Files
TIR_PROJ/herding/world/flocking_sim.py
T
Johnny Fernandes fce0e0c786 Checkpoint 6
2026-05-11 10:35:48 +01:00

206 lines
8.1 KiB
Python
Raw Blame History

This file contains ambiguous Unicode characters
This file contains Unicode characters that might be confused with other characters. If you think that this is intentional, you can safely ignore this warning. Use the Escape button to reveal them.
"""Sheep flocking dynamics — Strömbom 2014 / Reynolds 1987 hybrid.
This is the per-sheep behavioural step used both by the Webots sheep
controller (scalar, one sheep at a time) and by the training environment
(loop over sheep).
Model
-----
The force stack each step (summed → heading + speed):
flee — quadratic ramp away from dog within FLEE_DIST
(Strömbom 2014 §2.1, term ρa)
cohesion — drift toward local centre of mass of peers within
COHESION_DIST (Strömbom 2014 §2.1, term c).
Weight is **higher when fleeing** — modelling the
"safety in numbers" / predator-confusion effect
Strömbom 2014 describes as fear-induced cohesion.
separation — short-range inverse-distance repulsion from peers
(Strömbom 2014 §2.1, term α; Reynolds 1987)
wander — small persistent drift for natural idle motion
(Strömbom 2014 §2.1, noise term ε)
References
----------
- Strömbom et al. (2014). "Solving the shepherding problem: heuristics
for herding autonomous, interacting agents." J R Soc Interface 11.
- Reynolds (1987). "Flocks, herds and schools: A distributed
behavioural model." SIGGRAPH '87.
Environment-specific adaptations
--------------------------------
The original Strömbom model assumes an open field. Our scenario adds:
* Field walls — soft repulsion within ``WALL_MARGIN`` plus a hard
escape band when inside ``WALL_HARD_MARGIN``. Necessary because the
Webots field is fenced (30 m square enclosure).
* Gate column — the south wall has a 3 m gap at x ∈ [10, 13]; sheep
pass through it freely (no wall force inside the column).
* Penned containment — once a sheep crosses the gate plane south
(``geometry.is_penned_position``), the caller flags ``penned=True``
and we switch to in-pen wall-bounce + jitter. Sheep do not exit the
pen on their own. This is a hard sim constraint, not a behavioural
claim about real sheep.
Parameter tuning (cohesion weight 3× while fleeing) was chosen so the
flock survives passage through the 3 m gate without fragmenting — this
is a defensible engineering adaptation of Strömbom's qualitative
"fear-induced cohesion" to our gate width.
"""
import math
import random
from herding.world.geometry import (
FIELD_X, FIELD_Y,
PEN_X, PEN_Y,
GATE_X,
)
# --- Speed and force constants ---
# All speeds here are in wheel rad/s (motor units), matching the existing
# sheep controller. Conversion to m/s = speed * SHEEP_WHEEL_RADIUS.
MAX_SPEED = 22.0
FLEE_SPEED = 20.0
WANDER_SPEED = 3.0
WALL_MARGIN = 5.0
WALL_HARD_MARGIN = 1.0
WALL_HARD_GAIN = 50.0
FLEE_DIST = 7.0
SEPARATION_DIST = 2.5
COHESION_DIST = 12.0 # was 8.0 — wider engagement so far-flung sheep are pulled in
PEN_MARGIN = 0.8
def _peers_iter(peers):
"""Accept either a {name: (x, y)} dict or an iterable of (x, y) tuples."""
if isinstance(peers, dict):
return list(peers.values())
return list(peers)
def compute_heading_speed(x, y, penned, dog_xy, peers, wander_angle, rng=None):
"""Return ``(heading, speed, new_wander_angle)`` for one sheep step.
``speed`` is in wheel rad/s (motor units), bounded by ``[WANDER_SPEED,
FLEE_SPEED]``. ``heading`` is the world-frame target heading the sheep
should aim for (atan2 convention).
``rng`` is an optional ``random.Random``-compatible object used for
the wander-jitter. If ``None``, falls back to Python's global module
(matches Webots controller usage). Pass an env-owned RNG to make
rollouts deterministic given a seed.
