Physically accurate collisions in StarLogo Nova

Abstract

StarLogo Nova is a blocks-based programming language for students that helps teach programming by allowing users to model their own physical simulations and create games. In many simulations and games, it may be useful to have physically accurate elastic, inelastic, or partially inelastic collisions. However, StarLogo's current collision detection system relies on detecting overlapping objects after they have already collided, so it cannot simulate such collisions. We create a new continuous-time collision detection algorithm which computes the exact time two objects collide and processes collisions in time order. To verify it is possible to add physically accurate collisions to StarLogo using this algorithm, we test the continuous collision algorithm in the GlowScript, using elastic, inelastic, and partially elastic collision behavior. The new algorithm can be integrated into the execution model and new blocks can be added for different types of physically accurate collisions in order to bring accurate collisions to StarLogo.