Emergent Structural Mechanisms for High-Density Collective Motion Inspired by Human Crowds

TL;DR

This paper investigates how high-density human crowds exhibit emergent collective motion driven by structural mechanisms, using an active matter model inspired by jammed granular media, revealing potential safety risks.

Contribution

It introduces a novel active matter model for large crowds, applying granular media analysis techniques to identify structural mechanisms behind dangerous collective behaviors.

Findings

Identification of Goldstone modes in crowd dynamics

Discovery of soft spots as critical regions in crowd movement

Stochastic resonance as a trigger for emergent motion

Abstract

Collective motion of large human crowds often depends on their density. In extreme cases like heavy metal concerts and Black Friday sales events, motion is dominated by physical interactions instead of conventional social norms. Here, we study an active matter model inspired by situations when large groups of people gather at a point of common interest. Our analysis takes an approach developed for jammed granular media and identifies Goldstone modes, soft spots, and stochastic resonance as structurally-driven mechanisms for potentially dangerous emergent collective motion.