STRATEGIES FOR ACTIVE CAMOUFLAGE OF MOTION

M. V. Srinivasan and M. P. Davey

In this paper we consider whether an animal or an agent (a 'shadower') can actively camouflage its movements whilst tracking another animal or agent (a 'shadowee'). It is shown that, under certain conditions, the shadower can conceal its motion if it moves along a trajectory such that it emulates the optic flow produced by a stationary object, as viewed by the moving shadowee. Algorithms for determining trajectories which enable the shadower to camouflage its motion whilst tracking a shadowee, or whilst moving towards a stationary or moving target, are developed and tested. The proposed strategies work regardless of whether the shadower is viewed against a homogeneous or structured background. It is of interest to investigate the relevance of active motion camouflage in contexts such as 'shadowing' behaviour in hoverflies, capture of prey by predators and military manoeuvres.