Pattern formation stability and collapse in 2D driven particle systems

Interacting, multi-robot systems show increasing promise for advances in exploration and defense applications. Here, we model a non-linear system of self-propelled individuals interacting via a pairwise attractive and repulsive potential. Depending on the interaction parameters, the agents may disperse, accumulate into self-organizing structures such as flocks and vortices, or collapse onto themselves. Borrowing tools from Statistical Mechanics, we discuss the connections between the H-stable nature of the interaction potential and resulting aggregating patterns and asymptotic behaviors. © 2006 Springer.