Volume 72, Numbers 1-2, 235-246, DOI: 10.1007/s00607-003-0060-0

Efficient Collision Detection for Moving Ellipsoids Using Separating Planes

Wenping Wang, Yi-King Choi, Bin Chan, Myung-Soo Kim and Jiaye Wang

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Abstract

We present a simple, accurate and efficient algorithm for collision detection among moving ellipsoids. Its efficiency is attributed to two results: (i) a simple algebraic test for the separation of two ellipsoids, and (ii) an efficient method for constructing a separating plane between two disjoint ellipsoids. Inter-frame coherence is exploited by using the separating plane to reduce collision detection to simpler subproblems of testing for collision between the plane and each of the ellipsoids. Compared with previous algorithms (such as the GJK method) which employ polygonal approximation of ellipsoids, our algorithm demonstrates comparable computing speed and much higher accuracy.

AMS Subject Classification  65D17 - 68U07 - 68U05

Keywords  Collision detection - ellipsoids - algebraic test - separating plane - characteristic equation - self-polar

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