A Generalized Graph-Based Method for Engineering Swarm Solutions to Multiagent Problems (Preprint)

• Main Authors: Wiegand, R. P., Potter, Mitchell A., Sofge, Donald A., Spears, William M.
• Other Authors: NAVAL RESEARCH LAB WASHINGTON DC CENTER FOR APPLIED RESEARCH IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: Cybernetics; *MULTIAGENT SYSTEMS; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; SYMPOSIA; ROBOTICS; GRAPHS; HETEROGENEITY; SWARM INTELLIGENCE; MODULARITY; PHYSICOMIMETICS; DISCRETE TIME SIMULATIONS; NEWTONIAN FORCE LAW; RESOURCE PROTECTION PROBLEMS; INTERACTION MODELS; N0001406WX20006; N0001406WX30002; Iceland
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA478680; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA478680

We present two key components of a principled method for constructing modular, heterogeneous swarms. First, we generalize a well-known technique for representing swarm behaviors to extend the power of multiagent systems by specializing agents and their interactions. Second, a novel graph-based method is introduced for designing swarm-based behaviors for multiagent teams. This method includes engineer-provided knowledge through explicit design decisions pertaining to specialization, heterogeneity, and modularity. We show the representational power of our generalized representation can be used to evolve a solution to a challenging multiagent resource protection problem. We also construct a modular design by hand, resulting in a scalable and intuitive heterogeneous solution for the resource protection problem. Prepared in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY. Presented at the International Conference on Parallel Problem Solving from Nature (9th), PPSN IX, held Reykjavik, Iceland, 9-13 Sep 2006. Published in proceedings of the same, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, v4193, p741-750, 2006; ISBN 3-540-3899-0.