Roadmap-Based Techniques for Modeling Group Behaviors in Multi-Agent Systems

Simulating large numbers of agents, performing complex behaviors in realistic environments is a difficult problem with applications in robotics, computer graphics and animation. A multi-agent system can be a useful tool for studying a range of situations in simulation in order to plan and train for actual events. Systems supporting such simulations can be used to study and train for emergency or disaster scenarios including search and rescue, civilian crowd control, evacuation of a building, and many other training situations. This work describes our approach to multi-agent systems which integrates a roadmap-based approach with agent-based systems for groups of agents performing a wide range of behaviors. The system that we have developed is highly customizable and allows us to study a variety of behaviors and scenarios. The system is tunable in the kinds of agents that can exist and parameters that describe the agents. The agents can have any number of behaviors which dictate how they react throughout a simulation. Aspects that are unique to our approach to multi-agent group behavior are the environmental encoding that the agents use when navigating and the extensive usage of the roadmap in our behavioral framework. Our roadmap-based approach can be utilized to encode both basic and very complex environments which include multi- level buildings, terrains and stadiums. In this work, we develop techniques to improve the simulation of multi-agent systems. The movement strategies we have developed can be used to validate agent movement in a simulated environment and evaluate building designs by varying portions of the environment to see the effect on pedestrian flow. The strategies we develop for searching and tracking improve the ability of agents within our roadmap-based framework to clear areas and track agents in realistic environments. The application focus of this work is on pursuit-evasion and evacuation planning. In pursuit-evasion, one group of agents, the pursuers, attempts to find and capture another set of agents, the evaders. The evaders have a goal of avoiding the pursuers. In evacuation planning, the evacuating agents attempt to find valid paths through potentially complex environments to a safe goal location determined by their environmental knowledge. Another group of agents, the directors may attempt to guide the evacuating agents. These applications require the behaviors created to be tunable to a range of scenarios so they can reflect real-world reactions by agents. They also potentially require interaction and coordination between agents in order to improve the realism of the scenario being studied. These applications illustrate the scalability of our system in terms of the number of agents that can be supported, the kinds of realistic environments that can be handled, and behaviors that can be simulated

Multi-vehicle Framework for the Development of Robotic Games: the Marco Polo Case

This thesis presents a multi-vehicle platform and framework for robotics education and research. The framework has been designed primarily as a tool for teaching children about engineering in general and robotics in particular. The framework is composed of a unique combination of hardware components and software libraries that allow users to easily design and implement sophisticated robotics behaviors. Several example games are presented including ``Obstacle Course," ``Scavenger Hunt," ``Robot Jeopardy," and ``Marco Polo." This thesis also introduces ``Marco Polo" as a robotics problem that mimics the pursuit-evasion game often played by children in swimming pools. Specifically, the question of finding an optimal pursuit strategy under the condition of intermittent communication is addressed. Finally, a problem related to ``Marco Polo" involving a multi-agent sensor network optimally placed in an environment for the purpose of detecting and intercepting intruders is presented together with a proposed solution methodology and simulation and experimental results.School of Electrical & Computer Engineerin

Development of cooperative behavioural model for autonomous multi-robots system deployed to underground mines

The number of disasters that occur in underground mine environments monthly all over the world cannot be ignored. Some of these disasters for instance are roof-falls; explosions, toxic gas inhalation, in-mine vehicle accidents, etc. can cause fatalities and/or disabilities. However, when such accidents happen during mining operations, rescuers find it difficult to respond to it immediately. This creates the necessity to bridge the gap between the lives of miners and the product acquired from the underground mines by using multi-robot systems. This thesis proposes an autonomous multi-robot cooperative behavioural model that can help to guide multi-robots in pre-entry safety inspection of underground mines. A hybrid swarm intelligent model termed, QLACS, that is based on Q-Learning (QL) and the Ant Colony System (ACS) is proposed to achieve cooperative behaviour in a MRS. The intelligent model was developed by harnessing the strengths of both QL and ACS algorithms. The ACS is used to optimize the routes used for each robot while the QL algorithm is used to enhance cooperation among the autonomous robots. The communication within the QLACS model for cooperative behavioural purposes is varied. The performance of the algorithms in terms of communication was evaluated by using a simulation approach. An investigation is conducted on the evaluation/scalability of the model using the different numbers of robots. Simulation results show that the methods proposed in this thesis achieved cooperative behaviour among the robots better than state-of-the-art or other common approaches. Using time and memory consumption as performance metrics, the results reveal that the proposed model can guide two, three and up to four robots to achieve efficient cooperative inspection behaviour in underground terrains

