An inverse differential game approach to modelling bird mid-air collision avoidance behaviours

In this paper, we investigate an inverse differential game approach to modelling the mid-air collision avoidance behaviours of birds. We propose a general method for estimating the cost-functional parameters of a noncooperative differential game from partial-state measurements of an open-loop Nash equilibrium. We apply the method to data of birds performing mid-air collision avoidance. Our analysis suggests that a differential game model provides a close description of the observed bird behaviours, and could provide new insights for the design of collision avoidance strategies for unmanned aircraft.