The behavior of pedestrians can seem unpredictable — especially in a big crowd. Yet a group of scientists has developed an accurate mathematical representation of real-life pedestrian movement. By factoring in people’s ability to anticipate impending collisions, the researchers created simulations in which pedestrians naturally form lanes to walk in opposing directions and slow as an area gets more congested, just as real pedestrians do. “It’s the most human-like model that exists right now”, says Stephen Guy, a computer scientist at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, who led the work. (1)

Go out.
Start walking.
Feel free and listen to the wind.
Bump into other people.
Smile.

Let scientists sit in a desk and analyze that.

🙂