From Particles to Agents: Hallucination as a Metric for Cognitive Friction in Spatial Simulation

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2601.21977v1
• Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:54:18 GMT
• Title: From Particles to Agents: Hallucination as a Metric for Cognitive Friction in Spatial Simulation
• Authors: Javier Argota Sánchez-Vaquerizo, Luis Borunda Monsivais,
• Abstract summary: We introduce textbfAgentic Environmental Simulations, where Large Multimodal generative models actively predict the next state of spatial environments.<n>We also propose a shift from chronological time-steps to Episodic Spatial Reasoning, where simulations advance through meaningful, surprisal-triggered events.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Abstract: Traditional architectural simulations (e.g. Computational Fluid Dynamics, evacuation, structural analysis) model elements as deterministic physics-based "particles" rather than cognitive "agents". To bridge this, we introduce \textbf{Agentic Environmental Simulations}, where Large Multimodal generative models actively predict the next state of spatial environments based on semantic expectation. Drawing on examples from accessibility-oriented AR pipelines and multimodal digital twins, we propose a shift from chronological time-steps to Episodic Spatial Reasoning, where simulations advance through meaningful, surprisal-triggered events. Within this framework we posit AI hallucinations as diagnostic tools. By formalizing the \textbf{Cognitive Friction} ($C_f$) it is possible to reveal "Phantom Affordances", i.e. semiotic ambiguities in built space. Finally, we challenge current HCI paradigms by treating environments as dynamic cognitive partners and propose a human-centered framework of cognitive orchestration for designing AI-driven simulations that preserve autonomy, affective clarity, and cognitive integrity.

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