researchers from the HCI Lab of the University of Udine has publicly released the first in a set of aviation safety apps on which they are working. Their mission is to propose novel, first-of-their-kind solutions to a well-known problem in aviation safety: passengers lack preparedness about what to do in aircraft emergencies, and do not pay attention or do not clearly comprehend the pre-flight briefings and safety cards used by airlines to instruct them about safety. So the project is re-inventing safety cards and briefings with new media, turning them into games and apps. The first game they decided to release focuses specifically on the 'Brace for impact' position: players can pose the body of their avatar in the 3D airplane cabin and get a personalized simulation of a crash landing . To win the game, you must save your avatar (and yourself)."
I hope it's like that "stair dismount" game from a few years back. Pick a position, crash the plane, and get points for how injured your passenger is!
I would love to see a Double Dragon style brawler where you tried to make your way to the emergency exit as fast as possible, bonus points for knocking back into seats people trying to extract heavy overhead items to take with them down the slide.
Or those simply too slow, but then you'd lose points for that - unless you carried them...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
If you want to win a tasteless award, you have to do better than that. A local TV station just started Lost reruns two weeks ago.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Will they kick me off the plane if I lose the game?
This is an example of where a lack of understanding of the risks involved leads to a lack of appreciation of the safety requirement.
You're right: in a "falling out of the air" crash where the aircraft is destroyed, having the tray table secured won't save you.
However, the vast majority of aircraft don't fall out of the sky.
Let's consider the real likely outcomes:
The plane touches down a little too fast, and decelerates particularly hard. Almost certainly all the passengers will survive. Having your tray table down allows it to fly upwards as a result of the braking force, hitting your chin on the way through and giving you either severe whiplash, a broken jaw, or a concussion. Having your tray table secured will ensure that none of those happen, and the worst possible outcome is moderate whiplash.
Similarly with having the seat back upright vs reclined: a passenger thrown forward as a result of the rapid deceleration is more likely to hit a reclined seat (which is thus closer to them) than an upright one.
Being in the brace position means that your body is as far forward as it physically can go, which reduces the likelihood that your head or arms are thrown forward into the seat in front.
The safety instructions are not there to help you survive a destructive crash, they're there to reduce the number of injuries you receive in a non-fatal crash.
"Go to CNN [for a] spell-checked, fact-checked summary" -- CmdrTaco
The problem is, if I can get my avatar into a position where he's catapulted across the plane, that's a lot more satisfying than actually winning the game.
More importantly, please tell me what's in the pre-flight safety check.
Chances are that you've heard it so many times that you could give it.
Your belt clips around your waist. You undo by lifting the buckle. Your oxygen mask will drop down from the overhead compartment. Your exits are here, here and here, etc. etc. etc.
The danger of the pre-flight "safety" check is that it's nonsensical to do it. Emergency measures should not be designed that people have to learn to use them. They should be clearly marked, with - at most - one simple diagrammatic instruction. If you can't make them that simple, redesign them.
Same goes for nautical safety but there's a lot more to go wrong by your own hands on a ship. In a plane, well, you're just holding onto your own backside and hoping it all goes okay no matter what.
Honestly, I think it's about time we scrapped them. They tell us nothing we'll remember in an emergency, even though we've memorised every step. They talk about extreme situations that happen in extraordinarily rare circumstances. They scare passengers who are nervous. And yet, pretty much, studies show that in an emergency it's every man for himself and we'll all forget the briefing anyway.
Take the briefing away. Take the flight safety card away, Put simplified instructions everywhere (oxygen mask is here, pull to start flow, with a little diagram). Let people relax on their flight without being FORCED to sit through a briefing they are desperate to shut the hell up so they can sleep.
If you want to have the briefing, do this - hand out a little app that lets you do it on a personal basis.
Most importantly - SHUT THE HELL UP on flights. Let people relax, sleep and journey and then - when an emergency happens - they won't be so stressed that they do quite so stupid things.
The safety instructions are not there to help you survive a destructive crash, they're there to reduce the number of injuries you receive in a non-fatal crash.
