The spatial-orientational organization of face-to-face conversational encounters can be described in terms of the sociological notion of F-formations. Ethnomethodological studies of human interaction indicate several geometrical constraints that influence the positional orientations assumed by participants of F-formations. By incorporating some of these constraints, a computational system has been developed that enables agents to dynamically plan their spatial whereabouts in a virtual environment. This paper presents the system and analyses its impact in leading to the emergence of F-formation like spatial configurations in a two-dimensional multi-agent environment. Analyses are based on how experimental subjects perceived the groupings of agents in the virtual environment.

Image courtesy of interviewee. November 28, 2016