Microscopic dynamics of pedestrian evacuation

In the present work, we studied the room evacuation problem using the social force model introduced by Helbing and coworkers. This model allows to explore different degree of panic. The 'faster is slower' effect induced by panic is analyzed. It can be explained in terms of increasing clogging delays probability which shows a strong correlation with certain structures that we call 'blocking clusters'. Also, the influence of the exit door size over the evacuation efficiency is briefly discussed. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.