Optimal road traffic dynamics through reservoir computing

抄録

A physical reservoir computing framework based on the Optimal Velocity Model (OVM) for ring-road traffic is proposed: OVM-RC. External inputs modulate the perceived spacing of selected vehicles, whereas others form the reservoir state. We present a theoretical spectral correspondence between the Hopf bifurcation of continuous OVM and the local stability of discrete reservoirs via an exponential map. Simulations reveal that prediction error is minimized and that traffic flow is maximized at the critical point, indicating dual optimality of computation and transport. These findings link traffic bifurcation dynamics with reservoir performance, thereby guiding the design of bifurcation-aligned physical RC systems.