Physics-based modeling of crowd evacuation in the Unity game engine

Crowds of people are often found in enclosed or constricted spaces.Evacuation in such situations is usually conducted calmly,but real or perceived danger may trigger panic.In panicked crowds,the interpersonal distance crowd members normally observe is often overwhelmed by the physical pressure of crowd members pushing against each other.That pressure can both slow evacuation and lead to injury or death.Models have been developed to study crowd evacuation in a range of situations.This paper describes the implementation,testing,and validation of a crowd evacuation model using Unity,a commercial computer game engine.A realistic physics-based model of crowd movement that calculates and considers the physical pressure crowd members exert on each other was implemented in Unity.The implemented model was tested under both nonpanicked and panicked scenarios;those tests exhibited known qualitative characteristics of such scenarios.The model was then quantitatively validated by comparing its results to the outcome of an actual evacuation event,the 2003 fire at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island.The implementation and validation show that Unity can be an effective tool for evacuation modeling.

Design and implementation of somatosensory interactive game based on Leap Motion

Recently, virtual reality and interactive somatosensory technology has become one of the hot issues in the research of computer applications. Leap Motion is a new type of interactive somatosensory devices which bring users senses of immersion efficiently. This paper studies a interactive somatosensory game model based on Leap Motion and implemented with Unity. Based on the two core technology philosophy of Leap Motion, i.e., virtual reality technology and body sense of interactive technology, the design implementation of each sub module of the system and Leap Motion game algorithm are thoroughly addressed. This paper has certain significance for future application of Leap Motion in film, television, and interactive games.

On engineering game theory with its application in power systems

Due to its capability of solving decision-making problems involving multiple entities and objectives, as well as complex action sequences, game theory has been a basic mathematical tool of economists, politicians, and sociologists for decades. It helps them understand how strategic interactions impact rational decisions of individual players in competitive and uncertain environment, if each player aims to get the best payoff. This situation is ubiquitous in engineering practices. This paper streamlines the foundations of engineering game theory, which uses concepts, theories and methodologies to guide the resolution of engineering design, operation, and control problems in a more canonical and systematic way. An overview of its application in smart grid technologies and power systems related topics is presented, and intriguing research directions are also envisioned.

Paving the Way to Smart Micro Energy Grid:Concepts,Design Principles,and Engineering Practices

The interconnection between initially independent energy infrastructures offers additional system flexibility and efficiency.The integration at distribution level simplifies the implementation of the integrated energy system functionalities.This paper proposes concepts and design principles of a smart micro energy grid(MEG)for accommodating micro-grids,distributed poly-generation systems,energy storage facilities,and associated energy distribution infrastructures.The energy management system is responsible for the smart operation of the MEG while supporting multiple criteria,such as safety,economy,and environmental protection.To realize the vision of the smart MEG,an engineering game theory based energy management system with self-approaching-optimum capability is investigated.Based on the proposed concepts,design principles,and energy management system,this paper presents a prototype of China’s first conceptual solar-based smart MEG,established in Qinghai University.

An interactive approach to investigate brightness perception of daylighting in Immersive Virtual Environments:Comparing subjective responses and quantitative metrics

Daylighting plays an eminent role in the performance of indoor environments and their occupants,thus necessitating the need to investigate daylight perception of potential occupants at early design stages.The present study introduces an interactive approach to collect and visualize brightness perception of daylighting in a large-scale immersive virtual environment using a game engine as a daylight simulation tool.The developed system allows users to explore building models freely at different day times set in virtual reality and report their perceptions in real time.Following a validation study(N=36)to investigate the consistency of brightness perceptions in a real environment and its virtual replica,a set of 24 participants were recruited to use the system to report their brightness perception in a virtual model of a daylit art museum,through snapshotting the scenes where they perceive as one of the following in terms of daylighting:(very dark,dark,bright,or very bright).Using an output of 419 snapshots,a"Perceptual Light Map"(PLM)was developed to visualize the collective brightness perception of participants as a heat map.Subjective responses were found to be positively correlated with four daylight metrics,with the highest correlation to mean luminance and the lowest to luminance ratio.The findings of this exploratory study represent a step towards a user-oriented supplement tool to the existing quantitative daylight metrics,validating game engines’adequacy as a daylight simulation tool,and illustrating the potentials of immersion and interaction principles for the perception of daylit spaces in virtual reality.