Modelling multi-rotor UAVs swarm deployment using virtual pheromones

In this work, a swarm behaviour for multi-rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) deployment will be presented. The main contribution of this behaviour is the use of a virtual device for quantitative sematectonic stigmergy providing more adaptable behaviours in complex environments. It is a fault tolerant highly robust behaviour that does not require prior information of the area to be covered, or to assume the existence of any kind of information signals (GPS, mobile communication networks …), taking into account the specific features of UAVs. This behaviour will be oriented towards emergency tasks. Their main goal will be to cover an area of the environment for later creating an ad-hoc communication network, that can be used to establish communications inside this zone. Although there are several papers on robotic deployment it is more difficult to find applications with UAV systems, mainly because of the existence of various problems that must be overcome including limitations in available sensory and on-board processing capabilities and low flight endurance. In addition, those behaviours designed for UAVs often have significant limitations on their ability to be used in real tasks, because they assume specific features, not easily applicable in a general way. Firstly, in this article the characteristics of the simulation environment will be presented. Secondly, a microscopic model for deployment and creation of ad-hoc networks, that implicitly includes stigmergy features, will be shown. Then, the overall swarm behaviour will be modeled, providing a macroscopic model of this behaviour. This model can accurately predict the number of agents needed to cover an area as well as the time required for the deployment process. An experimental analysis through simulation will be carried out in order to verify our models. In this analysis the influence of both the complexity of the environment and the stigmergy system will be discussed, given the data obtained in the simulation. In addition, the macroscopic and microscopic models will be compared verifying the number of predicted individuals for each state regarding the simulation.This work was supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spain) http://www.mineco.gob.es/portal/site/mineco/, project TIN2013-40982-R. Project co-financed with FEDER funds

Linked data as medium for distributed Multi-Agent Systems

The conceptual design and discussion of multi-agents systems (MAS) typically focuses on agents and their models, and the elements and effects in the environment which they perceive. This view, however, leaves out potential pitfalls in the later implementation of the system that may stem from limitations in data models, interfaces, or protocols by which agents and environments exchange information. By today, the research community agrees that for this, that the environment should be understood as well as abstraction layer by which agents access, interpret, and modify elements within the environment. This, however, blurs the the line of the environment being the sum of interactive elements and phenomena perceivable by agents, and the underlying technology by which this information and interactions are offered to agents. This thesis proposes as remedy to consider as third component of multi agent systems, besides agents and environments, the digital medium by which the environment is provided to agents. "Medium" then refers to exactly this technological component via which environment data is published interactively towards the agents, and via which agents perceive, interpret, and finally, modify the underlying environment data. Furthermore, this thesis will detail how MAS may use capabilities of a properly chosen medium to achieve coordinating system behaviors. A suitable candidate technology for digital agent media comes from the Semantic Web in form of Linked Data. In addition to conceptual discussions about the notions of digital agent media, this thesis will provide in detail a specification of a Linked Data agent medium, and detail on means to implement MAS around Linked Data media technologies.Sowohl der konzeptuelle Entwurf von, als auch die wissenschaftliche Diskussion über Multi-Agenten-Systeme (MAS) konzentrieren sich für gewöhnlich auf die Agenten selbst, die Agentenmodelle, sowie die Elemente und Effekte, die sie in ihrer Umgebung wahrnehmen. Diese Betrachtung lässt jedoch mögliche Probleme in einer späteren Implementierung aus, die von Einschränkungen in Datenmodellen, Schnittstellen, oder Protokollen herrühren können, über die Agenten und ihre Umgebung Informationen miteinander austauschen. Heutzutage ist sich die Forschungsgemeinschaft einig, dass die Umgebung als solche als Abstraktionsschicht verstanden werden sollte, über die Agenten Umgebungseffekte und -elemente wahrnehmen, interpretieren, und mit ihnen interagieren. Diese Betrachtungsweise verschleiert jedoch die Trennung zwischen der Umgebung als die Sammlung interaktiver Elemente und wahrnehmbarer Phänomene auf der einen Seite, und der zugrundeliegenden Technologie, über die diese Information den Agenten bereitgestellt wird, auf der anderen. Diese Dissertation schlägt als Lösung vor, zusätzlich zu Agenten undUmgebung ein digitales Medium, über das Agenten die Umgebung bereitgestellt wird, als drittes Element von Multi-Agenten-Systemen zu betrachten. Der Begriff "Medium" bezieht sich dann genau auf diese technologische Komponente, über die Umgebungsinformationen Agenten interaktiv bereitgestellt werden, und über die Agenten die zugrundeliegenden Daten wahrnehmen, interpretieren, und letztendlich modifizieren. Desweiteren wird diese Dissertation aufzeigen, wie die Eigenschaften eines sorgfältig gewählten Mediums ausgenutzt werden können, um ein koordiniertes Systemverhalten zu erreichen. Ein geeigneter Kandidat für ein digitales Agentenmedium findet sich im Ökosystem des „Semantic Web”, in Form von „Linked Data”, wörtlich („verknüpfte Daten”). Zusätzlich zu einer konzeptionellen Diskussion über die Natur digitaler Agenten- Media, spezifiziert diese Dissertation „Linked Data” als Agentenmedium detailliert aus, und beschreibt im Detail die Mittel, wie sich MAS um Linked Data Technologien herum implementieren lassen

