Boids On Wheels A Proof of Concept Study of the Boid as a Vehicle

The following project is a proof of concept study exploring the feasibility of simulating traffic as a multi-agent system, with the individual vehicle being implemented as a boid as defined by C. Reynolds in 1987. Furthermore, the simulator is to serve as a tool for urban planning. This thesis first explores the growth in using computers to simulate traffic since the 1940s, along with a brief review of the work done on Reynolds’ boids. This is followed by a discussion of tool selection and the reasons behind it. Secondly the thesis discusses the different steering behaviours developed for a boid vehicle,as well as their implementation. This is followed by a description of the preliminary evaluations carried out and the problems encountered. Finally the thesis concludes with some ideas for further research and the conclusion that within the scope of this project, implementing the boid as a vehicle was found to be feasible, and ripe for further work