Crane Setup

Social distancing apps are being used all around the world as a central instrument to contain the global pandemic. In order to enable effective contact tracing, the apps must be tested in different environments and situations.

In more than 1,000 hours of testing, various everyday scenarios have already been run through and measured by means of the 3DPositioningSystem. Using a script, users' touches on a smartphone display are simulated and the smartphones are activated or deactivated independently. The advantage of crane tests is that the tests can be carried out automatically overnight. This is necessary because a large amount of data is required for a significant test result, which cannot be obtained with the help of test subjects.

The approache

The infrastructure of the test center L.I.N.K. offers the possibility to test the behavior of social distancing apps in both temporally and spatially complex long-term scenarios. Using an automated crane with a body dummy, it is possible to precisely measure how social distancing apps behave in different situations over a long period of time.

For this purpose, on the one hand, a smartphone that has the social distancing app to be tested is attached to the crane's body dummy and, on the other hand, several smartphones are attached to canisters filled with antifreeze. The antifreeze is used because it simulates the body attenuation of a real person well. The crane then moves on the basis of a given scheme, which reflects real movement patterns of people in the respective situation.

At Work

As part of the test campaign for the german Corona-Warn-App, real situations in everyday work could be simulated using the crane tests. For example, using the “Large Office” scenario in which the behavior in an large office was simulated. In addition to working at the desk, visiting the coffee kitchen or changing from the workplace to a meeting room was reenacted.

In addition, the “Fairground” scenario represents a trade fair situation with two exhibition halls in which a visitor visits several stands at which he stays for different lengths of time.

During a lecture

The “auditorium” scenario covers an extremely important area of ​​everyday life. An auditorium with a classic classroom layout was shown here. The body dummy represents the presenter who alternates between sitting at the witheboard or taking a tour through the rows. The scenario is representative of generalized lecture situations and can therefore be applied to universities, schools and all areas of work.

Leisure activities

In order to cover as many aspects of everyday life as possible, scenarios such as "Queue", in which people are simulated in a queue, or "Cocktail Party", in which people simulate a loose conversation around standing tables, were also designed.

In restaurants in particular, staff often has contact with many different people over different periods of time. This situation can also be precisely represented and simulated with the “Dining Restaurant” scenario.

Typical processes

In addition to the concrete simulation scenarios, some abstract scenarios, which can be projected onto different situations and areas, were also designed.

The scenario "matrix" simulates services and actions in the immediate environment of one person to other people, for example at the hairdresser or in large crowds.

"Jungle of Infections" reproduces a scenario in which a person paves his way past many infected people at different distances.