RUI: Mechanisms of Emergent Swarm Behavior: Simulation Models vs. Whirligig Experiments.

鸟类、鱼类、昆虫和人类组成群体，躲避捕食者，收集食物，并长距离移动。这些个体的运动规律在物种之间非常相似，出现的群体模式也是如此。这个项目将解决关于涌现模式的两个主要问题：1)个体差异(规模、性别、领导力)如何影响群体的速度和转向？2)群体如何与坚实的结构相互作用？回答这些问题的技术包括：对标记昆虫群体的受控行为研究；混合真实昆虫和机器人昆虫的研究；以及数学模拟模型。预计的结果包括了解如何：1)恐慌反应可以仅基于几个人的动作在人群中传播，2)领导力、多样性和出口的形状影响惊慌失措群体的逃避率。这项研究的其他应用成果可能包括：机场附近的鹅群、离开建筑物的人类、军用机器人和迁移的癌细胞群的建模和控制。在研究期间开发的工具，如群体模拟模型、机器人昆虫和自动跟踪系统，将在主要文献文章中详细介绍和/或在互联网上提供。除了这项尖端跨学科工作产生的基本知识外，该项目还将培训和支持9名本科生，为他们进入研究生院做好准备，并成为准备破译在我们世界中活动的动物群体行为的下一代科学家。

Birds, fish, insects, and humans join groups to avoid predators, gather food, and move long distances. The movement rules of these individuals are remarkably similar between species, as are the emergent group patterns. Two principle questions about emergent patterns will be addressed by this project: 1) how do individual differences (size, gender, leadership) influence a group's speed and turning?, and 2) how do groups interact with solid structures? Techniques to answer these questions include: controlled behavioral studies of marked insect groups; studies mixing real and robotic insects; and mathematical simulation models. Projected results include understanding how: 1) panic responses can spread through a crowd based on motions of only several individuals, and 2) leadership, diversity, and the shape of an exit influences escape rates of panicked groups. Other applied outcomes from the research may include the modeling and control of: geese flocks near airports, humans leaving buildings, military robots, and migrating groups of cancer cells. Tools developed during the research, such as the group simulation model, robotic insects, and automatic tracking system, will be detailed in primary literature articles and/or made available on the internet. As well as the primary knowledge resulting from this cutting-edge interdisciplinary work, the project will train and support nine undergraduate students, preparing them to enter graduate school and become the next generation of scientists ready to decipher the behaviors of animal groups moving through our world.