Simulating Shopper Behavior using Fuzzy Logic in Shopping Center Simulation

Abstract

Abstract. To simulate real-world phenomena, a computer tool can be used to run a simulation and provide a detailed report. By using a computer-aided simulation tool, we can retrieve information relevant to the simulated subject in a relatively short time. This study is an extended and complete version of an initial research done by Christian and Hansun and presents a prototype of a multi-agent shopping center simulation tool along with a fuzzy logic algorithm implemented in the system. Shopping centers and all their components are represented in a simulated 3D environment. The simulation tool was created using the Unity3D engine to build the 3D environment and to run the simulation. To model and simulate the behavior of agents inside the simulation, a fuzzy logic algorithm that uses the agents' basic knowledge as input was built to determine the agents' behavior inside the system and to simulate human behaviors as realistically as possible.

On the Synergy between Virtual Reality and Multi-Agent Systems

“…Within this line, the field of crowd simulation has also gained strength, and we also find some studies on it using VR and MAS [57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68]. This type of simulation has multiple purposes: planning emergency plans [69][70][71][72], improvement of the work environment [73][74][75][76][77][78], improvement of the educational environment [79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86], people training [87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95], interactions between humans and avatars [96,97], smart buildings and commerce simulation [98,99], etc.…”

“…Christian et al [98] presented a prototype of a multi-agent simulation tool of a shopping center together with a fuzzy logic algorithm that uses the basic knowledge of the agents as input to determine the behavior of the agents in the system so that this behavior is the most realistic possible.…”