The article discusses research by physicist Denis Bartolo and his colleagues, who studied crowd dynamics during the San Fermín festival in Pamplona, Spain, to understand and prevent crowd stampedes. By analyzing video footage of the densely packed attendees, they discovered that crowds exhibited circular oscillations, which are predictable movements that emerge above a certain density threshold. This finding suggests that monitoring these movements could provide a warning signal for potentially dangerous crowd behavior, allowing organizers to intervene before chaos ensues, as evidenced by their analysis of a deadly stampede at the 2010 Love Parade in Germany. While applications of this research in real-world scenarios are still in development, it represents a significant step forward in the understanding of crowd behavior.

Key Points:

• Bartolo studied the San Fermín festival to analyze crowd dynamics and prevent stampedes.
• High crowd density can cause discomfort and potential danger, with pressures felt physically by individuals.
• Researchers used video footage and fluid dynamics techniques to identify circular oscillations in crowd movements.
• These oscillations emerge spontaneously at critical density levels without any external forces.
• The discovery may help in predicting dangerous crowd behaviors and preventing tragedies.
• Current challenges remain for practical applications, particularly with varying footage quality in real situations.
  Link to Article