Rethinking the legal and institutional framework for digital financial inclusion in Nigeria

About 1.7 billion people globally and 36.8 per cent of Nigerians have no access to financial services due to reasons such as distance, financial illiteracy, irregular income, unemployment and account ineligibility. Justifications for the research include the scale of financial exclusion, the proven capacity of financial inclusion to lift people out of poverty, the need for tailored regulatory policies and the opportunity to harness the value and ubiquity of digital financial services (DFS) for the financially excluded. This research examines the broad question: how suitable are the enabling laws and institutions for digital financial services in Nigeria for addressing the needs of the financially excluded? In considering this broad question, the reasons as to why many Nigerians remain financially excluded, in spite of the abundance of regulatory initiatives, are addressed. Using a combination of doctrinal and empirical methods, the burden of accessing financial services is highlighted, strategies for financial inclusion are considered and options for suitable legal and institutional frameworks are explored. In summary, financial inclusion is broadly discussed in chapter one, while a law and development theoretical and analytical framework is constructed in chapter two. Chapter three examines the legal and institutional framework for financial inclusion in Nigeria while the barriers to financial access are discussed in chapter four. The empirical component of the research is analysed in chapter five, and chapter six considers the impact and prospects of eight new and emerging technologies on financial inclusion. The thesis concludes with recommendations and conclusions in chapter seven. Research results indicate that the path to financial inclusion in Nigeria is characterised by a myriad of laws, slow DFS adoption rates, a bank-centred regulatory model and a wide disparity in the pattern of inclusion across gender and geographical locations. Transaction costs remain high and cash is still king. Recommendations such as adopting a more consumer-centred approach to regulation, permitting alternative providers for on-boarding and adapting laws and regulatory policies tailored to the needs of the excluded are made. Additionally, it is recommended that increased financial literacy and transactional capacity are needed to harness digital financial services. It is expected that the findings of this research will inform regulatory changes that will enable a methodical migration of more of the financially excluded class into the formal finance sector

Archibald Reiss Days : Thematic conference proceedings of international significance : International Scientific Conference, Belgrade, 7-9 November 2017

In front of you is the Thematic Collection of Papers presented at the International Scientific Conference “Archibald Reiss Days”, which was organized by the Academy of Criminalistic and Police Studies in Belgrade, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University in USA, School of Criminal Justice University of Laussane in Switzerland, National Police Academy in Spain, Police Academy Szczytno in Poland, National Police University of China, Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, Volgograd Academy of the Russian Internal Affairs Ministry, Faculty of Security in Skopje, Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security in Ljubljana, Police Academy “Alexandru Ioan Cuza“ in Bucharest, Academy of Police Force in Bratislava, Faculty of Security Science University of Banja Luka, Faculty for Criminal Justice, Criminology and Security Studies University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Law in Montenegro, Police Academy in Montenegro and held at the Academy of Criminalistic and Police Studies, on 7, 8 and 9 November 2017.The International Scientific Conference “Archibald Reiss Days” is organized for the seventh time in a row, in memory of the founder and director of the first modern higher police school in Serbia, Rodolphe Archibald Reiss, after whom the Conference was named. The Thematic Collection of Papers contains 131 papers written by eminent scholars in the field of law, security, criminalistics, police studies, forensics, informatics, as well as by members of national security system participating in education of the police, army and other security services from Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Abu Dhabi, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Italy, Australia and United Kingdom. Each paper has been double-blind peer reviewed by two reviewers, international experts competent for the field to which the paper is related, and the Thematic Conference Proceedings in whole has been reviewed by five competent international reviewers.The papers published in the Thematic Collection of Papers provide us with the analysis of the criminalistic and criminal justice aspects in solving and proving of criminal offences, police organization, contemporary security studies, social, economic and political flows of crime, forensic linguistics, cybercrime, and forensic engineering. The Collection of Papers represents a significant contribution to the existing fund of scientific and expert knowledge in the field of criminalistic, security, penal and legal theory and practice. Publication of this Collection contributes to improving of mutual cooperation between educational, scientific and expert institutions at national, regional and international level

Whistleblowing for Change

The courageous acts of whistleblowing that inspired the world over the past few years have changed our perception of surveillance and control in today's information society. But what are the wider effects of whistleblowing as an act of dissent on politics, society, and the arts? How does it contribute to new courses of action, digital tools, and contents? This urgent intervention based on the work of Berlin's Disruption Network Lab examines this growing phenomenon, offering interdisciplinary pathways to empower the public by investigating whistleblowing as a developing political practice that has the ability to provoke change from within