Genetic programming for the RoboCup Rescue Simulation System

The Robocup Rescue Simulation System (RCRSS) is a dynamic system of multi-agent interaction, simulating a large-scale urban disaster scenario. Teams of rescue agents are charged with the tasks of minimizing civilian casualties and infrastructure damage while competing against limitations on time, communication, and awareness. This thesis provides the first known attempt of applying Genetic Programming (GP) to the development of behaviours necessary to perform well in the RCRSS. Specifically, this thesis studies the suitability of GP to evolve the operational behaviours required of each type of rescue agent in the RCRSS. The system developed is evaluated in terms of the consistency with which expected solutions are the target of convergence as well as by comparison to previous competition results. The results indicate that GP is capable of converging to some forms of expected behaviour, but that additional evolution in strategizing behaviours must be performed in order to become competitive. An enhancement to the standard GP algorithm is proposed which is shown to simplify the initial search space allowing evolution to occur much quicker. In addition, two forms of population are employed and compared in terms of their apparent effects on the evolution of control structures for intelligent rescue agents. The first is a single population in which each individual is comprised of three distinct trees for the respective control of three types of agents, the second is a set of three co-evolving subpopulations one for each type of agent. Multiple populations of cooperating individuals appear to achieve higher proficiencies in training, but testing on unseen instances raises the issue of overfitting

A METHODOLOGY FOR TECHNOLOGY-TUNED DECISION BEHAVIOR ALGORITHMS FOR TACTICS EXPLORATION

In 2016, the USAF found that current development and acquisition methods may be inadequate to achieve air superiority in 2030. The airspace is expected to be highly contested by 2030 due to the Anti-Access/Area Denial strategies being employed by adversaries. Capability gaps must be addressed in order to maintain air superiority. The USAF identified new development and acquisition paradigms as the number one non-material capability development area. The idea of a new development and acquisition paradigm is not new. Such a paradigm shift occurred during the transition from threat-based acquisition during the cold war to capability-based acquisition during the war on terror. Investigation into current US development and acquisition methods found several notional methodologies. Effectiveness-Based Design and Technology Identification, Evaluation, and Selection for Systems-of-Systems have been proposed as notional solutions. Both methodologies seek to evaluate the means – the technologies used to perform a mission – and the ways – the tactics used to complete a mission – of the technology design space. Proper evaluation of the ways would provide critical information to the decision-maker during technology selection. These findings suggest that a new paradigm focused on effectiveness-based acquisition is needed to improve current development and acquisition methods. To evaluate the ways design space, current methods must move away from a fixed or constrained mission model to one that is minimally defined and capable of exploring tactics for each unique technology. The proposed Technology-tuned Decision Behavior Algorithms for Tactics Exploration (Tech-DEBATE) methodology enables the exploration of the ways, or more formally, the mission action design space. The methodology enables further exploration of the technology design space by improving the quantification of mission effectiveness through deep reinforcement learning in a minimally defined mission environment. The data's foundation is based on traceable tactical alternatives that increase the confidence in the measures of effectiveness for each technology-tactic alternative. The methodology enables more informed decisions for technology investment, thereby reducing risks in the development and acquisition of new technologies. The reduction in risk inherently reduces the costs and development time associated with investment in new technologies. The Tech-DEBATE methodology provides a new methodology for technology evaluation through its emphasis on quantifying mission effectiveness in a minimally defined mission to inform technology investment decisions.Ph.D