Accidents or near-accidents in crowds often occur because there are too many people in too little space. In other words, there is a high density of people. But not every situation with a high density of people is equally dangerous. 

The aim of the project „DenseDynamics“ is to identify potentially dangerous dynamics in very dense crowds and to understand and measure their emergence and impact. There is still great potential for basic empirical research in this area. DenseDynamics is intended to help close these knowledge gaps.

In DenseDynamics we aim to decipher the origin of these dynamics and to investigate their effects on a macroscopic, microscopic and submicroscopic level. To achieve this, further experiments will be carried out in which these dynamics will be triggered in a safe environment. In addition, the knowledge gained from studying pulse propagation should help to understand the effects at different levels.

Information:

Cooperation between University of Wuppertal and Researchcenter Jülich.

Project duration: 01/2026– 12/2028

Contact: Dr. Mira Küpper

Funded by DFG