Analysis of push-forward model for swarm-like collective motions

A system that operates as a whole through interactions between its constituent individuals, each of which operates autonomously, is called an autonomous decentralized system. This type of system is increasingly attracting attention in the fields of biology and engineering as a system that flexibly adapts to changes in external environments. In this paper, a push-forward model is proposed as a simple model to generate various collective motions in groups. The push-forward model can be used to generate four types of collective motions, including one where “if an individual flies out of the group, the direction in which the entire group is heading changes accordingly.” This motion could not be generated using conventional group models. In this study, the group collective motions obtained from the push-forward model are classified using evaluation indices, and the mechanisms of their development are discussed. Moreover, an evaluation is conducted using scale-free correlation, an index that expresses “group likeness,” which is derived from actual observations of bird flocks.