Actually it's sort of both. If the plane crashes and everyone doesn't die instantly then your chances of survival are really high if you just make sure to get out of there as soon as possible, often times post-crash fires claim more lives than the initial crash does.
Also if you crash on water, get the hell out of there and don't inflate your life jacket till you've left the airplane
Monstar L
OK, but where does the live vests come in this scenarion of a taxiway fender-bender?
bickerdyke
âoeTell me, and I will forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand.â
The safety instructions are mostly just telling, because the showing part is, for most passengers, too far away and happens too fast to be useful. Anything that forces the learner to actually do something with the material himself works much better than just telling the material.
Duke-Dont-Nuke-Em
Table-ized A.I.
Hate to break it to you, but people will behave like stupid dolts in an emergency situation anyway, safety instruction or not. Let's all move to the exits in an orderly manner... yeah, right. If you have any moral problems with using kids as a stepping stone on your way to the top of the pile of humans trying to get to the exit, it's been a pleasure to have known you.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I think a live demonstration of putting on a life vest is worth more than any drawing on a piece of paper.
No sig today...
As is normal. Seriously, what do you expect? People will do what is necessary to avoid death. Ok, most people would. And bluntly, so would I. Sorry, but I don't make a good martyr. If I need to get out of a building to save my life and your 4 year old is in the way, get him out of the way if you want him to live.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Actually it's sort of both. If the plane crashes and everyone doesn't die instantly then your chances of survival are really high if you just make sure to get out of there as soon as possible, often times post-crash fires claim more lives than the initial crash does.the airplane
Yep, I saw that documentary too.
Your chances of survival are mostly dependent on how close you are to the emergency exit and how many people you can beat to the door. Remember that the cabin may be full of smoke and you won't be able to see/hear a damn thing, you'll be doing it by feel so count the rows when you sit down and know which way to go.
Also important is to position your legs well so they don't get broken when the seat collapses (they're designed to collapse to absorb impact). Broken legs are a common injury and impede your egress considerably.
No sig today...
Perhaps we should be campaigning for people to undergo aircraft-emergency simulations?
You're right that people panic, but people only panic because the situation is unusual. If people regularly experience "emergency" situations without the danger/fear (especially throughout childhood), they can be trained in what to do enough that handling a real emergency becomes routine and practically instinctual.
Just don't make me play the game. This sounds like the most boring game i will ever play.
If you're so familiar with the safety briefing that you could give it yourself, then the briefings are working *exactly* as they are intended to!
Emergency preparedness is intended to drill these practices into you so that when the time comes, you don't have to think about what to do, you know what to do. Believe me, in a panic situation most ill prepared people don't calmly assess their surroundings and take the time to look for the instructions, but their first reaction is to get themselves out of harm's way as soon as possible. How do I find that emergency exit now that the cabin is filled with smoke? I looked for it when I boarded and I know that it is two rows behind me. Someone who has never been told to look for this exit may not even realize that it is there, nor will they think to look for the patterns in the lights on the floor that indicate you are at an exit row.
I am a very frequent flier, and could give the safety briefing myself, but I still make an effort to put down what I'm doing and pay attention. Why? Because I want to set an example for those who *should* be listening, since I don't want something that they do in a panic later to cause me harm.
Agreed. I've been in a panic i-might-die situation once in my life and anyone who believes you can think rationally in that situation without a LOT of training is wrong. Fear takes over and fear is the most powerful emotion we have.
or what about the extreme roaming fees that make a 10 meg down load cost $150-$200 in roaming fees
Yeah. I'm going to enjoy this game.
Have gnu, will travel.
If the plane comes crashing down having your tray table up won't safe you, so you can just as well enjoy the instructions.
No, but if the plane crashes on landing and I need to evacuate from the window seat, the last thing I want do is squeeze past your tray table so I can GTFO. Seat pitch is bad enough as it is without having to squeeze past a table so you can play Angry Birds on final approach..
