Estimating tread width values for stair design appropriated to people’s comfort and safety needs with adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system

Abstract

In this study, it is aimed to develop an adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model that can estimate tread width values based on the physical characteristics of people and suitable for comfort and safety needs. The input values were obtained by measuring the height, step, and shoe sole lengths of the sample group of 200 people. For the tread width value to be used as output value, a prototype stair model in which different step sizes can be experienced was used. The tread width value obtained by using the test data in the developed ANFIS model was compared with the tread width value obtained from the experimental study. It has been concluded that the ANFIS model developed as a result of the comparison can be used as an efficient tool in estimating the value of stair tread width, which can meet people’s physical comfort needs.