"""
fx, fy = 0.0, 0.0
peer_list = _peers_iter(peers)
rnd = rng if rng is not None else random
if penned:
# --- Pen containment: bounce off the four pen walls ---
pm = PEN_MARGIN
if x < PEN_X[0] + pm:
fx += ((PEN_X[0] + pm - x) / pm) * 15.0
if x > PEN_X[1] - pm:
fx -= ((x - (PEN_X[1] - pm)) / pm) * 15.0
if y < PEN_Y[0] + pm:
fy += ((PEN_Y[0] + pm - y) / pm) * 15.0
if y > PEN_Y[1] - pm:
fy -= ((y - (PEN_Y[1] - pm)) / pm) * 15.0
# Mild peer separation — penned sheep crowd the corner otherwise.
for px, py in peer_list:
dx, dy = px - x, py - y
d = math.hypot(dx, dy)
if 0.05 < d < SEPARATION_DIST:
push = (SEPARATION_DIST - d) / d
fx -= (dx / d) * push * 2.5
fy -= (dy / d) * push * 2.5
if rnd.random() < 0.02:
wander_angle += rnd.uniform(-0.6, 0.6)
fx += math.cos(wander_angle) * 0.5
fy += math.sin(wander_angle) * 0.5
else:
# --- Free-roaming sheep in the field ---
fleeing = False
if dog_xy is not None:
ddx = dog_xy[0] - x
ddy = dog_xy[1] - y
dist = math.hypot(ddx, ddy)
if 0.01 < dist < FLEE_DIST:
fleeing = True
t = 1.0 - dist / FLEE_DIST
s = t * t * 20.0
fx -= (ddx / dist) * s
fy -= (ddy / dist) * s
# Cohesion — drift toward flock CoM (peers within COHESION_DIST).
# Cohesion is *stronger* under flee than at rest (the
# predator-confusion / safety-in-numbers effect — sheep huddle when
# threatened). This is what makes shepherding work: the flock stays
# as one unit through the narrow gate instead of fragmenting.
cx, cy, cn = 0.0, 0.0, 0
for px, py in peer_list:
d = math.hypot(px - x, py - y)
if 0.3 < d < COHESION_DIST:
cx += px
cy += py
cn += 1
if cn > 0:
# Cohesion needs to dominate flee at close range so the flock
# stays glued together when squeezing through the narrow gate.
# Flee at 2 m has magnitude ~10; cohesion of w=3.0 with the
# peer-CoM 4 m away contributes ~12, so the flock prefers
# bunching to dispersing under pressure. This is what makes
# canonical Strömbom drive work in our 3 m gate.
w = 3.0 if fleeing else 1.0
fx += (cx / cn - x) * w
fy += (cy / cn - y) * w
# Separation — inverse-distance push from peers.
for px, py in peer_list:
ddx, ddy = px - x, py - y
d = math.hypot(ddx, ddy)
if 0.05 < d < SEPARATION_DIST:
push = (SEPARATION_DIST - d) / d
fx -= (ddx / d) * push * 2.5
fy -= (ddy / d) * push * 2.5
# Wall soft repulsion. The south wall is absent inside the gate
# column so sheep can be driven through it by the dog.
if x < FIELD_X[0] + WALL_MARGIN:
fx += ((FIELD_X[0] + WALL_MARGIN - x) / WALL_MARGIN) * 6.0
if x > FIELD_X[1] - WALL_MARGIN:
fx -= ((x - (FIELD_X[1] - WALL_MARGIN)) / WALL_MARGIN) * 6.0
if y > FIELD_Y[1] - WALL_MARGIN:
fy -= ((y - (FIELD_Y[1] - WALL_MARGIN)) / WALL_MARGIN) * 6.0
if y < FIELD_Y[0] + WALL_MARGIN and not (GATE_X[0] <= x <= GATE_X[1]):
fy += ((FIELD_Y[0] + WALL_MARGIN - y) / WALL_MARGIN) * 6.0
if not fleeing:
if random.random() < 0.02:
wander_angle += random.uniform(-0.6, 0.6)
fx += math.cos(wander_angle) * 0.5
fy += math.sin(wander_angle) * 0.5
# --- Hard escape band — overrides everything when very close to a wall ---
m, g = WALL_HARD_MARGIN, WALL_HARD_GAIN
if x - FIELD_X[0] < m:
fx = max(fx, g * (1.0 - (x - FIELD_X[0]) / m))
if FIELD_X[1] - x < m:
fx = min(fx, -g * (1.0 - (FIELD_X[1] - x) / m))
if FIELD_Y[1] - y < m:
fy = min(fy, -g * (1.0 - (FIELD_Y[1] - y) / m))
# South wall hard escape only when not in the gate column and not penned.
if (not penned) and (y - FIELD_Y[0] < m) and not (GATE_X[0] <= x <= GATE_X[1]):
fy = max(fy, g * (1.0 - (y - FIELD_Y[0]) / m))
heading = math.atan2(fy, fx)
mag = math.hypot(fx, fy)
speed = max(WANDER_SPEED, min(FLEE_SPEED, mag * 3.0))
return heading, speed, wander_angle