Topology and Individual Location of Crowds as Measures of Effectiveness for Non-lethal Weapons

Abstract

A quantitative analysis method for crowd responses to non-lethal weapons (NLWs) has been developed. Using motion capture technology, the location and orientation of all individuals in a crowd were recorded during various engagements with a control force wielding simulated NLWs. The motion and behavior of the group, both as a whole and as individuals, were quantified using a variety of metrics derived from these measures. Several of the proposed metrics (average leading edge and streamlines) were sensitive to differences in critical characteristics of the scenario, such as weapon type (standoff vs. hand-to-hand combat) and rules of engagement (threat vs. no threat). Therefore, these metrics can be used to assess and compare effectiveness of different types of non-lethal weapons and systems and how weapon effectiveness varies with tactics, techniques, and procedures.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 29, 2010
Accession Number
ADA633178

Entities

People

  • Charles Sheridan
  • Elizabeth Sibolboro Mezzacappa
  • Gladstone V. Reid
  • Gordon Cooke
  • John Riedener
  • Kenneth R. Short
  • Kevin Tevis
  • Nasir Jaffery
  • Robert M. DeMarco

Organizations

  • United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Dispersions
  • Engineering
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Force Protection
  • Human Behavior
  • Leading Edges
  • Locomotion
  • Motion Capture
  • Nonlethal Weapons
  • Orientation (Direction)
  • Simulations
  • Standoff
  • Trailing Edges
  • Weapons

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Military Training and Readiness Simulation
  • Missile Defense Systems.