Actually, the rational action would be to ensure you make it to the door before it's too late. The only thing a baby in your path would change is that you might consider wiping your boot clean after you're out.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I have feeling that the group of people who do not understand pictures on the safety card greatly overlaps with the people who do not understand how to download and use apps on a smartphone.
Nothing makes you feel safer in flight than simulating crashes and escapes. I wonder if they will also simulate the cabin breaking into pieces and crawling over bodies to make your escape.
I always figured the fastest way to the exit would be over the top of the seats. Anybody who goes for the isle is a fool.
Then again: I mainly fly RyanAir and when I do I always pay the extra $10 for reserved seats in the exit row. I don't have to worry about where the door is because I'll be the one opening it.
No sig today...
The exit rows don't have fold-down tables (for that very reason).
No sig today...
What they do is place a deflated piece of plastic over their head and pretend pull on a cord.
That is hardly a live demonstration worth the effort.
Not all demonstrations are equal.
If you want people to remember you would do live drills. Nothing else really works.
The exit rows don't have fold-down tables (for that very reason).
Not really true - Most exit-rows have fold-down tray tables in the seat in front of them, e.g.:
http://patstravelreviews.com/w...
Usually you only see them in the armrest when you have this situation:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3TIF...
Seriously, in order to save a few minutes and pennies, the airlines probably would scrap them if they could.
At least in the U.S., the safety briefings are mandated by the FAA: see FAR 91.519 and FAR 91.1035. As a private pilot, I'm required to give the same sort of briefing to any passengers I carry before takeoff. (Basically, "here's how to fasten the seat belt; here's how to open the door; please don't do that in flight.") Getting the FAA to modify those regs will probably require something between an Act of Congress and an Act of God.
An experiment where they said the first 20 (or was it 50?) people to the door get 50 bucks showed the fastest way: It's not over the top of the seats. It's over the top of the other passengers...
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I don't know what airlines you fly with, but in the ones I fly on there is enough time not only to fold up the table but to actually build a new one from toothpicks if need be between final approach and when you finally can hope that someone opens that damn door.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Nothing I said is limited to landings on runways (other than my use of the phrase "touches down"). Yeah, my wording was a little sloppy, which made it sound like I was talking about a "taxiway fender-bender", but I meant in any situation where the pilot makes an unexpected landing, whether on land or water.
If the plane lands in a way which leads to the plane disintegrating, nothing will save you.
If the plane lands in a way which is unusual, but leaves large chunks of the plane undestroyed, following simple safety procedures will significantly reduce the amount of physical injury you experience.
The safety instructions contemplate the latter situation, not the former.
"Go to CNN [for a] spell-checked, fact-checked summary" -- CmdrTaco
I fly between 4 and 6 sectors per month, on average. I can practically recite the various safety briefings for two different airlines, across 5 different aircraft types. Yes, I've heard them. Yes, I find it ridiculous that after 30 years of flying, I still have to listen to them telling people how to put on their seatbelt. And I'm certainly not a fan of blind adherance to authoritarian protocols.
However, I have had experience in designing risk minimisation procedures, and safety/security system design. And over the many flights I've been on, I've frequently thought about how I would re-design the process, if I was appointed benevolent dictator over the aviation industry.
Ultimately, the question is: what process will increase the chance that the average person on the average flight will do the right thing under emergency conditions? (With the secondary goal of providing the least annoyance to regular customers.)
* Some sort of opt-out for those who fly frequently on the same service? How would you record/manage it?
* Only taking new customers through the briefing? Now you have to do the spiel 25 times for 25 different passengers in different parts of the plane, rather than once for all 190 passengers.
* Pre-flight training? On that scale?
* Better designed spiels? What would need to be included? What could we take out?
* More detailed instructions? Then they'd be longer and even less interesting than at present...
* Humour? (Like the Independence Air celebrity safety briefings?)
And when I think through the options and all the implications, the best thing I can come up with amounts to little more than minor tweaking to the existing safety demonstration.
"Go to CNN [for a] spell-checked, fact-checked summary" -- CmdrTaco
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