MIT Researchers Discover the Tipping Point of Pedestrian Flow
2025-03-24
MIT researchers have discovered a critical parameter determining the transition from ordered to disordered pedestrian flow: "angular spread." When pedestrians deviate from straight paths by more than 13 degrees, the crowd flow becomes chaotic and inefficient. This research, combining mathematical modeling and experiments, offers valuable insights for public space design, promoting safer and more efficient pedestrian traffic. The findings, validated through experiments tracking volunteers navigating a simulated crosswalk, provide a quantifiable metric for predicting lane formation and potential congestion.