The Colliding Reciprocal Dance Problem: A Mitigation Strategy with Application to Automotive Active Safety Systems

A reciprocal dance occurs when two mobile agents attempt to pass each other but incompatible interaction models result in repeated attempts to take mutually blocking actions. Such a situation often results in deadlock, but in systems with significant inertial constraints, it can result in collision. This paper presents this colliding variant of the reciprocal dance, how it arises, and a mitigation strategy that can improve safety without sacrificing flexibility. A demonstration is provided in the context of automotive active safety.