Philips outdoor lighting application centre (OLAC).
Does outdoor lighting enable pedestrians to see other people’s emotional expressions?
A recently published scientific paper by Steve Fotios at University of Sheffield and Maria Johansson at Lund University discusses how outdoor lighting can be studied to determine if it is sufficient for pedestrians to see other people’s emotional expressions.
The analysis is based on a summary of previously conducted scientific studies. The result shows that the recognition of facial expression is a relevant task and that the assessment should be done at about 15 meters distance.
Standardized facial expression photographs provide an appropriate method for evaluating effects of changes in illuminance and spectral distribution. However, more knowledge is needed before reliable methods to evaluate the effect of glare pedestrians’ interpretation of facial expression.
The study is part of Lighting Metropolis’ research work to raise standards across the industry. You can read the full report here.
