Swarm intelligence: tools and applications

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The objectives of the proposal are to develop theories, tools and techniques that facilitate the construction ofsystems which solve problems using Swarm Intelligence. In order to achieve an understanding of information processing in swarm-based systems, we propose that a new information field view be developed. This, we expect, to be based upon the investigator's own Ph.D. thesis, the work of Situated Cellular Agents of Bandini et al and extensions of our own work in understanding crowd dynamics based upon interacting information fields. As practical examples of the utility of the proposed theoretical formulation, we expect to apply swarm algorithms to problems in the area of robotic soccer and continue work in the understanding of crowds. Our focus in the former problem will be dynamic role assignment, while in the latter problem understanding how  information can be more effectively communicated within a crowd in order to effect, for example, more rapidegress from a building. We expect to use evolutionary algorithms, such as Genetic Programming, in order todevelop agent behaviours for swarm-based robots in a manner similar to the SwarmBot project, which usesneural networks for robot behavior. In understanding sensor networks we expect to develop algorithms thatensure robust information gathering in scenarios where individual sensors fail; again, techniques fromEvolutionary Computation are expected to be provide behaviours. As a further demonstration of the utility ofswarm processing, we expect to solve problems in the area of Autonomic Computing. Here, we anticipate thatautonomic managers -- agents by another name -- will learn to self organize to automate the management ofnext-generation computer systems.