Computer vision based people tracking for motivating behavior in public spaces

In this work a system that automates the process of people counting to determine what effects "just-in-time" messages have on motivating behavior is described. The system is designed to permit automatic study of the impact of motivational messages on people's stair use. A projector presents a point-of-decision message to passers-by choosing between a set of stairs and an escalator while a computer vision algorithm counts each type of traffic. Preliminary results of the effects of messages displayed in a Boston area subway station are discussed. The system is designed to be easily moved to different locations with minimal change to the setup and algorithm. Results from an initial trail showed a 4.3% increase in stair usage (p < .001), demonstrating both the viability of the measurement technology and the potential of point-of-decision messaging to change behavior.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2003

Author dc:creator

• Hyman, Jacob A. (Jacob Andrew), 1980-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Stephen S. Intille.

• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/28465

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/28465