Optimal layout of exhibits for congestion reduction in open-plan exhibition

Abstract

The congestion in an exhibition space might make us uncomfortable and cause an accident. In this paper, we design an amenity space with safety and comfort by optimizing the layout of exhibits. A human flow in an open-plan exhibition space is modeled by a vector field that is calculated by a coordinates transformation and projection of a virtual vector field. Based on the model, the layout of the exhibits is optimized. The simulation results show that the proposed method reduces the congestion, and the visitors view the exhibits in a short time with large satisfaction. The experimental results using swarm of mobile robots controlled autonomously or by human, shows the validity of the human model and the effectiveness of the proposed method.