Evolutionary computational synthesis of self-organizing systems

Abstract

AbstractA computational approach for the design of self-organizing systems is proposed that employs a genetic algorithm to efficiently explore the vast space of possible configurations of a given system description. To generate the description of the system, a two-field based model is proposed in which agents are assigned parameterized responses to two “fields,” a task field encompassing environmental features and task objects, and a social field arising from agent interactions. The aggregate effect of these two fields, sensed by agents individually, governs the behavior of each agent, while the system-level behavior emerges from the actions of and interactions among the agents. Task requirements together with performance preferences are used to compose system fitness functions for evolving functional and efficient self-organizing mechanisms. Case studies on the evolutionary synthesis of self-organizing systems are presented and discussed. These case studies focus on achieving system-level behavior with minimal explicit coordination among agents. Agents were able to collectively display flocking, exploration, and foraging through self-organization. The proposed two-field model was able to capture important features of self-organizing systems, and the genetic algorithm was able to generate self-organizing mechanisms by which agents could form task-based structures to fulfill functional requirements.