8,465 research outputs found
Network-centric methods for heterogeneous multiagent systems
We present tools for a network topology based characterization of heterogeneity in multiagent systems, thereby providing a framework for the analysis and design of heterogeneous multiagent networks from a network structure view-point. In heterogeneous networks, agents with a diverse set of resources coordinate with each other. Coordination among different
agents and the structure of the underlying network topology have significant impacts on the overall behavior and functionality of the system. Using constructs from graph theory, a qualitative as well as a quantitative analysis is performed to examine an inter-relationship between the network topology and the distribution of agents with various capabilities in heterogeneous networks. Our goal is to allow agents maximally exploit heterogeneous resources available within the network through local interactions, thus exploring a promise heterogeneous networks hold to accomplish complicated tasks by leveraging upon the assorted capabilities of agents. For a reliable operations of such systems, the issue of security against intrusions and malicious agents is also addressed. We provide a scheme to secure a network against a sequence of intruder attacks through a set of heterogeneous guards. Moreover, robustness of networked systems against noise corruption and structural changes in the underlying network topology is also examined.Ph.D
Multiagent Bidirectionally-Coordinated Nets: Emergence of Human-level Coordination in Learning to Play StarCraft Combat Games
Many artificial intelligence (AI) applications often require multiple
intelligent agents to work in a collaborative effort. Efficient learning for
intra-agent communication and coordination is an indispensable step towards
general AI. In this paper, we take StarCraft combat game as a case study, where
the task is to coordinate multiple agents as a team to defeat their enemies. To
maintain a scalable yet effective communication protocol, we introduce a
Multiagent Bidirectionally-Coordinated Network (BiCNet ['bIknet]) with a
vectorised extension of actor-critic formulation. We show that BiCNet can
handle different types of combats with arbitrary numbers of AI agents for both
sides. Our analysis demonstrates that without any supervisions such as human
demonstrations or labelled data, BiCNet could learn various types of advanced
coordination strategies that have been commonly used by experienced game
players. In our experiments, we evaluate our approach against multiple
baselines under different scenarios; it shows state-of-the-art performance, and
possesses potential values for large-scale real-world applications.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures. Previously as title: "Multiagent
Bidirectionally-Coordinated Nets for Learning to Play StarCraft Combat
Games", Mar 201
Coupled Replicator Equations for the Dynamics of Learning in Multiagent Systems
Starting with a group of reinforcement-learning agents we derive coupled
replicator equations that describe the dynamics of collective learning in
multiagent systems. We show that, although agents model their environment in a
self-interested way without sharing knowledge, a game dynamics emerges
naturally through environment-mediated interactions. An application to
rock-scissors-paper game interactions shows that the collective learning
dynamics exhibits a diversity of competitive and cooperative behaviors. These
include quasiperiodicity, stable limit cycles, intermittency, and deterministic
chaos--behaviors that should be expected in heterogeneous multiagent systems
described by the general replicator equations we derive.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures,
http://www.santafe.edu/projects/CompMech/papers/credlmas.html; updated
references, corrected typos, changed conten
Evolutionary Tournament-Based Comparison of Learning and Non-Learning Algorithms for Iterated Games
Evolutionary tournaments have been used effectively as a tool for comparing game-playing algorithms. For instance, in the late 1970's, Axelrod organized tournaments to compare algorithms for playing the iterated prisoner's dilemma (PD) game. These tournaments capture the dynamics in a population of agents that periodically adopt relatively successful algorithms in the environment. While these tournaments have provided us with a better understanding of the relative merits of algorithms for iterated PD, our understanding is less clear about algorithms for playing iterated versions of arbitrary single-stage games in an environment of heterogeneous agents. While the Nash equilibrium solution concept has been used to recommend using Nash equilibrium strategies for rational players playing general-sum games, learning algorithms like fictitious play may be preferred for playing against sub-rational players. In this paper, we study the relative performance of learning and non-learning algorithms in an evolutionary tournament where agents periodically adopt relatively successful algorithms in the population. The tournament is played over a testbed composed of all possible structurally distinct 2×2 conflicted games with ordinal payoffs: a baseline, neutral testbed for comparing algorithms. Before analyzing results from the evolutionary tournament, we discuss the testbed, our choice of representative learning and non-learning algorithms and relative rankings of these algorithms in a round-robin competition. The results from the tournament highlight the advantage of learning algorithms over players using static equilibrium strategies for repeated plays of arbitrary single-stage games. The results are likely to be of more benefit compared to work on static analysis of equilibrium strategies for choosing decision procedures for open, adapting agent society consisting of a variety of competitors.Repeated Games, Evolution, Simulation
Inverse Reinforcement Learning in Swarm Systems
Inverse reinforcement learning (IRL) has become a useful tool for learning
behavioral models from demonstration data. However, IRL remains mostly
unexplored for multi-agent systems. In this paper, we show how the principle of
IRL can be extended to homogeneous large-scale problems, inspired by the
collective swarming behavior of natural systems. In particular, we make the
following contributions to the field: 1) We introduce the swarMDP framework, a
sub-class of decentralized partially observable Markov decision processes
endowed with a swarm characterization. 2) Exploiting the inherent homogeneity
of this framework, we reduce the resulting multi-agent IRL problem to a
single-agent one by proving that the agent-specific value functions in this
model coincide. 3) To solve the corresponding control problem, we propose a
novel heterogeneous learning scheme that is particularly tailored to the swarm
setting. Results on two example systems demonstrate that our framework is able
to produce meaningful local reward models from which we can replicate the
observed global system dynamics.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures; ### Version 2 ### version accepted at AAMAS 201
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