Figure 1.

Experimental set-up for multiagent coordination. In the Human Firefly experiment [24], eight subjects interacted simultaneously with each other via a set of touch pads and LED arrays. Each subject’s movements were recorded with a dedicated touchpad. Taps of each subject were reflected as the flashes of a corresponding LED on the array presented in front of each subject. In each trial, each subject was paced with a metronome prior to interaction. The metronome assignment split the ensemble of eight into two frequency groups of four (group A and B, coloured red and blue, respectively, for illustrative purposes; the actual LEDs are all white). The frequency difference δf between group A and B was systematically manipulated to induce different grouping behaviour. See text and [24] for details. (Online version in colour.)