Systems, methods, and computer readable media to improve the operation of graphics systems are described. In general, collision avoidance techniques are disclosed that operate even when the agent lacks a priori knowledge of its environment and is, further, agnostic as to whether the environment is two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D), whether the obstacles are convex or concave, or whether the obstacles are moving or stationary. More particularly, techniques disclosed herein use simple geometry to identify which edges of which obstacles an agent is most likely to collide. With this known, the direction of an avoidance force is also known. The magnitude of the force may be fixed, based on the agent's maximum acceleration, and modulated by weighting agents.