Bats

Bat Echolocation / Obstacle Avoidance

Watch bats move through a changing space by sensing what is nearby. Each pulse reveals part of the surroundings, helping the group adjust its path without a central guide.

Watch active sensing guide motion

Watch bats move through a changing space by sensing what is nearby. Each pulse reveals part of the surroundings, helping the group adjust its path without a central guide.

What to watch: soft rings expand from each bat, then flight paths bend around pillars and cave edges as nearby space is detected.

Explanatory notes

Each visible pulse marks an active sensing moment: the bat sends out a signal before changing course.
Nearby pillars and cave edges create local avoidance, so movement bends around obstacles without a shared map.
Bats also leave a little space around one another, keeping the group smooth and readable.
Presets change the density of obstacles and flight style while preserving the same simple local rules.

Observe

Bats emit small pulses, sense nearby returns, and steer with local information rather than a central map.

Controls

Preset

Explore the sensing

The exhibit keeps echolocation simple: each bat sends pulses, notices nearby space, and makes a local turn.

Pulse: Soft rings show active sensing moments emitted from each moving bat.
Detect: Nearby obstacles and cave edges become stronger cues as a bat approaches them.
Turn: The bat blends avoidance with forward motion, so paths curve rather than snap.
Share space: Neighbouring bats gently separate, keeping the group calm without a central guide.

Visual overlays

Keep the default view soft, or reveal extra cues for reading the sensing rule.

Sensing range arcs Obstacle detection glows

Advanced tuning

Bat population12 More bats make shared local avoidance easier to see; fewer bats keep the cave quieter. Pulse frequency1.7 How often each bat sends a visible sensing pulse. Sensing range145 How far a pulse can reveal nearby obstacles before the bat turns away. Obstacle density3 Adds or removes muted pillars and barriers from the flight space. Flight speed1.35 The target cruising speed for each bat.

Applications

Autonomous navigation
Robotics sensing
Collision avoidance
Assistive spatial interfaces