Stigmergy-based Load Scheduling in a Demand Side Management Context

This work proposes an approach, based on a fundamental coordination mechanism from nature, namely stigmergy. The proposed meta-heuristic is utilized to distributively calculate global schedules for a population of customers provided with intelligent devices. These schedules maximize renewable energy sources utilization. Furthermore, this approach is adapted and utilized as a coordination mechanism of autonomous customers to modify their consumption behavior in a real-time optimization context

Generative agent-based architectural design computation : behavioral strategies for integrating material, fabrication and construction characteristics in design processes

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the generative potential of agent-based systems for integrating material and fabrication characteristics into design processes. This generative agent-based system reflects the significance of behavioral strategies in computational design and construction. This work presents a generative behavioral approach for integrating fabrication processes with material specifications. The development of a computational framework facilitates this integration via an agent-based system. A series of experiments with related case studies emphasizes behavioral strategies within the processes of formation and materialization. This research proposes the integration of material and fabrication processes through an agent-based system. The utilization of this system reflects a theoretical framework in developing an integrative computational method. The implementation of this theoretical framework in practical studies demonstrates the applicability of this research. The practical developments highlight the importance of behavioral strategies to establish integral design computation. Chapter 1 introduces the extended behavioral strategies to integration design. Chapter 2 provides a study about integrative design computation to abstract the main drivers of design integration through agent-based modeling. Chapter 3 presents agent-based systems in architectural design, specifically, in regards to material, fabricational, and environmental principles. Chapter 4 explores experiments and case studies to adjust the development of a generative agent-based system for integrating material and fabrication characteristics in design processes. Chapter 5 explains procedures for setting-up a generative agent-based design computation. Chapter 6 discusses the significance of behavioral strategies to develop different behavioral layers within a generative agent-based architectural design. Chapter 7 concludes the integral behavioral strategies by proposing trends to minimize the gap between formation and materialization through coalescing computational and physical agent-based systems.Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die generativen Potentiale von Agenten-basierten Systemen zur Integration von Material- und Fertigungseigenschaften im Entwurfsprozess zu untersuchen. Diese generative, Agenten-basierten Systeme spiegeln die Bedeutung von Regel- und Verhaltens-basierten Strategien für das digitale Entwerfen, Planen und Konstruieren wider. Die vorliegende Forschungsarbeit stellt einen generativen Ansatz zur Integration der Charakteristika von Material und Fertigung dar. Dies erfolgt über die Entwicklung einer digitalen Methode, die die Integration in ein Agent-basiertes System ermöglicht, was an einer Reihe von Experimenten und Fallstudien und der dazugehörigen Verhaltensstrategien für die Formgenerierung und Materialisierung erprobt wurde. Das operative Potential des theoretischen Rahmens wird in diesen praktischen Studien demonstriert und belegt die Anwendbarkeit der Forschung. Die theoretischen und praktischen Entwicklungen zeigen die Bedeutung von Verhaltensstrategien für das architektonische Entwerfen und einen ganzheitlichen digitalen Gestaltungs- und Bildungsprozess

Getting their acts together: A coordinated systems approach to extended cognition

A cognitive system is a set of processes responsible for intelligent behaviour. This thesis is an attempt to answer the question: how can cognitive systems be demarcated; that is, what criterion can be used to decide where to draw the boundary of the system? This question is important because it is one way of couching the hypothesis of extended cognition – is it possible for cognitive systems to transcend the boundary of the brain or body of an organism? Such a criterion can be supplied by what is called in the literature a ‘mark of the cognitive’. The main task of this thesis is to develop a general mark of the cognitive. The starting point is that a system responsible for intelligent behaviour is a coordinated coalition of processes. This account proposes a set of functional conditions for coordination. These conditions can then be used as a sufficient condition for membership of a cognitive system. In certain circumstances, they assert that a given process plays a coordination role in the system and is therefore part of the system. The controversy in the extended cognition debate surrounds positive claims of systemhood concerning ‘external’ processes so a sufficient condition will help settle some of these debates. I argue that a Coordinated Systems Approach like this will help to move the extended cognition debate forward from its current impasse. Moreover, the application of the approach to social systems and stygmergic systems - systems where current processes are coordinated partly by the trace of previous action – promises new directions for research