The Korea Railroad Research Institute said on April 10 it recently conducted an experiential test of a "smart evacuation guidance system" developed to provide continuous evacuation guidance in large spaces at Lotte Global Logistics' central mega hub terminal.

The test used "Smart Guide," developed by the institute in cooperation with Choice Technology as part of a national R&D project under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to develop fire safety management technology for logistics facilities. Smart Guide can be easily attached to rack structures with magnets. It uses laser diodes to display evacuation direction arrows on the floor at regular intervals so evacuees can follow them continuously.

Smart Guide is designed so the evacuation direction display device and the evacuation control system communicate with each other wirelessly. It operates on low power and is designed to avoid frequent battery replacement. The evacuation direction display device has built-in indoor temperature, humidity and dust sensors to monitor indoor conditions or be used as a fire detector. It also includes a smart function that responds to shouted words such as "Fire" using artificial intelligence (AI) voice recognition.

Project lead Lee Deok-hee (이덕희), head of the institute's Railway Major Accident Research Lab, said, "Smart Guide can provide evacuees with the clearest and most continuous evacuation route." He added it would help reduce casualties by guiding rapid evacuation even in complex structures such as large logistics facilities.

Lotte Global Logistics also participated as a pilot operator and provided infrastructure for demonstration. A Lotte Global Logistics official said, "In situations where evacuation safety at worksites is a concern due to automated equipment, we expect this continuous evacuation route guidance device can help."