A collision detection algorithm based on velocity and distance bounds

The collision detection problem is encountered whenever objects are to be manipulated in the real world. Efficient solutions to this problem must intelligently decide when in time and where in space to check for interference among the objects. Complete solutions must guarantee that no collision can be overlooked. Useful solutions should also report the precise space/time points at which colliding objects begin and end contact. An algorithm based on velocity and distance bounds is described which is both useful and complete. Experiments are presented which measure the efficiency of the algorithm on a variety of test cases. The algorithm is contrasted with existing collision detection methods.