UCL PEARL

A very bad event, and I hope Lord Blunkett is recovering well. But of course this kind of event is not unusual. Inevitably, attention will be paid to "the gap" between the train and the platform, and of course this should be as small as possible. However, the many 'microdecisions' (most of them preconscious) that a person makes in the process of boarding a train start happening long before they encounter the gap. We need also to pay attention to things that distract those microdecisions, such as sounds (e.g. station announcements, people's conversations etc.) at a pertinent time and cause one of those microdecisions to be incorrect. As these are highly sequential, an error in one can affect many others, eventually possibly resulting in a fall. Understanding the processes underlying the act of boarding (and alighting from) a train (or bus) is currently very poor. This is just the sort of issue that UCL PEARL can study in depth. Perhaps the review initiated by Lord Blunkett's unfortunate experience should have a look at the new approaches and science being done there? This is not just a London Underground issue either - it applies to all railways, buses - and in fact to all cases that involve people crossing between a vehicle and stationary infrastructure. https://lnkd.in/e-JqA5RC

We have done all our tests, and run the final rehearsals, and now the teams at UCL PEARL are just putting together the final microadjustments for the experiments that will run tomorrow. We are investigating the cognitive load and stress effects arising from travelling on a crowded Underground train, so we have a physical and virtual multisensorial simulation of a deep tube train, stations, tunnels, all created to allow the data collection from brain and physiological sensors, as well as hormone samples and cognitive performance tests. And of course we will have lots of participants to crowd the train... !

The Royal College of Art has released a report of their research study Streets for Diversity: Exploring how neurodivergent people experience streets. The project was carried out with funding from Rees Jeffreys Road Fund and conducted by The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design and Intelligent Mobility Design Centre. The project listened to neurodivergent citizens, champions and transport experts who took part in a range of activities to highlight the challenges and opportunities on our streets. The activities included creative workshops, interviews, survey and “Walk and Talk”. The research identified the challenges streets can present for neurodivergent people, including issues around safety, unpredictability and uncomfortable environments. The research findings were used to develop 12 design opportunities for neurodivergent people, including creating places for people to sit, sensory support, and tools for navigation. A full copy of the report Streets for Diversity: Exploring how neurodivergent people experience streets, and an easy read version are both available from the Royal College of Art website here https://lnkd.in/eaHE4NUf Dr Suzy Charman #neurodiversity #streets #research

HUGE thank you to Kevin Smith and all the team for the invitation to join you today at the bi annual Ramboll #DesignExcellenceForum2024 at UCL PEARL in conjunction with UCL and LRL Space A really fantastic and thoroughly enjoyble day with amazing organisation, curation, speakers and panellists……so much brilliant UK and international content discussed across the 4 sessions Design x Learning Deisgn x Environment Design x Technology Design x Leadership There are so many takeaways and too many to summarise here (lots of notes to follow up on!) but I think one which really sticks out and has particular relevance to a current project is…… “We are visual beings in a world where sound is the main actor…..” Really good to meet up with Iain Mitchell-Jones | Sarah Ord | Bonnie Chu | Miles Delap #people #environment #engagement #entanglement #collaboration

It was an amazing experience to see the UCL PEARL facility in action recently at a special launch event. Below is a short video outlining why this type of research is so important and how it will tie into the work my team does in Arup's People Movement discipline, where we help shape space for all users across the built environment. #arup #peoplemovement #NeuroArchitecture

Enjoy an inside view from one of the 100+ participants in Hugo Spiers's, Stephen Gage's and Dr Fiona Zisch's recent neuroarchitecture experiment at UCL PEARL, which is now on BBC Click (Click, Clones and Phones: https://lnkd.in/e-i68Z7h via @bbciplayer).

UCL PEARL enabling artist #AndrewOmoding to explore his artworks in different multisensorial environments - lighting, acoustics, sound, smell, vision - so that he could explore, in exhibiting his work in multiple curations, the whole story from Uganda to outer space via Camden, and showing curators how fusing arts and sciences could enable everyone to understand the art, and themselves, better. Lots of people to thank... Thanks to CVAN London ActionSpace London, #AndrewOmoding and Sara Adhitya for curating this amazing multisensorial event, and to Jo Townshend for the opportunity to collaborate on this journey