Experimental validation of motor schema-based cellular automaton model for pedestrian dynamics

In this paper, experiments were carried out to validate the motor schema-based cellular automaton model for pedestrian dynamics presented by Weng et al. [Int. J. Mod. Phys. C17, 853 (2006)]. Unidirectional pedestrian flow with different walk velocities is studied by means of simulations and experiments. The lower walk velocity was provided by the young people with special equipment, which made them walk slowly, to imitate the elderly people. Travel time of each pedestrian from start line to goaJ line with different initial distribution patterns and obstacles in the way was measured to compare with simulation results. The comparison results indicate that the experimental observations can be well reproduced with the motor schema-based cellular automaton model. And the simulation results of the mean travel time agree well with the experimental data.