Continuous-space automaton model for pedestrian dynamics

An off-lattice automaton for modeling pedestrian dynamics is presented. Pedestrians are represented by disks with variable radius that evolve following predefined rules. The key feature of our approach is that although positions and velocities are continuous, forces do not need to be calculated. This has the advantage that it allows using a larger time step than in force-based models. The room evacuation problem and circular racetrack simulations quantitatively reproduce the available experimental data, both for the specific flow rate and for the fundamental diagram of pedestrian traffic with an outstanding performance. In this last case, the variation of two free parameters (r(min) and r(max)) of the model accounts for the great variety of experimental fundamental diagrams reported in the literature. Moreover, this variety can be interpreted in terms of these model parameters.